It's time for more predictions.
The quarterfinals have come and gone, featuring lots of offense and a pair of upsets.
You had No. 1 New Hampton riding a big third period to a 4-1 win over No. 8 Frederick Gunn, while No. 2 Rivers exploded for an 8-0 win over No. 7 Mount St. Charles. Meanwhile, No. 5 St. George's dominated in a 5-1 win over No. 4 Lawrence Academy, and No. 6 St. Mark's shut down No. 3 Governor's in a 2-0 win.
That leaves us with New Hampton versus St. George's and an ISL showdown between Rivers and St. Mark's in Saturday's semifinals.
For those keeping track, I went 2-for-4 in my first-round predictions, missing on the two upsets. Not great, but hey, it could have been worse. Sitting at 8-for-12 across the board, I've got no choice but to get back on the horse. These semifinals picks will undoubtedly be 100 percent accurate.
PREP BRACKETS: Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small School | Boys Elite 8 | Boys Large School | Boys Small School
So, who will win come Saturday? Let's dive in.
No. 1 New Hampton vs. No. 5 St. George's
My initial read with this matchup is there's the potential for a lot of offense.
We know how deep New Hampton is. The Huskies relentlessly came at Frederick Gunn in waves and finally broke through in the third period, despite a strong performance from Gunn goalie Emily Krauss (Milford, Conn.). New Hampton's top guns have been scorching lately, too. Caroline Thomas scored a pair against Gunn, and Julia Loughlin (Scituate, Mass.) and Trinity Walsh also scored. Kelsey Baker had two assists. True Thompson was everywhere in the parts of the stream I saw, and she has points in five straight and 21 points in nine games since Feb. 14. Thomas has had two points in each of the last three games and has 19 points in 11 games since Feb. 7.
PREDICTIONS: Elite 8 semifinals | Large School semifinals
But St. George's has some serious high-end talent who can strike quickly and leave their mark on a game. We saw that in the quarterfinals with Cora Buzzard's (Branford, Conn.) hat trick and two dominant goals from Maddie Lahah (North Attleboro, Mass.). It's vital for the Dragons that Lahah breaks through, and she seems to always find a way.
It would hardly be a shock to see a St. George's upset, but I'm going to lean toward New Hampton's depth and experience.
Prediction:Â New Hampton wins, 4-3
No. 2 Rivers vs. No. 6 St. Mark's
Rivers and St. Mark's met once already this season in a 3-1 win for the former on the road.
The Red Wings are hot. They've won seven in a row, and they have an explosive offense. It resulted in an eight-goal outburst in the quarterfinal win over Mount. They've eclipsed the five-goal mark in three of their last four games, something St. Mark's has done once this season. In terms of total offense this season, Rivers has 95 goals-for, compared to St. Mark's 45.
Everybody got in on the action against Mount with seven different goal-scorers and six more recording at least a point. Lindsay Morin (Weston, Mass.) posted two goals and an assist, Mia MacDonald (Walpole, Mass.) had three assists, Nora McLean (Canton, Mass.) had a goal and two assists and Simone Burns (Winchester, Mass.) had two helpers.
TAKEAWAYS:Â 18 observations from the NEPSAC girls quarterfinals
The Lions will need to follow a similar script as their upset over Governor's, shutting down a solid Gov's attack. They got great goaltending from Jackie Wright (Walpole, Mass.), who posted 22 saves, and their top producer, Ella Lefebvre (Grafton, Mass.), came through with a pair of goals. Timely, clutch scoring, whether from Lefebvre or others like Katie Barrett (Sandwich, Mass.) and Hadley Gibbons (Needham, Mass.), will be key, as will another good outing from Wright.
Rivers' offensive advantage is too hard to ignore, though.
Prediction:Â Rivers wins, 4-1
