Eight teams from the Independent School League qualified for NESPAC tournaments the last time they were held.
Lawrence Academy and Noble and Greenough appeared in the March 2020 version of the Stuart/Corkery tournament, while St. Sebastian's, Thayer Academy, and Milton Academy battled it out in the Martin/Earl. St. Mark's, Groton and Rivers represented the ISL in the Piatelli/Simmons bracket.
Although none of those schools walked away with a championship 20 months ago, what’s worse is how long they had to wait before they could begin their follow-up campaign.
Now, after not having a true season in 2020-21, all eight of those teams -- and the eight that did not qualify -- once again enter a new season with a clean slate, hoping it can extend into the first week of March.
In the Keller Division, at the start, the upper echelon of teams appears to be formed by St. Seb’s, Nobles, and Belmont Hill, day schools that retain much of their lineups from last year's Covid-shortened campaign.
St. Sebastian’s boasts a strong forward duo of seniors Brendan Gorman (Princeton) and Michael Callow (Harvard), while senior Will Elias and junior Boston College commit Nolan Joyce (Boston College) are standouts in the defensive end.
Nobles is another team that boasts an array of talent. Junior forward Ben MacDonald (Harvard) leads the Bulldogs' offense with his increasingly effective two-way play, while the team will also look for contributions from a variety of players throughout their lineup.
At Belmont Hill, James Fisher (Northeastern) headlines a talented junior class, and an overall team, that is poised for a major upswing after a last-place divisional finish two seasons ago.
“The league is going to be tight, it’s going to have a lot of high skill and it’s going to be some really nice hockey," said Belmont Hill head coach Brian Phinney (Ripton, Vt.), who is entering his first official season at the helm. "It's going to be great to get back and start playing all of the ISL again.”
While those Keller schools are returning a majority of their lineups, others such as Milton, aren’t as fortunate. The Mustangs have just three players returning from pre-Covid.
“Similar to all prep teams we enter the season with many question marks,” head coach Paul Cannata said. “We feel optimistic that we have a competitive group but needless to say it will take some time for all the parts to mesh."
In the Eberhart Division, St. Mark’s looks to be among the top tier of teams to start.
Junior defenseman Michael Fisher (Princeton) and senior forward Dominic Murphy (Holy Cross) will lead the group, while a strong incoming class looks to bolster their efforts at both ends of the ice.
St. George’s is another talent-filled team that is poised to challenge for the No. 1 spot.
Led by four Division 1 commits -- Yale commits, Donovan Frias and Julian Frias, and Holy Cross commits, Ryan Buckley and Matt Kursonis -- the Dragons are full of potential heading into the new campaign.
At Rivers, junior defenseman Ollie Chessler (Union) and the Redwings are looking forward to their first official season under Freddy Meyer.
“Obviously, last year was a tough starting point, but we all made the best of it,” the new head coach said. “We have a great group of seniors that want to end their high school careers on a high note. All of our players have been training hard and are ready to start the season.”
Middlesex is another school that's entering its first full season under a new head coach, as Bobby Jay stepped in for longtime head coach, Joe Mallen, at the start of last year's campaign.
“We’re going to have a lot of freshmen and sophomores playing a lot of minutes, but they’re good players and they’re hungry and they work," Jay said. "Our goal is to improve every day, be competitive and I think we’ll grow throughout the season."
While the leadup to this year's ISL season is a bit different than the years past, it won't be long before the competition, rivalries, and overall talent of the league are back on full display.
“It’s been too long," St. Mark’s head coach Carl Corazzini said. “It will be a lot of fun. We’re looking forward to it.”
Here's a look at how each of the 16 ISL teams are shaping up for the 2021-22 campaign.
Belmont Hill
Coach: Brian Phinney
2019-20 record: 14-13-3
Players to watch: James Fisher, F (Northeastern); Ronan O’Donnell, F; Mason Daignault, F; Will Killoran, D; Matthew Biotti, D (Harvard); Sam Scopa, G
Outlook: After a .500 record two seasons ago, Belmont Hill is reloaded and poised for a major upswing in its first full season under a new head coach. Fisher, a Northeastern commit, O’Donnell and Daignault will do the heavy lifting up front, while senior Killoran and sophomore goalie Scopa will hold it down in the back end as the team sets out to secure its first NEPSAC tournament bid since 2017.
Governor’s
Coach: Brian McGuirk
2019-20 record: 12-18-2
Players to watch: Noah Bird, F; Cam Russo, F; Jonathan Keefe, F
Outlook: With nine seniors and nine juniors in 2019-20, the Governors were an older tam the last time they took the ice for an official prep campaign. After missing out on the playoffs again in 2020, McGuirk's group will look to a cast of newcomers, led by Russo, to put up a strong record in league play, with hopes of returning to NEPSAC playoff contention for the first time since 2013.
Lawrence Academy
Coach: Robbie Barker
2019-20 record: 22-3-3
Players to watch: Owen Lahey, F; Daniel Markeyvch, F; Ty Wood, F; Shawn Leary, D; Marek Thompson, D
Outlook: The Spartans are a completely new and fairly young team after losing myriad players from the group that earned the No. 1 seed in the Elite 8 tournament two seasons ago. It will take some time to get everyone working as one, Barker said, but the faster the team comes together, and the faster it gets contributions from its newcomers, the quicker it can find success.
Milton
Coach: Paul Cannata
2019-20 record: 15-12-2
Players to watch: Ethan Davidson, F; Will Cannata, F; Chris Romaine, D (Providence); Curt Heath, D; Jake Cardonick, G
Outlook: With only three players and one defenseman returning from the Mustangs of 2019-20, Milton will have a large cast of newcomers competing for playing time in various spots. It will take some time but the team, led by Romaine in the back end and Davidson up front, hopes to be a competitive group that secures a Large School tournament bid at the end of the season.
Nobles
Coach: Brian Day
2019-20 record: 18-6-3
Players to watch: Ben MacDonald, F (Harvard); Roman Tacelli, F; Drew Haxton, F; Will Canavan, F; Bryan Kearns, F; Colin Norton, F; Austin Tasca, F; John Logan, D; Aidan Lyons, D; Will Friedman, D; Briant Grant, D
Outlook: After qualifying for the Elite 8 tournament two seasons ago, the Bulldogs have the makings of another playoff-caliber team. MacDonald and Haxton look to headline a strong forward group, while Lyons and Grant look to be the leaders in the back end. With a sizable cast of newcomers, Nobles will look to its veterans to establish the program's day-to-day culture and set the tone from the start.
St. Sebastian’s
Coach: Sean McCann
2019-20 record: 17-10-1
Players to watch: Brendan Gorman, F (Princeton); Michael Callow, F (Harvard); Mike Cataldo, F; Jayden Grier, F; Colin Gorman, F; Nolan Joyce, D (Boston College); Will Elias, D; Jack Harney, D; Ryan Kazmouz, G; Matthew Sae Choi, G
Outlook: The Arrows are chock-full of talent and retain most of their lineup from last year's Covid-shortened season. Heavy in seniors and sophomores, Gorman and Elias are the captains. With Callow aiding Gorman up front, and Joyce bolstering Elias in front of a pair of seasoned goaltenders in the back end, it’s a well-balanced group. Grier, who's poised for a breakout season after substantial progress last season, is one of many Arrow players that will fill support roles as the team looks to return to the playoffs after securing a 2020 Large School bid.
Tabor
Coach: Gerry Dineen
2019-20 record: 7-19-2
Players to watch: Coleman Jenkins, F (Holy Cross); Jack Brandt, F; Reed Allen, F; Jack Desruisseaux, F; Josh Itri, F; Carter Patterson, D; Tyler Messier, D; Jason Zaccari, D
Outlook: After not playing any games last season, the Seawolves boast a lot of new faces heading into 2021-22. It will likely take some time for the group to find its rhythm, but with Jenkins and Patterson serving as captains Dineen’s club looks to be increasingly competitive as the season wears on and hopes to return to the NEPSAC playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Thayer
Coach: Tony Amonte
2019-20 record: 15-11-1
Players to watch: Gavin Cornforth, F; Declan Loughnane, D (Providence); CJ Foley, D (Holy Cross); Thomas Kiesewetter, G
Outlook: Amonte’s Tigers are a difficult opponent year in and year out. With Loughnane and Foley leading the defensive efforts, and Kiesewetter holding it down in net, a cast of new players will look to get comfortable and start making contributions right out of the gate. After appearing in the Large School tournament the last time it was held, Thayer looks to make it to the playoffs once again in 2022.
Brooks
Coach: David Ries
2019-20 record: 6-19-0
Players to watch: Will Rassier, F; Jeremy Emch, F; Colin Rosato, F; Owen Christopher, F; Kyle Pelletier, D; CJ Beals, D; Jake Lipani, D; Jake Inzirillo, G
Outlook: Like most teams in New England, Brooks boasts a ton of new faces heading into the new campaign, many of whom are from outside the area and aren’t well known in the region. It will likely take some time, but the team looks to be competitive as the season goes on and build on its previous season, which included seven one-goal losses.
BB&N
Coach: Anthony Moccia
2019-20 record: 1-26-0
Players to watch: Jack Rorick, D; Henry Grabowski, D; Thomas Sheft, D; David Malio, G
Outlook: This year’s BB&N squad looks to be one of the most well-rounded teams the school has had in quite some time. Led by a trio of senior captains in the 'D' zone, the Knights look to improve upon their one-win record from two seasons ago.
Groton
Coach: Bill Riley
2019-20 record: 22-8-0
Players to watch: Max Noll, F; Bryan MacLachlan, D; Thomas Giroux, G
Outlook: After a no-games outcome in 2020-21, the Zebras will look to replicate the success they had two seasons ago, which included a second-place finish in the Eberhart and a trip to the final four of the Small School tournament. With nine seniors graduating at the end of last season, they will be young. In addition to Giroux between the pipes, seniors Noll and McLachlan will be the leaders of the group.
Middlesex
Coach: Bobby Jay
2019-20 record: 12-14-0
Players to watch: Thomas Auclair, F; Matt Egan, F; Jayden Mullens, D (Colby); Rex Mabbs, D; AJ Finta, G
Outlook: The Zebras, entering their first full season under Jay, will be a young team in 2021-22. They will rely on their senior defensive captains, Mullens and Mabbs, to set the tone early on. With Finta returning in net, the biggest question mark is how quickly the newcomers can adjust to the prep level as Middlesex aims to be a competitive unit that improves over the course of the winter campaign.
Rivers
Coach: Freddy Meyer
2019-20 record: 16-12-1
Players to watch: Ziv Chodriker, F (Williams); Zach Gruber, F; Ollie Chessler, D (Union); Stephen Mortarelli, D; Conor Sullivan, G
Outlook: After a year of development, the Redwings are eager to begin the first official season under their new head coach, who came aboard at the start of the Covid-shortened campaign. It was a tough starting point for the former NHLer, but the team made the best of it. A strong senior class will lead the way for the group of newcomers, several of whom are arriving from the MIAA and look to make contributions out of the gate.
Roxbury Latin
Coach: Dave Cataruzolo
2019-20 record: 11-12-1
Players to watch: JoJo Dable, F; Patrick Schultz, F; James Birch, F; Connor Berg, D (Williams); Will Matthews, D; Evan Zhang, G
Outlook: After graduating a deep senior class, the Foxes will be a young team that has limited prep experience. As a result, they will rely on a group of returners to help the team grow and gain offensive confidence as the season wears on. Senior captains Berg, Dable and Birch will be the leaders and help fill the main roles left by the departures.
St. George’s
Coach: Jeff Dwyer
2019-20 record: 16-13-0
Players to watch: Donovan Frias, F (Yale); Julian Frias, F (Yale); Matt Kursonis, F (Holy Cross); Ben Buckley, F; Ryan Buckley, D (Holy Cross); Robert Melvin, D; Ryder Shea, G
Outlook: After a less-than-ideal prep season in 2020-21 that saw most of their players go off on their own, the Dragons are loaded with talent and poised for a big season. Buckley will be the leader in the back end, while Kursonis and the Frias twins will provide the scoring punch. Shea, a top goalie in the ‘06 birth year, is a key addition between the pipes.
St. Mark’s
Coach: Carl Corazzini
2019-20 record: 22-5-2
Players to watch: Dominic Murphy, F (Holy Cross); Andrew Gibbons, F; James Lyver, F; Jonathan Balzarini, F; Damon Myers, F; Austin Borggaard, F; Michael Fisher, D (Princeton); Calvin Beard, D
Outlook: Led by senior standouts Murphy and Fisher, the Lions have the makings of a balanced team that will look to continue improving as the season wears on. A cast of newcomers who have impressed in the summer and fall seasons look to step in and make immediate contributions. Corazzini’s squad, which appeared in the Small School tournament the last time it was held, looks to return to playoff contention in March.
This article appears in the November/December print edition of New England Hockey Journal.
