Four teams ranked in this week’s New England Hockey Journal’s Prep School Coaches Poll improved upon their status from the first ranking of February, but the top clubs in the region haven’t changed.
Salisbury and Kimball Union remain in the top two spots this week, but the Wildcats are in sole possession of No. 2 for the sixth time in 10 weeks this season after Lawrence was handed its first defeat against a rising St. Sebastian’s squad. The Arrows find themselves at their highest position of the season in the NEHJ ranks.
Nine of the 10 teams ranked last week earned their spots again. The lone change involves rivals Andover and Exeter.
Ten other teams also received consideration in at least one submitted ballot. Teams receive 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, eight for a third-place vote, etc.
Coaches from around New England make up the voting panel for the poll, which is released on Tuesday afternoons throughout the season. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to jkummins@hockeyjournal.com.
1. Salisbury (20-3)
137 points - 12 first-place votes
The Crimson Knights doubled their current winning streak to four games with victories over Taft, 7-1; and Loomis Chaffee, 6-3. Justin Hryckowian (1-3-4) and Nick Capone (East Haven, Conn.; 0-4-4) led the offense against Taft, while Lucas Mercuri was the lone Salisbury skater with two goals during a three-point effort. Jared Levine made 25 saves. Against Loomis, Bayard Hall (Oldwick, N.J.) had three assists, and Hryckowian, Capone, Luke Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.) and Jake Quillan recorded two points apiece.
2. Kimball Union (23-4-1)
122 points - 1 first-place vote
The Wildcats scored five goals en route to wins over Andover and New Hampton before skating to a 4-4 tie with Holderness. Game-winning goal scorer Arlo Merritt was one of four different players with multiple points en route to the 5-4 final score against Andover and amassed the same line in the 5-2 win over New Hampton. Sullivan Mack scored the deciding goal in that contest as Veeti Kohvakka made 21 saves. Paul Dore led a group of four multi-point scorers in last week’s finale.
3. St. Sebastian's (18-4)
107 points
St. Seb’s continued its recent run with three wins over the past week, defeating Belmont Hill, 5-2; Lawrence, 9-2; and Hoosac, 6-3. Liam Gorman (Arlington, Mass.) led the way with two goals and an assist in the first of those three games before posting a goal and three assists en route to handing Lawrence its first loss of the season. Liam Connors (Westboro, Mass.) had a hat trick and added an assist against the Spartans, while Tommy Lyons (Westwood, Mass.) had three assists and Connor Joyce (Dedham, Mass.) scored twice. Five players had multiple points against Hoosac, including Jack Hughes (Westwood, Mass.) with two goals and a helper. Luke Garrity (Hingham, Mass.) made 49 combined saves in the first two wins.
4. Dexter Southfield (16-3-4)
98 points - 1 first-place vote
Dexter has played once in the last week, posting a 4-1 win over New Hampton. Derek Mullahy (Scituate, Mass.) made 33 saves in the victory. Defenseman John Farinacci (Chatham, N.J.) assisted on three of the goals. Kevin MacKay (Franklin, Mass.), Jack Dempsey (Natick, Mass.), Patrick Morrissey (Canton, Mass.), and Ben Raymond (Newton, Mass.) scored.
5. Lawrence (14-1-6)
83 points
The Spartans fell for the first time this season in a 9-2 decision to St. Sebastian’s but they also earned wins over Thayer and St. Paul’s, 5-1 and 2-1 respectively, to round out the week with a 2-1 record. Against Thayer, Tyler Young (Lancaster, Mass.) scored twice and led a group of four multi-point scorers. He also netted both goals in the setback and had an assist against St. Paul’s. Conor Lovett (Franklin, Mass.) and Sam Colangelo (Stoneham, Mass.) netted the goals in the latter game. Ian Graiff (Newfield, N.J.) earned both victories in the net, making 38 combined saves.
6. Gunnery (19-4-2)
63 points
The Gunnery had a four-game week, going 3-0-1 with wins over Avon Old Farms, 5-2; Brunswick, 4-3; and Lawrenceville, 6-4, in addition to a 3-3 tie with Canterbury. The scoring was distributed throughout the team and came often as the results indicated, but three players finished the week with seven points apiece. Alex Jeffries (Lunenburg, Mass.) had three goals and four assists, while Robert Cronin (Plymouth, Mass.) scored four times. Mark D’Agostino (North Branford, Conn.) was the third, achieving the feat with a four-point game against Lawrenceville. JP Mella (Stamford, Conn.) had a strong game in goal against Brunswick, making 32 saves.
7. Northfield Mount Hermon (17-5-2)
50 points
The Hoggers posted a 2-0-1 record on the week, defeating Williston Northampton, 3-2; Worcester, 8-1; and tying Winchendon, 2-2. Colin Hedge scored the winning goal in the week’s opening game before adding a goal and an assist in the dominant performance against Worcester. Four players had multiple points in that contest, including Chris Throndson and Ean Small with two goals and an assist each. Small and Jack Quinn (Lancaster, Mass.) scored against Winchendon. Andrew Rodriguez (Hamilton, N.Y.) made 15 saves for the Worcester win, while Connor Hasley (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) was in net for the other two contests ant totaled 44 stops.
8. Tilton (17-5)
27 points
Tilton dropped a 6-3 decision to Holderness in its only game of the past week. Jack Haley, Shawn Leslie (Braintree, Mass.), and James Cates scored the goals in that game, while Jagger Benson (Lynnfield, Mass.) assisted on two of the three. Despite the loss, Owen Cuddyer (Braintree, Mass.) made 38 saves.
9. Deerfield (12-7-1)
24 points
The Big Green split its games this week, earning a 5-3 win over Loomis Chaffee before dropping a 2-1 decision to Avon Old Farms. Five different Deerfield skaters netted goals against Loomis with Sean McAvoy and Will Holland doing so in two-point affairs. Zach Milton (Canton, Mass.) scored the lone goal against Avon. Thomas Gale made 51 saves over the two games.
10. Andover (14-8-1)
16 points
The Big Blue exploded for a 10-5 win over Governor’s after dropping a 5-4 decision to a second-ranked Kimball Union squad. Mac Carso led the offense with four goals and an assist, while Christian Powers (Gloucester, Mass.; 2-2-4) and Jonathan Assayag (1-3-4) were two of the six other players who posted more than two points. Against KUA, Sean O’Connell (Stoneham, Mass.) scored twice.
Others receiving votes: Exeter, Westminster, Proctor, Rivers, Thayer, Groton, Avon Old Farms, Hotchkiss, Tabor, Kent
