"After Rivers on Saturday, [St. Mark's] faces Belmont Hill and St. George's over their next two games. Those two games will be key in determining if St. Mark's is an Elite 8 team or a high seed in the Small School Tournament."
That's what I wrote after the Lions edged out Rivers, 4-3, on Jan. 18. The Lions made a statement in those games over Belmont Hill and St. George's. There appears to be a certain answer to which tournament they will play in come March.
The rest of the top 10 also got a major makeover, as many teams dropped games. This week's top 10 is almost completely different from last week's.
Let's dive in.
1. Dexter Southfield (14-2-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Danny Donato
Next game: at St. George's, Jan. 29, 4:30 p.m.Â
Dexter took care of business this past week, getting an 8-1 win over Austin Prep and then a 7-4 victory over Brooks on the road. Donato's team has six players at a point-per-game pace or better: Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.), Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.), Sean Leetch (Boston, Mass.), Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.), Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.) and Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.). Chudzinski has 32 points in 16 games, putting him at a sparkling two-points-per-game pace. Scoring is far from an issue.
2. Avon Old Farms (10-2-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Interim head coach: Mark Naclerio
Next game: vs. Westminster, Jan. 27, 4:30 p.m.Â
The Winged Beavers had one game over the last week, disposing of Northfield Mount Hermon, 7-0. Senior goalie Michael Heinke (Old Saybrook, Conn.) had a 22-save shutout, while Indiana Grossbard (Wilton, Conn.) and Jake Schultz both had three-point showings. It can't be understated just how much of a smash-hit Grossbard has been with Avon: 15 goals and 25 points in 12 games is impressive for the Dartmouth commit.
LATEST MAGAZINE: Check out the January/February edition of the New England Hockey Journal magazine
3. St. Mark's (12-1-2)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Carl Corazzini
Next game: vs. Middlesex, Jan. 29, 5 p.m.Â
St. Mark's hasn't lost a game since Dec. 7. The last nine days have been the Lions' best stretch of the season. It started with that 4-3 win over Rivers. Then, they beat then-No. 6 Belmont Hill, 4-1, on Wednesday before going into then-No. 10 St. George's and beating the Dragons, 5-2. Senior goalie Justin BriseBois has been giving the Lions elite goaltending, making 33 saves to beat Belmont Hill and 25 to get a win over St. George's. He carries a 1.70 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage on the season. Both are top 10 in the region.
4. Brunswick (16-3-2)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: St. Andrew's College MacPherson Tournament (vs. GOJHL U18, Jan. 31, 9:15 a.m.)Â
It was another strong week for the Bruins. They beat Delbarton, 3-1, and got a 5-0 shutout over Millbrook. Junior forward and Harvard commit Joe Salandra dominated, scoring a goal and tallying two assists against Delbarton before notching a hat trick versus Millbrook. His 22 goals are tied for No. 1 in the region; he's alone at the top in points with 44.
5. Salisbury (10-4-3)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Frederick Gunn, Jan. 29, 3:30 p.m.Â
Part of the reason Salisbury jumped from No. 9 to No. 5 was because of the teams around them struggling. But the Crimson Knights also earned the promotion. This week, they beat Choate, 6-3, tied Trinity-Pawling, 4-4, and took down Kent, 6-2. They also haven't lost a game since Jan. 3, as they're 7-0-1 since. Senior forwards Ryan Hedley, Connor Davis, Oliver Morris and Brud Delaney had big weeks. If this keeps up, the Crimson Knights should live up to our lofty preseason expectations for them.
6. Kimball Union (16-5-2)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. Phillips Exeter, Jan. 29, 5:30 p.m.Â
It was a tough week for the Wildcats. It started with a 4-2 loss to Deerfield. While there was a 6-0 win at Brewster Academy on Friday, Kimball Union fell to Cushing, 3-2, on Saturday. Weeks like that are going to happen. It doesn't help that Kimball Union has been without senior leader Corwith Simmers since Jan. 4. Whitehead hopes to get the team's No. 1 center back by the playoffs. The Wildcats have also had five players suffer concussions over the last three weeks.
"Contact to the head is a major issue in the prep game now," Whitehead said. "Four of those five concussions were not even whistled for a penalty."
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7. Belmont Hill (12-3-3)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Brian Phinney
Next game: vs. Brooks, Jan. 29, 5 p.m.Â
The Sextants fell one spot because of the St. Mark's loss. While 4-1 looks lopsided, the game was anything but. Belmont Hill pressured and had long spurts of offense. The final two goals for St. Mark's were empty-netters. Still, a loss is a loss. Phinney's team rebounded with a 3-1 win at Tabor on Saturday. David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) had a goal and an assist against Tabor, while Patrick Woods (Charlestown, Mass.) found the back of the net twice.
8. Deerfield (10-4-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Tim McVaugh
Next game: vs. Westminster, Jan. 29, 2:30 p.m.Â
Since the very beginning of the season, Deerfield has been a thorn in the side of the elite teams. The Big Green have done it so often, that they themselves have become an elite team. This past week, they took down then-No. 3 Kimball Union, 4-2, and followed it up with a 4-2 win at Choate. They beat Cushing, 6-2, on Jan. 17. Earlier this season, they took down Avon Old Farms and Salisbury in consecutive games.
9. Berkshire (14-3-0)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Kevin Czepiel
Next game: vs. Hotchkiss, Jan. 29, 4:30 p.m.Â
Berkshire had one game this past week and it was a 5-3 loss to Choate. That still wasn't enough to drop them out of the top 10. While the schedule has been light for most of January, things get much tougher this Saturday when the Bears face Salisbury. Two days later, they take on Avon Old Farms. Those two games will have big implications for which tournament they will play in come March.
MIDSEASON REPORT: Surprises, questions and more from the first half
10. Holderness (11-3-1)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: vs. Brewster Academy, Jan. 29, 3:30 p.m.Â
Kimball Union wasn't the only Lakes Region team who had a rough last week — Holderness did, too. It started with a 3-2 loss to New Hampton, who seems to play really well against very good teams. The Bulls needed overtime to beat North Yarmouth Academy, 5-4, before losing to Governor's Academy, 4-3, on Friday. It's not the end of the world. However, USHR's playoff seeding model has them as the No. 4 seed in the Small School Tournament if the playoffs began today. To get back into the Elite 8 picture, I'd imagine those two dates with Kimball Union in early February will be of the utmost importance.
DROPPED OUT:Â St. George's (11-5-1; 10)
IN THE HUNT:Â St. George's, Cushing, Nobles, Tilton, Pomfret, Rivers, Taft, Thayer, Phillips Andover
