The 2026 New England boys prep hockey Large School tournament looks to be the most volatile. No results would shock me — especially in the quarterfinals.
Those quarterfinal games will be played on Wednesday.
No. 1 Tabor hosts No. 8 Choate, No. 2 Cushing takes on No. 7 Deerfield, No. 3 Phillips Andover faces No. 6 St. Paul's and No. 4 Brunswick will meet halfway to play No. 5 Thayer.
The predictions are always one of the most fun parts of the postseason. I went 13-8 throughout the three rounds and three tournaments last season. I had the same record the year before, too.
That was then. You only care about what's to come, and rightfully so.
Let's dive in.
No. 1 Tabor vs. No. 8 Choate
I flirted with the idea of Choate upsetting Tabor in our bracket reaction video on Sunday. The Wild Boars took down Avon Old Farms twice in the final month of the season. And head coach Mike Pereira's team has won four of five.
But that's where Choate's strengths start and end. The Wild Boars have been inconsistent this season and don't do anything particularly great. They're a solid team that could beat Tabor. But they don't have a clear advantage in any one area over Tabor.
Tabor has the clear advantage in net with junior Vinnie D'Urso. The Andover, Mass., native boasts a 1.91 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage, and was the biggest reason the Seawolves were in Elite 8 contention. Tabor's defenders are big and can shut down offenses, while its forwards, led by junior and Sacred Heart commit Ethan Travis (Narragansett, R.I.), should be able to score enough to win.
Everybody loves a No. 8 taking down a No. 1. I just don't think it happens here.
Prediction:Â Tabor wins, 4-1.
BOYS BRACKETS: Elite 8 field | Large School field | Small School field
No. 2 Cushing vs. No. 7 Deerfield
These two teams met on Jan. 16 and tied, 1-1. Cushing's record since then is 10-4-1, while Deerfield is 7-6-1.
This game will come down to whether or not Deerfield goalie Elliot Lennon can put a halt to Cushing's red-hot play. Lennon, a Brown commit and 2026 NHL Draft prospect, has a 2.24 GAA and a .935 save percentage this season. He was the driving force behind Deerfield finishing as the No. 1 seed in the Elite 8 last season. His run was ended by Cushing in the semifinals last season.
Picking against Lennon in this spot might be stupid.
But Cushing is in a flow state. Though the Penguins' offense ranks twelfth in the region, they're not necessarily a high-scoring team. Similar to last season, head coach Dan Fontas' team is getting production from everywhere, has been much better defensively and has two productive goalies in freshman Mason Raycroft (Wellesley, Mass.) and sophomore Harper Hubbard.
This one comes down to the wire. But the reigning Elite 8 champs take down the reigning Elite 8 top seed.
Prediction:Â Cushing wins, 3-2, in overtime.
No. 3 Phillips Andover vs. No. 6 St. Paul's
Jan. 16 was a turning point in Andover's season. The Big Blue lost to St. Paul's, 2-1. It was only their fifth loss of the season, and it came after a five-game win streak. That loss started a 2-6-3 stretch that lasted until Feb. 18, when Andover went 4-0-1 to end the regular season.
Andover, the reigning Large School champ, has talent. But I still don't think the Big Blue have reached their potential.
St. Paul's is a different story. While senior Blake Truchon (South Burlington, Vt.) and Andover's Edouard Lord are both strong netminders, head coach Scott Harff's team boasts a slightly better offense and defense than Andover. St. Paul's had been fortunate with breakout seasons from junior forward Mitchell Smith and defensemen senior Quinn Brandell and junior James Buchan.
I think this one ends up being a high-scoring game. But this is where I'm picking an upset.
Prediction:Â St. Paul's wins, 5-4.
PREVIEWS: Elite 8 |Â Large School | Small School
No. 4 Brunswick vs. No. 5 Thayer
Before the season started, I had Brunswick in my top 10 and Thayer right on the cusp. Both have had high points and low points of the season.
Thayer enters the playoffs 0-4-1, recently dropping games to St. Sebastian's (7-2) and Rivers (4-0). But the Tigers have a plethora of high-end players in forwards Tommy Wilkinson (Duxbury, Mass.), Jack Funk (Duxbury, Mass.), Ty Hymovitz (Needham, Mass.), Nick Sumner (Hingham, Mass.) and Michael Federico (Hanover, Mass.), as well as defenseman Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.). Goalie Tyler Moschella (Braintree, Mass.) has been great in net this season, too.
Thayer does have the talent to make a run. But can it take down Brunswick?
The Bruins have been much better offensively this season. A majority of their losses have come against opponents higher than them in the standings, too. This feels like a game where Brunswick's top guys — Mason St. Louis (Old Greenwich, Conn.), Keegan Kazan (Wilton, Conn.), Ben Lombardi (Cos Cob, Conn.), Hampus Vandenberg (Riverside, Conn.) — will show up.
Prediction:Â Brunswick wins, 5-2.
