Boys prep rankings: Cushing moves into top two, St. Sebastian’s is back

In two weeks, the boys prep hockey regular season will be over. The playoffs will be upon us.

Since February began, the top-ranked teams have been playing one another. Kimball Union has now defeated Holderness twice. Cushing narrowly got past Brunswick, 4-3, in overtime on Wednesday. This Wednesday, Brunswick will face another test in a scorching hot Salisbury team.

There's movement throughout the top 10.

Oh, and the preseason cover boys have proven they're not dead yet.

Let's dive into this week's rankings.

1. Kimball Union (26-3-0)

Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. Proctor, Feb. 14, 4 p.m. 

It was another great week for Kimball Union. The Wildcats kicked things off by taking down Phillips Andover, 6-3, and then beat New Hampton, 6-2. The biggest win came against Holderness on Saturday, as Whitehead's team took down the Bulls, 2-0. That makes it a sweep for KUA against their rival. There's no doubt that Kimball Union is the best team in the region.

2. Cushing (22-2-0)

Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Paul Pearl
Next game: at Andover, Feb. 14, 5:15 p.m. 

Cushing asserted itself with a 4-3 OT win over Brunswick on Wednesday. The Penguins were the much better team at 5-on-5, which pushes them up two spots. They followed that up with a 5-0 win at St. Mark's and a 5-2 win against Canterbury, which has hovered around the top 10 all season. I still think Kimball Union holds a slight advantage, but fortunately, we will get a definitive answer on that as the teams play Friday and Saturday.

3. Avon Old Farms (18-1-1)

Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: John Gardner
Next game: at Choate, Feb. 14, 4:30 p.m. 

Avon Old Farms stumbled this week, falling to Frederick Gunn, 4-3, in overtime and then needed overtime to beat Deerfield, 3-2. On the bright side, the Winged Beavers showed resilience in both games, coming back from a 3-1 deficit against Frederick Gunn and a 2-1 deficit in the third period against Deerfield. A date with Salisbury on Saturday will be the ultimate test.

4. Brunswick (22-5-2)

Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: vs. Salisbury, Feb. 14, 5 p.m. 

Brunswick falls out of the top three after its loss to Cushing, but that's all it does. The Bruins battled hard to come back against Cushing and then disposed of Frederick Gunn, 4-0, and Berkshire, 5-3. Both Frederick Gunn and Berkshire have proven themselves to be strong teams, so those are two legitimate wins. The game against Salisbury could dramatically change these rankings.

BIG-TIME CLASH: 12 standouts/takeaways from Cushing's 4-3 OT win over Brunswick 

5. Salisbury (15-4-1)

Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Brunswick, Feb. 14, 5 p.m. 

It's about time Salisbury moves into my top five, and the Crimson Knights have earned it. Since losing to Cushing, 3-1, on Jan. 10, Will's team has gone 8-0-1. This week, they took down Taft, 3-0, and beat Loomis Chaffee, a previous top-10 team, 5-1. Salisbury is getting scoring from numerous different places throughout the lineup. They also are getting hot at the right time.

This might just be Salisbury's hardest week of the year with games against Brunswick and Avon Old Farms.

6. Holderness (19-3-0)

Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: vs. Winchendon, Feb. 14, 4 p.m. 

Before falling to Kimball Union again, the Bulls beat Tilton, 5-2. Holderness falls a spot, however, due to those two losses against Kimball Union and Salisbury's hot streak. Holderness is still a very good team that is deep enough to make a run at an Elite 8 title. A Feb. 21 matchup with Dexter Southfield will be Holderness' last big test before the Lakes Region tournament.

7. St. George's (18-3-1)

Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Allie Skelley
Next game: at Roxbury Latin, Feb. 14, 4:45 p.m. 

St. George's stays right where it was before because it continues to take care of business. A 5-3 win over Rivers on Wednesday. A 5-2 win over Brooks on Saturday. Ho hum. It doesn't have any games against top-10 opponents left. Its biggest test will come against St. Mark's on Feb. 21.

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8. Nobles (13-6-3)

Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Brian Day
Next game: vs. BB&N, Feb. 14, 5:30 p.m. 

Nobles finished with a 2-2 tie against Governor's Academy on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were the much better team, but Governor's goalie Zach Ericson (Yarmouth, Maine) made 43 saves. Nobles followed up that tie with a 5-2 win over Milton. A date with Belmont Hill on Feb. 16 is the biggest game remaining on the schedule.

9. St. Sebastian's (16-6-1)

Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Sean McCann
Next game: vs. Tabor, Feb. 14, 3:30 p.m. 

It's been an up-and-down season for the Arrows, but here they are — back in the top 10. After tying Thayer and losing to Tabor at the end of January, St. Sebastian's has won four in a row over Milton Academy, St. Mark's, Belmont Hill and Lawrence Academy. The victories over Belmont Hill and Lawrence came in the past week and both were convincing.

According to USHR's playoff seedings, St. Sebastian's is the No. 2 seed in the Large School Tournament. It still could make a strong push for the Elite 8.

UNCOMMITTED SENIORS TO WATCH: 13 forwards | 10 defensemen/goalies

10. Lawrence Academy (14-7-1)

Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Robbie Barker
Next game: at Governor's Academy, Feb. 14, 4:15 p.m. 

Lawrence Academy stays put at No. 10. Despite losing to St. Sebastian's, 6-3, the Spartans got a 6-1 win over Thayer before facing the Arrows and a 4-1 triumph over St. Paul's after. Barker's team has been good enough this season to warrant inclusion in the top 10. A game against St. Sebastian's on Feb. 21 should be one prep hockey fans have circled on the calendar.

Dropped out: Loomis Chaffee (12-7-1; 9)

In the hunt: Belmont Hill, Loomis Chaffee, Berkshire, Dexter Southfield, Canterbury, Phillips Andover, Kent, Rivers