There was a common theme over the last week of boys prep hockey: A lot of the region's top players showed well.
While seniors tend to always find their way onto Top Performers, several younger players (including a couple of '09s) had strong weeks.
Even some new names made it.
Let's dive in.
Holt
Top skater: Adrian Mendoza, North Yarmouth Academy
North Yarmouth Academy had a tough stretch a week ago, falling to Pingree, 5-2, and St. Sebastian's, 12-3. The Panthers rebounded against Hoosac for a 7-4 win. Mendoza was a constant across all three games, netting two goals against Pingree and then two more against St. Sebastian's. He added another multi-point game, notching one goal and one assist, against Hoosac.
Honorable mentions: Cayne Leive, NYA (0-7—7); Hugo Daniel, NYA (3-3—6); Hunter McCarthy, Portsmouth Abbey (2-3—5); Zachary Tsatas, Kents Hill (2-3—5); Felix-Antoine Parenteau, Kents Hill (1-4—5)
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Top goalie: Tristan Bourassa, Kents Hill
Kents Hill hadn't won since Dec. 11, so getting two wins this week was vital for head coach Pavel Navrat. Bourassa was great in both, making 15 stops to beat Academie Saint-Louis, 10-0, and turning away 28 shots to take down Worcester Academy, 3-1.
Honorable mention: Nick Hubbard, Pingree (49 saves on 52 shots over two games)
Housatonic
Top skater: Jason Musa, Trinity-Pawling
Trinity-Pawling filled the net over four games, taking down Lawrenceville, 5-3, and Frederick Gunn, 9-3, while falling to Kent, 8-5, and Deerfield, 3-1. At the heart of that offense was Musa, who exploded for a hat trick and three assists against Frederick Gunn. Against Kent, the sophomore registered two goals and an assist. The '07 had six goals and 10 points over the four games.
Honorable mentions: Liam Lefebvre, Trinity-Pawling (4-4—8); Tanner Duncan, Trinity-Pawling (1-6—7); Sam Marchand, Trinity-Pawling (2-4—6); Alex Pelletier, Avon Old Farms (4-2—6); Owen Mahar, Kent (2-3—5); Tom Molson, Deerfield (1-4—5)
Top goalie: Matteo De Luca, Westminster
De Luca faced 93 shots over two games against Taft and Salisbury. In a 3-2 win over Taft, De Luca made 47 saves. He followed that up with 39 stops against Salisbury in a 5-4 loss. The senior has a 2.81 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage on the season.
Honorable mentions: Ethan Fehrenbaker, Trinity-Pawling (61 saves on 66 shots over two games); John Tolve, Deerfield (52 saves on 55 shots over two games) Cooper Flemming, Salisbury (48 saves on 54 shots over two games)
ISL Eberhart
Top skater: Carter Meyer, Rivers
It wasn't the best week for Rivers. The Red Wings took down BB&N, 9-1, in between a 4-3 loss to Dexter Southfield and an 8-4 loss to rival St. Mark's. That didn't stop Meyer from continuing his impressive season. The Winchester, Mass., native posted one goal and two assists against BB&N and a goal against Dexter. But the eighth grader (yes, he's in eighth grade) saved his best for St. Mark's, who he potted a hat trick against.
Honorable mentions: Finn Sears, Rivers (1-6—7); Will Hatten, Rivers (4-2—6); Austin Borggaard, St. Mark's (3-2—5); Andrew Gibbons, St. Mark's (2-3—5); Jake Novak, Roxbury Latin (2-2—4); Joe Meade, Roxbury Latin (2-2—4)
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Top goalie: Evan Zhang, Roxbury Latin
Roxbury Latin got two big wins, taking down St. Mark's, 4-1, and Brooks, 4-2. At the heart of both was Zhang, who made 27 saves to beat St. Mark's and 39 against Brooks, bringing his GAA to 2.73 and his save percentage to .922.
Honorable mentions: Ethan Simpson, Brooks (64 saves on 70 shots over two games); Ryder Shea, St. George's (57 saves on 60 shots over two games)
ISL Keller
Top skater: Dylan Hunt, Milton Academy
On Nov. 20, I named Hunt to the All-ISL Keller First Team, writing, "Hunt is an outstanding shutdown defenseman, which is why he’s already committed to Yale. The next step will be showing that he can produce at a higher rate offensively." In Milton's three wins this week, Hunt lit the lamp once and contributed seven helpers. The Marlboro, Mass., native's 25 points lead Milton and rank second among all defensemen in the region. I'd say he's taken the next step.
Honorable mentions: Brady Kudrick, Thayer (0-5—5); Nick Brandano, Milton Academy (1-4—5); Owen Leahy, Lawrence Academy (2-2—4); Tommy Anderson, Thayer (2-2—4); Kyle O'Leary, Nobles (1-3—4); Eli Heinze, Governor's Academy (1-3—4); Ben Merrill, St. Sebastian's (3-1—4); Nolan Flynn, St. Sebastian's (3-1—4)
Top goalie: Sam Caulfield, Milton Academy
Caulfield notched another great week, guiding Milton to three wins — a 6-1 takedown of Tabor, edging out Governor's, 4-3, and beating Brooks, 5-2. Caulfield made 96 saves on 102 shots over the three games, bringing his GAA to 2.74 and his save percentage to .930. He landed on NHL Central Scouting's midterm rankings at the end of last week, too.
Honorable mentions: None
Lakes
Top skaters: Pavit Mehra and Aaron VanWie, Holderness
It was impossible to pick between Mehra and VanWie, so I went with both. Over four games, Mehra put up five goals and eight assists, while VanWie countered with seven goals and six assists. Both forwards notched whopping 13-point weeks as they continue to torch anyone in their path. This was hard, however, given the number of strong performances in the Lakes Region.
Honorable mentions: Caden Wells, Holderness (4-7—11); Malcolm Baar, Kimball Union (4-4—8); Kayden Yeaman, Tilton, (2-6—8); Caeden Herrington, Holderness (1-7—8); Cam Caron, New Hampton (4-3—7); Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union (1-6—7); Sam LeDrew, Kimball Union (4-2—6); Corwith Simmers, Kimball Union (4-2—6); Kyle Murray-Smith, KUA (4-2—6)
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Top goalie: Alex Lafreniere, New Hampton
Even though Lafreniere only made one start, he made it count. The postgrad '04 got the nod against then-undefeated Holderness and made 43 stops to give the Bulls their first loss. Lafreniere also registered an assist, helping Caron net an empty-net goal late in the third period.
Honorable mentions: Colby Boyce, Kimball Union (40 saves on 43 shots over two games); Ryan Nolan, Holderness (92 saves on 103 shots over four games)
Independents
Top skaters: Sean Gibbons and Brendan Giles, Brunswick
Yeah, I know. Once again, I couldn't decide between teammates. But Gibbons and Giles have been one of the best duos in prep and that continued this past week. Brunswick beat Millbrook, 8-2, before taking down The Hill School 8-2 and 5-3 in a home-and-home. Gibbons potted two goals and dished out eight helpers, while Giles scored five and assisted on five. The beat goes on for these two.
Honorable mentions: Hunter Harkins, Williston Northampton (2-4—6); Jonah Rainsich, Berkshire (2-3—5); Ben Short, Winchendon (1-4—5); Alex Small, Phillips Andover (2-3—5); Tyler Russo, Cushing (0-4—4); Kole Hyles, Cushing (2-2—4); Ryan Lucarelli, Canterbury (2-2—4); Sean Leetch, Dexter Southfield (1-3—4); Joe Marchi, Dexter Southfield (3-1—4); Steven Khonroo, Dexter Southfield (1-3—4); Louie Marcellino, Pomfret (2-2—4)
Top goalie: Marko Bilic, Cushing
Bilic led the Penguins to two big wins over the last seven days. In a 3-1 win over Salisbury, Bilic was sensational, stopping 34 shots. A few days later, Bilic led his team past Deerfield, 7-2, making 22 saves in the process.
Honorable mentions: Chase Anderson, Phillips Andover (52 saves on 55 shots over two games); Will Baker, Brunswick (40 saves on 45 shots over two games)
