We're about to hit the final month of the season in girls prep hockey.
Nobles and Williston have identified themselves as the top two teams to this point, and they continue to roll right along. The rest of the top five — Loomis Chaffee, Andover and Deerfield — seem to be separating themselves as well.
As has been the case all season, the next tier below the top five or so teams remains in flux. Kent had a huge bounce-back week, which included a win over Choate. Meanwhile, Westminster has dropped three in a row.
Outside the top 10, Tabor, Thayer and New Hampton very much remain factors as well.
Here's what the top 10 looks like entering the stretch run.
1. Nobles (16-0-1)
Previous rank: 1
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: at St. George's, Jan. 31, 4:15 p.m.
Nobles had another dominant week, first taking down Lawrence Academy, 9-0, before downing St. Paul's, 6-1, for the second time this season. Sophia Levering (Westwood, Mass.) had a huge game against SPS with a goal and two assists. Maddie Krepelka (Arlington, Mass.) stayed hot with a pair of goals, too. The win over Lawrence marked the 800th of coach Tom Resor's storied career — he began his career as an assistant coach with Lawrence boys in 1983. Calleigh Brown had a hat trick, and Molly MacCurtain (Reading, Mass.) had a pair. St. George's is next for the Bulldogs before a busy weekend against Cushing and Brooks.
2. Williston Northampton (13-1-1)
Previous rank: 2
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: vs. Taft, Jan. 31, 4:30 p.m.
Williston put out another big week as well, picking up a big 5-1 win over Westminster before shutting out Hotchkiss, 5-0. The game against Westminster marked a much-anticipated rematch from the Harrington Tournament, where the Martlets battled Williston to a tie in the third-place game. The Wildcats have won eight in a row and are unbeaten in 10 straight. Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.) had a hat trick against Westminster. She had another massive showing against Hotchkiss with two goals and three assists. Nora Curtis and Violet Carroll (Milton, Mass.) had big weeks, too. Lyons is now the NEPSAC's leader in goals (20) and points (40) in 15 games. Curtis ranks second with 32 points. The Wildcats battle Taft on Wednesday before a week off ahead of a showdown with Choate.
3. Loomis Chaffee (14-3-1)
Previous rank: 4
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: at Frederick Gunn, Jan. 31, 5 p.m.
Loomis had a busy week, going 3-0-1. The Pelicans tied BB&N, 1-1, before beating Greenwich Academy, 9-0, Exeter, 6-1, and Westminster, 4-0. Sophomore Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) had a strong week with multiple goals, while Chloe Obser and Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.) found the back of the net as well. Loomis faces a tough Frederick Gunn team Wednesday evening before a much-needed break ahead of a Feb. 9 tilt with Cushing.
4. Phillips Andover (10-3-1)
Previous rank: 5
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: at Tabor, Jan. 31, 4:30 p.m.
Andover seems to have hit its stride, winning five in a row. In the last week, the Big Blue took down Cushing, 5-2, BB&N, 3-1, and Deerfield, 3-2. It was a massive win over the Big Green in arguably the best game I've seen this season, especially after Andover fell into a 2-0 hole in the first. Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) was dynamic against Deerfield, scoring in the second period, while Sarah Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.) scored the game-winner. The Big Blue have a difficult week ahead with a rematch at Tabor before hosting New Hampton.
TAKEAWAYS: 8 observations from Phillips Andover's 3-2 win over Deerfield
5. Deerfield (15-2-1)
Previous rank: 3
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: vs. St. Paul's, Jan. 31, 4:15 p.m.
Deerfield takes a hit in the rankings after falling to Andover on top of Loomis staying hot. Before the 3-2 loss at Andover, the Big Green smoked Pomfret, 12-0, on the road. Their 12-game win streak came to an end at the hands of the Big Blue. Gia Thompson and Sophie Frost scored against Andover. Frost had a pair against Pomfret, and Thompson scored, too. Sophomores Brady Wierl and Peyton Wierl each had two against Pomfret as well. The Big Green face a dangerous St. Paul's team Wednesday before some downtime ahead of a tilt with Westminster next week.
6. Choate (12-5-0)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Laura DiCarlo
Next game: vs. Northfield-Mt. Hermon, 5:30 p.m.
Choate fell to Kent, 6-1, before bouncing back against Millbrook, 3-2. For now, the Wild Boars remain at No. 6 because of the shuffling going on behind them in the rankings. Caroline Holm (Cheshire, Conn.) scored twice against Millbrook. Nora Morris remains at a point-per-game clip, too, with 17 points (8g, 9a) in 17 games. Choate faces NMH on Wednesday. They'll have a pair of massive tests next week, hosting Williston before visiting Loomis.
7. Kent (7-3-2)
Previous rank: 10
Head coach: Sam Ftorek
Next game: at Canterbury, Feb. 7, 4:45 p.m.
Kent put an emphatic end to its three-game slide with a 6-1 win over Choate before knocking off Taft, 4-3. Junior defender Clara Cumming came through against Taft with her first two goals of the season. Mia Montanari (East Hampton, Conn.) picked up her team-leading ninth goal of the season as well. Megan Duplantie had another big week with three assists to remain over a point per game on the season. The Lions are off until a road tilt at Canterbury next Wednesday and a pair of games against Millbrook next Saturday.
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8. Groton (11-4-1)
Previous rank: 8
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: at Middlesex, Jan. 31, 5:45 p.m.
Like Choate, Groton remaining at No. 8 is a bit of a result of what happened around them in the rankings. The Zebras' five-game win streak came to an end against St. Paul's, 3-2, but wins over Governor's, 3-0, and Holderness, 4-0, bookended the loss. Veronika Hadamovsky picked up her third and fourth shutouts of the season. Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) scored twice against Holderness. She ranks third in the NEPSAC with 31 points (17g) in 16 games. Hazel Hughes had a pair against Gov's, too.
9. Westminster (10-6-1)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Sara Ugalde
Next game: at Pomfret, Jan. 31, 2:30 p.m.
Westminster dropped three in a row last week, all against fellow contenders, too. The Martlets fell to Williston, 5-1, before Tabor, 2-1, and Loomis, 4-0. The offense has gone a little quiet, scoring one goal or fewer in four of five. They have a chance to get right against Pomfret, but it gets tough again with a matchup against Deerfield next week.
10. St. Paul's (10-6-0)
Previous rank: 9
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: at Cushing, Jan. 31, 3:30 p.m.
The Big Red took home a close 3-2 win over Groton before falling to Nobles, 6-1. Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.) scored a pair for SPS against Groton, including the game-winner in the final minutes of regulation. Caroline Humber (Concord, Mass.) also scored against Groton. SPS has a massive stretch coming up with Deerfield and Thayer this week before New Hampton, Tabor and Exeter (twice) in the coming weeks.
In the hunt: Tabor (9-5-3), Thayer (11-4-1), New Hampton (10-3-4), Frederick Gunn (10-6-1)
