The Large School Tournament is almost here, which means it's time to make predictions.
Last year, No. 1 seed Brunswick lost to No. 2 Kent seed in the championship game, 4-2. Perhaps that means this is the year the tournament is due for some upsets.
So, what will happen this year? Our two hockey writers are here to offer their predictions.
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 outstanding intuition. If you want to know the future, you ask us.
For the ones we get wrong, those never happened. Did we say that? No way. Adjust your reading glasses.
It's time to predict.
No. 8 Kent at No. 1 Taft
Jeff Cox: The 1-vs-8 eight clash brings together a team that exceeded expectations versus one that fell short of the lofty standards the program has set. Taft flirted with an Elite 8 bid, thanks mostly due to the stellar goaltending of Yale commit Rudy Guimond. Tasked with rebuilding a depleted roster that saw a number of key contributors graduate, Kent had its ups and downs, but ultimately found a way to get into the Large School Tournament with two consecutive wins to finish the regular season.
Kent junior defenseman Alex Bales, a Providence commit, will be the best skater on the ice in this game. Classmate and Cornell commit Gio DiGiulian, the first-line center, is another key factor in Kent’s favor. Obviously, the huge ‘X’ factor is Guimond, who has proven his ability to steal games.
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Prediction: These two teams split the regular season series. I see Kent upsetting the Rhinos and moving one step closer to repeating as Large School Champion with a 2-1 victory.
Evan Marinofsky: Look, I love chaos. I really do, and I’m glad to see Jeff loves it as well. I almost want to pick Kent here, but I just think Guimond is too good. Kent is a really sneaky-good No. 8 seed and for a lot of No. 1 seeds, it could be a trap. But Guimond makes the difference in this one.
Prediction: Taft wins, 2-1.
No. 7 Loomis Chaffee vs. No. 2 Salisbury
Cox: Coach Andrew Will’s program has set the highest of standards. Going 14-6-5 and being the second seed in the Large School would be a proud accomplishment for many schools across the prep landscape. For Salisbury, missing the Elite 8 and being unable to go for a third straight crown is a disappointment.
The Crimson Knights are playing their best hockey of the season, going 6-0-2 to finish out the regular season. One of those ties was against Loomis. Despite the 1-1 result, Salisbury dominated territorially, outshooting the Pelicans 44-23.
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Salisbury gets back Liam Kilfoil, who returns from his trip north of the border to represent his home province of New Brunswick in the Canada Games. The Crimson Knights have the decided advantage in just about every category, except maybe goaltending.
Prediction: Salisbury wins this one relatively easily, 5-2.
Marinofsky: Salisbury and Loomis Chaffee recently tied, 1-1. Loomis Chaffee also tied Avon Old Farms, 1-1, to end the regular season. It will be a low-scoring game, but I think Salisbury overpowers Loomis Chaffee offensively and takes this one.
Prediction: Salisbury wins, 3-1.
No. 6 Northfield Mount Hermon at No. 3 Dexter Southfield
Jeff Cox: Northfield Mount Hermon will travel to face Dexter Southfield as winners of six in a row and eight of nine. It was certainly a better second half for the Hoggers. The hosts struggled at times this season but had a 15-game unbeaten streak prior to a 6-2 loss to Belmont Hill in the regular season finale.
To me, this is the toughest game to predict in the Large School Tournament. Dexter Southfield has the advantage on high-end talent with the likes of Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.), Cullen Emery (Reading, Mass.) and Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.) donning the home sweaters in this one. NMH has a rallying cry in hopes of sending head coach Kevin Czepiel out as a winner. Leading scorer Frankie Hipp is one of the more underrated players in prep hockey.
Prediction: Dexter Southfield prevails with a 4-3 win.
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Marinofsky: Both teams play well in their own end. Dexter boasts a veteran crew of defensemen who have a habit of making life difficult for opponents. Northfield Mount Hermon has goalie Tommy Adams (Fairfield, Conn.), who has a goals-against average of 1.89. Where NMH holds the edge is offensively and I think the Hoggers pull out an extremely close one for the upset.
Prediction: Northfield Mount Hermon wins, 2-1, in overtime.
No. 5 Tabor at No. 4 St. Sebastian's
Cox: This matchup features two teams that had a chance at the Elite 8 at one time, but stumbled to the finish line. After starting 8-1-2, Tabor went 5-8-3 after coming in third at the Joshua Weeks New Year’s Tournament. St. Sebastian’s was 10-3-2 but went 3-5-3 over its last 11 games.
The Arrows have a distinct advantage on paper, especially with the Seawolves missing their top player in senior right wing Jack DesRuisseaux (Manchester, N.H.). With home-ice advantage and significantly more depth, look for St. Sebastian’s to exact revenge for going 0-1-1 against Tabor during the regular season.
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Prediction: St. Sebastian’s wins 4-2.
Marinofsky: Both games these teams played against each other were very close. The first was a tie and the second was a narrow, 5-4 win for Tabor. If Tabor had DesRuisseaux, I’d pick them. But that’s a massive loss for the Seawolves. I don’t doubt that the rest of the forward group can pick up the pieces, but St. Sebastian’s has too many weapons up front to go down in the first round. This feels like a stage that Arrows center Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.) and left wing Isaac Mitchell (Harvard, Mass.) would thrive on. I expect St. Sebastian’s to grab the third and most important game.
Prediction: St. Sebastian’s wins 4-1.
