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* * 🏒  HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT GUIDE  🏒 * *

Fri. 2/26/16

Prep All-Stars Named

All voting done by New England prep coaches.

East:

F -- Patrick Shea, KUA Sr.
F -- Jake Pappalardo, Proctor Sr.
F -- Casey Carreau, Thayer Jr.
D -- Trevor Cosgrove, Exeter Sr.
D -- Ben Finkelstein, KUA Sr.
D -- Reilly Walsh, Proctor Jr.
G -- Ethan Domokos, Milton Jr.

West:

F -- Kevin O'Neil, Albany Academy Sr.
F -- Patrick Harper, Avon Sr.
F -- Cameron Donaldson, Gunnery Sr.
F -- Taggart Corriveau, Westminster Sr.
D -- Adam Karashik, Avon Sr.
D -- Max Fuld, Brunswick Sr.
G -- Tim Birarelli, Loomis Sr.

Sun. 2/28/16 -- Last update Tues. 9:30 am

2016 NEPSIHA Playoff Schedule

With the numbers now official, here are the 2016 NEPSIHA playoff matchups. We will fill in game times for Wednesday as we get them; there will be no neutral site games. All games are at campus sites until Championship Sunday, March 6th, which will be held at St. Anselm's College in Manchester, NH.

Quarterfinals -- Wed. March 2

Stuart/Corkery Tournament (AKA Elite 8)
#8 Brunswick @ #1 Avon Old Farms, 3:30 pm
#7 Loomis @ #2 Kimball Union, 4:00 pm
#6 Milton @ #3 Exeter, 5:00 pm
#5 Gunnery @ #4 Salisbury, 3:00 pm

Martin/Earl Tournament (Large School)
#8 Nobles @ #1 Cushing, 4:45 pm
#7 St. Sebastian's @ #2 Westminster, 3:45 pm
#6 Belmont Hill @ #3 Proctor, 4:15 pm
#5 Tabor @ #4 Thayer, 4:00 pm

Piatelli/Simmons Tournament (Small School)
#8 Canterbury @ #1 Rivers, 3:00 pm
#7 St. George's @ #2 St. Mark's, 4:30 pm
#6 New Hampton @ #3 Brooks, 5:15 pm
#5 Lawrence @ #4 Dexter, 3:30 pm

Semifinals -- Sat. March 5
At campus sites

Stuart/Corkery Tournament (AKA Elite 8)
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner

Martin/Earl Tournament (Large School)
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner

Piatelli/Simmons Tournament (Small School)
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner

Championship Games -- Sun. March 6
at St. Anselm College; Manchester, NH

Piatelli/Simmons Tournament (Small School), 12:00 pm
Martin/Earl Tournament (Large School), 2:30 pm
Stuart/Corkery Tournament (AKA Elite 8), 5:00 pm


***
Final RPI and JSPR Numbers
Here are the final RPI and JSPR numbers. It's an Excel doc with several tabs.

2015-16 RPI and JSPR

Sat. 2/27/16

2016 Prep Playoff Seedings

Note: These are all unofficial until NEPSIHA completes its calculations, and signs off on it.

Elite 8:
1. Avon
2. KUA
3. Exeter
4. Salisbury
5. Gunnery
6. Milton
7. Loomis
8. Brunswick

Large School:
1. Cushing
2. Westminster
3. Proctor
4. Thayer
5. Tabor
6. Belmont Hill
7. St. Sebastian's
8. Nobles

Small School:
1. Rivers
2. St. Mark's
3. Brooks
4. Dexter
5. Lawrence
6. New Hampton
7. St. George's
8. Canterbury

Sat. 2/27/16

One Last Time

If the regular season ended this morning, this is how things would look:

Elite 8:
1. Avon
2. KUA (S)
3. Exeter
4. Salisbury
5. Gunnery (S)
6. Loomis
7. Milton
8. Brunswick

Large School:
1. Cushing
2. Proctor
3. Thayer
4. Westminster
5. Tabor
6. Nobles
7. Belmont Hill
8. St. Sebastian's
-----------------------
Bubbling Under:
9. Albany Academy
10. Kent

Small School:
1. Rivers
2. St. Mark's
3. Brooks
4. Dexter
5. Canterbury
6. Lawrence
7. St. George's
8. New Hampton
--------------------
Bubbling Under:
9. Millbrook
10. Tilton

Notes:

-- This afternoon's forfeit win for Tabor over NMH is included in the above calculation.

-- Today's Nobles @ Milton game has a huge impact. If Milton loses they could get KO'd from the Elite 8. If Milton wins or ties that game, Nobles could get KO'd from the Top 16, which would shake things up considerably, as the TUCs and JSPR points would be affected. A Nobles loss may allow Bel Hill or St. Seb's to jump them and finish in the Top 16. That's all far from certain; the number of variables is abundant.

-- Cushing loss to St. Mark's last night has put the Penguins in a bad position. They may be out of the Elite 8 no matter what happens. Brunswick eked out a OT win over T-P last night and play Albany Academy in the title game of the Empire Cup tonight. This is a must-win for Brunswick, which needs to keep their RPI up. It's a must-win for Albany, too, as they may have a chance to squeeze into the large school tournament.

-- As for the small school tournament, today's Lawrence-St. Pauls' game is significant. If Lawrence loses, Millbrook or Tilton could squeeze in.

-- Does St. Mark's have a chance for the Elite 8? Yes, but it's a slim chance, as a multitude of other things would have to fall their way.

Thurs. 2/25/16

If the Season Ended Today, Thurs. Feb. 25th

 Here's how things would look if the season ended today:

Elite 8:
1. Avon
2. Exeter
3. KUA (S)
4. Salisbury
5. Gunnery (S)
6. Loomis
7. Milton
8. Cushing

Large School:
1. Brunswick
2. Thayer
3. Westminster
4. Proctor
5. Tabor
6. Nobles
7. Belmont Hill
8. St. Sebastian's

Small School:
1. Rivers
2. St. Mark's
3. Brooks
4. Dexter
5. Canterbury
6. Millbrook
7. New Hampton
8. Lawrence

Notes:

-- Games between Teams Under Consideration are: Loomis @ Avon (Sat.), Cushing @ St. Mark's (Fri.), and Nobles @ Milton (Sat.). If Proctor and KUA each win their Lakes Region semifinal on Friday, they would meet for the title on Saturday. That would also be a game between two TUCs.

-- If Loomis loses at Avon on Saturday night they could lose a couple JSPR points. But since Loomis wins comparisons with Cushing and Brunswick it probably won't drop them out of the Top 8. It could make it close, though.

-- If Avon wins they will be #1 (obviously). If they lose, we don't think they will lose the comparison with Exeter, hence they will remain #1. That said, it appears to be within the realm of possibility that Avon finishes #2.

-- St. Mark's hosts Cushing on Friday. While St. Mark's has no chance of breaking into the Top 8, Cushing, with a loss, could drop out of the Top 8.

-- Brunswick, whose record vs. TUCs is 1-4-1 doesn't appear to have enough TUC games. For them to get into the Top 8, virtually everything would have to fall their way -- starting with a Cushing loss.

-- If Milton loses to Nobles on Saturday, they are probably -- though not definitely -- out of the Top 8. With recent losses to Thayer (2x) and Nobles, Milton has fallen to 2-4-1 vs. TUCs. They do, however, have a good RPI and win a number of comparisons. Milton is on the bubble, and in a must-win situation. A win over Nobles could move Milton up from their current #7 slot.

-- Thayer has been on fire lately, going 8-1 over their last nine. Four of those wins have come against Top 16 teams, hence the Tigers' rapid ascent up the JSPR ranking. If Thayer beats St. Seb's on Saturday -- and a couple other things fall their way -- they could find themselves in the Elite 8. Thayer certainly has the best shot of any #9-16 team to do so. However, significant changes among the lower half of the TUCs could imperil the Tigers' chances. 

-- As for the Large School Tournament, because Kent and Berkshire lost yesterday, St. Seb's and Bel Hill jumped up in RPI. But the latter two have difficult games Friday vs., respectively, Thayer and Tabor. If St. Seb's and Bel Hill win on Friday, they will likely make the Large School Tournament. If either Seb's or Belmont Hill loses Kent will likely make the Large School Tournament. Berkshire has a chance, too. The most important game here is the Tabor @ Bel Hill game. If Tabor loses it could drop them out of the Top 16. It might be temporary though, as the Seawolves have a win in their pocket Saturday (the NMH forfeit).

-- If Milton beats Nobles, the latter will drop out of the Top 16. In that scenario, Belmont Hill, St. Seb's, and Kent all stand a chance of jumping over Nobles and squeezing into the Top16.

-- If Belmont Hill beats Tabor and Milton beats Nobles, Bel Hill looks to have the best chance of jumping over Nobles and into the Large School Tournament. But if Nobles beats Milton, Nobles will lock up a spot for themselves in the Large School Tournament.

-- The fortunes of teams in the Top 8 are, for the most part, not particularly dependent on how other teams in the Top 8 do. Instead, their fortunes are largely dependent on who makes the Top 16. It's tough to hazard a guess on who will sneak into the bottom slots of the Top 16. The Top 16 teams now are the same as the Top 16 on Sunday. The order has been shuffled, primarily in the 9-16 slots, but all the teams that are ranked in JSPR today were there on Sunday as well. The odds are against that still being the case after Saturday's games.

-- After Friday's games, we'll know a whole lot more.

***
Thurs. 2/25/16

Cushing to Pink The Rink
All Cushing hockey games on Saturday -- varsity B games, the girls' game, and the boys varsity game against Governor's (6:00 pm) -- will be part of the school's annual Pink the Rink event.

The proceeds will be split between the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge and the Robin Cook-Milligan Inflammatory Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.

Cushing players will be wearing special breast cancer awareness jerseys, pink laces, pink socks, and pink tape.

There will be a 50/50 raffle at each game (winner must be present), and there will be about 35 other raffle prizes ranging from sports memorabilia to ski passes to restaurant gift certificates to a three-foot tall gumball machine. Who doesn't want a three-foot tall gumball machine?

The winners for the prize raffle does not need to be present.

In addition, there will be numerous items for sale -- t-shirts, hockey lace bracelets, homemade decorative pillows, keychain bottle openers, car magnets, stickers, and even homemade chicken pot pies.

This is the seventh consecutive year Cushing has done this. They hope to raise $10k to split between the charities.

So bring the kids...bring the whole family.

Tues. 2/23/16

If the Season Ended Today, Tues. Feb. 23rd

We're getting down to the nitty-gritty but, even so, there is still plenty of time for some major changes in the RPI and JSPR. The next five days could offer up all sorts of surprises.

Here's how the playoff picture looks going into Wednesday's action.

Elite 8:
1. Avon
2. KUA (S)
3. Exeter
4. Salisbury
5. Gunnery (S)
6. Loomis
7. Milton
8. Cushing

Large School:
1. Brunswick
2. Westminster
3. Proctor
4. Thayer
5. Tabor
6. Nobles
7. Kent
8. Berkshire

Small School:
1. Rivers
2. St. Mark's
3. Brooks
4. Dexter
5. Canterbury
6. Lawrence
7. New Hampton
8. Millbrook

Notes:

-- Wednesday's Gunnery @ Westminster matchup is a big one. If Westminster loses they probably will not make the Elite 8. It's a must-win for them -- but even a win is no guarantee they get in. It keeps them on the bubble, though.

If Gunnery wins it will pretty much cement them a spot in the Elite 8.

-- The odds are against Brunswick making the Elite 8. Their record vs. Teams Under Consideration (TUCs) is 1-4-1 and their remaining schedule consists of the Empire Cup, which features no teams in the Top 16. We don't think they'll make it.

-- Milton has reason to be concerned. Their two remaining games are against Thayer and Nobles, both TUCs. If Milton loses both -- and they have already lost to both over the last 10 days -- they will likely drop out of the Elite 8. If they go 1-1 they may still in dangerous territory. Their fate is in their hands.

A Thayer win over Milton will pretty much solidify a spot in the Top 16 for Thayer. Thayer could even leapfrog Westminster, if the Martlets lost to Gunnery. Thayer, which has played 8 TUCs, is highly unlikely to make it into the Elite 8. However, they could leapfrog Westminster if they win and Westy loses.

-- Saturday night's Loomis-Avon game probably won't affect Avon one way or another. But it could affect Loomis. We have to get past Wednesday before attempting to determine how much bearing it might have on the Elite 8.

-- #8 Cushing has three games left, but only one vs. a TUC. That would be vs. St. Mark's, a big Friday road game for the Penguins. Even if St. Mark's wins they may not have enough to get into the Elite 8. The problem: they have only played four games vs. TUCs and have a 2-2 record in those games. As for Cushing, it looks like they will have to win out. In addition to St. Mark's, the Penguins play New Hampton (Wed.) and Governor's (Sat.).

-- The teams at the bottom half of the Top 16 are very important, as their fortunes have a direct bearing on those in the top half. When Brooks fell out last week, and Thayer moved in, a dramatic shift ensued. Currently, Brooks, Kent, and Berkshire are bubbling under at 17 through 19. Brooks has played five teams in the Top 16, while Berkshire has played 11 and Kent has played 12. Any one those teams could move into the Top 16 and create a shift for the teams above.

-- Tomorrow's Rivers @ Brooks game is very important. We don't forsee Rivers getting into the Elite 8. That would fall into the category of improbable but not impossible. Rivers is 2-3-1 vs. Teams Under Consideration, and have no way to improve upon that.

-- The Large School Tournament is very much up in the air. Brunswick, as we pointed out, is highly unlikely to get into the Elite 8, but stand a good chance of being the #1 seed in the Large School Tournament. Nobles, Kent, Berkshire, Belmont Hill, and St. Sebastian's will all be fighting for slots in the Large School Tournament. They are all within a tiny percentage of each other in RPI, so change is virtually guaranteed there.

Sun. 2/21/16 -- updated Fri. 2/26 @ 11:45 pm

Prep Composite, Week of Feb. 22, 2016

Mon. Feb. 22
Wyoming Seminary @ Portledge, 4:00 pm
Proctor @ Holderness, 5:00 pm
Belmont Hill @ Andover, 5:15 pm

Wed. Feb. 24
Millbrook @ Berkshire, 2:30 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Taft, 2:30 pm
Salisbury @ Hotchkiss, 2:30 pm
Vermont Academy @ Tilton, 3:00 pm
Groton @ Middlesex, 3:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Hebron, 3:00 pm
Maine Wild @ Bridgton Academy, 3:30 pm
Exeter @ Winchendon, 3:30 pm
BB&N @ Roxbury Latin, 3:30 pm
Belmont Hill @ St. Paul's, 3:45 pm
Rivers @ Brooks, 4:00 pm
Canterbury @ Avon Old Farms, 4:00 pm
Pomfret vs. Kents Hill, 4:00 pm -- at Phillips Exeter
Gunnery @ Westminster, 4:00 pm -- new start time: 2:30 pm
Milton @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Albany Academy, 4:15 pm
St. Mark's @ St. George's, 4:30 pm
Andover @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 4:30 pm -- forfeit
Kent @ Deerfield, 4:30 pm
Lawrence Academy @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
New Hampton @ Cushing, 4:45 pm
Holderness @ Dexter, 5:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Choate, 5:00 pm
Governor's @ Noble & Greenough, 5:30 pm
Springfield Cathedral @ Central Catholic, 7:30 pm
Malden Catholic @ Lincoln-Sudbury HS, 7:30 pm
Newburyport HS @ St. John's Prep, 8:00 pm

Holt Conference semifinals:
Moses Brown @ Hoosac, 4:00 pm
Pingree @ NYA, 4:45 pm


Fri. Feb. 26
Tabor @ Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm
Dexter @ St. Paul's, 5:00 pm
Thayer @ St. Sebastian's, 5:00 pm
Cushing @ St. Mark's, 5:30 pm
Winchendon @ Williston-Northampton, 5:30 pm
Berwick @ Governor's, 6:30 pm
Stanstead College @ St. Andrew's College, 7:30 pm

Empire Cup (Day 1)
5:30 pm -- Game 1 -- Albany Academy vs. Millbrook (@ Millbrook)
7:00 pm -- Game 2 -- Brunswick vs. Trinity-Pawling (@ Trinity-Pawling)

Lakes Region Tournament (Day 1)
Semifinals
#4 New Hampton @ #1 Kimball Union, 6:00 pm
#3 Tilton  @ #2 Proctor, 4:45 pm


Sat. Feb. 27
Hebron @ Kents Hill, 1:00 pm
Groton @ St. Mark's, 2:00 pm
Stanstead College @ St. Andrew's College, 2:00 pm
Northfield-Mt. Hermon @ Tabor, 2:30 pm -- forfeit
Williston-Northampton @ Pomfret, 2:30 pm
Lawrence Academy @ St. Paul's, 3:00 pm
Salisbury @ Canterbury, 3:00 pm
Middlesex @ St. George's, 4:00 pm
Exeter @ Andover, 4:00 pm
Berkshire @ Gunnery, 4:00 pm -- start time: 2:30 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Milton, 4:15 pm
Choate @ Kent, 4:30 pm
Taft @ Hotchkiss, 4:30 pm
Brooks @ BB&N, 4:30 pm
Governor's @ Cushing, 6:00 pm -- Pink the Rink fundraiser
Westminster @ Deerfield, 6:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Avon Old Farms, 7:30 pm

Empire Cup (Day 2)
2:15 pm -- Third Place Game: Millbrook vs. Trinity-Pawling (@ Trinity-Pawling)
4:30 pm -- Championship Game: Albany Academy vs. Brunswick (@ Trinity-Pawling)

Lakes Region Tournament (Day 2)
Third Place Game: New Hampton @ Tilton, 6:00 pm 
Championship Game: Proctor @ KUA, 4:30 pm

Holt Conference Championship Game
NYA @ Hoosac, 12:00 pm -- at Veteran's Arena; North Adams, Mass.

Sat. 2/20/16

#1 Avon Escapes With a Tie at Salisbury

Salisbury, Conn. -- A Jamie Armstrong power play goal with 59 seconds left in regulation allowed #1 Avon Old Farms (17-1-4) to get out of Dodge with a 1-1 tie against host Salisbury (18-4-1) in a high-tempo game played before a full house here today.

On the tying goal, Salisbury was unable to clear the zone along the far wall, in front of the home bench. Avon's Ben Mirageas kept it in and got it to Patrick Harper who in turn got it to Armstrong, who cut from the left faceoff circle across the top of the crease and backhanded a nifty shot up under the crossbar. 

It was the only goal of the day allowed by Avon's Brandon Schellin, who wasn't even the starting goalie. About five minutes into the game Schellin replaced senior Matt Ladd, who lost an edge. Schellin, a junior from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., wound up kicking out 29 of the 30 shots he faced and was the Winged Beavers' key player today.

At the other end, junior Nick Sorgio was strong for Salisbury, stopping 16 of 17 shots.

Right from the get-go, Salisbury played a solid game. In the first period, which was scoreless, the Knights outshot Avon 13-4. Salisbury, playing on its big sheet, did a terrific job backchecking and keeping Avon -- and, most importantly, Patrick Harper -- well to the outside. No one was setting up in front of Sorgio, as the shot total illustrates. 

The second period featured more of the same, though Avon, while still having a difficult time sustaining pressure in the Salisbury end, began to find their game a bit.

At the 5:27 mark, Salisbury went up 1-0 when, on the power play, Jordan Kaplan deflected an Edgars Treijs shot past Schellin. Defenseman Dayne Finnson also had an assist on the play.

The line of Treijs-Tom Lee-Tyce Thompson tried to add to the lead, putting some heavy pressure on Schellin in the wake of Kaplan's goal, but came up empty.

Salisbury outshot Avon 10-4 in the second.

In the third period Avon came to life, especially during a stretch of 4x4 play, and wound up outshooting Salisbury 9-6 (including OT). Still, it looked like it was Salisbury's game heading into the final minutes. Avon got a break when Salisbury's Finnson was called for a cross-check with 2:26 left in regulation. Harper and Armstrong, who had been stymied all afternoon, came through, and Avon's unbeaten streak improved to 21 games.

"The story for us," Avon coach John Gardner said, "was the play of Schellin."

"Salisbury outplayed us for two periods. The second period was better than the first, as we changed our forecheck. The third period was our best period.

"Salisbury deserves a lot of credit. They are a well-coached, disciplined team. They are very good defensively. And we couldn't break them down.

"We did not execute on the power play. We knew what they were doing, but we just didn't execute. Our power play needs to be better."

Salisbury's Andrew Will said, "I am happy with the way we played today and with the way the boys handled the excitement and pressure of a big game."

"I thought we had some terrific chances, but their goalie played well and limited second opportunities. We gave them one very good chance in the third and they were able to capitalize.

"I thought our gap control was terrific. Avon is a talented, skilled team and we didn't allow them to gain speed through the neutral zone. I also thought our guys were very good away from the puck.

"We ended up taking a penalty late. We had a chance to get the puck out but didn't -- and they capitalized.

"As a team, because of a poor Flood-Marr Tournament, we used up our wiggle room early. We have had to play with urgency and purpose. So we had to start approaching each game as a playoff game. This is a tough stretch we're in and the guys have been very focused. We had the lead today, but we definitely weren't waiting for the clock to run out. That's the mentality you need at this time of year." 

Fri. 2/19/16

Holt Conference Playoff Seedings
Final Standings:
1. Hoosac
2. NYA
3. Kingswood-Oxford
4. Berwick
5. Pingree
6. Moses Brown
7. Worcester Academy
8. Portsmouth Abbey
9. Rye Country Day

The top six teams qualify for the playoffs.

The top two get a first-round bye.  

First round
Sat. Feb. 20th:
Moses Brown @ Kingswood-Oxford, 2:00 pm
Pingree @ Berwick, 3:00 pm

The winners will be reseeded and will play @ Hoosac and @ NYA in the semifinals on Wed. Feb. 24th.

The championship game is on Sat. Feb. 27th, with the highest remaining seed hosting.

Thurs. 2/18/16

Playoff Picture, Updated

Here's how the playoffs would look if the season ended today, Thurs. Feb. 18th.

Elite 8:
1. Avon
2. Exeter
3. KUA (S)
4. Salisbury
5. Milton
6. Loomis
7. Gunnery (S)
8. Cushing

Large School:
1. Brunswick
2. Proctor
3. Westminster
4. Nobles
5. Tabor
6. Thayer
7. Berkshire
8. Kent

Small School:
1. Rivers
2. St. Mark's
3. Brooks
4. Dexter
5. Lawrence
6. Canterbury
7. Millbrook
8. New Hampton

Remaining Schedule for Teams Under Consideration:

Avon: @ Salisbury, vs. Pomfret, vs. Canterbury, vs. Loomis.

Exeter: vs. Deerfield, @ Winchendon, @ Andover.

Kimball Union: @ Cushing, Lakes Region Tournament

Salisbury: vs. Avon, @ Hotchkiss, @ Canterbury.

Milton: vs. Thayer, @ Thayer, vs. Nobles.

Loomis: @ NMH, @ Choate, @ Avon.

Gunnery: vs. St. Andrew's College (counts toward RPI only), vs. Brunswick, @ Westminster, vs. Berkshire.

Cushing: vs. KUA, vs. New Hampton, @ St. Mark's, vs. Governor's.

Brunswick: Northwood (doesn't count), @ Gunnery, Empire Cup vs. Trinity-Pawling and TBD (either AA or Millbrook).

Rivers: vs. Middlesex, @ Brooks.

Westminster: vs. Berkshire, vs. Gunnery, @ Deerfield.

Nobles: vs. Belmont Hill, vs. Governor's, @ Milton.

Proctor: vs. Vermont Academy, vs. New Hampton, @ Holderness, Lakes Region Tournament.

St. Mark's: vs. Berwick, @ Lawrence, @ St. George's, vs. Cushing, vs. Groton.

Tabor: vs. Andover, @ Holderness, @ Belmont Hill, vs. NMH.

Brooks: @ Roxbury Latin, vs. Andover, vs. Rivers, @ BB&N.

Notes:

Monday's 6-0 Albany Academy win over then #14 Berkshire knocked the Bears out of the Top 16, directly affecting teams that had played them. To put a fine point on it, Teams Under Consideration with wins over Berkshire had them 'taken away.' Tabor, Nobles, Avon, and Salisbury were thus all negatively affected, in some cases dramatically so. Instantaneously, Salisbury dropped from 2 to 5, Nobles went from 8 to 10, and Tabor went from 9 to 12. Teams with losses to Berkshire -- Brunswick, Loomis, and Gunnery (2 losses) were given a boost in the rankings: Gunnery stayed pretty much the same, but Loomis went up from 6 to 4, and Brunswick went from 10 to 9.

All that was prior to yesterday, when the deck got shuffled again. Right now, Berkshire will have to jump over Thayer and Brooks to get back in the group of 16 (the TUCs). As the gods of scheduling would have it, Berkshire, Westminster, and Gunnery are their own group, with all three playing each other in impactful games down the stretch. If Gunnery loses one or two games there is a chance they could get bumped from the Elite 8. Brunswick and Gunnery meet on Sunday in  a game that's extremely important for both teams. Avon at Salisbury (Sat.) is another key game, particularly for Salisbury's efforts to secure home ice for the quarterfinals. And let's not forget Saturday's KUA @ Cushing game, an especially big game for the Penguins.

Right now, the Top 5 JSPR teams -- Avon, Exeter, KUA, Salisbury, and Milton -- appear to be Elite 8 locks, and are playing for position. Loomis has the inside track on the #6 spot. It looks like the last two Elite 8 spots could be a dogfight.

If Thayer or Berkshire -- #17 and #18 in RPI right now -- move back into the JSPR rankings, things could change in myriad ways.

Stay tuned.

Tues. 2/16/16

If The Season Ended Today...

... here is how the seedings would look for the postseason:

Elite 8:
1. Avon
2. Exeter
3. Milton
4. Loomis
5. Salisbury
6. KUA (small school)
7. Gunnery (small school)
8. Cushing

Large School:
1. Brunswick
2. Proctor
3. Tabor
4. Nobles
5. Westminster
6. Berkshire
7. Thayer
8. Belmont Hill

Small School:
1. St. Mark's
2. Rivers
3. Brooks
4. Dexter
5. Lawrence
6. Tilton
7. Canterbury
8. Millbrook

***

Large School/Small School Breakdown

Here is the Large School/Small School breakdown for the 2015-16 season. The schools in the left-hand column are large; the schools in the right-hand column are small. The numbers to the right of the school name indicate the number of male students in each school as of the start of the academic year.

2015-16 Small School-Large School Breakdown

***

Andy Noel Game
Saturday's Exeter at Choate game, won by Exeter 2-1, raised over $3,000 for the family of longtime prep school teacher, administrator and coach Andy Noel.

Noel, who died -- far too young -- of cancer a little over a year ago, had served as Director of Financial Aid and Associate Director of Admission at Choate. We know him more through hockey. A 1992 graduate of Bowdoin, where he played both hockey and baseball, Noel started his coaching career shortly afterward at the Cardigan Mountain School, back when they had powerful teams with players such as Freddy Meyer and current Lawrence head coach Robbie Barker. From there, Noel went on to Lake Forest Academy and the Salisbury School. When he arrived at Choate he was an assistant on the staff of Bill Maniscalco.

In addition, Noel coached in the Wallingford Hawks Youth Hockey program, where his youngest son, A.J., is still playing. He also coached Little League Baseball in town.

As well as being a fine coach, teacher, and administrator, Andy Noel was a really good guy, and is much missed by the prep hockey community.

Saturday's fundraiser was organized by Choate senior defenseman Albie Austin and junior defenseman Craig Uyeno.

If possible, please consider making a donation to the Andrew Bernard Noel III Family Trust at https://www.fundraise.com/andy-b-noel-iii-family-trust in support of his wife, Kate, and three children, AJ, Andrew, and Lucy.

Sun. 2/14/16

Salisbury Tops Cushing, 6-3

Ashburnham, Mass. -- Salisbury, having seen its 11-game win streak stopped by Loomis on Saturday, continued its road trip north on Sunday, arriving at Cushing on a sun-splashed -- but frigid 4 degrees -- afternoon. The Knights started cold, too, as just 28 seconds into the game, Cushing senior wing Ashton Fry came down the right side and fired a shot that Salisbury goalie Nick Sorgio kicked out. The rebound, however, landed right on the stick of d-man Ethan Roswell, who fired it home to give the home team a quick 1-0 lead.

It was the fourth straight goal that Salisbury had allowed. On Saturday, the Knights held a 2-0 lead going into the final period at Loomis but, despite outshooting Loomis 22-8 in the frame -- Loomis's Tim Birarelli was terrific -- gave up three goals and took the loss.

But when Salisbury went down this afternoon, they bounced back, as senior defenseman James Callahan, who'd finish the game with four points (1g,3a), sliced through the Cushing D and slipped a backhander behind Joey Halstrom at the 13:22 mark.

A minute or so later, Cushing senior forward Brent Hill cross-checked, then punched a Salisbury player in the face, earning a five-minute major. Salisbury wasted no time cashing in as Cole Poliziani made a short pass from the post to the top of the crease and Luke Israel deposited it behind Halstrom for the goal that made it 2-1. It would turn out to be the game-winner.

After the game, Salisbury head coach Andrew Will said that a key to the win was, "How we responded after giving up a goal on the first shot -- especially given what happened in the third period last night."

Today's game, which was poorly officiated, really turned on special teams play. Cushing took 11 penalties, and Salisbury 10. A lot of penalties overlapped. At one point the two teams were skating 3-on-3 for well over a minute. Two shorthanded goals were scored. Only three of the games nine goals were scored even strength. Bad calls were made against both teams, in roughly equal measure. It was a difficult game to watch, akin to pond hockey for stretches. Due to all the special team play the final shot total was high: Cushing 39, Salisbury 38. Not an artistic triumph.  

Anyway, we're getting ahead of ourselves here: back to the game. In the second period, Salisbury sophomore Tyce Thompson cut across the slot and took a shot that rebounded out to David Jankowski, who put it behind Halstrom to extend the lead to 3-1 at the 6:27 mark.

With 1:25 left in the period and Cushing on the PP, senior Jacob Kamps knocked home the rebound of a Marc McLaughlin shot to cut Salisbury's lead to 3-2.

In the third, Salisbury extended its lead to 5-2 on goals by Cole Poliziani, who capitalized on a Cushing turnover, and Jordan Kaplan, who scored a shorthanded goal. Cushing answered with a shorthanded goal of their own, as PG forward Jack Dodd picked up a neutral zone turnover and cruised in alone on Sorgio, making it a 5-3 game midway through the third. But Cushing could get no closer, and Salisbury's David Jankowski would add an empty netter off a pass from Anthony Vincent with 13 seconds remaining for the final 6-3 margin.

Cushing coach Rob Gagnon said, "Our D needs to do a better job tightening gaps. We gave up the blue line too easily and our back pressure wasn't hard enough."

"Overall, though, I think this game could be a growing moment for our young guys. When things aren't going your way, and there are adverse penalty calls, you have to smarten up. It's situational awareness. We'll be better for it." 

Andrew Will said, "This weekend was really the start of playoff hockey. I've been stressing the importance of a a full 54 minutes. When you have a team on the ropes you have to play knockout hockey. We didn't do that last night but we did it today. We needed to win today." 

Note: Cushing was without T.J. Walsh and Salisbury was without Jack DeBoer. Both '00 forwards are playing for the US at the IOC-sponsored Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway. Team USA is up 2-0 after a 4-1 win over Finland yesterday and an 8-0 win over Norway today. As the playoffs run from Friday-Sunday Feb. 19-21, Walsh and DeBoer won't be back with their respective teams for at least eight days.

 

Sun. 2/14/16- updated Fri. 2/19 at 3:45 pm

Prep Composite, Week of Feb. 15, 2016

Mon. Feb. 15
Central Catholic @ Catholic Memorial, 2:00 pm
Hebron @ Lawrence, 3:30 pm -- makeup of 2/5 snowout
Bishop Eustace Prep @ Delbarton, 3:45 pm
Groton @ Worcester Academy, 4:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Berkshire, 4:30 pm
Gunnery @ Canterbury, 5:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Pomfret, 5:30 pm -- cancelled

Wed. Feb. 17
Exeter @ Northfield-Mt. Hermon, 2:00 pm
Millbrook @ Trinity-Pawling, 2:00 pm
Hotchkiss @ Kent, 2:30 pm
Westminster @ Loomis-Chaffee, 2:30 pm
Kimball Union @ Proctor, 2:30 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Choate, 2:45 pm
Brooks @ Groton, 3:00 pm
New Hampton @ Vermont Academy, 3:00 pm
Cushing @ Andover, 3:15 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Bridgton, 3:30 pm
Kents Hill @ Tilton, 4:00 pm
Tabor @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Brunswick, 4:00 pm
Lawrenceville @ Gunnery, 4:00 pm
Pingree @ Worcester Academy, 4:00 pm
Winchendon @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
Kingswood-Oxford @ Hoosac, 4:00 pm
Deerfield @ Taft, 4:00 pm
Berkshire @ Pomfret, 4:15 pm
Dexter @ Berwick, 4:15 pm
St. Mark's @ Rivers, 4:30 pm
Roxbury Latin @ St. George's, 4:30 pm
St. Andrew's College @ Upper Canada College, 4:30 pm
St. Paul's @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
Canterbury @ Williston-Northampton, 4:30 pm
Middlesex @ Portsmouth Abbey, 4:30 pm
Milton @ Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm
BB&N @ Noble & Greenough, 5:15 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Governor's, 5:45 pm
Hill School vs. LaSalle HS, 4:00 pm
St. John's Prep @ Braintree HS, 7:00 pm

Cathedral Classic:
At the Olympia; West Springfield, Mass.
6:00 pm -- Acton-Boxboro vs. St. Mary's-Lynn (semifinal #1)
8:00 pm -- Pope Francis vs. Malden Catholic (semifinal #2)

Thurs. Feb. 18
Cathedral Classic:
Consolation game, 4:00 pm.
Championship Game, 6:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 19
Kents Hill @ Hebron, 3:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Proctor, 3:00 pm
Berwick @ St. Mark's, 5:00 pm
Winchendon @ Dexter, 5:00 pm
Tilton @ Brewster Academy, 5:15 pm
Belmont Hill @ Noble & Greenough, 5:30 pm
Thayer @ Milton, 5:30 pm
BB&N @ St. Paul's, 5:30 pm
Brooks @ Roxbury Latin, 6:15 pm
Andover @ Tabor, 6:30 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Deerfield, 6:30 pm
Shattuck-St. Mary's @ Nichols, 7:00 pm

Sat. Feb. 20
St. John's Prep @ Framingham HS, 12:00 pm
Shattuck-St. Mary's @ Nichols, 12:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ BB&N, 1:30 pm
Moses Brown @ Kingswood-Oxford, 2:00 pm -- Holt Conference Quarterfinal
Middlesex @ Rivers, 2:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ NMH, 2:00 pm -- NMH forfeits; Loomis wins, 1-0
Canterbury @ Kent, 2:30 pm
St. Sebastian's @ Governor's, 2:30 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Hotchkiss, 2:30 pm
Pingree @ Berwick, 3:00 pm -- Holt Conference Quarterfinal
Groton @ St. George's, 3:00 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Salisbury, 3:00 pm
Berkshire @ Westminster, 3:00 pm
Boston Advantage U18 @ Seacoast College Prep, 3:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Lawrence Academy, 3:30 pm
Hebron @ Tilton, 4:00 pm
Tabor @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
New Hampton @ Proctor, 4:00 pm
Deerfield @ Exeter, 4:00 pm
Choate @ Taft, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Pomfret, 4:15 pm
Kimball Union @ Cushing, 4:30 pm -- new starting time is 1:00 pm
Andover @ Brooks, 5:30 pm
St. Paul's @ Thayer, 5:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ Vermont Academy, 6:00 pm

Gunnery Showcase (Day 1):
1:00 pm -- Northwood vs. Brunswick
4:00 pm -- Gunnery vs. St. Andrew's College


Sun. Feb. 21
Bishop Hendricken @ Malden Catholic, 1:00 pm
Pomfret @ Avon Old Farms, 2:00 pm
Northfield-Mt. Hermon @ Choate, 2:00 pm

Gunnery Showcase (Day 2):
12:00 pm -- Northwood vs. St. Andrew's College
3:00 pm -- Gunnery vs. Brunswick


Mon. Feb. 22
Wyoming Seminary @ Portledge, 4:00 pm
Proctor @ Holderness, 5:00 pm
Belmont Hill @ Andover, 5:15 pm -- makeup of 2/5 snowout

Sun. 2/7/16 -- Last updated Thurs. 2/11 at 11:40 pm

Prep Composite, Week of Feb. 8, 2016

Mon. Feb. 8
Académie Saint-Louis @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:30 pm
St. George's @ St. Mark's, 4:00 pm -- ppd., makeup date TBA
Fieldston Prep @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm -- cancelled
Hun School @ Portledge, 5:30 pm -- cancelled
Worcester Academy @ Pomfret, 6:00 pm -- cancelled
Malden Catholic @ Bishop Guertin HS, 7:45 pm -- ppd. to Feb. 15, time & venue TBA
Melrose HS @ Austin Prep, 8:00 pm -- ppd., time TBD

Tues. Feb. 9
St. Michael's College @ St. Andrew's College, 4:00 pm
Don Bosco Prep @ Morristown Beard, 4:30 pm
Hill School @ Delbarton, 4:45 pm
Ridley College @ Nichols, 5:00 pm

Wed. Feb. 10
Tilton @ Holderness, 2:00 pm
Gunnery @ Avon Old Farms, 2:30 pm
Kent @ Berkshire, 2:30 pm
Hotchkiss @ Westminster, 2:30 pm
Canterbury @ Trinity-Pawling, 2:30 pm
Choate @ Pomfret, 3:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Worcester Academy, 3:15 pm
Brunswick @ Lawrenceville, 4:00 pm
Proctor @ Exeter, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm
Hill School @ LaSalle College HS (PA), 4:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Winchendon, 4:00 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
BB&N @ Groton, 4:15 pm
Wyoming Seminary @ Princeton Day School, 4:15 pm
Hebron @ Berwick, 4:15 pm
Northfield - Mt. Hermon @ Williston-Northampton, 4:15 pm -- ppd., makeup date TBD
Rivers @ St. George's, 4:30 pm
Cushing @ Tabor, 4:30 pm
Bishop's College School @ Vermont Academy, 4:30 pm
Taft @ Salisbury, 4:30 pm
Andover @ Kimball Union, 4:30 pm
Belmont Hill @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
Rye Country Day @ King-Low, 4:30 pm
Brooks @ St. Mark's, 4:45 pm
Arlington Catholic @ Austin Prep, 4:45 pm
Bridgton Academy @ North Yarmouth Academy, 4:45 pm
New Hampton @ Dexter, 5:00 pm
Roxbury Latin @ Middlesex, 5:00 pm
St. Paul's @ Milton, 5:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Deerfield, 5:00 pm
Nichols @ Appleby College, 5:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Governor's, 5:15 pm
Northwood Junior vs. Stanstead College, 6:00 pm -- at UVM
Hoosac @ Moses Brown, 6:15 pm
Central Catholic @ Waltham High, 7:00 pm
St John's-Shrewsbury @ St. John's Prep, 8:00 pm

Thurs. Feb. 11
Tilton @ St. Paul's, 4:30 pm
Don Bosco Prep @ Darien HS, 6:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 12
Berwick vs. Rye Country Day, 12:00 pm -- at Eaglebrook School
Pingree @ Roxbury Latin, 3:30 pm
Winchendon @ Vermont Academy, 4:00 pm
Nichols @ Proctor, 4:00 pm -- cancelled
New Hampton @ Kimball Union, 4:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ North Yarmouth Academy, 4:45 pm
Hebron @ Exeter, 5:00 pm
Thayer @ Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm
Andover @ Governor's, 5:15 pm
Choate @ Westminster, 5:30 pm
Shady Side Academy @ Lawrenceville, 6:00 pm
St. Sebastian's @ Lawrence Academy, 6:00 pm
Dexter @ Tabor, 6:30 pm
Bridgton Academy vs. Middlesex Black Bears, 7:00 pm -- at Auburn, Maine

Pope Francis Invitational
-- at the Olympia Ice Center, W. Springfield, Mass.
Fairfield Prep vs. Pope Francis, 6:00 pm Friday
Delbarton vs. Bishop Hendricken, 8:00 pm Friday
Consolation is Saturday at noon; championship at 2:00 pm


Sat. Feb. 13
Albany Academy @ Berwick, 9:45 am
Nichols @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 11:00 am -- cancelled
Middlesex Black Bears @ Bridgton Academy, 12:00 pm
Shady Side Academy @ Lawrenceville, 1:00 pm
Milton @ Noble & Greenough, 1:00 pm
Rivers @ Roxbury Latin, 2:00 pm
Catholic Memorial @ St. John's Prep, 2:00 pm
Kingswood-Oxford @ Pingree, 2:00 pm
Belmont Hill @ BB&N, 2:00 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Deerfield, 2:30 pm
Rye Country Day @ Portsmouth Abbey, 2:30 pm
Middlesex @ St. Mark's, 2:45 pm
Académie Saint-Louis @ Vermont Academy, 3:00 pm
Brooks @ St. George's, 4:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Hoosac, 4:00 pm
Hotchkiss @ Taft, 4:00 pm
Salisbury @ Loomis-Chaffee, 4:00 pm
Pomfret @ Gunnery, 4:30 pm
Millbrook @ Williston-Northampton, 4:30 pm
Brunswick @ Berkshire, 4:45 pm
Governor's @ St. Paul's, 4:45 pm
Albany Academy vs. Hebron, 4:30 pm -- at Phillips Exeter
Canterbury @ Cushing, 5:00 pm
Exeter @ Choate, 5:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Brewster Academy, 5:15 pm
Central Catholic @ Andover High School, 5:45 pm
Kents Hill @ Proctor, 6:00 pm
Holderness @ Kimball Union, 6:30 pm
Kent @ Trinity-Pawling, 7:00 pm
Hill School @ Moses Brown, 7:00 pm
Gilmour Academy @ Syracuse Stars 18U, 8:00 pm

Buddy Ferreira Tournament
-- at the Falmouth Ice Arena: Falmouth, Mass.
Sat. Feb. 13th Schedule:
Arlington Catholic vs. Duxbury, 1:00 pm
Archbishop Williams vs. Hingham, 3:00 pm
Austin Prep vs. Reading, 5:00 pm
Falmouth vs. BC High, 7:00 pm
(Future rounds are on Feb. 15th, 17th, and 18th)


Sun. Feb. 14
Shady Side Academy @ Wyoming Seminary, 10:00 am (S)
Gilmour Academy @ Syracuse Stars 18U, 11:00 am
Académie Saint-Louis @ Proctor Academy JV, 11:00 am
Salisbury @ Cushing, 1:30 pm
Seacoast College Prep @ New England College JV, 4:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Moses Brown, 4:15 pm -- cancelled

Mon. Feb. 15
Central Catholic @ Catholic Memorial, 2:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Berkshire, 4:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ Groton, 5:00 pm
Proctor @ Holderness, 5:00 pm
Gunnery @ Canterbury, 5:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Pomfret, 5:30 pm 

Buddy Ferreira Tournament
-- at the Falmouth Ice Arena: Falmouth, Mass.
Monday Feb. 15th Schedule:
Loser 1 vs. Loser 2, 1:00 pm
Loser 3 vs. Loser 4, 3:00 pm
Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, 5:00 pm
Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, 7:00 pm
Tournament continues on Feb. 17th (losers' bracket), and 18th (winners' bracket)

Wed. 2/3/16

Harper & Co. Strike Late

Avon, Conn. -- Westminster did a great job keeping Avon senior center Patrick Harper off the board for two-and-a-half periods on Wednesday.

At times, Harper was virtually invisible.

Problem was, Westminster couldn't take advantage. While they had some excellent chances over the first couple of periods, the Martlets were unable to solve Avon goaltender Brandon Schellin. A junior from Colt's Neck, NJ., Schellin was standing in for Matt Ladd, who pulled his groin in practice earlier this week.

At the other end, Avon was struggling to get anything past Westminster's Stephen Gasior. Both teams were playing good, hard-fought, uptempo hockey. As the midway point of the third period neared, it looked like the game could be headed into a 0-0 overtime.

But then things changed quickly, as Harper (1g, 2a) and his linemates, Jamie Armstrong (1g) and Jake Witkowski (1g, 1a), stuck hard and fast, scoring three goals -- one even-strength, one shorthanded, and one on a 5x3 -- in a span of 7:09.

Avon went up 1-0 when Harper got the puck to senior defenseman Adam Karashik inside the blue line. Karashik spotted Armstrong barreling down the left side and hit him with a perfect pass. Armstrong, insted of shooting, put a nice deke on Gasior and slid it by him at the 8:09 mark.

A little over two minutes later, with Westminster on the power play, Johnny McDermott, deep in his own end, was stripped by fellow BU recruit Harper. Harper, in turn, quickly fed the puck to Witkowski on the doorstep for a backbreaking shorty, making it a 2-0 game at the 10:12 mark.

A little over five minutes after that, with the Winged Beavers on a 5-on-3 power play, Harper buried one from the slot, with assists going to Karashik and Witkowski with 2:42 left to play.

And that was it.

#1 Avon outshot Westminster 33-24 and improved to 15-1-2. Westminster drops to 10-7-2.

Schellin's shutout was his third in the seven games he's played this season.

"Our goalie came up big in the first period," said Avon head coach John Gardner. "He played with a lot of poise."

"Their goalie played well, too. We were playing a good team and we gave ourselves opportunities, but we didn't get frustrated. I thought we played good team defense."

"And then in the third period," Gardner added. "Harper woke up."

Westminster coach Tim Joncas was pleased with his team's effort. The Martlets lost defenseman Kevin O'Leary to injury in the game's first shift, to go on top of several other injured players. They have scored a total of 4 goals over their last five games.

"We can't afford to make mistakes against a team like that," Joncas said. "We gave them quality opportunities and they wound up in the back of the net. We had some good chances in the first period but couldn't score. Right now, we're just trying to find combinations that work."