Salisbury’s torrent run through the 2017-18 prep school regular season left no doubt as to who was the best team in New England entering the playoffs.
Andrew Will’s team has been sensational from start to finish and will be the prohibitive favorites in the Elite 8 tournament. With the Crimson Knights boasting nine college commitments on their roster, it will take a valiant effort to knock off the five-time champions.
"Our goal all year long has been to try and improve, learn and grow each day so that hopefully we’re playing our best hockey at this point of the season," Will said.
Kimball Union skated to a 2-2 draw with Salisbury in the Flood-Marr but lacked consistent scoring output during the regular season. With seniors Jordan Harris (Haverhill, Mass.) and Bryce Dolan (Barrington, R.I.) holding down the fort on the blue line, the defending champion Wildcats are dangerous.
Rivers lacks the big name players of Salisbury and KUA, but the Red Wings have the best recipe for success. Senior Aidan Porter (Wellesley, Mass.), a Princeton commit, is the best goaltender in prep school hockey. In addition, Shawn McEachern’s (Waltham, Mass.) team makes adjustments and executes the game plan as well as any team in New England.
After a slow start, Thayer finished with a flurry but fell short of the Elite 8 tournament. The Tigers are one of the favorites to win the large-school championship. In large part due to the scoring exploits of senior captain Jay O’Brien (Hingham, Mass.), the Tigers could take down any team in prep hockey. The goaltending has gotten better as the season has moved along thanks to Gavin Fitzpatrick’s (Norwood, Mass.) development.
Most Valuable Player
- Aidan Porter | Sr., G, Rivers School
The Wellesley, Mass., native and Princeton commit has been the driving force to his team’s stellar record. Porter had six shutouts and started and played the majority of the game in three other shutout wins for his team. The 1999-born prospect is one of just four goaltenders in prep hockey to be committed to a Division 1 college.
Most Valuable Player runners-up:
- Jay O’Brien | Sr., C, Thayer
- Eric Green | Sr., G, Northfield Mt. Hermon
- Jordan Harris | Sr., D, Kimball Union
- Matthew Fawcett | Sr., C, Winchendon
Rookie of the Year
- John Farinacci | Jr., C, Dexter
The Harvard recruit came to the Brookline, Mass., prep school after playing two seasons at Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Minnesota and just missing out on the NTDP. He put up over two points per game and was the most dominant offensive player in prep school hockey after O’Brien. The Chatham, N.J., native helped carry his team when senior Jack Rathbone, an offensive stalwart on the blue line, missed time due to injury.
Runners-up:
- Matt Beniers | Fr., C, Milton
- Derek Mullahy | Jr., G, Dexter
Coach of the Year
- Kevin Czepiel | Northfield Mt. Hermon
In his second season behind the bench at his alma mater, the former UMass captain guided NMH to its best season in years. Czepiel had his team in position to make an Elite 8 tournament appearance following a 9-18-5 record in his first season. He had taken over a team coming off a 5-20-2 record in the final season of Tom Pratt’s tenure. Czepiel has senior goaltender Eric Green to thank, but his team is comprised of mostly unheralded players compared to other top-10 programs.
Runners-up:
- Shawn McEachern | Rivers
- Steve Jacobs | Cushing
- Paul Cannata | Milton
Most Improved Player
- Brett Willits | Sr., C, Salisbury
The London, Ont., native scored just nine goals in his first two seasons of prep hockey and had just 17 career points entering his senior campaign. This year, the uncommitted ’99 has compiled 15 goals and 18 assists through the first 23 games while centering the top line for the Crimson Knights.
Runners-up:
- Quinton Fox | Jr., LW, Milton
- Evan Googins | Sr., C, Thayer
Co-Unsung Heroes
- Joe Stanizzi | Jr., G, Middlesex
The Chelmsford, Mass., native had the second most saves of any goaltender in prep school hockey. As of press time, he had helped Middlesex to a .500 record, despite being wildly outshot on most nights. He’s undersized for what most colleges are looking for, but it’s tough to ignore the year he had in terms of stealing games at this level.
- Bryce Dolan | Sr., D, Kimball Union
The captain of the Wildcats goes criminally underrated in large part due to the exploits of fellow defenseman Jordan Harris, who is expected to be selected in the 2018 NHL draft. Dolan, a Barrington, R.I., native, is a great leader, plays solid defensively and makes smart and simple passes to push pucks north. He’s committed to play college hockey at Holy Cross.
Runners-up:
- Andy Beran | Jr., G, St. Paul’s
- Garrett Foster | Jr., RW, Exeter
