Time flies, doesn't it?
We've officially hit the stretch run of the regular season. In less than 20 days, the NEPSAC tournament fields will be announced. The quarterfinals will kick off in just over three weeks.
The next few weeks will have huge implications on seeding for the Elite 8 as well as the Large and Small school tournaments.
As has been the trend in our last few iterations of the top 10, the top tier of teams continue to separate themselves. Nobles, Williston and even Loomis have continued to charge right on ahead. Andover is quickly working its way into that tier as well.
Behind them, there is still plenty of jockeying in the next tier, even if no new teams entered the rankings this time around. St. Paul's made a big leap after an impressive week. Outside the top 10, New Hampton, Tabor and Thayer continue to knock on the door and keep things interesting.
Let's dive in.
1. Nobles (19-0-1)
Previous rank: 1
Head coach: Tom Resor
Next game: at Groton, Feb. 7, 5:15 p.m.
Another week brought more dominant results for Nobles. The Bulldogs put up three shutouts with a 22-0 scoring margin across the three games. They first beat St. George's, 9-0, before Cushing, 7-0, and Brooks, 6-0. Senior defender Olivia Maffeo (Canton, Mass.) had a goal and two assists against Brooks to surpass the 100-point threshold for her career, sitting at 102 points in 94 games. The Boston College commit also added three goals across the wins over St. George's and Cushing. Nobles has another busy week ahead with a tough matchup at Groton before hosting BB&N and Hill this weekend.
2. Williston Northampton (14-1-1)
Previous rank: 2
Head coach: Christa Talbot Syfu
Next game: at Choate, Feb. 7, 3:30 p.m.
Williston had a light week with just one matchup, taking care of Taft, 4-0. Four different skaters found the back of the net for the Wildcats against Taft, including Zola Piekarski (Concord, Mass.) and Monique Lyons (Bedford, Mass.). Lyons remains the NEPSAC's leader in points with 41 (21g, 20a) in 16 games this season. Williston has some stiff tests on deck this week. They'll visit Choate on Wednesday before hosting Andover in a much-anticipated rematch of last year's Elite 8 title game.
3. Loomis Chaffee (15-3-1)
Previous rank: 3
Head coach: Liz Leyden
Next game: vs. Cushing, Feb. 9, 7 p.m.
Loomis took care of business in its lone game since our last rankings, a 7-2 win over Frederick Gunn. Annie Schwarz (Fairfield, Conn.) continued her strong second half with a goal against Gunn, while Bella Zolezzi and Catie Collins (South Burlington, Vt.) each scored, too. The Pelicans host Cushing and Choate this weekend.
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4. Phillips Andover (12-3-1)
Previous rank: 4
Head coach: Martha Fenton
Next game: vs. Austin Prep, Feb. 7, 3 p.m.
Andover's win streak is up to seven after a pair of big wins. The Big Blue knocked off Tabor, 2-1, and New Hampton, 4-2. Lilly McInerney (North Reading, Mass.) had a pair against New Hampton, and Caroline Averill (Wayland, Mass.) also scored. Andover faces Austin Prep this week ahead of a huge stretch to close out the season, including a championship rematch with Williston this weekend.
5. Deerfield (15-3-1)
Previous rank: 5
Head coach: Brooke Fernandez
Next game: at Westminster, Feb. 7, 4:30 p.m.
Deerfield dropped its second straight game in a 4-0 loss to St. Paul's last week. The Big Green had a chance to recharge with a quiet weekend, but it doesn't get any easier moving forward. They'll visit Westminster on Wednesday.
6. Choate (13-5-0)
Previous rank: 6
Head coach: Laura DiCarlo
Next game: vs. Williston, Feb. 7, 3:30 p.m.
Choate had just one game last week, taking care of Northfield-Mt. Hermon in a 1-0 shutout. Norah Morris came through with the lone goal to remain at a point-per-game pace with 18 (9g, 9a) in 18 games. This week could be telling for Choate, who faces Williston on Wednesday before Loomis on Saturday.
7. St. Paul's (12-6-0)
Previous rank: 10
Head coach: Kelli Mackey
Next game: vs. New Hampton, Feb. 7, 3 p.m.
St. Paul's had a huge week, first picking up a 4-0 upset win over Deerfield. The Big Red followed it up with another big victory, taking down Thayer, 5-2. Four different skaters scored against Deerfield, including Maude Niemann (Weston, Conn.) and Cami Bell (Barre, Vt.). Bell picked up her 100th career point against Thayer as well. Another difficult week lies ahead for the Big Red as they host New Hampton before visiting Tabor.
8. Kent (7-3-2)
Previous rank: 7
Head coach: Sam Ftorek
Next game: at Canterbury, Feb. 7, 4:45 p.m.
Kent was off since our last rankings. Mia Montanari (East Hampton, Conn.) leads the way in goals so far this season with 10, while Renee Bishop's 15 points (4g, 11a) and Megan Duplantie's 14 (4g, 10a) pace the Lions. They'll face Canterbury on Wednesday before a pair of games with Millbrook on Saturday.
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9. Westminster (11-6-1)
Previous rank: 9
Head coach: Sara Ugalde
Next game: vs. Deerfield, Feb. 7, 4:30 p.m.
Westminster put a stop to its three-game slide with an emphatic 7-0 win over Pomfret. Sophia Peterson (Milton, Mass.) scored twice, while Bella Zapata and Talia Ondy (Newtown, Conn.) also scored. The Martlets face a tall task on Wednesday when Deerfield visits in search of a bounce-back game. Westminster will visit Canterbury this weekend before Frederick Gunn on Monday, too.
10. Groton (13-5-1)
Previous rank: 8
Head coach: Tim LeRoy
Next game: at St. Paul's, Feb. 7, 3 p.m.
Groton had a slip-up in a 3-2 overtime loss to Middlesex, but the Zebras responded accordingly with a 5-0 win over Lawrence. Veronika Hadamovsky (Groton, Mass.) pitched her third shutout of the season, and five different skaters found the back of the net, including Tina Scalese (West Boylston, Mass.) and Maddie Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) Their lone game this week is perhaps their toughest battle of the season as they host Nobles on Wednesday evening.
In the hunt:Â New Hampton (11-4-4), Tabor (10-6-3), Thayer (13-5-2)
