One of the big goals that boys prep players have entering the holiday tournaments is to perform well in front of the scouts in attendance. Whether it's college coaches, junior executives or NHL scouts, players want to bring their best.
Another goal is to end the first month on a high.
Kimball Union won the Flood-Marr Tournament last season. Two months later, the Wildcats were Elite 8 champs. Kent won the Avon Old Farms Holiday Classic. Two months later, Kent won the Large School Tournament. Canterbury won the Barber Memorial Tournament. Two months later, Canterbury won the Small School Tournament.
Winning your holiday tournament means a lot. It also means a lot for the top 10.
Entering the holiday tournament, it was another weird week for boys prep hockey with results all over the map. A good example is Kent, which got crushed by Brunswick, 7-2, on Tuesday but followed it up with a 5-2 win at Frederick Gunn and a big 4-2 win over Salisbury.
That's just the way life is early in the season.
Before we get to the rankings, click or tap here to access the full schedule for all boys holiday tournaments. That page will have live results throughout the weekend.
Let's dive into the rankings.
1. Kimball Union (7-0-1)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. Westminster, Dec. 20, 11 a.m. (at Milton Academy)Â
This is the team to beat entering the Flood-Marr. Kimball Union tied St. Paul's, 4-4, on Friday, but the Wildcats rolled past Proctor, 5-2, and Brewster Academy, 6-0. Their depth shows, as Whitehead's team is getting scoring from everywhere, which is almost scarier than last year's team. An interesting Division 1 prospect to watch entering the Flood Marr is senior '07 defenseman Lucas Siomos, who posted a goal and five assists over the last week.
ISL MATCHUP: 11 standouts and takeaways from Rivers' win over Groton
2. Brunswick (5-0-1)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: vs. Northfield Mount Hermon, Dec. 18, 4 p.m.Â
The Bruins are on fire and jumped a whopping six spots. This week featured a stunning 7-2 win over Kent, which entered the season as our No. 10 team. Then, Kennedy's team took down Westminster, 5-1. Against Kent, Joseph Salandra put up an incredible two goals and six points. The Harvard commit added an empty-net goal against Westminster, but that game was all about senior Oliver Czaja (Darien, Conn.) who notched a hat trick.
3. Dexter Southfield (3-1-0)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Danny Donato
Next game: vs. Portsmouth Abbey, Dec 20, 3:30 p.m.Â
Dexter moved up because of the teams around it losing. Donato's team took care of business against Phillips Exeter on Wednesday, earning a 5-3 win. Junior forward Nick D'Olympio (Rockland, Mass.) and sophomore forward Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) both tallied two goals apiece.
The big news out of Dexter this week was senior forward Nate Porter committing to Army-West Point. The Hingham, Mass., native earned it and is a great example of someone who went through adversity and came out a better player because of it.
FUTURE OF PREP: What is Dexter Southfield doing with its hockey program?Â
4. Salisbury (2-1-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game:Â
Salisbury is notorious for starting slow, so I'm not concerned over the Crimson Knights falling from No. 1 to No. 4 in two weeks. While Salisbury did beat Millbrook, 8-1, and Hotchkiss, 1-0, Will's team gave up three third-period goals to lose to Kent, 4-2, on Saturday. Salisbury will be one of the primary teams to watch at the Flood Marr, as it looks to avenge falling in the championship last season.
5. Avon Old Farms (3-2-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Mark Naclerio
Next game: vs. Tabor, Dec. 19, 5 p.m.Â
It was a tough week for Avon Old Farms. The Winged Beavers fell to Taft, 3-1, beat Trinity-Pawling, 4-1, and then lost to Deerfield, 4-3, on Sunday. A two-loss week is why Avon moved down as much as it did.
Should Avon be worried? Not really. This is a young, new team with a new head coach. There were always going to be growing pains and that was what happened this week. The Avon Holiday Classic gives this group a perfect opportunity to rebound.
6. Cushing (4-2-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Ryan Bourque
Next game: at Lawrence Academy, Dec. 19, 8 p.m.Â
Cushing fell one spot through no fault of its own. The Penguins have rebounded nicely since opening with two losses to Phillips Andover and Dexter Southfield. This past week, they took down Williston Northampton, 5-2, and The Hill School, 7-0. Senior forward Alex Gomes (Ludlow, Mass.) had two great days, scoring two and adding an assist against Williston before notching two helpers against The Hill School.
‘TIS THE SEASON: Full schedules and results from boys prep holiday tournaments
7. Nobles (2-0-1)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Brian Day
Next game:Â
The Bulldogs fell one spot through no fault of their own. Their one game this past week was a 7-0 win over Berwick. Senior forward Kyle O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.) and junior forward Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) went off, posting two goals and two assists each.
Nobles will be tested heavily at the Flood Marr. Day's team takes on Hotchkiss and Kimball Union the first day before a date with Westminster on Saturday.
8. Holderness (4-1-0)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: vs. Pomfret, Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m.Â
Holderness suffered its first hiccup, falling to Tilton, 1-0, on Friday. Around that game, the Bulls took care of business against Brewster Academy, 10-0, on Tuesday and beat Vermont Academy, 7-1, on Saturday. At the Groton/Lawrence Tournament, the Bulls will be tested like they were against Tilton. Better results should lead to them climbing these rankings a bit more.
9. Berkshire (6-0-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Kevin Czepiel
Next game: vs. Kent, Dec. 19, 1 p.m.Â
Berkshire debuts in our rankings for the first time this season after starting 6-0-0. While the Bears haven't faced any top-10 teams yet, they did take down Taft, 5-1, on Dec. 7 and most recently took down Lawrenceville, 5-2, and The Hill School, 3-1. Senior Kyle Bolduc (Bolton, Mass.) has been fantastic in net with a 1.25 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage, while junior Matt Lacombe (Marlboro, Mass.) leads the team in goals (6) and points (12).
How Berkshire does in the Avon Holiday Classic will determine which direction it moves in these rankings.
10. St. Mark's (4-1-1)
Previous ranking: 10
Head coach: Carl Corazzini
Next game: vs. Vermont Academy, Dec. 20, 5 p.m.Â
After being ranked No. 10 last week, St. Mark's took down Worcester Academy, 4-2, before beating BB&N, 7-1, on Friday. The Lions had a bit of a hiccup on Saturday, tying Brooks, 4-4. The tie isn't amazing, but dropping a team out of the top 10 for two wins and a tie is harsh.
Other teams that were close to being the No. 10 team were Tilton (4-1-1) and Kent (4-2-0). Tilton held Holderness scoreless with a 1-0 win this week, while Kent rebounded well after its 7-2 loss to Brunswick. But St. Mark's still has the edge.
BEST OF THE BEST:Â Top performers from the first week of the season
Dropped out:Â Belmont Hill (2-2-0; 9)
In the hunt:Â Tilton, Kent, St. George's, Phillips Andover, Rivers, Belmont Hill, Taft
