In my New England boys prep hockey midseason report last week, I wrote that it was one of the wildest years in recent memory.
I can only imagine what's in store for the final month.
The parity is apparent. Just over the last few days, the teams ranked Nos. 2-4 lost games. The 7-10 spots are a revolving door of teams every week. My No. 1 is different from the JSPR's No. 1.
As we enter February, St. Sebastian's is the story.
The Arrows weren't in my Next 15 rankings at the start of the season. They won six games last season. I lost count of the number of "What's going on at Seb's?" questions I got from people around prep.
Well, things seem to be going pretty well now.
Junior goalie Tommy Saulnier (Medfield, Mass.) has been superb with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .946 save percentage. Up front, sophomores Jack Queally (Milton, Mass.) and Cade Noonan (Needham, Mass.), as well as freshman Jameson Needham (Woburn, Mass.), have broken out. The same is true for freshman defenseman Sam Fishbone (Needham, Mass.).
It's still a young team, but last season's experiences seem to have made it a much more mature group.
Let's dive into the latest rankings.
1. Dexter Southfield (16-2-2)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Danny Donato
Next game: at St. Mark's, Feb. 2, 5:30 p.m.Â
Dexter only played one game that counted over the last week, taking down St. George's, 5-1, on Wednesday night. Junior forward JP Messuri (Arlington, Mass.) was the main story, notching a hat trick and an assist, while senior defenseman Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.) and junior forward Noah Survilas (Winthrop, Mass.) each posted two assists. Dexter has a massive one on Monday night as it goes into St. Mark's. Dexter ranks second in JSPR.
2. Avon Old Farms (14-2-1)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Mark Naclerio
Next game: vs. Westminster, Feb. 4, 2 p.m.Â
While Avon fell to Choate, 4-3, on Saturday, Salisbury and Belmont Hill both dropped games this week. So, I'm keeping these next three spots the same. The Winged Beavers took down Loomis Chaffee, 5-1, on Wednesday before beating Westminster, 4-3, in overtime on Friday. Junior forward Grover Henderson had two goals and senior goalie Anthony Palmer (Lynnfield, Mass.) had 38 saves to beat Loomis, while senior forward Liam Donnelly netted the OT winner to beat the Martlets. Junior forward Stephen King scored twice in the loss to Choate. Avon is the No. 1 team, according to JSPR.
READ MORE: Our boys MIAA midseason report
3. Salisbury (15-3-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Trinity-Pawling, Feb. 4, 4:15 p.m.Â
The Crimson Knights beat Frederick Gunn, 4-1, on Wednesday, but fell to Berkshire, 2-1, on Saturday. Senior forward Luke Walkauskas and junior forward Elliott Bibeau-Rivard both had a goal and an assist to beat Frederick Gunn. Walkauskas also scored in the loss to Berkshire. Like with Avon, the Crimson Knights stayed put because it's only one loss, and everyone around them lost, too. Salisbury ranks No. 3 in JSPR.
4. Belmont Hill (13-5-2)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Brian Phinney
Next game: vs. Lawrence Academy, Feb. 4, 5 p.m.Â
The Sextants beat Brooks, 3-1, on Wednesday before falling at St. Paul's, 3-2. In the win over Brooks, eighth-grade defenseman Emmett Aufiero (Winchester, Mass.) scored, bringing his season point total to five, which is absurd for an eighth-grader on a deep Belmont Hill team. Senior forward Patrick Woods (Charlestown, Mass.) had two assists in that game. In the loss to St. Paul's, senior defenseman Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.) and Nick Ware (Weymouth, Mass.) both had two helpers. St. Paul's is a very good team, and it's one loss — I'm keeping the Sextants at No. 4 for now. Belmont Hill is eighth in JSPR.
5. St. Mark's (15-2-0)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Carl Corazzini
Next game: vs. Dexter Southfield, Feb. 2, 5:30 p.m.Â
The Lions had a huge week, taking down Middlesex, 8-2, before taking down Governor's Academy, 5-1. Junior forward Caiden Pellegrino (Uxbridge, Mass.) had a huge day against Middlesex with two goals and five points, while senior forward Evan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) had a goal and four points, and junior defender Phin Howard (Newton, Mass.) had three points. Nee brought his best against Gov's, scoring once and assisting on goals by junior defenseman Blake Grislis (Narragansett, R.I.) and senior defender Jack Taylor (Framingham, Mass.). St. Mark's is fourth in JSPR.
Monday's date with Dexter will undoubtedly be its biggest test of the season.
READ MORE:Â Top boys prep performers from Jan. 21-27
6. Kimball Union (19-5-1)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: vs. Northfield Mount Hermon, Feb. 4, 6 p.m.Â
The Wildcats took care of business this past week, taking down Phillips Exeter, 5-2, and beating Tilton, 4-2. Senior defenseman Anthony Leech, senior forward Jackson Davies (Meriden, N.H.) and junior forward Conal Mulkerrin (Hingham, Mass.) all had two points in the win over Exeter. Against Tilton, senior forward Josh Phillips had three assists and senior defender Lucas Hannay found the back of the net twice. KUA is fifth in JSPR.
7. Hotchkiss (8-3-3)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Mike Doyle
Next game: at Trinity-Pawling, Feb. 2, 5 p.m.Â
Hotchkiss dropped one spot after tying Berkshire, 2-2, on Wednesday. But the Bearcats responded well with a 4-1 win over Deerfield. Hotchkiss junior goalie Neilan Johnson was huge in the tie with Berkshire, making 35 saves. In the Deerfield victory, senior forward Aidan Patton had a goal and an assist, while the other goals went to junior forwards Jake Harrison, Ty Higginbotham (Hopkinton, N.H.) and Justin L'Abbe. What's wild about Hotchkiss is that it ranks just outside the bottom 10 teams in offense (only 42 goals for), but its 24 goals against are the lowest mark in New England. It ranks tenth in JSPR.
8. St. Sebastian's (13-5-0)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Sean McCann
Next game: vs. Milton Academy, Feb. 4, 4:30 p.m.Â
The Arrows had a massive week, beating Nobles (7-2), then-No. 10 Thayer (3-1) and then-No. 8 Tabor (4-1). Senior forwards Brendan Matthews (Westwood, Mass.) and Charlie Delay (Hingham, Mass.) both had three points vs. Nobles, while Needham had two goals. Freshman defenseman Brendan Martin (Westwood, Mass.) had two assists and eighth-grade forward Chris Welby (Westwood, Mass.) had a goal, bringing his point total to seven. Noonan and Needham continued their torrid seasons with two goals apiece. The Arrows are sixth in JSPR and have forced themselves into the top 10.
READ MORE: 13 former prep standouts to watch in the 2026 men's Beanpot
9. Tabor (12-5-0)
Previous ranking: 8
Head coach: Gerry Dineen
Next game: at Governor's Academy, Feb. 4, 5 p.m.Â
Before falling to St. Sebastian's, Tabor did beat then-No. 10 Thayer, 3-2, which saved it from falling out of the top 10. Junior forward Ethan Travis (Narragansett, R.I.) had a goal and an assist, senior forward Chase Watts (Barrington, R.I.) had two assists and junior goalie Vinnie D'Urso (Andover, Mass.) had 34 saves to take down Thayer. Travis scored another against Seb's. Another trip through the ISL Keller teams in February will be huge in keeping Tabor in the Elite 8 hunt. The Seawolves are seventh in JSPR.
10. Berkshire (14-6-2)
Previous ranking: NRÂ
Head coach: Kevin CzepielÂ
Next game: vs. Canterbury, Feb. 4, 3 p.m.Â
Berkshire is red hot and has worked its way back into the top 10. This past week, the Bears tied then-No. 6 Hotchkiss, beat Albany Academy (7-0) and took down No. 3 Salisbury (2-1). They're 6-0-2 since losing to Millbrook on Jan. 7. Senior forwards James McMurray and Dylan Chernoff had goals against Hotchkiss, while senior defender James Reilly stepped up for a goal and two helpers against Albany Academy. McMurray had two goals in that win over Albany Academy and the eventual game-winner against Salisbury. Junior goalie Alex Kim (Leonia, Mass.) came up huge against the Crimson Knights with 30 stops.
Something to watch this week will be Berkshire's matchup with Canterbury, who fell out of the top 10 this week after an 8-2 loss to Winchendon on Sunday. Berkshire is 15th in JSPR.
Dropped out: Canterbury, Thayer
In the hunt:Â Canterbury, Holderness, Rivers, Brunswick, St. Paul's, Winchendon, Thayer
