February 22, 2016

New England Prep Hockey Rankings

Rank Record The Skinny
1
Avon Old Farms		 18-1-4
(1) Trailed 2-0 to Choate on Wednesday, but got 2 goals in the final 2 minutes to pull a tie out of the hat. Next, at Salisbury, trailed 1-0 but got tying goal with 59 seconds left on the clock. The Winged Beavers' 21-game unbeaten streak is alive, but they appear complacent. A 54-minute effort is needed, or they'll get burned in the playoffs. Last week: tied Choate, tied Salisbury, beat Pomfret. This week: vs. Canterbury (Wed.), vs. Loomis (Sat.)
2
Kimball Union		 26-3-1
(2) Have a 12-game win streak going, during which they've outscored opponents 88-20. Ten players have averaged 1.00 PPG or better, led by D Ben Finkelstein (64 pts.) and C Patrick Shea (63 pts.). KUA's numbers wouldn't be as lofty if schedule was tougher, but they've beaten some good teams, too. Haven't fared well against potential playoff foe Milton (1 tie, 1 loss). Last week: beat Proctor, beat Cushing. This week: Lakes Region Tournament (Fri.-Sat.)
3
Exeter		 24-3-1
(3) Have a 9-game win streak since 8-3 loss to KUA on Jan. 27th. Have allowed just 9 goals over that span, not counting the 3 they gave up in goalie-less NMH game. Exeter's veteran d-men are a strength. Last week: beat NMH, beat Deerfield. This week: @ Winchendon (Wed.), @ Andover (Sat.)
4
Salisbury		 18-4-1
(4) 12-1-1 over their last 14. Strong showing in 1-1 tie vs. Avon Saturday, outplaying the Winged Beavers but settling for a tie. The Flood-Marr is in the distant past, and the Crimson Knights look playoff ready. Last week: tied Avon. This week: @ Hotchkiss (Wed.), @ Canterbury (Sat.)
5
Frederick Gunn School		 21-6-1
(7) Over last 22 games the Highlanders are 19-2-1. The tie was to Loomis, and the losses to Salisbury and Avon -- all TUCs. Last week: beat Canterbury, beat L'ville, beat SAC, beat Brunswick. This week: @ Westminster (Wed.), vs. Berkshire (Sat.)
6
Loomis Chaffee		 15-5-3
(6) 6-1 over last 7, including wins over Salisbury and a loss to Westminster. Given what they lost to graduation, Loomis has surpassed expectations. Last week: lost to Westminster, beat NMH (forfeit). This week: @ Choate (Wed.), @ Avon (Sat.)
7
Milton		 17-4-2
(5) Have lost 2 of 3. Both those losses, to Nobles and Thayer, were by one goal. This week, the Mustangs have rematches with both teams. Last week: beat Belmont Hill, lost to Thayer. This week: @ Thayer (Wed.), vs Nobles (Sat.)
8
Cushing		 17-9-1
(N/R) Over the past month, the Penguins have lost 3 straight, then won 4 straight, and now have lost 2 of 3. It's hard to know what Cushing team will show up. Fortunately for them, they banked a bunch of wins early in December, and that's keeping them afloat. Last week: beat Andover, lost to KUA. This week: vs. New Hampton (Wed.), @ St. Mark's (Fri.), vs. Gov's (Sat.)
9
Westminster		 13-7-3
(N/R) Lost 4 out of 5 in late Jan./early Feb. After returning from long weekend, they snapped out of funk, winning 3 of 4. Face Gunnery in big game Wednesday. Last week: beat Loomis, beat Berkshire. This week: vs. Gunnery (Wed.), @ Deerfield (Sat.)
10
Brunswick		 17-6-2
(8) Have lost 2 of last 3 NEPSIHA games. Have also lost their top forward, Christian LeSueur to injury, though he may be back by this coming weekend. Last week: beat AA, lost to Northwood (non-NEPSIHA game), lost to Gunnery. This week: Empire Cup Tournament (Fri.-Sat.)
* Note: Only games between NEPSIHA Div. I schools -- the principal factor in determining seedings for the playoffs -- are included in the won-lost records above.