February 21, 2022

New England Prep Hockey Rankings

Rank Record The Skinny
1
Belmont Hill		 17-0-3
(1) Team GAA/GPG: 3.71/1.07 -- It's difficult to advance in the playoffs without encountering at least one low-scoring game. Belmont Hill is excellent in those situations. They aren't playing from behind much, and they don't beat themselves. There's a reason they're still undefeated. And yes, sophomore G Sam Scopa (1.22/.943) has been terrific. LAST WEEK: Beat Milton, 4-0; tied Nobles, 2-2. THIS WEEK: @ Tabor (Wed.), @ Dexter (Fri.), Westminster (Sat.)
2
Avon Old Farms		 21-2-0
(2) Team GAA/GPG: 4.35/1.22 -- The Winged Beavers' 12-game win streak came to a halt Saturday at Salisbury. Probably not a bad thing for Avon -- a reminder of what it feels like to come out on the short end. PG goaltender Conor Callaghan is 1.17/.950 with eight shutouts. In '04-05, Jonathan Quick led Avon to a prep crown, finishing with a 1.15/.955 line, with 11 shutouts. Rarefied air. LAST WEEK: Beat Choate, 6-1; lost to Salisbury, 3-1; beat Pomfret, 5-1. THIS WEEK: vs. Canterbury (Wed.), vs. Loomis (Sat.)
3
Kimball Union		 25-2-1
(3) Team GAA/GPG: 5.21/1.95 -- The Wildcats' 14-game win streak ended in the back half of a home-and-home series to Cushing. KUA is 4-1 vs. the teams in this poll, which is -- or will soon be -- pretty much all that matters now that those are the teams they'll be facing. The two closest games in the 14-game streak were a 3-2 (OT) win over Holderness, and last weekend's split with Cushing, both 2-1 decisions. LAST WEEK: Beat Proctor, 6-0; beat Cushing, 2-1; lost to Cushing, 2-1. THIS WEEK: Lakes Region Tournament (Fri. & Sat.)
4
Salisbury		 18-5-0
(6) Team GAA/GPG: 4.61/1.75 -- In December, Salisbury stood 5-4-0 after the Flood-Marr. Since then, they've gone 13-1-0. As we said a few weeks ago, they seem to be on an inexorable march. Kind of like General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1864, laying waste to Georgia and the Carolinas on his march to the sea. LAST WEEK: Beat Avon, 3-1; beat Wyoming Seminary, 6-0. THIS WEEK: @ Hotchkiss (Wed.), @ Canterbury (Sat.)
5
St. Sebastian's		 16-5-1
(4) Team GAA/GPG: 4.50/2.55 -- Let's look at the Arrows' five losses: The first, to Brooks, came on that treacherous Wednesday prior to the Christmas tournaments: Seb's played poorly. The next three losses came to Brunswick (OT), Nobles (OT), Belmont Hill (OT). Then, on Saturday, a 5-2 decision to Gov's, a late-season surprise on a 6-0-1 streak of its own. Liam Gorman's work centering the top line, and Nolan Joyce's offense from the back end are a pleasure to watch. LAST WEEK: Beat Tabor, 4-3; lost to Gov's, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. LA (Wed.), vs. Thayer (Fri.)
6
Noble & Greenough		 14-6-2
(N/R) Team GAA/GPG: 3.32/2.13 -- Strange team. Went 7-0-1 in December, and won the Flood-Marr. That run cushioned them through January, gave them a comfortable margin of error. Which they needed, as they went 7-6-1 before a four-game unbeaten streak (3-0-1), which is still alive. Nobles has really propelled themselves back into the race, and deserve credit. We've seen teams pack it in when their fortunes take such a dive. Junior F Ben MacDonald and senior F Roman Tacelli each have 10 points over the last four games. LAST WEEK: Beat BB&N, 5-0; tied Bel Hill, 2-2; beat Tabor, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Gov's (Wed.), @ Milton (Sat.)
7
Dexter		 15-4-3
(8) Team GAA/GPG: 4.22/2.22 -- Over their last 11 games, Dexter has gone 9-1-1. Pretty impressive. From early viewings in December, we felt that Dan Donato's squad would be borderline for the Elite 8. They still may fall short, but no matter, they overachieved. LAST WEEK: Beat Winchendon, 6-0; beat KH, 14-0. THIS WEEK: vs. Hoosac (Wed.), vs. Bel Hill (Fri.)
8
Holderness		 19-2-3
(7) Team GAA/GPG: 4.92/1.67 -- In '19-20, the last 'real' season, Holderness finished 13-14-1. Last season, they were 1-5-0. And here they are today, competing for a slot in the Elite 8. In the most-recent six games, senior F Cooper Boulanger has a 2-9-11 line. Junior G Evan Plunkett has a 1.54/.948 line and #2, Ethan Swanson, has been just as good. LAST WEEK: Tied Winchendon, 2-2; beat VA, 7-3; beat SPS, 4-0; beat Proctor, 7-1. THIS WEEK: Lakes Region Tournament (Fri. & Sat.)
9
Cushing		 15-5-3
(N/R) Team GAA/GPG: 3.50/1.94 -- Senior G Jackson Irving gave up only three goals and kicked out 68 shots in last weekend's home-and-home split with KUA. Junior D Ryan Philbrick has been playing valuable minutes. Senior F Mason Kesselring had a big game (1g,1a) in 2-1 win over KUA. Four of Cushing's five losses this season have been one-goal games. LAST WEEK: Beat Andover, 6-3; lost to KUA, 2-1; beat KUA, 2-1; beat VA, 6-0. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampton (Wed.), vs. Gov's (Sat.)
10
Kent		 15-8-0
(5) Team GAA/GPG: 3.83/2.41 -- The Lions won seven of eight and everything was looking rosy, then they get blanked by Westy, 5-0, and beaten 7-3 by Canterbury. While they've banked enough big wins to still be in the picture for the Elite 8, their margin for error is gone. Win out and hope for help. LAST WEEK: Beat Hotchkiss, 7-1; lost to Westy, 5-0; lost to Canterbury, 7-3. THIS WEEK: @ DA (Wed.), vs. Choate (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.