It's coming down to the wire in girls prep.
The last two weeks have brought plenty of fireworks.
There were a ton of notable results this week. You had then-No. 2 Nobles taking down then-No. 1 Phillips Andover and former No. 8 Tabor. Elsewhere, then-No. 4 Loomis Chaffee beat then-No. 3 Williston Northampton. You also had former No. 7 St. Paul's sweep former No. 10 Phillips Exeter, while then-No. 5 Dexter Southfield beat then-No. 9 Cushing, which also fell to No. 6 Deerfield.
Safe to say, the rankings have gone into a blender.
As far as fireworks go, this week figures to be no different as the regular season concludes.
Among the matchups to watch, you'll have Andover hosting Loomis and Exeter, Williston hosting Deerfield, Deerfield hosting Loomis and much more. Fasten your seatbelts.
Let's dive into the final girls prep rankings of the regular season.
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: at Governor's, Feb. 25, 5 p.m.
Nobles vaulted into the No. 1 spot this week with three wins, including a pair of top-10 wins. Most notably, the Bulldogs toppled Andover, 3-2. Ava Decourcey (Rockland, Mass.) had a goal and two assists against Andover, and Lily Bromley (Carlisle, Mass.) scored twice. Francie Ames (Brookline, Mass.) led a 9-1 win over Thayer with a hat trick. Ames, Bromley and Decourcey were among five different goal-scorers in a 5-0 shutout of No. 8 Tabor. Gretta Hulbig (Foxboro, Mass.) also eclipsed the 100-point mark for her career with an assist against Tabor, too. Nobles has two ISL tests remaining at Governor's and Milton. The Bulldogs are atop the JSPR and projected to stay there.
DOWN GOES NO. 1: 7 takeaways from No. 2 Nobles’ win over No. 1 Phillips Andover
2. Loomis Chaffee (21-2-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: at Andover, Feb. 25, 4:30 p.m.
After shutting out Lawrenceville, 3-0, the Pelicans made a statement with a 3-0 shutout of then-No. 3 Williston, vaulting them into the top three. The big guns led the way this week. Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.), Carly Dann (Hanover, N.H.) and Lindsey Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) each had a goal and an assist against Williston. Schwarz and Dann also had a goal and an assist against Lawrenceville, and Stepnowski scored, too. Adeline Roper (Kennebunkport, Maine) pitched a 24-save shutout against Williston, and Emily Hosman made 19 saves for the clean sheet against Lawrenceville. Loomis, which is No. 3 in the JSPR, is far from out of the woods. They'll visit Andover and Deerfield to conclude the regular season. They're projected to finish fifth in the JSPR.
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: vs. Loomis Chaffee, Feb. 25, 4:30 p.m.
The Big Blue's reign at No. 1 was short-lived as they fell to Nobles in their lone contest last week. Andover made a valiant comeback bid in the third period, though, thanks to a goal and an assist by Kimee Duplessis (Framingham, Mass.) and a goal by Keira Bruen (West Roxbury, Mass.). The Big Blue won't have time to dwell on things in the final week. They'll be thrown back into the fire when they host Loomis and a hungry Exeter squad. Andover remains second in the JSPR, and they're projected to finish there.
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Next game: at Rivers, Feb 27, 5:15 p.m.
Dexter jumped up one spot after a pair of quality wins last week, shutting out New Hampton, 5-0, before taking down Cushing, 4-1. Sawyer Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) showed out with three points in both games, scoring against New Hampton and adding a pair versus Cushing. Four other skaters scored against New Hampton, while Leah Hafer (Winchester, Mass.) had a goal and an assist against Cushing. The Shields are fifth in the JSPR but projected to finish at No. 4. Dexter has two tune-ups remaining before the postseason. They'll visit Rivers before hosting Lawrence Academy.
HUGE WIN: 6 takeaways from No. 4 Loomis Chaffee's win over No. 3 Williston Northampton
5. Williston Northampton (17-3-0)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: vs. Deerfield Feb. 25, 4;30 p.m.
Williston slipped again, dropping its second in a row in the shutout at Loomis. River Grady (Bedford, N.H.) gave the Wildcats a chance with 29 saves, and Grade-A looks for Brooke Schlutter and Riley Stocker could have flipped the script. Williston, which is fourth in the JSPR, has two tests remaining with home tilts against Deerfield and BB&N. The Wildcats are projected to finish third in the JSPR.
Previous rankings: 7
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: at Proctor, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.
What a week for the Big Red, who swept Phillips Exeter in a pair of huge matchups, picking up a 9-1 win at home before a 3-2 win on the road. They also beat Tilton, 3-1. Erin Flaherty (Boston, Mass.) and Chelsea Bell (Barre, Vt.) each had three points in the first Exeter win, while Tess Mulkerron (Concord, N.H.), Kelsey MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.) and Maddy Allen each had a goal and an assist. Maggie Berleth (Manchester, N.H.) scored twice, too. Flaherty, Allen and Malin Wilde (Shelburne, Vt.) each had a goal and assist in Round 2 against Exeter as St. Paul's erased 1-0 and 2-1 deficits. SPS holds the No. 8 spot in the JSPR right now and is projected to remain eighth. They'll visit Proctor before closing the regular season with the Lakes Region tournament.
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: at Williston Northampton, Feb. 25, 4:30 p.m.
Deerfield didn't necessarily deserve to fall after a 2-0-1 week, but SPS deserved to move up. The Big Green bookended a 3-3 tie at Kent with a 2-1 win over Cushing and a 5-0 shutout of Hotchkiss. Five skaters scored against Hotchkiss, including Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.), who had a goal and an assist. Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.) also scored against Hotchkiss in addition to a goal against Cushing. Alessandra Picard (Madison, Conn.) scored in the third period against Kent to help force overtime. Deerfield is sixth in the JSPR, and they'll close the regular season with a trip to Williston before a home date with Loomis. A massive opportunity for the Big Green lies ahead. They're projected to finish seventh in the JSPR.
WHAT IF?:Â What would a New England girls prep Olympics look like?
8. Tabor (15-6-2)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Eric Long
Next game: vs. St. George's, Feb. 25, 3 p.m.
Tabor stayed put at No. 8 after splitting its games last week, and thanks to Exeter and Cushing falling out of the top 10. After a 4-2 win at BB&N, the Seawolves were held in check at Nobles. Lilly Shaughnessy (Medfield, Mass.), Dawson Styles (South Hamilton, Mass.) and Mirella Martinelli (North Providence, R.I.) led the win at BB&N with a goal and an assist each. Margaret Baldwin (Rumford, R.I.) also scored. Tabor is No. 7 in the JSPR but projected sixth. The Seawolves host St. George's before visiting Berkshire to finish the regular season.
9. Groton (15-6-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: vs. Thayer, Feb. 25, 4 p.m.
Groton is back in the top 10 after getting back in the win column with shutouts at Brooks (3-0) and St. George's (4-0) last week. Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) scored in both wins. Oona Kathan (Arlington, Mass.) and Jaelyn Trudell (Andover, Mass.) also scored against Brooks, and Ava Barbour was among the goal-scorers versus St. George's. Groton still has a puncher's chance at No. 9 in the JSPR, although they'll absolutely have to take care of business against Thayer and St. Mark's, in addition to getting some help elsewhere. The Zebras are projected to finish ninth in the JSPR and atop the Small School bracket.
10. Choate (11-8-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Laura Troy
Next game: at Hotchkiss, Feb. 25, 5 p.m.
Choate makes its debut in the top 10 for the first time this season. Better late than never, right? The Wild Boars bounced back from two uphill battles with a pair of quality road wins last week, taking down Berkshire (3-1) and Taft (4-2). Annie Forker (Stratford, Conn.) led the charge this week with two goals in each win. Natalie Beach (Darien, Conn.) was also among the goal-scorers against Taft, while Katie Millett (Hampton, N.H.) came through at Berkshire. At No. 12 in the JSPR and projected to place 10th, Choate is likely out of the Elite 8 hunt. But they'll look to finish strong against Hotchkiss and Cushing as they jockey for Large School seeding. If the playoffs started right now, the Wild Boars would be the second seed in the Large bracket. But they're projected to be No. 1.
GOLDEN GOAL: New England well-represented as Keller’s winner lifts Team USA to Olympic gold over Canada
Dropped out: Cushing (11-9-3; 9), Phillips Exeter (14-6-2; 10)
In the hunt: Phillips Exeter, Cushing, Rivers (13-6-4), Governor’s (14-6-3), Taft (11-9-1), Berkshire (10-9-2), Thayer (12-9-4), St. Mark’s (10-8-3), BB&N (9-10-2)
