It's that time of year again.
Every week from now through the rest of the season, we will take a look at the top performers in boys prep hockey from the previous week. Who had the most goals? Who scored a big goal in a huge game? Who notched the most assists? Which goalies rose to the occasion most often?
I had a lot of fun with this last year. Hopefully, you did too, which is why it's back for a second season.
For the first time in 2023-24, let's dive in.
Holt
Top skater:Â Hugo Daniel, North Yarmouth Academy
The Holt was tough to pick because teams played different amounts of games. North Yarmouth Academy played five, which was the most out of any team in the conference. Daniel posted seven goals in the five games, including three multi-goal games. Two of those came in tight contests with Phillips Exeter and Groton. Daniel, a sophomore, had 11 goals last season. Just five games into the season, it looks like he will soon be setting a career-high.
Honorable mentions: Adrian Mendoza, NYA (1-7—8); Connor Nolan, Portsmouth Abbey (3-3—6); Cole Lambert, NYA (3-2—5); Justin Massa, Berwick (2-2—4); Parker Murch (1-3—4)
Top goalie:Â Patrick McDevitt, Portsmouth Abbey
McDevitt was in net for all three of Portsmouth Abbey's matchups so far this season — an 8-0 win over BB&N, a 5-2 victory against Kents Hill and a 3-1 loss to Tabor. McDevitt saw the most shots in the loss against a strong Tabor team, as the senior faced 42 shots, stopping 39.
Honorable mentions:Â Aidan McAuslin, NYA (78 saves on 84 shots over three games); Matthew Pimentel, Berwick (61 saves on 66 shots over two games)
Housatonic
Top skater:Â Indiana Grossbard, Loomis Chaffee
Yes, there were players who put up more points over the last week. But Grossbard shined against the toughest opponent. In a 7-4 season-opening upset win over Brunswick, the sophomore posted two goals and an assist. He followed that up with one goal and one assist against Trinity-Pawling in a 4-1 win. The Wilton, Conn., native is already establishing himself as a top producer for Loomis Chaffee.
Honorable mentions: Alex Pelletier, Avon Old Farms (2-5—7); Finn Keon, Kent (1-6—7); Owen Mahar, Kent (3-3—6); Brendan Tighe, Avon Old Farms (2-4—6); Michael Fiedorczuk, Kent (5-1—6); Jack Roberts, Kent (2-3—5); Lefty Markonidis, Avon Old Farms (3-2—5); Michael Munroe, Avon Old Farms (3-2—5); Justin Tavares, Deerfield (3-1—4); Tom Molson, Deerfield (0-3—3)
Top goalie:Â Liam Joyce, Loomis Chaffee
I guess it's Loomis Chaffee week in Top Performers. The West Hartford, Conn., native led Loomis Chaffee past Brunswick with 33 stops. While it was a quieter day against Trinity-Pawling, he still stopped 19 of the 20 pucks sent his way.
LAST SEASON: Check out the top performers from the 2022-23 campaignÂ
Honorable mention:Â Brady Morris, Taft (80 saves on 87 shots over two games)
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Cayden Miceli, Rivers
It was a big first week for Rivers. Head coach Freddy Meyer's team opened with a 7-3 loss to St. Sebastian's, but followed that up with a 4-2 win over Kimball Union and a 7-1 victory against Hebron. Miceli was key in all three games, scoring a shorthanded goal to open the game against Kimball Union. He finished the week with two goals and five points.
Honorable mentions: Jacob Kulas, Rivers (1-4—5); Calvin Beard, St. Mark's (2-2—4); Justin Graf, Rivers (2-2—4); Nathan Walsh, St. George's (2-1—3); Troy Hayes, St. George's (1-2—3); Ryan Magaletta, St. George's (0-3—3); Carter Meyer, Rivers (2-1—3); Finn Sears, Rivers (2-1—3); Freddy Meyer, Rivers (1-2—3)
Top goalie:Â Ryder Shea, St. George's
It was vital for Shea to get off to a good start to his senior season and so far, that's been the case. The Maine commit stopped 42 of 44 shots in a 2-1 loss to Thayer. He followed that up with a strong, 20-save performance to beat Roxbury Latin, 4-1.
Honorable mentions:Â Evan Zhang, Roxbury Latin (84 saves on 90 shots over two games); Jason Delehoy, Rivers (32 saves on 34 shots in one game)
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Cam Russo, Governor's Academy
Picking Russo over Dennis Davidson was a tough decision, but the Brown commit helped Governor's get out to a strong, 3-0 start. After notching an assist in a 6-1 win over Proctor, he posted one goal and three assists in a 6-1 victory over Middlesex. He followed that up with a lamplighter and a helper in a big 6-2 win over Thayer. For Governor's to continue being successful, it will need Russo at his best. So far, so good.
Honorable mentions: Dennis Davidson, Nobles (1-6—7); Nolan Flynn, St. Sebastian's (3-3—6); Casey Mutryn, St. Sebastian's (3-3—6); Teddy MacAusland, Nobles (4-2—6); Will Cannata, Milton Academy (2-3—5); Kyle O'Leary, Nobles (2-3—5); Teddy Mutryn, St. Sebastian's (1-4—5)
ISL KELLER JAMBOREE: Here are 7 takeaways from all the action on Sunday
Top goalie:Â Tyler Bloomfield, Nobles
It was vital for Bloomfield to get out to a strong start and the Hudson, Mass., native did that in his team's first two wins. First, he made 26 stops in Nobles' 5-1 win over Pomfret. Then, in a huge matchup with ISL Keller rival Belmont Hill, he tuned away 34 shots for a 7-3 win.
Honorable mentions:Â Zach Ericson, Governor's Academy (65 saves on 68 shots over two games); Pelle Russo, St. Sebastian's (53 saves on 58 shots over two games); Kolin Beliveau, Lawrence Academy (47 saves on 48 shots over two games)
Lakes Region
Top skater:Â Tanner Petalas, Holderness
Holderness crushed its first two opponents, taking down Hebron, 10-1, and then beating Pingree, 11-2. At the top of all of that production was Petalas, who registered one goal and two assists against Hebron and then exploded for a hat trick and two assists against Pingree. He was strong with Berwick last season and Petalas has continued that growth into his junior year.
One thing to bring up before honorable mentions: Kimball Union started Nov. 18 and has played five games since.
Honorable mentions: Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union (9-2—11); Sam LeDrew, Kimball Union (4-6—10); Corwith Simmers, Kimball Union (2-6—8); Andrew O'Sullivan, Kimball Union (1-7—8); Ben Boucher, Tilton (2-5—7); Mason Meltzer, Brewster Academy (5-1—6); Pavit Mehra, Holderness (3-3—6); Eli Chilicki, Holderness (1-5—6); Jake Boulanger, Holderness (3-3—6); Dylan McDougall, New Hampton (1-5—6)
EXETER INVITATIONAL: 9 takeaways from the Exeter Invitational
Top goalie:Â Treva Murphy and Blake Truchon, St. Paul's
St. Paul's started its season 2-0 and that's in large part to the play of its two netminders. In a season-opening win over Brewster Academy, Murphy stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced, leading his team to a 4-2 victory. Truchon got the start against Tilton and faced 40 shots, stopping 38 en route to a 7-2 win.
Honorable mentions:Â Blake McMeniman (56 saves on 61 shots over three games); Alex Lafreniere, New Hampton (47 saves on 53 shots over two games); Ryan Nolan, Holderness (38 saves on 41 shots over two games)
Independents
Top skater:Â Emerson Marshall, Cushing
Cushing bench boss Paul Pearl brought in many flashy offensive weapons. But Marshall, the trusty senior, will be one of the stalwarts all season long. Marshall had multi-point games in all three of Cushing's opening games, finishing the week with three goals and six points. He should build off his 30-point campaign last winter.
Honorable mentions: Alex LoGuercio, Frederick Gunn (5-1—6); Mark Pizzo, Frederick Gunn (1-5—6); Jacob Rothman, Frederick Gunn (2-4—6); Will Cavanagh, Phillips Exeter (3-3—6); Easton Gates, Northfield Mount Hermon (2-3—5); Sean Gibbons, Brunswick (1-4—5); AJ Sacco, Cushing (1-4—5); Troy Maldonado, Cushing (0-5—5); Ryan Stratton, Canterbury (2-3—5); Cullen Emery, Dexter Southfield (3-2—5); Matt Lacombe, Berkshire (3-2—5); Matthew Itzkovitz, Pomfret (4-0—4)
NEW RANKINGS: Frederick Gunn, Rivers move into our top 10
Top goalie:Â Brady Quackenbush, Phillips Exeter
There were many great goalie performances among the Independents, but no one played as much as Quackenbush. Exeter started on Nov. 17 and has played five games since, with the Marshfield High product starting in all of them. The one blemish was allowing four goals in a loss to Frederick Gunn. In the other four games, Quackenbush went 3-0-1, including wins over Kents Hill, North Yarmouth Academy and Stanstead College. He also made 40 stops to tie Brunswick, 2-2. All told, he made 143 saves on 155 shots to start his prep season.
Honorable mentions:Â Mitchell McCusker, Frederick Gunn (94 saves on 99 shots over three games); Luke Laurino, Northfield Mount Hermon (105 saves on 111 shots over three games); Marko Bilic, Cushing (38 saves on 38 shots over two games); Maxim Pitts, Canterbury (83 saves on 88 shots over three games); Kyle Bolduc (60 saves on 64 shots over two games)
