There are high expectations when the NEPSAC boys' Elite 8 playoffs begin. They were met on Wednesday.
No. 1 Deerfield held off No. 8 Nobles in a game that essentially came down to a penalty shot. No. 7 Rivers took down No. 2 St. Mark's on the road in a close, back-and-forth battle. No. 3 Dexter Southfield overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period to beat No. 6 Salisbury, 3-2. And then there was No. 4 Cushing pulling away from No. 5 Brunswick, 6-3.
So, how did I do with predictions?
My predictions for the Elite 8 quarterfinals were...meh. While I was right with Deerfield and Cushing, Dexter Southfield and Rivers made me eat my words. Although I must say — my Salisbury pick looked pretty good for two periods. But Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.), Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.), Sean Leetch (Boston, Mass.) and Colin Davis (Canton, Mass.) made sure to change that.
FOLLOW THE TOURNAMENTS: Elite 8 | Large School | Small School
Nevertheless, it's time to move on to the semifinals where there are two fantastic matchups.
Let's dive into some more picks.
No. 1 Deerfield vs. No. 4 Cushing
These two teams played against one another on Jan. 17 at Deerfield. The Big Green ran Cushing out of the building, beating the Penguins, 6-2.
So it will be another blowout again, right? No way.
Cushing has been an entirely different team since then. The Penguins went 3-2-1 after that, so it wasn't immediate. But starting Feb. 7, they've won nine in a row with big-time wins over Brunswick (twice), St. Mark's, Phillips Andover, Kimball Union and Governor's Academy.
Deerfield, however, has also been red hot. The Big Green lost to Trinity-Pawling after beating Cushing, but started a 14-game winning streak, which was extended with their win over Nobles in the quarterfinals.
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Cushing's offense has been a little bit better this season. It's 125 goals-for are higher than Deerfield's 109. But the Big Green have been the second-best team in the region at preventing goals with only 56 against.
Senior forward Max Dineen (Brentwood, N.H.) has been riding high for the Penguins, but so has the scoring behind him. They had six different goal scorers to beat Brunswick. Cushing is getting different players to step up on the scoresheet every game. Their offense is also being generated from defensemen like Arizona State commit Ryland Randle and Michigan State commit Tommy Bleyl. Both of them are playing their best hockey right now.
While Deerfield has the advantage in net with Elliot Lennon, who has been sensational this season, Cushing makes up for the loss on Jan. 17.
Prediction:Â Cushing wins, 4-2.
No. 3 Dexter Southfield vs. No. 7 Rivers
I often talk with longtime hockey writer Mark Divver at games and he'll talk of prep games from five, 10, 15 years ago. These future NHL stars faced another group of future NHL stars. High-end talent as far as the eye could see. Scouts and college coaches lined the railings above where the spectators sit. Games that registered on the Richter scale. The good ole' days.
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I have a feeling I'll be telling someone about this game five, 10, 15 years from now.
Aside from being a clash of two of the best offenses in prep, think about the high-end talent going head to head. Rivers boasts potential NHL Draft picks, U.S. National Team Development Program candidates and current and future Division 1 commits. Dexter Southfield boasts a similar caliber of talent.
Carter Meyer. Finn Sears. Sam Pandolfo. Justin Graf. Will Hatten. Freddy Meyer. Rian Chudzinski. Sean Leetch. Noah Survilas. Nate Porter. Myles Brosnan.Â
Does anything else have to be said?
Each team boasts an impressive, deep array of scorers. They also both have No. 1 defensemen who have broken out this year and last. Brosnan had one of his best games against Salisbury with a goal and two assists. Freddy Meyer has been a defenseman for roughly a year and is in the upper tier for his position in prep.
Dexter's Colin Davis (Canton, Mass.) and Rivers' Derrick Huang (Carlisle, Mass.) will be tasked with stopping these offenses. Both were outstanding in the quarterfinals. Davis made 34 saves to beat Salisbury, most notably coming up big in the end; Huang stopped 33 shots to beat St. Mark's and was also at his best in the final few minutes. They will be busy on Saturday.
PREDICTIONS: Boys Large School | Boys Small School | Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small SchoolÂ
Both of these teams also lost in championship games last season. Dexter fell to Kent in the Large School final, while Canterbury took down Rivers in the Small School championship. Neither loss sat well.
I don't care who wins — I just want Saturday to get here. You do too.
Prediction:Â Dexter wins, 5-4, in overtime.
