Somehow, we're over two months into the season and February is upon us.
The first two months featured some outstanding performances, but the stakes will be raised as the final weeks of the season give teams one last chance to make their best impression.
There were a lot of notable performances over the last week in boys prep hockey. It felt like there were a good number of high-save games from goalies and a ton of goals.
The race to the postseason is only heating up. Let's dive into this week's top performers.
Holt
Top skater:Â Daxton St. Hilaire, North Yarmouth Academy
There were some borderline-football scores in the Holt over the last week and North Yarmouth Academy was on the positive end of three. In an 11-3 win over Hebron, St. Hilaire had three goals and two assists. He added an assist in a 6-2 win over Worcester Academy and then in another win over Hebron, St. Hilaire had two goals and two assists. St. Hilaire leads North Yarmouth Academy in points with 29.
Honorable mentions: Theo Dimopoulos, Kents Hill (6-0—6); Zach Stabb, North Yarmouth Academy (4-5—9); Nick Pelletier, North Yarmouth Academy (3-6—9); Ryan Kavanagh, Pingree (4-2—6); Connor Dozois, Worcester Academy (4-1—5)
LATEST RANKINGS: Belmont Hill and Brunswick join the top 10
Top goalie:Â Ryan Rosenau, Kents Hill
Rosenau came up big in a 5-2 win over Pingree, as the goalie turned aside 39 of the 41 shots sent his way. He also saw some action in his team's 10-1 win over Hebron, stopping 13 of 14 shots. The postgraduate carries a 2.69 goals-against average this season and a .929 save percentage.
Honorable mentions:Â Euan Martin, North Yarmouth Academy (50 saves on 53 shots over two games)
Housatonic
Top skater:Â J.J. Lemieux, Taft
Taft continues to roll, earning two wins over the last week. Lemieux was a big part of both, notching one goal and two assists in a big, 5-1 win over Kent. Then, in a 2-1 OT win against Frederick Gunn, Lemieux posted the first goal of the game. Lemieux ranks second on his team in points with 27. The only one with more is Jackson Holl (Avon, Conn.), who has 30.
Honorable mentions: Jackson Holl, Taft (1-3—4); Charlie Gollob, Avon Old Farms (1-3—4); Tommy Augustine, Deerfield (1-2—3)
Top goalie:Â Rudy Guimond, Taft
Guimond's outstanding season continued this week. While his team posted five goals in its win over Taft, it was Guimond who really won the game with 54 (yes, fifty-four) stops. He followed that up with a 30-save victory over Frederick Gunn. His .942 save percentage on the season is as good as it looks.
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Sebbie Johnson, St. Mark's
Johnson tallied two goals and an assist in an 8-1 win over Roxbury Latin, a goal in a 5-1 takedown of Groton and an assist on the first of two Damon Myers (Worcester, Mass.) goals in a 3-3 tie against St. Sebastian's. Johnson's 27 points rank him second on a Lions team that is far from short on point producers.
Honorable mentions: Richard Gallant, St. Mark's (2-4—6); Jimmy Lyver, St. Mark's (2-3—5); Ben Buckley, St. George's (1-3—4); Max Donatelli, St. George's (1-3—4)
OPENING ACT: Top performers from the first two months of the season
Top goalie:Â Matthew DellaRusso, St. George's
St. George's entered this week having lost its previous five games. DellaRusso got his squad back on track with a 4-1 win over Middlesex and a 5-1 victory against Berwick. The Darien, Conn., native stopped 27 shots against Middlesex and 22 against Berwick.
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Owen Leahy, Lawrence Academy
While Lawrence Academy suffered a bad, 7-2 loss against Belmont Hill, it rebounded for a 7-2 win over Winchendon and then a big, 4-3 victory over Nobles in overtime. Leahy was massive in the two wins. In the game against Winchendon, he had one goal and two assists. Then, in a stunning performance against Nobles, the Providence, R.I., native posted four goals, including the overtime winner. He also registered an assist in the loss to Belmont Hill. His 11 goals and 21 points are both the highest marks on his team.
Honorable mentions: Lenny Greenberg, Belmont Hill (1-6—7); Brock Cummings, Belmont Hill (3-5—8); Ronan O'Donnell, Belmont Hill (4-2—6); Matthew Biotti, Belmont Hill (0-6—6); Brendan Hirsch, Lawrence Academy (1-4—5)
THRILLER: Standouts from Nobles' OT win over Tabor
Top goalie:Â Sam Caulfield, Milton Academy
While he only played in one game, Caulfield was outstanding against St. Sebastian's, stopping 37 of 38 shots and using his athleticism to make some incredible saves. Caulfield's success has been well-documented this season, as he was recently listed as one of our 16 breakout players in prep hockey. He carries the best save percentage (.960) in the region.
Honorable mentions:Â JJ Thibodeau, Belmont Hill (52 saves on 54 shots over two games); Pelle Russo, St. Sebastian's (67 saves on 71 shots over two games)
Lakes
Top skater:Â Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union
Sadowski has been a massive addition to head coach Tim Whitehead's team this season and the Arlington, Mass., native continued to show that this week. In a 3-0 win over Northfield Mount Hermon, Sadowski posted two goals. He followed that up with a goal and an assist in a 4-3 loss to Holderness and then two goals and two assists in an 8-2 win over New Hampton. He ranks second on the Wildcats in scoring with 33 points.
Honorable mentions: Jackson Kyrkostas, Kimball Union (1-7—8); Sam LeDrew, Kimball Union (3-4—7); Finn Connor, Proctor (4-1—5); Colin Kwak, Proctor (1-4—5); Avan Pyle, Proctor (1-4—5); Christian Day, New Hampton (3-1—4)
Top goalie:Â Treva Murphy, St. Paul's
Murphy played in one game this past week and came up huge for St. Paul's. The Merrimack, N.H., native turned aside 46 of the 48 shots sent his way in a 3-2 win over New Hampton.
Honorable mention:Â Dan Heroux, Kimball Union (51 saves on 53 shots over two games)
Independents
Top skater:Â Jed Brazo, Canterbury
Canterbury's lone game last week was a 5-4 win over Berkshire. Brazo led the way in the victory, as he's done lots of times this year, potting a hat trick and adding an assist. Brazo's 37 points are tied for second in the region.
Honorable mentions: Willem Dumais, Winchendon (4-3—7); Maverick Chedel, Northfield Mount Hermon (3-2—5); Frankie Hipp, Northfield Mount Hermon (2-4—6); Drew DellaSalla, Brunswick (0-4—4)
WOAH: 16 breakout players in prep hockey this season
Top goalie:Â Michael Salvatore, Exeter
Per usual, Salvatore faced a lot of shots last week and did well in stopping a lot of them. Despite losing to Holderness, 4-2, he stopped 43 of the 46 shots sent his way. He followed that up with a 31-save effort in a 4-3 win over Tilton. Salvatore has the most saves in the region (645) and a solid .923 save percentage.
