The Elite 8 Tournament is almost here, which means it's time to make predictions.
Last year, No. 5 Salisbury made a run to win the Elite 8 championship, as it took down No. 3 Belmont Hill in the final. Kimball Union and Avon Old Farms, the No. 1 and 2 seeds, didn't make it past the semifinals.
So, what will happen this year? Our two hockey writers are here to offer a forecast.
These kinds of predictions are always fun, but let's lay down some ground rules. For the ones we get right, you must praise us for our incredible intuition and future-predicting skills. Ask us for Powerball numbers.
For the ones we get wrong, those never happened. Did we write that? No way. You must have read it wrong.
Let's dive in.
No. 8 Kimball Union at No. 1 Cushing
Jeff Cox: This is an interesting matchup to predict. The two teams played a pair of games just a couple of weeks ago. Cushing swept the home-and-home series with 4-2 and 2-0 wins. Those two games and the body of work point to the Penguins having the upper edge. However, it could rightfully be said that it’s hard to beat a team three in a row.
Cushing has the best player in the game in first-line center/right wing Landan Resendes (Marlborough, Mass.). Kimball Union can counter with RPI commit Jackson Kyrkostas (Windham, N.H.), the Wildcats’ top-line center. Both teams have solid goaltenders in Cushing’s Cooper Rautenstrauch and Kimball Union’s Daniel Heroux.
The biggest reason Cushing is likely to make it three straight over Kimball Union is depth. The Penguins have depth up front, but their biggest advantage is on the blue line. Cushing can roll three solid defensive pairs while Kimball Union really only has one legitimate duo.
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Prediction: The first two games were close and this one will be, as well. Paul Pearl’s team finds a way. Cushing wins, 3-2.
Evan Marinofsky: Kimball Union is a good, all-around team with the pieces to make a run and if the Wildcats were facing anybody else, I'd be tempted to take them in the upset. But Cushing is too good and deep in too many areas. Also, Cushing convincingly took down the Wildcats in two straight games less than two weeks ago. I love a good upset, but this doesn’t feel like one of them.
Prediction: Cushing wins, 3-1.
No. 7 Westminster at No. 2 Avon Old Farms
Cox: The Winged Beavers easily swept the regular season series between these two teams, winning games by six and four goals, respectively. There’s no denying Avon Old Farms has the edge in terms of talent, depth and goaltending.
Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.), Charlie Gollob, Jordin Palmer (Auburn, N.H.) and Stephen Peck have been stars for a team that has proven to be one of the two best teams in prep hockey. Westminster has a couple of underrated star players in forwards Ryan Shaw (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Blake Burke (Trumbull, Conn.).
Prediction: This game will likely be closer than the two regular season matchups, but it’s the one where I feel most confident in picking a winner. Winged Beavers skate away with a 5-2 win.
Marinofsky: Hey, look at that — we have the same final scores. One of the cool things about this year’s Elite 8 is the number of teams who are matched up in the quarterfinals and who played each other during the regular season. That’s good news for Avon, but bad news for Westminster. Avon beat Westminster by a combined score of 13-3 in late January and early February. Avon Old Farms is on quite the run this year and it's hard to imagine Westminster gets in the way of that.
Prediction: Avon Old Farms wins, 5-2.
No. 6 Belmont Hill at No. 3 Milton
Cox: This game has upset written all over it, but there are reasons to believe the higher-seeded Mustangs prevail. Can Paul Cannata’s swan song prove to be a rallying cry for Milton?
While Belmont Hill’s young goaltending duo has proven more than capable at times this season, the advantage between the pipes clearly goes to Milton. Flood-Marr Tournament MVP Sam Caulfield (Needham, Mass.) has the best save percentage in prep hockey.
Belmont Hill has more depth, especially now that Milton is down one of its top six forwards in Mikka Kelechian. The Sextants have two good, top-six lines and one of the best third lines in prep hockey. I like Belmont Hill down the middle. Both teams have good defense with a couple of guys capable of chipping in offensively.
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Milton went 1-0-1 against Belmont Hill in the regular season. In a matchup of two evenly matched teams, it’s easy to think Brian Phinney’s team squares up the season series in the most important game.
Prediction: There’s not as much confidence in this pick, but Belmont Hill wins 3-1 with an empty net goal.
Marinofsky: This is where we differ. While they tied the first time, Milton took down Belmont Hill convincingly the second time on Feb. 15. Milton plays with a ton of speed and that will win out in this one. Also, Milton holds the advantage in net with Caulfield. I think he will be extremely motivated to take down his former school. That, and it's Cannata's last tournament as Milton's bench boss. There's a lot riding on this.
However, it will be close. Belmont Hill has great, veteran players who went to the Elite 8 last year. The Sextants will be a very tough out.
Prediction: Milton wins, 2-1.
No. 5 Brunswick at No. 4 Nobles
Cox: This game has a lot of intrigue to it, as it should since it’s the closest matchup on paper. There are valid arguments to be made for either team winning this game.
Nobles has one of the best goaltenders in prep hockey in Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.), but he and the Bulldogs have struggled down the stretch. Brian Day’s team has just one win in its last seven games. Can the postseason give the team a fresh start? On the other hand, Brunswick enters the postseason on a nine-game winning streak. The Bruins are getting production from their best players and peaking at the right time.
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Nobles has the edge with an experienced blue line, as the team can trot out three '04 defensemen. While Nobles has Austin Tasca (Hope, R.I.) and a handful of young forwards, the offensive edge goes to Brunswick. Led by Harvard commit Drew DellaSalla and Yale recruit Eli Friedman, the Bruins have difference-makers up front.
Prediction: The visitors face a tough travel day, but Mike Kennedy’s team seems poised to pull the mild upset. Brunswick wins 4-3.
Marinofsky: These two haven’t played each other yet. I'm always wary of picking teams that enter the playoffs on a cold streak and Nobles has faltered of late while Brunswick is on a tear. While I like Bernstein and Nobles’ defense, Brunswick has some legitimate weapons up front in Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.), DellaSalla and Friedman. I predict they’ll be a bit too much to handle for Nobles.
Prediction: Brunswick wins, 5-3.
