#1 CUSHING ACADEMY   

A team without weaknesses. Start in net -- there's no goalie in prep hockey steadier or more experienced than senior Ryan MacNeil.  In front of him is prep hockey's deepest group of D-men -- seniors Brett Peterson and Jack Celata, junior Blake Pickett, and sophs Phil Youngclaus and Marvin Degon. As if that's not enough, Steve Jacobs was able to add Ryan Lannon, who played for the U.S. National Team Development Program last season,  to anchor the whole group. Any team that gets two goals a game vs.Cushing will have something to feel good about. 

Up front, the Penguins are very good,  though no better than Deerfield, Hotchkiss, or Exeter. Seniors Brian Doherty and Kurt Wright, and juniors Yale Lewis, Michael Woodford, and Ben Murphy will lead the way. Look for junior Tony Mallozzi to play a bigger role, while Jamie Solon, from Acton-Boxboro HS will fill the void at center left by the graduation of Brian Teixeira.  Incoming freshman Kevin Coughlin of South Boston and the South Shore Kings, has size, strength, and skill -- he's the best freshman forward Jacobs has brought in since John Sabo three years ago.   

#2 EXETER  

Repeating is tough, but, on paper, Exeter isn't in that much of a different situation than a year ago. Nobody knew then what PG goaltender J.D. Hadiaris would be able to do. It's the same this year, nobody knows what the two leading candidates in net -- big  Dustin Gauthier or quick, smaller Mike Saraceni -- can do. If one or both can come through, however, Exeter will be tough again.   

Up front, Exeter boasts top prospect Eddie Caron, a junior, and one of the truly elite Div. I and pro prospects in prep hockey. Behind him is Conrad Barnes, who'll be watched closely by Division I recruiters in the early going.  . Lost to graduation is Josh Prudden, but his production can be picked up by PG Jon Boyle, who played at Holderness last year and was ticketed to Holy Cross before he wound up signing on for a PG year at Exeter. Boyle will be a huge help. Exeter also lost small forward Mike Engert, but there are several players who might be able to fill that role, most notably Jacob Jackson, a PG from the Washington Little Caps. Top newcomer to the squad is Colin Fitzrandolph, a big, rangy forward from Canton, NY. Fitzrandolph could score twenty in his first year playing prep hockey.  

 On D, Greg Boucher is gone, so Vince Macri, another DI prospect, will step up and take a bigger role. 

#3 DEERFIELD

Up front, they'll be strong if only because they have the Harvard-bound duo of Tyler Kolarik and Rob Fried. One is the most dynamic player in prep hockey; the other is the biggest and strongest. Deerfield will have no problem filling in around them. Senior Chip Canner will take a  bigger role. His younger brother, James, a sophomore, will step into the picture, too. 

Defense might be another story. The key guy, Trevor Byrne is gone, and, so, too, is Aaron Kim, who could play both forward or D. There's nobody on hand who can fill their boots -- at least immediately. Seniors Oriel McHugh and Guy Smith will have to step up to the challenge of leading a group that may include several youngsters. One, freshman Ben Lovejoy, a Cardigan Mountain D, was a standout at the U.S. Select 15 Festival this past summer. 

In goal will be Matt Hanson, who has transferred from St. Paul's and Billy Moss, a PG from North Reading HS (Mass.).

#4 LAWRENCE ACADEMY 

They have a strong senior goaltender in Bo Christini.  And they have three proven D in seniors Steven Wood, Greg Lauze, and Robbie Barker. The question, then, is who'll be able to fill the remaining D spots? David Norton, who played for the Mass. entry at the Select 15 Festival, should be good for one slot. But after that? Only Lawrence's stentorian head coach Charlie Corey knows.      

Up front, it's a similar situation. BC-bound Tony Voce will be the go-to guy. Junior Erik Kent will complement him, but after that there's a significant drop off in proven finishers. This team will rely a lot on Christini, who can steal games, and Voce, who can win them singlehandedly. Div. I college recutiers will be watching Christini, Wood, and Barker closely. 

#5  AVON OLD FARMS

Avon could be better than last year, which wasn't too shabby (they were the fourth seed in the west, remember). John Gardner has enough guys to put together two very solid lines. Highly-skilled junior center Chris Higgins, PG Scott Trahan (Chelmsford HS), senior Scott Horvath,  PG forward Mike Warner (Arlington Catholic HS) will be the go-to guys. 

On defense UNH bound Mick Mounsey leads the way, and he has a big, stay-at-home D to complement him in Merrimack recruit Eric Pedersen, a PG out of Saugus HS. Corey Salvatelli is solid, too. 

In net, Avon has lost Todd Marr to graduation (he's at Northeastern). Hoping a sophomore can do a senior's job is a leap of faith, but if Tim Warner can play as he did last summer at the US Select 16 Festival -- he was named the top goaltender and, basically, led Mass. to a silver medal -- Avon will be in good shape not only this year but for the next three years. 

#6  HOTCHKISS

Teams without clear-cut stars rarely win titles. And that, in the post-Nowak era, is what Hotchkiss will be facing. They'll look for the big man and he'll be in ...Cambridge, Mass.   

That said, Hotchkiss does have good depth, and that can get you at least to the doorstep. Up front, Damon White can throw two strong, balanced, veteran lines out there. Seniors Martin Brisebois, Brent Robinson, James Fitzpatrick, Adam Foote, Andrew Helming, and Brett Adamzyck, and junior Chris Swon will be expected to put the numbers on the board. Nick Carroll is transferring in from Kimball Union and will help out, too. A youngster looking to make a mark will be big Sam Bowles, a freshman from the Washington Jr.Caps. 

On defense, Hotchkiss lost both Jesse Minneman (USHL) and Jay Goebel, (Colby) which is a lot. Junior Brandon Rogers will attempt to fill the void. He'll be helped by big Ryan Wilson, who could emerge in his senior year. Others who'll be counted on include Brian Phinney, Andy Laskowski, and Will Eide. They'll be pushed by true freshman Mike Gershon, formerly with the N.J. Jersey Jr. Devils. 

Hotchkiss is all set in goal with junior Kyle McNulty and senior Eric Smith. 

#7 CHOATE  

Lost a lot up front in Sam Paolini (Cornell), Craig Wadman (Williams), et al, but the strength of this team will be on the blue line, with seniors Cameron DeYoung and Jeff Dwyer anchoring things. Senior Mike Velez, and junior Chris DeStefano are right behind them, while new junior J.R. Bria, who's coming from Notre Dame-Fairfield HS, could help out, too.

Up front, juniors Chris Snizek and Steve Baldassari will lead the way. New comer John Dawson, a senior from New Canaan HS, could provide firepower.

With Dan Weinrieb (UMass-Lowell) graduated, Chris Schod  takes over in net. Schod looked good at the U.S. Select 16 Festival, playing for New England. 

#8 THAYER

Started out strongly last season, but faded. This year, they could squeeze into the Elite 8. Depth is seldom a problem at Thayer, so they're usually in the hunt. Steve Greeley, now in his sixth (!!) season of Keller Division play, might be gunning for a chance to make some noise in the postseason. Northeastern recruit Scott Selig really came on last season. Lou Eyster is capable of having big games. And junior Steve Kelleher can score, too. . 

The defense is young, but they have the estimable Ryan Whitney, a junior who's the top defenseman in prep hockey.  

In goal, Mikel Beacham is gone (Omaha Lancers) so junior Bill Petrucci gets his shot. 

#9 NORTHFIELD MT-HERMON  

Paul Kelly is off to BC, but with a dozen or so newcomers, NMH has more depth than they've had in a while. First off, they have some solid returning forwards in seniors David Andros, Jeff Martin, and junior Csaba Dekaney. Add in PG forwards like Marty Paepelow (BFA St Albans) and Brendan Clark  (Reading HS); juniors Erik Roos (Notre Dame- Fairfield) and Sammy Vatrano;  (Springfield Cathedral); and sophomore Brian Bova, (St Johns Prep) and suddenly NMH could make some noise -- if the defense and goaltending is halfway decent.

#10 WESTMINSTER:

Like NMH, Westminster has a boatload of new players. And, we've seen a lot of them at their previous teams, too, so we know Tom Earl's '99-00 edition will be much improved over last year. New junior Jim Hakewill, a big defenseman from the Team Illinois Midgets, heads the list. Up front, three juniors from the Milwaukee Pettit Selects Midget AAA squad -- Matt Kovacich, Jay Waclawski, and Gharrity Mc Nett -- will help. The top returnees -- Tim Joncas, Rob Hammel, and Mike Kennedy -- are forwards, and seniors, too.

As with NMH, the defense and goaltending -- Rob Miller has graduated to the USHL (Dubuque) -- is the big question mark.

** Bubbling Under the Top 10 **

#11 ST. SEBASTIAN'S: A very good team that made a real run for it last year. They might this year, too, but they're young. In 2000-01, they'll be a senior-led team and will make noise.

#12 TAFT:  They couldn't get into the the playoffs last year -- and that's with a roster boasting half a dozen players now playing DI. Those guys are gone, and it'll just get harder. However, as always, there's a ton of talent on this team. However, like St. Seb's above, it's young talent.

#13 TABOR: A lot of their key players are back. Goaltender Artie Imbriano is very good. Ryan Foley, Paul Muniz, Tony O'Shaughnessy, Bryan Crabtree, and Thayer transfer Derek Kilduff will help up front. On defense Jeff Lang and Bob DeLong will be abetted by newcomer Chuck Tomes from Brooks. Could be a dark horse team.

#14 NOBLES: A lot of good players remain, but losing John Cronin, Justin Dziama, Mike Murray, and Wally Siggins takes a huge bite out of the attack.

#15 MILTON: They have a handful of good players, but there's a real lack of depth. It'll hold them back, too. 

#16: WINCHENDON: Don't really have a feel for how this PG-laden team will actually look when they hit the ice. However, the age factor will allow them to contend for a spot in the Division I tourney.

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