It's the top postseason tournament in boys prep hockey — the Elite 8.
The eight best teams in the region will begin a gauntlet of games, with the quarterfinals on Wednesday, the semifinals on Saturday and the championship on Sunday at Harvard.
It's no surprise to see Kimball Union grab the No. 1 spot, with Cushing, Brunswick and Avon Old Farms following. All four will host quarterfinal games.
Let's break every team down and see who could finish on Sunday holding a trophy above their head.
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1. Cushing (26-3-0)
Record against teams in the Elite 8:Â 3-2-0
With a lot of new faces on this year's roster, head coach Paul Pearl's team was dominant, winning 16 games in a row from Dec. 29 to Feb. 17. Cushing is also fresh off a series split with Kimball Union on Feb. 16 and 17.
Depth has been the key for the Penguins. While senior Emerson Marshall (Gloucester, Mass.) leads the team in scoring with 22 goals and 48 points, there are a plethora of other impactful scorers throughout the roster such as postgrads Bronson Hunt, Tanner Hunt and Josh Iby (Munson, Mass.), senior AJ Sacco (Middleton, Mass.) and juniors Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.), Luke Goukler and Kole Hyles (Newfields, N.H.).
That carries over to defense, too. Junior Ryland Randle has broken out recently, with 32 points in 29 games. He's dynamic and can run a power play with ease. But then there's Minnesota State commit Tyler Russo (Hamilton, Mass.), a sturdy, two-way defender who can handle any assignment. There's also postgrad Danny Pasqua, and seniors Troy Maldonado, Raphael Marcoux, Alexis Boiley and Owen Tatro (Colchester Vt.).
Marko Bilic gives Cushing the advantage in net in almost any situation. The Arizona State commit is a legitimate NHL Draft prospect and will be key for a deep run.
2. Kimball Union (29-5-0)
Record against teams in the Elite 8: 4-1-0
The Wildcats cruised for most of the season, winning the Flood-Marr tournament in December, but then fell to Proctor in the first round of the Lakes Region playoffs.
They've had no trouble scoring this season, as KUA led the region in scoring in the regular season with 180 goals. The top line has fueled that with seniors Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) and Sam LeDrew with junior Corwith Simmers down the middle. That trio has been the best in prep hockey. Secondary scoring from players like junior CJ Watroba (West Springfield, Mass.), Kyle Murray-Smith (South Stafford, Vt.) and Iain Olsen (Vergennes, Vt.) has been vital, too. KUA will continue to be without senior Malcolm Barr, who's been out with a broken jaw.
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Junior defenseman Andrew O'Sullivan (Scituate, Mass.), a recent Colgate commit, has missed some time recently due to injury, but has 48 points in 30 games this season. Still, KUA should be fine on defense. Senior Jack McMinn has been a breakout star this season, with his 33 points in 34 games. His two-way abilities should be an anchor, along with senior Luke Clarner (East Burke, Vt.) and junior Nick Evans (Malden, Mass.).
Goalie Blake McMeniman, a junior, has been a pleasant surprise for head coach Tim Whitehead. Standing at 5-foot-8 and 150 pounds, the Revere, Mass., native has a 2.52 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
3. Brunswick (26-5-2)
Record against teams in the Elite 8: 2-1-0
Despite losing three of their top four leading scorers from last season, the Bruins were even better this year, earning big wins over St. Sebastian's and St. Andrew's College to win the Kevin Mutch tournament in December. Brunswick also recently took down Salisbury, 4-3.
Leading the way for head coach Mike Kennedy has been seniors Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.) and Brendan Giles (Ridgefield, Conn.). Gibbons' skill and set-up abilities have him leading the team with 68 points. Giles leads the region in goals with 39. Giles has surely made a strong case to field a Division 1 commitment. Fellow seniors Ryan Wachtel and Luke Drury, along with juniors Oliver Czaja (Darien, Conn.) and Tucker Spiess (Old Greenwich, Conn.) have provided strong scoring behind Gibbons and Giles.
Senior defenseman Cooper Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.) has been the leader on the back end. The Dartmouth commit is averaging well over a point per game. Seniors Luc Lampert (New Canaan, Conn.), Carter Hall (Greenwich, Conn.) and Carter Grimes, and junior Blake Stant (Easton, Conn.) form the rest of a strong defensive core.
In net, senior Will Baker (Norwalk, Conn.) has impressed, backstopping Brunswick all the way to the No. 3 seed with a 2.51 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
4. Avon Old Farms (21-2-1)
Record against teams in the Elite 8:Â 0-1-0
The reigning champs are right back in the thick of the Elite 8. That's not a surprise for a John Gardner-coached team.
The Winged Beavers have a plethora of college commits. Leading the way up front is postgrad and Cornell commit Alex Pelletier (West Hartford, Conn.), who has seen a big spike in points this season with 41 in 25 games. Right behind him is Maine commit Mikey Munroe (Hanover, Mass.), who has been one of the bigger breakout prospects in the region. Seniors Brendan Tighe, Charles Blanchard (West Hartford, Conn.), Lefty Markonidis (Hudson, Mass.) and Ryan Flaherty (Milton, Mass.), as well as junior Cooper Snee have pitched in quite a bit of scoring, too.
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Seniors Andrew Pitts, Blake Jones, Hudson Miller and Magnus Turcotte (North Haven, Conn.) lead the back end, along with the goalie tandem of junior Michael Heinke (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and sophomore Anthony Palmer (Lynnfield, Mass.) in net.
How Gardner plans on handling his goalies in the tournament is unknown, but both have proven to be reliable enough to put in a must-win game.
5. Holderness (25-3-0)
Record against teams in the Elite 8:Â 1-2-0
The Bulls wreaked havoc on the Lakes Region, except for when it came to Kimball Union, whom they lost to twice. Holderness can take down good opponents, though, as it did when it beat Cushing, 2-1, on Dec. 15 en route to winning the Groton/Lawrence tournament.
Head coach Alan Thompson's team has a big strength: age. Up front, the big scorers are postgrad Pavit Mehra (Hopkinton, Mass.), seniors Aaron VanWie, Caden Wells and Jake Boulanger (Barre, Vt.) and juniors Jacob Duval (Andover, Mass.), Tanner Petalas (Hampton, N.H.), Luka Pazzia (Burlington, Mass.) and Eli Chilicki (North Berwick, Maine).
Senior Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.) leads the way on defense along with senior Colin Butters (York, Maine) and juniors Jeremy Poirier (Salem, N.H.) and Will Rob (Montpelier, Vt.).
Senior Ryan Nolan has been terrific in net, with his 2.02 GAA and .918 save percentage. Drawing Avon Old Farms in the quarterfinals isn't an easy matchup, but on paper, Holderness has what it takes.
6. Salisbury (19-5-1)
Record against teams in the Elite 8:Â 1-3-0
Salisbury had a bit of an up-and-down start to the season (at least by its standards), but rebounded to go 11-1-1 down the stretch with wins over Kent, Berkshire (twice), Loomis Chaffee and, most recently, Avon Old Farms.
Head coach Andrew Will's team features a number of strong forwards in seniors Jesse Allecia, Seamus Latta, Jared Rothman and Nicolas Petrut, as well as juniors Connor Davis and Ryan Hedley. The defense is anchored by postgrad Zach Walsh and seniors Anthony Biakabutuka and Ty Creech. Senior Cooper Flemming has turned it around in the second half, posting a 2.17 GAA and a .907 save percentage on the season.
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Is this the flashiest team in the Elite 8? No, but the Crimson Knights are playing their best hockey at the right time, which could spell trouble for the rest of the field.
7. St. George's (23-3-1)
Record against teams in the Elite 8:Â None
Even though St. George's opponents' winning percentage (0.4492) is by far the lowest of any team in the NEPSAC playoffs, head coach Allie Skelley's team is well-rounded.
Seniors Ryan Staples (Middletown, R.I.) and Tate Pecknold (Fairfield, Conn.) have been key cogs up front. So, too, has sophomore Max Donatelli (Barrington, R.I.). Senior Troy Hayes (Windham, N.H.) and juniors Danny Buckley (Warwick, R.I.) and Colin Walsh (East Greenwich, R.I.) have been important as well. It makes sense that St. George's ranks inside the top five among all teams in scoring with 141 goals.
That offense has been aided by the defense. St. George's boasts three of the best puck-movers in the region with juniors Everett Baldwin (East Providence, R.I.) and Nathan Walsh (Mendon, Mass.), and sophomore Marco Senerchia (Greenville, R.I.).
And in net, Maine commit Ryder Shea (Framingham, Mass.) has been dominant this season. If St. George's is to go on a run, it will need Shea at his very best.
8. St. Sebastian's (18-6-2)
Record against teams in the Elite 8:Â 0-1-0
While the cover boys didn't exactly live up to being our preseason No. 1 team, they did find a route into the Elite 8 with a strong final eight games.
Head coach Sean McCann's team has an overwhelming strength in its ability to score, which was recently aided by the return of junior Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.). Seniors Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.), Isaac Mitchell (Harvard, Mass.), Nolan Flynn (Natick, Mass.) and Colin Gorman (Westwood, Mass.) lead the way up front, along with juniors Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) and Brendan Keaveney (Westwood, Mass.). Sophomore Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.), an '08, has drawn a lot of attention this season, posting 42 points, which ranks second on the team. Freshman Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) has also been a breakout prospect.
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St. Sebastian's can hold its own defensively. It's not flashy, but it's a strong group of seniors led by Aidan Connors (Westboro, Mass.). Ben Stavaridis (Wellesley, Mass.), Charlie Leverone (Sudbury, Mass.), Owen Lynch (Foxboro, Mass.), Jack Connors (Westwood, Mass.), Aiden Barclay (Dover, Mass.) and Jack Harney (Needham, Mass.) make up the crew.
Senior netminder Pelle Russo (West Newton, Mass.) struggled early in the season, but has platooned well with fellow senior Kam Carkner (Needham, Mass.).
