It's time for the final installment of our salute to the standouts of the past hockey season. Today we honor the top achievers from the prep school and high school levels.
So here are our New England Hockey Journal Awards for the 2021-22 season.
We've already paid tribute to the top juniors from New England and the best performers at the college levels.
Now let's run the honor roll of scholastic stars before we turn the page to a new hockey season.
Dylan Hryckowian, Prep Hockey Boys Player of the Year
Salisbury
Hryckowian led the NEPSAC Elite 8 Tournament champion Knights in scoring with 16 goals and 27 assists in 28 games. The Montreal native and future Northeastern Husky is undersized, or he’d be on more NHL draft lists.
His skating, stick and hockey sense are all elite attributes at the prep level, and he’ll be a solid contributor next year in the USHL with Cedar Rapids before embarking on his college career. There might have been better pro prospects skating in prep, but no player had the all-around impact that Hryckowian did on his team’s success.
Brian Phinney, Prep Hockey Boys Coach of the Year
Belmont Hill
In his first year as head coach of the ISL school, Phinney led Belmont Hill to the NEPSAC Elite 8 championship game before bowing out at the hands of Salisbury.
The turnaround from the past few seasons was remarkable, and Phinney’s Sextants gave his longtime mentor, Salisbury coach Andrew Will, a run for his money in the title game. Phinney is a good recruiter, but his team played sound, structured defense and he got the most out of his role players. Seeing some of the emerging talent at Belmont Hill bodes well for the future.
Emmy O’Leary, Prep Hockey Girls Player of the Year
Nobles
O’Leary (Southboro, Mass.) was a captain and offensive catalyst for the powerful Bulldogs, netting 30 goals and 64 points during the 30-game winter season.
The Princeton commit earned Interscholastic School League MVP and NEPSAC Large School Player of the Year honors, as well as the John Carlton Memorial Trophy from the Boston Bruins. Her Nobles squad went 26-1-3, suffering its first loss in three years in the NEPSAC Elite 8 Championship.
Courtney Sheary, Prep Hockey Girls Coach of the Year
Rivers
A 17-9-1 record and No. 5 seed didn’t deter the Red Wings from playing their best late in the season. Rivers captured the NEPSAC Small title under Sheary (Melrose, Mass.) and first-year assistant coach Ryan Bourque, the son of Hall of Fame defenseman Ray.
Wins during the playoff run came against Lawrence, top-seeded Dexter Southfield and New Hampton, all on the road. As a player, Sheary was a standout defender at New Hampshire.
Cam Fici, MIAA Boys Player of the Year
Belmont High School
Fici had 32 goals in 25 games for the Marauders, one of the best teams in the state all season. While there were a handful of better prospects, projecting forward, there was no player that dominated the way Fici did, game in and game out.
Outside of the Catholic Conference, the Middlesex League was the best in the state, and Fici performed well against league foes and in some marque out-of-conference games. The righty has a heck of a shot and likely will be back for one more go-around in the Middlesex League in 2022-23.
Kristian Hanson, MIAA Boys Coach of the Year
St. John’s Prep
Hanson and his staff set themselves apart by having their teams prepared and ready to execute a game plan each night. The Eagles went 22-3 en route to their first state championship since 2015. Hanson, from Salem, Mass., is an old-school coach who gets his players to buy in and play the game the right way. SJP’s forecheck and ability to hem other teams deep in the zone were key factors in the Eagles’ ability to dominate possession and win games.
Make no mistake, St. John’s Prep had a ton of depth and talent, but the coaching staff, including assistant coaches Scott Hentosh, David Hennessey and Jeff Tache, deserves plenty of the credit.
Kathryn Karo, MIAA Girls Player of the Year
Austin Prep
Karo (Hingham, Mass.) led the Cougars to a 27-0 undefeated season and the Division 1 state championship, scoring 41 goals and adding 29 assists as a senior. She capped her career with the winning goal in AP’s March state title triumph over Arlington at TD Garden.
The forward and team captain, who racked up 205 points between Austin Prep and her hometown Hingham High, will play collegiately for a newly established program at Stonehill.
Stephanie Wood, MIAA Girls Coach of the Year
Austin Prep
After their 2019 championship hopes were dashed on Garden ice and the next year’s opportunity was canceled due to the pandemic, Wood’s team claimed a Division 1 state title in undefeated fashion. The Cougars finished a 27-0 season by handing Arlington its only loss in the championship game. They outscored opponents by a 156-11 margin and allowed just two goals during the playoff run.
