The top three teams in this week’s New England Hockey Journal Prep Hockey Power Rankings stay the same, but there is a lot of movement for the rest of the top 10.
Just two weeks remain in the prep hockey regular season as teams vie for positioning. As has been the case for a couple of weeks now, a few teams have very little room for error in their quest to make the NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament this March.
Wednesday’s schedule doesn’t have a lot of primetime games, but the action heats up over the weekend. A lot of key battles will take place with Salisbury hosting Avon Old Farms in the biggest of the bunch.
1. Avon Old Farms
League: Founders | Record: 19-1-0 (7-0-0) | Previous: 1
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Choate (4:45 p.m.)
The Winged Beavers’ offense is heating up. The team has scored four or more goals in eight straight games. During that time, AOF has outscored its opponents 41-11. A pair of New Hampshire natives had strong games over the three wins in the last seven days. Sophomore forward Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) scored twice and added two assists in the team’s win over Hotchkiss. Junior defenseman Jordin Palmer (Auburn, N.H.), known more for his solid play in his own zone, had two power play goals in a win over Deerfield. A huge game looms Saturday with a trip to Salisbury.
2. Kimball Union
League: Lakes Region | Record: 23-1-1 (10-0-0) | Previous: 2
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Proctor (4:30 p.m.)
The Wildcats won all three games over the last week, including a big 3-2 overtime victory over Lakes Region foe Holderness. As I mentioned last week, the team’s offensive depth has truly shined through. While there are a handful of more notable forwards, a pair of seniors have been hot lately. Alex Keller and Liam Blackburn have registered at least a point in four straight games, including three-game goal-scoring streaks during that time.
3. Belmont Hill
League: ISL Keller | Record: 16-0-2 (9-0-2) | Previous: 3
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Milton (5 p.m.)
Starting with a huge overtime road victory over ISL rival St. Sebastian’s on Wednesday, Belmont Hill continued its undefeated start with three wins last week. Sophomore Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.) had that goal in the extra session and also found the back of the net in a win over Thayer. Recent Yale commit Ronan O’Donnell (Fairfield, Conn.) scored a goal and an assist in each of the last two games. As expected, the Sextants have received strong play from their three biggest stars, forwards Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.) and James Fisher (Wilmington, Mass.), and goaltender Sam Scopa (Lexington, Mass.).
4. Kent
League: Founders | Record: 14-6-0 (2-3-0) | Previous: 8
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Hotchkiss (4:30 p.m.)
The Lions have won four in a row, and it’s in large part due to their top players stepping up. Senior forwards Geno McEnery and Jake Kraft each have nine points in their last three games. Dale Reinhardt’s team has the best goaltending tandem in prep hockey with Aidan Hopewell and Harrison Fogel splitting the workload. This is a talented roster and assistant coach Jake Bennett deserves a lot of the credit for that.
5. Salisbury
League: Housatonic | Record: 16-5-0 (7-2-0) | Previous: 4
Next game: Feb. 19 vs. Avon Old Farms (3 p.m.)
The Crimson Knights bounced back from a tough overtime loss at Kent by defeating Taft and Loomis Chaffee. Brown commit Ryan Walsh, an '03 senior, has collected at least a point in 12 consecutive games. During that stretch, he has eight goals and 13 assists. Defenseman Liam Chapman (Weare, N.H.), who had an assist against Taft, just signed an NAHL tender with the Lone Star Brahmas.
6. St. Sebastian’s
League: ISL Keller | Record: 15-4-1 (7-2-1) | Previous: 7
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Tabor (3:30 p.m.)
After the aforementioned tough overtime loss against Belmont Hill, the Arrows bounced back with two easy wins over Lawrence and Hoosac. After being held off the score sheet in the Belmont Hill game, Princeton commit Brendan Gorman (Arlington, Mass.) had two goals and five assists in the next two contests. Boston College commit Nolan Joyce (Dedham, Mass.) has also continued his torrent scoring pace from the backend. He had three goals on the week to keep up his rank as the second leading scoring among defensemen in prep hockey.
7. Holderness
League: Lakes Region | Record: 16-2-2 (6-2-2) | Previous: 10
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Winchendon (3 p.m.)
It might strike some readers as weird that I moved Holderness up a few spots after a week in which the Bulls went 1-1-1. However, a tie at Tilton and an overtime loss against Kimball Union showed me this team is capable of hanging tough with good teams. '04 defenseman David Brandes had two goals and an assist over the course of the three games last week. He’s tied for sixth in scoring among defensemen in the circuit.
8. Nobles
League: ISL Keller | Record: 12-6-1 (5-4-1) | Previous: 6
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. BB&N (5:30 p.m.)
The Bulldogs went 1-1 last weekend with a disappointing loss to Governor’s before defeating Milton. In the win over the Mustangs, Roman Tacelli (Needham, Mass.) registered a hat trick and added an assist while Harvard commit Ben MacDonald (Weston, Mass.) scored a goal and notched three assists. After goaltending was a position of strength for the first month or so of the season, the team has had to endure inconsistency between the pipes since.
9. Brunswick
League: Independent | Record: 13-6-0 (4-3-0) | Previous: 5
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Albany Academy (4 p.m.)
It was a tough week for the Bruins as they lost twice to Frederick Gunn and Berkshire. The Bruins only have three games left to right the ship so it could be too little, too late. However, this is a very talented team, albeit on the younger side. I wouldn’t want to face Brunswick in the Large School Tournament if I were another team in the field of eight. There is still the outside chance the Bruins will squeak back into the Elite 8.
10. St. Mark’s
League: ISL Eberhart | Record: 15-4-2 (8-1-1) | Previous: Unranked
Next game: Feb. 16 vs. Rivers (5:15 p.m.)
After a tough 6-5 loss against St. Sebastian’s, the Lions have rolled off four wins, including a huge 1-0 victory over Cushing. Junior Jimmy Lyver (Grafton, Mass.) had the game-winner in that one while senior defenseman Michael Fisher (Westboro, Mass.) continued to churn up the offense. An elite skater, Fisher has scored at least a point in each game this season. He has three hat tricks in the last seven games. The Princeton commit is the leading scorer among defensemen in prep hockey. He’s tied for second in points per game overall. During his current four-game point streak, freshman Richard Gallant (Concord, Mass.) has two goals and seven assists.
In the hunt: Cushing, Dexter Southfield, St. George’s, Westminster, Pomfret, Exeter, Northfield Mount Hermon, Frederick Gunn, Loomis Chaffee
