The New England boys prep hockey holiday tournaments were last weekend, giving fans the perfect lead-in to Christmas.
Various players posted performances to remember.
Along with the holiday tournaments, a handful of one-off games were played on Dec. 17 and throughout the weekend. Phillips Exeter and Governor's Academy had a heavyweight fight, which ended in a 7-6 win for the Big Red on Friday.
FULL RESULTS: How each holiday tournament played out
Let's dive into the top performers from the past week.
Holt
Top skater:Â Joe Gaffney, Pingree
Pingree was in the Brooks/Pingree Tournament. Gaffney went off in his team's win over North Yarmouth Academy. Gaffney posted two goals and six points in the 8-1 win, along with two goals in an 8-1 victory over Hebron. He also notched an assist against New Hampton and Portsmouth Abbey (non-tournament game). Gaffney is tied with Danny Patch for the most points (12) on the team.
Honorable mentions: Max Guertin, Pingree (3-4—7); Danny Patch, Pingree (4-3—7); Noah Jimbo, Portsmouth Abbey (3-3—6); Hunter McCarthy, Portsmouth Abbey (5-1—6); Cam Anderson, Pingree (1-5—6); Max Trudel, Pingree (2-3—5); Max Kirianov, Pingree (1-4—5); Will Sheehan, Pingree (1-4—5)
Top goalie:Â Ethan Addazio, Berwick
Before the Brooks/Pingree Tournament, Addazio posted a 25-save shutout against Brewster Academy. He followed that up with a 35-save shutout against Millbrook and a 20-save performance to beat Hebron, 5-2. Addazio's numbers are phenomenal this season with a 1.21 goals-against average and a .960 save percentage.
Honorable mention:Â Mael St. Hilaire, North Yarmouth Academy (69 saves on 73 shots over two games)
Housatonic
Top skaters:Â Indiana Grossbard, Cooper Snee and Jacob Jett, Avon Old Farms
Usually, I try to keep it to one player, but Avon's new top line of Grossbard, Snee and Jett posted eight points each so they all get it. Grossbard and Snee were already producing at a high level, but getting Jett, an '08 newcomer, to produce as much as he did is a huge step for interim head coach Mark Naclerio. It also helped Jett to produce as much as he did in front of many Division 1 eyes.
Honorable mentions: Matt Lemay, Taft (5-2—7); Blake Burke, Westminster (3-3—6); Quinn Pine, Westminster (2-4—6); Stefano Pietrantonio, Kent (3-2—5); JT Rothstein, Taft (3-2—5); Domenico Clarizo, Taft (1-4—5); Derek Rhodes, Westminster (2-3—5); Gennaro Pompano, Loomis Chaffee (2-3—5)
CHRISTMAS CLASSIC: How Avon won its own tournamentÂ
Top goalie:Â Anthony Palmer, Avon Old Farms
Palmer was superb en route to his team's Christmas Classic championship. It started with a 21-save shutout to take Tabor down. Against St. Paul's, he turned 31 shots aside to win, 4-1, and then made 30 saves to beat a hot Berkshire team in the championship, 5-2. It was a great start to his junior year.
Honorable mentions:Â Brady Morris, Taft (86 saves on 92 shots over four games); Jack Fichthorn, Westminster (115 saves on 126 shots over four games); Jacoby Weiner, Kent (70 saves on 77 shots over three games)
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Griffin Bucci, Brooks
Before the Brooks/Pingree Tournament, Bucci notched two assists against St. Sebastian's. Once the tournament began, Bucci scored at least once in every game. The highlights were a two-goal effort in a 6-4 win over Berwick and scoring the OT-winner to beat North Yarmouth Academy, 2-1.
Honorable mentions: Drew Carr, St. Mark's (1-5—6); Nick Sumner, Brooks (3-2—5); Jack Francini, Middlesex (2-3—5); Carter Meyer, Rivers (1-4—5); Everett Baldwin, St. George's (4-0—4); Zach Baker, Groton (2-2—4); Rafael Aberbach, Groton (2-2—4); Danny Buckley, St. George's (1-3—4); Sam Pandolfo, Rivers (2-2—4); Caiden Pellegrino, St. Mark's (0-4—4); Finn Sears, Rivers (1-3—4)
Top goalie:Â Justin BriseBois, St. Mark's
BriseBois has long been one of the top '07 goalies from Florida. He played like that in the Barber Memorial Tournament, making 14 saves to get a shutout against Vermont Academy, posting 19 stops to beat The Hill School, 3-1, and finishing with a 20-save shutout against Middlesex in the final. The senior is off to a great start with a 1.28 GAA and a .950 save percentage.
Honorable mention:Â Wes DiModica, Groton (69 saves on 76 shots over three games)
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Kyle O'Leary, Nobles
O'Leary couldn't have been better in the Flood-Marr Tournament. He had at least two points in all four games. It started with a goal and two assists to beat Hotchkiss. He followed that up with a goal and an assist against Kimball Union and two goals against Westminster. He posted two more goals in the championship against Phillips Andover. The Yale commit finished with six goals and nine points in four games.
Honorable mentions: Billy MacAusland, Nobles (3-4—7); Oliver Benoit, Tabor (3-3—6); Ethan Cox, Nobles (1-5—6); Eli Heinze, Governor's Academy (1-4—5); Robbie Daley, Governor's Academy (1-4—5); Chase Watts, Tabor (2-2—4); Ethan Travis, Tabor (1-3—4); Matas Janulis, Lawrence Academy (0-3—3)
GROTON/LAWRENCE TOURNAMENT:Â Holderness is clicking at the right time
Top goalie:Â None
Lakes Region
Top skater:Â Luke Gerardi, New Hampton
Gerardi began his week with two goals and an assist in a 7-4 win over Phillips Exeter. He continued a high level of production in the Brooks/Pingree Tournament with an assist against Pingree, a goal and an assist against North Yarmouth Academy, a goal against Hebron and an assist against Tilton in the championship. The '05 ranks second on his team in points with 10.
Honorable mentions: Connor Pierson, New Hampton (6-2—8); Rowen Sang, Kimball Union (3-2—5); Peter Silverman, Tilton (3-2—5); Cam Fahey, Tilton (2-3—5); Jacob Duval, Holderness (2-3—5); Anderson Kilbourne, St. Paul's (3-1—4); Brayden Wade, Holderness (2-2—4); Jeremy Poirier, Holderness (1-3—4); Corwith Simmers, Kimball Union (3-1—4); Mickael Tissier, Kimball Union (1-3—4)
Top goalie:Â Matt Wood, Tilton
Wood started Tilton's last two games in the Brooks/Pingree Tournament and made the most of it. He made 25 saves to beat Brooks, 3-1, before turning away 32 shots to take down New Hampton, 3-1, in the championship. The '07 junior has had a strong start to the season with a 1.33 GAA and a .954 save percentage.
Honorable mentions:Â Mark Bierwirth, Holderness (77 saves on 82 shots over three games); Blake McMeniman, Kimball Union (51 saves on 56 shots over three games); Cole Pouliot-Porter, New Hampton (103 saves on 110 shots over four games)
Independents
Top skater:Â Keegan Kazan, Brunswick
A lot of the attention for Brunswick has gone to Harvard commit Joseph Salandra and Mason St. Louis, and rightfully so. But Kazan had a nine-point week. It started with a pre-Kevin Mutch Tournament win over Northfield Mount Herman where Kazan scored two and pitched in with a helper. He scored another and tallied three assists in a 7-5 win over Williston Northampton. He scored against Rivers and added an assist in a championship win over Northwood.
Honorable mentions: Oliver Czaja, Brunswick (3-5—8); Rui Han, Andover (5-2—7); Joe Salandra, Brunswick (5-1—6); Mason St. Louis, Brunswick (1-5—6); Tyler Kelly, Frederick Gunn (1-4—5); Nate Porter, Dexter Southfield (3-2—5); Owen McHale, Dexter Southfield (2-3—5); Rian Chudzinski, Dexter Southfield (0-5—5); Duncan Thompson, Berkshire (4-1—5); Brendan St. Peter, Phillips Exeter (3-2—5); Peyton Militello, Phillips Andover (0-5—5); Matthew Itzkovitz, Pomfret (3-2—5)
LATEST RANKINGS: The top 10 gets a makeover after holiday tournaments
Top goalie:Â Chase Anderson, Phillips Andover
There have been three Top Performer stories this season. Anderson has been the top goalie among Independents for all of them. This week, it was his outstanding performances in the Flood-Marr Tournament, where he led his team to a championship and won MVP. He gave up only one goal in each of his matchups with Groton (pre-tournament), Milton Academy, Salisbury and Deerfield. Even though he gave up four goals against Nobles in the championship, he was still big when it mattered.
Honorable mentions:Â Brady Knode, Winchendon (64 saves on 67 shots over three games); Maxsim Corovic, Cushing (62 saves on 69 shots over three games); Colin Davis, Dexter Southfield (44 saves on 46 shots over two games)
