The entire season comes down to Sunday.
After an exciting slate of NEPSAC boys hockey semifinal matchups on Saturday, the championship games in the Small School, Large School and Elite 8 Tournaments will be held at Harvard on Sunday.
Here's the full schedule:
- Small School: No. 1 Rivers vs. No. 3 Canterbury | Noon
- Large School: No. 3 Dexter Southfield vs. No. 5 Kent | 2:30 p.m.
- Elite 8: No. 1 Cushing vs. No. 2 Kimball Union | 5 p.m.
All three matchups carry numerous storylines, but we'll stick to the five biggest ones to watch.
Let's dive in.
COMPLETE BRACKETS: Elite 8 | Large School | Small School
1. The third meeting between the two best teams in prep hockey this month
On Feb. 16 and 17, Cushing and Kimball Union played a home-and-home set. Cushing took the first game, 5-3, at Kimball Union. The Wildcats went down to Cushing the next day and won, 4-2. After the two games, I wrote, "With this series ending 1-1, the most fitting setting for the rubber match would be the Elite 8 championship game. That just might happen."
Well, it is happening. Both teams lived up to being the best in prep hockey and will fight to prove who is the better team on Sunday.
A quick reminder of how things went in each matchup. Cushing was the better team for most of the first game, getting out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. Despite KUA's best efforts, the Wildcats could never fully claw back. Cushing defenseman and Arizona State commit Ryland Randle had a hat trick in that game.
On Feb. 17, Cushing got out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, but allowed four unanswered goals, as KUA dominated the second half of the game. Three of those came from senior and St. Lawrence commit Sam LeDrew.
2. Can Cushing come away with the title this time?
This is the second straight year Cushing earned the No. 1 seed and the second straight year it is headed to the championship.
Head coach Paul Pearl's bunch lost in last season's title game, 3-1, to Avon Old Farms. But the Penguins got their revenge on Saturday, beating Avon, 4-1, and knocking out the Winged Beavers from the tournament.
Much of Cushing's roster this season wasn't around for the championship loss. But for forwards Emerson Marshall (Gloucester, Mass.), AJ Sacco (Middleton, Mass.), Brendan Agnew, Axel Favreau (Auburn, Maine) and Carter Wallace, as well as defensemen Tyler Russo (Hamilton, Mass.), Troy Maldonado, Raphael Marcoux and Owen Tatro (Colchester, Vt.), Sunday will mean even more.
It's rare, in any sport at any level, to make a championship two years in a row. The Cushing veterans will be determined to make sure this one ends differently.
3. Rivers young guns make the big stage
No matter what happens on Sunday, what Rivers has done this season has been impressive.
With a very young roster, head coach Freddy Meyer's team not only earned the No. 1 seed in the Small School Tournament, but also has so far lived up to it, making it to the championship.
THE FUTURE: How four Rivers eighth graders are taking prep by storm
Eighth graders Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) and Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) have been sensations this winter as '09s. Meyer leads the team with 39 points and Sears is tied with sophomore Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) for second on the squad in points with 34. I talk so much about Meyer and Sears, that it's easy to overlook that Graf is also young. Eighth-grader Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) has also had a strong season down the middle.
Sophomore Evan Handler (Walpole, Mass.) and freshman Freddy Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) have been vital on defense. So, too, has eighth grader Eben Alden (Dover, Mass.).
Young teams are difficult to project this time of year. This group has cemented itself as one of the best in prep — this season and in years to come.
4. Can Canterbury's veteran depth overpower Rivers?
For the second straight game, Rivers faces a team with a veteran offense. Except Canterbury might just be deeper than Frederick Gunn.
In the semifinals, Canterbury peppered Pomfret goalie Beau Johnson (New Canaan, Conn.), who made 46 saves on 49 shots. Still, the Saints got three goals — one from senior defenseman Jake Stevens, one from senior forward Sam Ciappa and one from senior forward Patrick Heslin (New Milford, Conn.).
Canterbury has a lot more on offense than those three names. Senior Ryan Stratton leads the squad in points with 47. Junior and Sacred Heart commit Ryan Lucarelli (Westport, Conn.) has broken out this season for 42 points. Head coach Paddy McCarthy is also fortunate to have strong postgrads in Jackson Powers (Woburn, Mass.) and Duncan Stewart.
5. High-flying, deep offenses for Dexter and Kent
Are you sensing a trend here?
Five of six of Sunday's finalists rank inside the top 10 for total goals scored. Kent ranks eighth, while Dexter Southfield is No. 10.
Kent has been all about scoring to reach the championship. The Lions took down Deerfield, 5-1, in the quarterfinals before edging out Berkshire, 5-4, in the semifinals on Saturday. Senior forwards Gio DiGiulian (South Burlington, Vt.), Owen Mahar, Jack Roberts and Patrick Walsh have consistently produced all season. So, too, have juniors Stefano Pietrantonio, Michael Fiedorczuk and Luke Dow (Orange, Conn.).
QUARTERFINALS: 18 takeaways from the quarterfinal matchups
Dexter matches up well offensively. Head coach Danny Donato's team got two goals from senior Cullen Emery (Reading, Mass.) and two assists from junior Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.) in the 3-1 semifinal win over Phillips Andover. Both Emery and Porter began the season in junior hockey, but ultimately returned to Dexter. Since then, Emery leads his team in goals (18) and points (43), while Porter is averaging just over a point per game.
Along with those two, juniors Sean Leetch (Boston, Mass.) and Tyler Hamilton (Framingham, Mass.) have been impactful, along with sophomore Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.). Freshman Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) has been one of the top '08s in the region with 30 points in 30 games. Seniors Henry Butte (Belmont, Mass.) and Ben Morgan (Chelmsford, Mass.) have provided depth scoring.
