And then there were four.
Last year, the Elite 8 quarterfinals went all chalk with each of the four seeds winning. This year, that wasn't the case.
You had the top two seeds rolling to high-scoring wins, while the Nos. 5 and 6 seeds pulled off upsets. (We can save the debate of if a fifth seed over a fourth seed is really an upset for another day).
Naturally, it's time for more predictions.
On one side of the card, you've got No. 2 Loomis Chaffee against No. 6 BB&N, who met previously this season in a 4-1 win for Loomis Chaffee. On the other side, you've got No. 1 Williston Northampton against No. 5 Phillips Andover. There's plenty of history between the two as Williston beat Andover in the 2023 championship, the 2024 semifinals and in a 1-0 overtime thriller in February.
PREP BRACKETS: Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small School | Boys Elite 8 | Boys Large School | Boys Small School
To keep track, I went 3-for-4 in my Elite 8 quarterfinals predictions, and I'm currently 8-for-12 overall across the three tournaments. Not bad, but I can do better. These semifinals predictions are guaranteed to be perfect. (You're supposed to read "guaranteed" in a Charles Barkley voice).
Let's dive in.
No. 1 Williston Northampton vs. No. 5 Phillips Andover
I know I called their regular season meeting the Game of the Year in prep, but given the stakes and the way both teams are playing right now, this game has the potential to usurp it. While I think this round will feature a little more offense than a 1-0 overtime game, I'm also not expecting a 5-4 barn-burner.
Williston is humming right now. Christa Talbot Syfu and the Wildcats got command performances out of their top two lines in the quarterfinals with four-point nights from Nora Curtis (including a hat trick) and Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) as well as three points from Mia Daley (Lynnfield, Mass.). They got it done in all situations. Olivia Ferebee was also sharp with 26 saves. As long as their best players keep setting the pace, it's hard to see them wavering against any opponent.
TAKEAWAYS: 18 observations from the NEPSAC girls quarterfinals
For Martha Fenton and the Big Blue, it's all about whether or not their top two lines can keep up with Williston's. I've said all year that I'd put Andover's top six up against anyone's in prep. I still stand by it, but with what we saw out of Williston's top producers in the quarterfinals, it becomes that much more important for the likes of Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.), Peyton Kenndy (Sudbury, Mass.), Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) and more to step up. One other thing I've got my eye on: Williston's also gotten timely production from its third line. Will Andover get the same? The Big Blue will also need Marie Lee (Southboro, Mass.) at her best again, just as she was in their previous meeting.
Williston's track record against even the best of the best in prep this season is just too good, but Andover is one of the few that gave the Wildcats a scare. I have a feeling this comes down to one goal again, maybe even in overtime.
I picked against the Big Blue in the quarterfinals. Am I really going to do it again?
Prediction:Â Williston wins, 3-2, in overtime
No. 2 Loomis Chaffee vs. No. 6 BB&N
I mentioned it on Wednesday night in our video reaction and my takeaways, but this is a tough game to handicap. I'm still not sure exactly where I stand.
You've got two of the best defensive cores in the NEPSAC going at it in this one. On one side, you’ve got Loomis Chaffee's Carly Dann (Hanover, N.H.), Megan Hosman and Catie Collins (South Burlington, Vt.). On the other hand, BB&N boasts Emi Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.), Brenna O’Reilly (Burlington, Mass.) and Lexi Mara (Winchester, Mass.). Both sides have gotten good goaltending, too. Adeline Roper (Kennebunk, Maine) answered the bell in the Pelicans' win over Cushing, and Eva Mai Whyte (Natick, Mass.) shined in BB&N's upset over Dexter, making 34 saves.
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Loomis' best players led the charge against Cushing. Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) and Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn) both found the back of the net multiple times, and Chloe Obser got on the board, too. The Pelicans also did a ton of damage on the power play. Collins, Hosman and Dann will need to be sharp moving the puck quickly to handle BB&N's heavy presence in the offensive zone.
The Knights, meanwhile, also got strong performances from their top players, including two goals for Savana Littlewood (Braintree, Mass.). Molly Halloran (Belmont, Mass.) also scored twice on the third line. Both top sixes match up well, so it'll be key that BB&N gets more key scoring from its third line. They'll also need to dictate the game from the jump against Loomis by forechecking hard, wearing them down and dragging them into the type of game that gave Dexter fits on Wednesday.
This is another really tough call. I correctly predicted BB&N's upset over Dexter. Do they have another one in them? Like the other game, I can see this one going either way.
Prediction:Â Loomis wins, 2-1
