January 22, 2024

New England Prep Hockey Rankings

Rank Record The Skinny
1
Avon Old Farms		 14-0-1
(1) TEAM GPG/GAA: 4.40/1.47 -- En fuego! Alex Pelletier (Cornell) has a 5-6-11 line over his last 4 games, and has figured in 11 of Avon's last 13 goals. On the blue line, team captain Hudson Miller (Yale) is unflashy but rock solid. Probably should have been on Central's mid-term list. Over his last 8 starts, sophomore G Anthony Palmer (1.02/.959) has allowed a total of 8 goals. The most he's given up in a single game thus far is 2, which has happened twice, most recently in Monday's 3-2 win at Westminster. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Beat Hotchkiss, Kent, NMH, Berkshire, and Westminster. UPCOMING: @ Loomis (Wed.), vs. Choate (Sat.), vs. Westminster (Wed. 1/31)
2
Brunswick		 14-1-2
(3) TEAM GPG/GAA: 4.95/2.35 -- Over their last 7 games, senior F Brandon Giles has a 10-10-20 line, senior F Sean Gibbons (Army) has a 7-11-18 line, and senior F Ryan Wachtel (Princeton) is at 7-9-16. The Bruins have six players averaging 1.00 PPG or better. Senior D Cooper Cleaves (Dartmouth) has been outstanding all season. They'll all be packing up for a trip to Ontario for the MacPherson Tournament this coming weekend. They'll face Northwood and Culver on Friday, Victory Honda U18 Saturday morning -- and then playoffs. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Beat Millbrook, Hill (2x), Hoosac, and Elite Hockey Academy. UPCOMING: @ MacPherson Tournament (Fri.-Sun.), vs. L'ville (Wed. 1/31), vs. South Kent (Fri. 2/2)
3
Kimball Union		 17-2-0
(2) TEAM GPG/GAA: 6.00/2.50: After scoring 47 goals over a 5-game stretch, the offense came to a screeching halt with a 3-1 loss to Stanstead on Saturday. The Wildcats have seven players averaging over a point per game, two of whom -- Jack Sadowski and Sam LeDrew -- are averaging over 2 PPG. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Beat VA, Tilton, SPS, Deerfield, and Brewster. Lost to Stanstead. UPCOMING: @ Exeter (Wed.), @ Tilton (Sat.), vs. NMH (Wed. 1/31), @ Holderness (Fri. 2/2), @ New Hampton (Sat. 2/3).
4
Cushing		 15-2-0
(7) TEAM GPG/GAA: 4.94/1.53 -- Senior G Marko Bilic (1.54/.936) has been on a stellar streak, with six goals allowed over last 5 games. Senior F Emerson Marshall is 2-5-7 over his last 3. The Penguins have outscored their opponents 18-3 over their last four, including back-to-back shutouts of Thayer and Winchendon. Both Cushing losses this season have come in tournament games (to Holderness at LA/Groton and to LA at the Watkins.) SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Beat Salisbury, Deerfield, Thayer, and Winchendon. UPCOMING: vs. NMH (Wed.), @ Exeter (Sat.), @ Tilton (Wed. 1/31), @ VA (Fri. 2/2).
5
Holderness		 14-1-0
(4) TEAM GPG/GAA: 6.80/2.20 -- The Bulls were finally knocked off the pedestal of the undefeated, bowing to New Hampton, 6-3, despite pumping 46 shots on Huskies' G Alex LaFreniere. The Bulls can certainly score, boasting the top three scorers in prep hockey. PG Pavit Mehra has 4 points in a game 6 times already. Senior Aaron VanWie has done it 4 times. Senior Caden Wells has done it 3 times, and has a 5-point game to boot. Senior D Caeden Harrington, a Vermont commit, leads all prep d-men in scoring, and by a healthy margin. Speaking of defense, Holderness doesn't give up a lot of shots. February's schedule will be much tougher, with two -- and possibly three -- matchups with KUA. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Beat SPS, Proctor (2x), NYA, and Gov's. Lost to New Hampton. UPCOMING: @ Brewster (Wed.), vs. New Hampton (Fri.), vs. Kents Hill (Sat.), @ Exeter (Wed. 1/31), vs. KUA (Fri. 2/2).
6
Salisbury		 11-4-0
(9) TEAM GPG/GAA: 4.07/2.85 -- Far from some of the powerhouse squads of recent years, but Andrew Will-coached teams seem to find a way. Saturday's 5-1 win at Kent was a big one, as it avenged an earlier loss to the Lions. Salisbury has to build on that because they already have 4 losses. Three of those have come to TUCs -- Kent, KUA, and Cushing -- so the Crimson Knights are hardly giving games away. They've played a large number of one-goal games (we're including a large number of two-goal games that included an empty-netter at the end.) In February, they play Loomis, Brunswick, and Avon consecutively, but would do well not to look too far ahead. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Lost to Cushing. Beat Westy, Choate, T-P, and Kent. UPCOMING: vs. Gunn (Wed.), vs. Berkshire (Sat.), @ T-P (Wed. 1/31).
7
Loomis Chaffee		 11-3-1
(5) TEAM GPG/GAA: 4.07/2.85 -- Take note of those numbers: they're exactly the same as Salisbury's. How's that for coincidence? Loomis started the season 6-0-0, but are 5-3-1 since. They lack 'signature' wins. They did hand Brunswick its only loss of the season back on Nov. 30th, but that's their only win against a team in this poll. They split with Kent, but have a chance to make a statement this week vs. Avon and Andover. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Lost to Deerfield. Beat Hotchkiss, tied Taft, beat Westy, beat Hill. UPCOMING: vs. Avon (Wed.), vs. Andover (Sat.), vs. Williston (Wed. 1/31).
8
Noble & Greenough		 10-4-2
(10) TEAM GPG/GAA: 3.44/2.37 -- As we pointed out previously, this is a young team, with just a sprinkling of seniors. Three of their four losses have come to teams in the Top 16 in RPI. Had an impressive weekend, beating LA and Andover back-to-back. Top guns Ted MacAusland, Kyle O'Leary (Yale) and Dennis Davidson lead the offense and have scored 32 of the Bulldogs' 55 goals. On Saturday, it was Davidson's third-period goal that gave Nobles a 1-0 road win at Andover. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Split with LA. Beat Middlesex and Andover. UPCOMING: @ Seb's (Wed.), @ Rivers (Fri.), @ Thayer (Wed. 1/31), @ Tabor (Fri. 2/2).
9
Andover		 11-4-1
(N/R) TEAM GPG/GAA: 3.81/2.51 -- They've already matched their win total of last season -- and have 12 games to go in the regular season. Junior G Chase Anderson (1.70/.944), playing in a rotation with senior Ben Skowronek, kicked out 38 of 39 shots in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Nobles. The Big Blue has basically the same personnel as last year. They're just a year older and play harder and more purposefully. Three of their four losses have come to teams in this poll: Nobles (2x) and Salisbury. Their only bad loss was a 7-3 decision to Choate. SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Beat Tilton, SPS, Exeter, and Seb's. Lost to Nobles. UPCOMING: vs. Winchendon (Wed.), @ Loomis (Sat.), vs. Deerfield (Wed. 1/31), @ Bel Hill (Fri. 2/2), vs. Dexter (Sat. 2/3).
10
St. George's		 13-2-1
(N/R) TEAM GPG/GAA: 5.44/1.46 -- New head coach Allie Skelley has the mojo working. Senior F Ryan Staples, a transfer from Loomis, leads the offense. Junior F Owen Mulhern has taken huge strides too. Between Staples (Yale), junior D Everett Baldwin (Providence) and senior G Ryder Shea (Maine), the Dragons have three D-I commits, and at three positions. not something we recall seeing from them before. Shea is tough, boasting a 1.49/.950 line. Note that In St. George's two losses they were held to one goal in each, first by Thayer's Tyler Moschella (43/44) and then by Brooks's Ethan Simpson (45/46). SINCE JAN. 8 POLL: Lost to Brooks. Beat Groton, BB&N, St. Mark's, and P-Abbey. UPCOMING: @ Dexter (Wed.), vs. Milton (Fri.), @ Middlesex (Wed. 1/31), @ Berwick (Sat. 2/3).
* 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.