Less than a month remains in the girls prep hockey season.
Soon enough, the tournaments will begin on March 5, and the champions will be crowned on March 9 at Taft.
The top three to four teams in the region continue to separate themselves at the top of the pack, while the next tier of teams continue to jockey for positioning.
Phillips Andover made a big leap into the top five this week, while Deerfield and Groton remain red-hot. Meanwhile, BB&N stayed put in the top 10 after getting back on track last week.
Let's dive into the latest girls prep rankings.
1. Williston Northampton (16-0-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: vs. Choate, Feb. 12, 4 p.m.
Williston took care of business in its lone game last week, taking home a 5-2 win at Taft. They came out firing with four unanswered goals in the third period for the win. They remain the No. 1 seed in the Elite 8 as of Tuesday, according to USHR, and they're projected to finish as the top seed as well. The Wildcats will face a pair of tests this week, hosting Choate on Wednesday before visiting fellow contender Phillips Andover on Saturday.
GIRLS ELITE 8 FORECAST: How does the bracket look in the final month?
2. Dexter Southfield (14-0-4)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Maggie Taverna
Next game: at Lawrenceville, Feb. 15, 2 p.m.
The Shields picked up a pair of quality wins last week to extend their winning streak to five in a row. They knocked off Phillips Exeter, 3-1, before coming away with a 4-2 win at St. George's. Maddie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) scored a goal and an assist against Exeter, and Marion Legge (Scituate, Mass.) scored a pair against St. George's. If the tournament started today, Dexter would be the No. 2 seed in the Elite 8, a spot they're also projected to finish with. Dexter will visit Lawrenceville for a pair of games this weekend.
3. Loomis Chaffee (17-1-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: at Cushing, Feb. 14, 7 p.m.
The Pelicans are still on a roll. They picked up their 11th straight win last week when they hung a 10-0 shutout on Frederick Gunn. Easton Pramuka had four points (two goals) in the win. Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) and Ellie Lachance (West Hartford, Conn.) each had three points in the win, and Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.) scored twice. Loomis would be No. 3 in the Elite 8 if it started today. They're projected to finish as the fourth seed. A key top-10 matchup is on tap on Friday as the Pelicans will visit Cushing before heading to Choate on Saturday.
4. Nobles (18-3-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: vs. Groton, Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m.
The Bulldogs came away with four wins to extend their winning streak to 12 in a row. They beat St. George's, 2-1, before taking down Cushing, 4-1, and Brooks, 5-0. Nobles capped things off with a 4-2 win over Rivers on Monday. Alexa Georgantas (Foxboro, Mass.) had six points across the three games, including both goals against St. George's. Meanwhile, Calleigh Brown (Foxboro, Mass.) had three points (two goals) against Brooks. She was also among four different goal-scorers at Cushing with a goal and an assist before adding another goal and assist versus Rivers. Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) also reached the 100-point milestone with a goal against Rivers. Nobles currently holds the fifth seed in the Elite 8. They're projected to finish No. 3 in the field. A tough week lies ahead. Home tilts against top-10 foe Groton and Hill School bookend another top-10 matchup at BB&N.
BACK ON TRACK: 11 standouts, takeaways from BB&N's win over Phillips Exeter
5. Phillips Andover (12-2-2)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: at Austin Prep, Feb. 12, 2:45 p.m.
The Big Blue leaped two spots after earning two quality wins last week, bouncing back from a rocky weekend prior. Andover took down Tabor, 5-2, before beating New Hampton on the road, 5-2. Maggie Averil (Wayland, Mass.) exploded for a four-point outing with a pair of goals and assists against Tabor. The Big Blue hold the No. 4 seed in the Elite 8 as of Tuesday. They're projected to finish at No. 6. Andover will visit Austin Prep and Milton Academy this week before hosting Williston Northampton in a massive showdown on Saturday.
6. Thayer (15-2-2)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Michael Flynn
Next game: at Governor's, Feb. 12, 4:30 p.m.
The Tigers dropped a spot after splitting their games last week. Thayer took care of Brooks, 5-1, before falling to St. Paul's, 4-2, which ended a four-game winning streak. Morgan McGathey (Braintree, Mass.) had a hand in all five goals against Brooks with two scores and three assists. The Tigers currently have the seventh seed in the Elite 8, a position they're projected to hold at the end of the regular season. They have a chance to get back on track this week when they visit Governor's and Lawrence Academy.
7. Cushing (19-4-1)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Valerie Bono-Bunker
Next game: at Lawrence Academy, Feb. 12, 3:30 p.m.
The Penguins slid one spot after going winless last week. They settled for a 1-1 draw at New Hampton before falling in a 4-1 loss to Nobles. Right now, Cushing would be No. 6 in the Elite 8 if it were to start today. They're projected to finish with the fifth seed. More tough sledding is on tap this week for Cushing. After they visit Lawrence Academy on Wednesday, they'll host Loomis Chaffee on Friday before BB&N on Saturday.
BIG GREEN KEEP ROLLING: 7 standouts from Deerfield’s win over St. Paul’s
8. Deerfield (13-3-2)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: vs. Westminster, Feb. 12, 4:30 p.m.
Deerfield extended its winning streak to six straight with a 4-1 win at St. Paul's last week. It also kept them unbeaten in 10 straight, going 9-0-1 since Dec. 21. They boast five shutouts and just one game giving up more than one goal in that span. Four skaters found the back of the net in the win, including Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) and Olivia Austen (Darien, Conn.). The Big Green are on the outside right now in the Elite 8 picture. If the postseason were to begin now, they'd be No. 1 in the Large School tournament, which they're projected to finish as, too. They'll have a chance to keep rolling this week against Westminster and Berkshire.
9. Groton (13-3-2)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: at Nobles, Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m.
The Zebras won their sixth and seventh straight games last week, picking up their fifth and sixth shutouts in a row in the process. They took down Middlesex, 4-0, before beating Lawrence Academy by the same score. Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) scored twice against Middlesex, and Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) had a hat trick as part of a four-point game versus Lawrence. Nora Wilson (Weybridge, Vt.) made 15 saves against Middlesex and 16 saves against Lawrence for her fourth and fifth clean sheets in a row. Like Deerfield, Groton would be on the outs of the Elite 8 if it were to begin today. They hold the No. 1 seed in the Small School bracket, a spot they're projected to maintain. Just one game is on tap this week, and it's a big one, as the Zebras visit Nobles on Saturday.
10. BB&N (12-6-2)
Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Ed Bourget
Next game: at St. George's, Feb. 12, 4 p.m.
The Knights righted the ship with three wins last week. They shut out Governor's, 4-0, and took down Milton Academy, 4-1, before finishing the week with a 3-2 win over Phillips Exeter. Hannah Weyerhaeuser (Cambridge, Mass.) had multi-point outings in each of the first two wins, including three points (one goal) against Gov's. After a three-point game against Milton, Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) scored twice against Exeter. BB&N has a narrow edge for the eighth seed in the Elite 8 both in Tuesday's picture and the projected end-of-season seeding.
In the hunt:Â Phillip Exeter (10-6-1), Rivers (11-8-1), New Hampton (10-6-4), Tabor (9-8-1), Berkshire (9-6-2)
