Time is passing quickly in New England boys prep hockey. The season is on the verge of entering its final month.
There were some big-time matchups over the last week. At the same time, there were some big-time performances, too.
A handful of players continued high-end seasons, while others are just beginning to hit their stride, saving their best for the final month. That was evident in this week's Top Performers.
Let's dive in.
Holt
Top skater:Â Max Kirianov, Pingree
Kirianov has long been one of the top offensive defenders in the Holt and that was certainly on display this past week. The Marblehead, Mass., native tallied two assists in a 3-2 win over Portsmouth Abbey before scoring in a 4-2 loss to Groton. He rounded out the week with a goal and a helper to defeat Mount St. Charles, 5-1.
Honorable mentions: Kellan Danaher, Pingree (1-4—5); Connor Nolan, Portsmouth Abbey (2-2—4); Adrian Mendoza, North Yarmouth Academy (1-3—4); Marco Mottola, Pingree (2-2—4); Jake Thompson, North Yarmouth Academy (0-4—4); Callum Coyle, Portsmouth Abbey (1-3—4)
Top goalie:Â Easton Theberge, Portsmouth Abbey
Theberge was busy this week. He made 30 saves in a 3-2 loss to Pingree, 23 saves in a 3-2 win over Berwick in overtime and 25 stops in a 3-2 loss to Roxbury Latin in overtime. The sophomore '08 continues to be Portsmouth Abbey's go-to guy in net with a 3.36 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.
Honorable mention:Â DJ Patriss, Berwick (62 saves on 65 shots over two games)
Housatonic
Top skater:Â Liam Lefebvre, Trinity-Pawling
The Vermont commit had another torrid week. It started with a goal and an assist in a 4-4 tie against Salisbury. He followed that up with two goals and a helper in a 5-2 win over Frederick Gunn. Lefebvre has 30 points in 14 games on the season, bringing him to well over a two-points-per-game average. He's a big reason why Trinity-Pawling currently sits in the No. 8 spot in the Large School Tournament.
Honorable mentions: Indiana Grossbard, Avon Old Farms (4-1—5); Andrew Migliore, Trinity-Pawling (2-3—5); James Odyniec, Avon Old Farms (0-4—4); Preston Hidy, Taft (3-1—4); Blake Burke, Westminster (3-1—4); Ryan Hedley, Salisbury (2-2—4); Connor Davis, Salisbury (3-1—4); Brud Delaney, Salisbury (1-3—4); Lance Roberts, Deerfield (2-2—4)
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Top goalie:Â Ondrej Matousek, Trinity-Pawling
Matousek was massive for the Pride this past week. It started with 40 saves to get a 4-4 tie against Salisbury. Then, he made 47 saves to beat Frederick Gunn, 5-2. While his GAA is a 3.61, his save percentage is strong at a .909.
Honorable mentions:Â Elliot Lennon, Deerfield (61 saves on 65 shots over two games); Brady Morris, Taft (68 saves on 72 shots over two games); Jack Fichthorn, Westminster (62 saves on 70 shots over three games); Steven Luciano, Salisbury (31 saves on 33 shots in one game)
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Zach Baker, Groton
Groton won all three of its games last week and Baker went off. The senior began with a hat trick to beat Governor's Academy, 7-4, before tallying two more goals in a 4-2 win over Pingree. He came up big against Middlesex, scoring two of his team's five goals (and assisting on another) in the victory. He leads his team in goals (15) and points (27).
Honorable mentions: Nate Moons, Groton (0-6—6); Alejandro Hassan, Groton (3-2—5); Max Donatelli, St. George's (2-2—4); Nick Sumner, Brooks (1-3—4); Rafael Aberbach, Groton (2-2—4); Ethan Goodrich, St. George's (1-2—3); Will Archibald, Roxbury Latin (2-1—3); Cole Oberg, Roxbury Latin (2-1—3); Evan Nee, St. Mark's (3-0—3); Moussa Seydi, St. Mark's (0-3—3)
Top goalie:Â Justin BriseBois, St. Mark's
It's no surprise that as BriseBois has thrived, so has St. Mark's. The senior netminder had another strong week, making 33 saves to beat Belmont Hill, 4-1, and then 25 to score a 5-2 win over St. George's. A 1.70 GAA and .939 save percentage are numbers to be proud of.
Honorable mention:Â Wes DiModica, Groton (68 saves on 75 shots over three games)
ISL Keller
Top skater: Billy MacAusland, Nobles
This is two-straight weeks for MacAusland in this spot. While I normally pick a player who produced over multiple games, MacAusland's performance in a 7-1 win over Phillips Andover was too much to pass up. Three goals. Three assists. Six points in one game. He ranks second in the point-per-game leaders in the region at 2.25. The junior has been staggeringly good this season.
Honorable mentions: Brodie Donovan, Governor's Academy (3-2—5); Ian Crowley, Governor's (2-3—5); Brodie Donovan, Governor's (3-2—5); Kyle O'Leary (2-3—5); Laz Giardina, Lawrence Academy (2-3—5); Eli Heinze, Governor's (3-1—4); Robbie Daley, Governor's (1-3—4); Ethan Cox, Nobles (1-3—4); Brendan Keaeveny, St. Sebastian's (1-3—4); Luke Allen, Lawrence Academy (2-2—4); David Bosco, Belmont Hill (1-2—3); Brady Matheson, Lawrence (1-2—3); Aiden MacIsaac, Lawrence Academy (1-2—3); Chase Field, Lawrence Academy (2-1—3)
Top goalie:Â Zach Ericson, Governor's Academy
Ericson came up huge over the last week. The senior goalie led his team to a win over Holderness with 42 saves and followed it up with an 18-save shutout over St. Sebastian's.
Honorable mentions:Â Tommy Saulnier, St. Sebastian's (90 saves on 97 shots over three games); Vinnie D'Urso, Tabor (63 saves on 66 shots over two games)
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Lakes
Top skater:Â Andersen Kilbourne, St. Paul's
St. Paul's snagged two wins over the last week and Kilbourne was big in both. He scored a goal and added two assists in a 6-1 win over Proctor. He followed it up with four helpers in a 5-1 win over Vermont Academy. The Duxbury, Mass., native has seven goals and 23 points in 19 games.
Honorable mentions: Luke Gerardi, New Hampton (4-2—6); Mitchell Smith, St. Paul's (1-5—6); Theodore Hannon, Tilton (1-3—4); Matt Vohra, St. Paul's (3-1—4); Luka Pazzia, Holderness (0-4—4); Matthew Ross, Kimball Union (2-2—4); Cam Fahey, Tilton (1-2—3); Connor Dozois, Holderness (1-2—3); Jeremy Poirier, Holderness (0-3—3); Alexis Gagne, Kimball Union (2-1—3); Connor Pierson, New Hampton (1-2—3); Dylan Podergois, New Hampton (0-3—3)
Top goalie:Â Matt Wood, Tilton
Even though it was one game over the last week, Wood made 43 saves to take down Proctor, 4-1, on Saturday. Wood's numbers are terrific so far: a 1.93 GAA and a .942 save percentage.
Honorable mentions:Â Blake Truchon, St. Paul's (63 saves on 65 shots over two games); Hunter Marshall, Tilton (25 saves on 26 shots in one game)
Independents
Top skater:Â Joe Salandra, Brunswick
Salandra has been a force for Brunswick this season and this past week was no different. The Harvard commit began with a goal and two assists to beat Delbarton, 3-1, before notching a hat trick in a 5-0 win over Millbrook. He leads the region in points with 44 points, as he's averaging well over two points per game.
Honorable mentions: Rian Chudzinski, Dexter Southfield (3-3—6); Ben Short, Winchendon (2-4—6); Max Dineen, Cushing (3-3—6); Myles Brosnan, Dexter Southfield (1-4—5); Joseph Covelluzi, Cushing (2-3—5); Kaidan Sahajpal, Winchendon (2-3—5); Mason St. Louis, Brunswick (2-2—4); Tommy Browne, Canterbury (0-4—4); Noah Survilas, Dexter Southfield (0-4—4); Gavin Fitzpatrick, Phillips Exeter (1-3—4); Anthony Pomarico, Winchendon (0-4—4); Ryan Lucarelli, Canterbury (1-2—3); Owen McHale, Dexter Southfield (1-2—3); Will Cavanagh, Phillips Exeter (1-2—3); Peyton Militello, Phillips Andover (1-2—3); Cole Leblanc, Pomfret (1-2—3); Rich Cavanagh, Pomfret (1-2—3)
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Top goalie:Â Maxim Pitts, Canterbury
It was a tough call not going with Joey Mitchell who put up two shutouts. But Pitts faced an absurd amount of shots. It started with making 38 saves in a 2-2 tie with Westminster. Then, he made 39 stops to tie Taft, 3-3. He got a win on Monday with 26 saves to beat Millbrook, 2-1, in overtime. His 2.75 GAA and .910 save percentage are strong.
Honorable mentions:Â Joey Mitchell, Pomfret (53 saves on 53 shots over two games); Dylan Lee-Stack, Brunswick (55 saves on 56 shots over two games); Maksim Corovic, Cushing (56 saves on 60 shots over two games); Brendan Petraco, Phillips Exeter (43 saves on 44 shots in one game); Brady Knode, Winchendon (42 saves on 44 shots over two games)
