It's all come down to this.
Just six teams are left standing after Saturday's NEPSAC girls semifinals, which featured some big upsets and exciting results.
In the Elite 8, No. 2 Loomis Chaffee rolled to a 4-0 win over No. 6 BB&N. Meanwhile, No. 5 Phillips Andover shut out No. 1 Williston, taking a 3-0 win.
In the Large School tournament, No. 5 Tabor toppled No. 1 Thayer in overtime, 3-2, and No. 2 Deerfield beat No. 6 Kent, 3-1.
In the Small School bracket, No. 1 New Hampton cruised to a 5-1 win over No. 5 St. George's, while No. 6 St. Mark's upset No. 2 Rivers, 3-0.
Here's the full schedule for Sunday's championships at Taft:
- Small School: No. 1 New Hampton vs. No. 6 St. Mark's | 11 a.m.
- Large School: No. 2 Deerfield vs. No. 5 Tabor | 1:30 p.m.
- Elite 8: No. 2 Loomis Chaffee vs. No. 5 Phillips Andover | 4 p.m.
That leaves one thing to do ahead of the final day of the season. That's right: It's time for more predictions.
The semifinals were not kind to me as I went 3-for-6 with my picks. I swung and missed on the Andover-Williston, Tabor-Thayer and St. Mark's-Rivers results. Currently, I'm a paltry 11-for-18 in my picks, overall. This is where I make up for all of it. These will all be 100 percent correct.
Of note, I picked against Andover, Tabor and St. Mark's in the quarterfinals and the semifinals. Am I really going to do it for a third time? You'll just have to keep reading.
Let's dive in.
Elite 8: No. 2 Loomis Chaffee vs. No. 5 Phillips Andover
These two sides have met twice previously this season. On Dec. 20, the two tied, 3-3, and Loomis won a shootout for the Patsy K. Odden Invitational Tournament title, beating Andover for the second straight year. In the rubber match on Feb. 26, the Pelicans took a 2-1 win at home.
Each side boasts some of the NEPSAC's best prospects, be it on forward or defense, and each has gotten strong goaltending. The two have also had similar outputs when it comes to total offense and team defense.
Loomis has rolled to the championship. They beat Cushing, 7-2, in the quarterfinals and took care of BB&N, 4-0, in the semis. Lindsay Stepnowski (South Glastonbury, Conn.) has been sensational in the tournament. She posted a hat trick in the quarterfinals before potting two more in the semis. Liz Leyden has been able to roll her lines with the top two driving play.
PREP BRACKETS: Girls Elite 8 | Girls Large School | Girls Small School | Boys Elite 8 | Boys Large School | Boys Small School
The Big Blue have had the tougher road. They had to grind for a 2-1 win over Nobles in the quarterfinals before going through the top seed, Williston, in the semis. Emily Mara (Winchester, Mass.) has been coming through in the clutch. She assisted both goals in the Nobles win before scoring twice against Williston. Martha Fenton's group has leaned on the top two lines.
I was immensely high on both of these squads going into the season. Each team's top players have gotten plenty of press throughout the year. So much so that they were regulars in our weekly top performers, and we even highlighted Loomis' deep defense in the preseason magazine.
Andover's core also has experience from reaching the Elite 8 championship just two seasons ago. Plus, we've talked a lot about how hard it is to beat a team three times in one season.
So, where does that leave my pick? This is a coinflip.
Prediction: Loomis Chaffee wins, 3-2
Large School: No. 2 Deerfield vs. No. 5 Tabor
Both of these sides have gone through their share of drama to get here.
Deerfield came back to stave off an upset against Milton in the quarterfinals, winning in overtime, 3-2, before taking care of Kent, 2-1, in the semis. The Big Green were on the cusp of the Elite 8 throughout the season and made a last ditch effort in the final week.
Meanwhile, Tabor faced arguably the hardest road in prep this season. The battle-tested Seawolves came back in the third period to upset Phillips Exeter, 2-1, in the quarterfinals before upsetting the top seed, Thayer, 3-2 in the semis.
MVP CANDIDATES:Â 18 players who could win MVP in the Elite 8
Deerfield's gotten clutch performances from Chloe Cleaves (Riverside, Conn.), Olivia Austen, Sophie Frost and more throughout the season and the playoffs. In net, Brooke Fernandez's squad has leaned on Campbell Krotee (Darien, Conn.), and she's been stout.
On the other end, Lilly Shaughnessy (Medfield, Mass.) has come alive in the playoffs for Eric Long's team. She scored in the quarterfinals and scored a pair in the semis. Jen Birolini (Pembroke, Mass.) also scored in the semis, while Giuliana Polcari (Marshfield, Mass.) potted one in the quarterfinals. They've relied on Avery Olson (Rockport, Mass.) in net.
So, will Deerfield keep rolling? Or will Tabor's run of upsets continue?
This is another one that feels too close to call.
Prediction: Tabor wins, 2-1, in overtime
Small School: No. 1 New Hampton vs. No. 6 St. Mark's
New Hampton and St. Mark's met once already this season, settling for a 3-3 draw. Since? Talk about taking two different roads to get here.
New Hampton is the back-to-back defending Small School champs. Craig Churchill's Huskies have now made four straight title games. They took down Frederick Gunn, 4-1, in the quarterfinals before filling the scoresheet again in a 5-1 win over St. George's in the semis. I've said it a bunch already, but they're arguably the best team not in the Elite 8. Since that tie on Feb. 1, the Huskies have gone 12-1-1, winning 11 straight en route to the championship appearance.
On the other side, take St. Mark's. Kerstin Matthews' Lions have had to grind their way to the finals. After tying New Hampton, St. Mark's went 4-5-0 to finish the regular season. In the postseason, they've shut down two deep offenses to reach the championship. The Lions first shut out Governor's Academy, 2-0, before Rivers, 3-0.
MIAA BRACKETS: Division 1 girls | Division 2 girls | Division 1 boys | Division 2 boys | Division 3 boys | Division 4 boys
The Huskies, who boast one of the top attacks in prep, got goals from four different skaters in the quarterfinals, including Kelsey Baker (Concord, Mass.), who scored twice. Baker, one of five New Hampton skaters with 30 or more points this season, also had two assists in the quarterfinals. The power play has done plenty of damage of late, as have True Thompson and Caroline Thomas. Freshman Elizabeth Vincent has been up to the challenge in net, too. She's given up two or fewer goals in five straight starts.
Jackie Wright (Walpole, Mass.) has been fantastic in her final act for St. Mark's. The senior made 22 saves against Gov's before pitching a 33-save shutout against Rivers. Ella Lefebvre (Grafton, Mass.) and Maribeth Fitzgerald (Boylston, Mass.) have been clutch, too. Fitzgerald assisted both of Lefebvre's goals in the quarterfinals. The former opened the scoring in the semifinals, and the latter scored one of the Lions' two empty-netters.
Can St. Mark's Cinderella run continue? Will New Hampton roll to a three-peat?
Prediction: New Hampton wins, 4-2
