In less than one month, the quarterfinals of the New England prep hockey playoffs begin. The Elite 8 field will be set, as well as the Large and Small School Tournaments.
Things will remain up in the air until then. That doesn't mean some things aren't certain.
The top five teams seem pretty set, although February presents various matchups that could shake things up drastically. The bottom five teams continue moving, as was the case again this week.
There are also a plethora of squads on the outside with legitimate cases to be inside.
Let's dive into the latest top 10.
1. Kimball Union (20-3-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. Northfield Mount Hermon, Jan. 31, 4 p.m.Â
KUA moves back into the No. 1 spot this week. Whitehead's team took care of business against Phillips Exeter and Tilton, outscoring both of them, 11-1. Senior forward Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) had a hat trick against Exeter, while junior forward Mickael Tissier put up a two-goal game against Tilton.
The ultimate test for KUA is this week when they travel to Holderness on Friday for the first of two games with the Bulls in February.
2. Avon Old Farms (16-0-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: John Gardner
Next game: vs. Westminster, Jan. 31, 1:30 p.m.Â
Avon Old Farms remains unbeaten in regulation. The Winged Beavers climb past Brunswick because of a huge, 6-2, win over Loomis Chaffee. Senior forward Lefty Markonidis (Hudson, Mass.) had a hat trick to take down Loomis. Gardner's team also beat Choate, 6-2. The rest of Avon Old Farms' schedule presents some tough opponents in Westminster, Frederick Gunn, Deerfield, Salisbury, Canterbury and Loomis Chaffee again. How the Winged Beavers do in those games will determine where they rank come Elite 8 time.
3. Brunswick (18-4-2)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: vs. Lawrenceville, Jan. 31, 4:30 p.m.Â
I struggled with moving Brunswick down two spots. On one hand, losing three straight games would normally drop a team far. But on the other, Kennedy raised the stakes for his group by bringing them to the MacPherson Challenge hosted by St. Andrew's College in Aurora, Ontario. It featured a gauntlet of good teams, including Bishop Kearney Selects, Culver Academies, The Edge School, GOJHL U18, Northwood, St. Andrew's College and Victory Honda. Brunswick fell to both Northwood and Victory Honda by a goal and Culver, 4-2. In the final game, the Bruins took down GOJHL U18, 5-4.
Even though Brunswick lost three of four, it surely strengthened the Bruins for the stretch run and exposed players to both college and junior scouts.
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4. Cushing (17-2-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Paul Pearl
Next game: at Tilton, Jan. 31, 3:30 p.m.Â
Cushing had another strong week, taking down Northfield Mount Hermon, 12-0, and Phillips Exeter, 4-0. Fun fact: the Penguins haven't allowed a goal since Jan. 12 when they took down Deerfield, 7-2. Cushing dominated NMH, with postgrad forward Tanner Hunt and senior forward AJ Sacco (Middleton, Mass.) both notching five-point games and senior goalie Marko Bilic only facing six shots. But against Exeter, Bilic, stopped all 24 shots sent his way.
5. Holderness (17-1-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: at Exeter, Jan. 31, 4:15 p.m.Â
It was another dominating week for Holderness, as it took down Brewster Academy, 6-2, New Hampton, 9-0, and Kents Hill, 7-1. The Bulls have the second-most goals in the region at 124, as they have steam-rolled through teams. The big test is this Friday when they face Kimball Union and then again on Feb. 10.
6. Salisbury (12-4-1)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Trinity-Pawling, Jan. 31, 4:15 p.m.Â
Salisbury moves up a spot after all of the bottom five teams suffered at least one loss. The Crimson Knights tied Frederick Gunn, 2-2, before disposing of Berkshire, 7-1. Junior forward Connor Davis continues to emerge as an intriguing uncommitted prospect, scoring a goal against Frederick Gunn and registering a goal and an assist against Berkshire. Also, watch out: Salisbury is 5-0-1 in its last six, proving Will is getting his team hot at the right time. I think I've seen this story before...
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7. St. George's (14-3-1)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Allie Skelley
Next game: at Middlesex, Jan. 31, 3:30 p.m.Â
St. George's had its winning streak snapped on Friday when it fell to Milton Academy, 4-2. Prior to that, the Dragons edged out Dexter Southfield, 3-2 on Wednesday. Senior forward Tate Pecknold (Fairfield, Conn.) and sophomore forward Max Donatelli (Barrington, R.I.) both had one goal and one assist in each game, extending their strong seasons. St. George's continues to look like a sleeper Elite 8 team that could do damage.
8. Phillips Andover (12-4-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Paul Tortorella
Next game: vs. Deerfield, Jan. 27, 6 p.m.Â
Andover was previously in our rankings, but fell out after a 1-0 loss to Nobles. Tortorella's team rebounded in a big way, taking down Loomis Chaffee, 6-2, in its lone game this week. Andover's big guns came to play, as Dartmouth commit Grayden Robertson-Palmer notched two goals and forwards Rui Han and Ethan Skowronek posted three-point games.
The schedule gets even tougher in the next few weeks, as Andover faces Belmont Hill, Dexter Southfield, Kimball Union and Cushing.
9. Loomis Chaffee (11-5-1)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: John Zavisza
Next game: vs. Williston Northampton, Jan. 31, 4:30 p.m.Â
It was a tough week for Loomis Chaffee, which falls three spots. The Pelicans faced two strong opponents in Avon Old Farms and Phillips Andover and lost both, 6-2. Avon Old Farms had its way with Loomis Chaffee, while Zavisza's team scored the first two goals against Phillips Andover before giving up six unanswered. Strong performances against Deerfield, Salisbury, Westminster and Avon Old Farms down the stretch will bolster its case for the Elite 8.
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10. Kent (11-6-1)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Dale Reinhardt
Next game: vs. Taft, Jan. 31, 4:30 p.m.Â
This might be the most controversial pick of these rankings, as Kent fell to Taft, 3-1, this week before taking down Westminster, 4-3. The Lions have dropped three of their last five. Still, no teams outside of the rankings did enough to jump in and Kent's roster is good enough to warrant still being in the top 10.
Dropped out:Â Nobles (10-6-2; 10)
In the hunt:Â Canterbury, Dexter Southfield, Belmont Hill, Nobles, Lawrence Academy, St. Mark's, Berkshire
