New England’s champions were crowned during three Sunday games at Saint Anselm College, which means it’s time for one final edition of New England Hockey Journal’s Prep School Coaches Poll to cap off the 2018-19 season.
Despite being seeded second to Salisbury in the Elite Eight field, Kimball Union emerged with its third consecutive championship and finishes the season atop the NEHJ ranks. The Crimson Knights were ranked No. 1 during 11 of the first 12 weeks of the season before falling to coach Tim Whitehead’s KUA club for the championship.
Playoff results didn’t change much of the final ranking for the region’s coaches as eight of the 10 teams held onto top-10 positions from a week ago. Kent joined the ranks for the first time all season after earning the NEPSAC Large title, while runner-up Cushing did so for the first time since the season’s fourth week. In addition, six other teams received top-10 consideration on at least one ballot.
Without further ado, here is NEHJ’s season-ending Prep School Coaches Poll:
1. Kimball Union (25-4)
119 points - 11 first-place votes
The Wildcats clinched their third consecutive Elite Eight championship, defeating Gunnery, 1-0; Lawrence, 5-1; and Salisbury, 4-3. Seth Stadheim (Lyme, N.H.) scored the lone goal of the opening-round game with 1:52 remaining, leading Veeti Kohvakka to a 20-save shutout. Zach Whitehead (Meriden, N.H.) scored twice while Zach Taylor (Hanover, Mass.) and Devan Newhook each recorded two points against Lawrence. Paul Dore was the hero in the tournament finale as his goal with 58 seconds to play completed a two-point night and lifted KUA to the victory. Kohakka made 27 saves in that game.
2. Salisbury (30-4-2)
109 points - 1 first-place vote
Salisbury played close all week en route to taking the Saint Anselm ice for another Elite Eight championship appearance, beating Westminster and Dexter by respective 4-2 and 3-2 scores before falling to KUA. Justin Hryckowian finished the quarterfinal contest with a goal and two assists, while Nick Capone scored twice and Lucas Mercuri logged a goal and an assist. Against Dexter, Capone finished with a 1-2-3 line, while Mercuri and Luke Krys scored goals and Hryckowian dished out two assists. Mercuri scored twice and Michael Fairfax once in the title setback, while Jared Levine made 26 of his 47 saves on the week against the Wildcats.
3. Dexter Southfield (22-4-4)
78 points
Dexter completed its season with consecutive 3-2 road games in the Elite Eight, defeating St. Sebastian’s before falling to Salisbury. John Fusco (Westwood, Mass.) scored twice before Jack Dempsey (Natick, Mass.) added the game-winner against St. Sebastian’s, while John McElaney (Walpole, Mass.) and John Farinacci (Chatham, N.J.) each assisted on two of the three goals and Derek Mullahy (Scituate, Mass.) made 26 saves. Against Salisbury, Chase McInnis (Hingham, Mass.; 1-1-2), Farinacci (1-1-2), and Fusco all logged multi-point games.
4. Lawrence (20-3-6)
74 points
The Spartans extended their winning streak to four games with a 2-1 overtime decision over Northfield Mount Hermon to begin the postseason before their season ended with a 5-1 loss to Kimball Union. David Sacco (Middleton, Mass.) and Riley Duran (Woburn, Mass.) scored the goals against NMH, while Brandon Milberg made 36 saves to earn the victory. Tyler Young (Lancaster, Mass.) assisted on both goals. Against KUA, Ethan Bastien (Natick, Mass.) scored the lone goal in the second period and Ian Graiff (Newfield, N.J.) made 23 saves.
5. St. Sebastian’s (21-6)
55 points
The Arrows dropped two of their last three games after an 11-game winning streak and saw their season come to an end with a 3-2 loss to Dexter to begin the Elite Eight. Liam Connors (Westborough, Mass.) and Tommy Lyons (Westwood, Mass.) scored goals in the second and third periods, but St. Seb’s fell one goal short of continuing its postseason run. Luke Garrity (Duxbury, Mass.) stopped 17 shots.
6. Kent (17-7-3)
53 points
A 10-game unbeaten streak (9-0-1) ended with a NEPSAC Large title for Kent as it topped Andover, 4-2; Deerfield, 7-5; and Cushing, 2-1. In the opening round, four different players scored goals, Jason Kleinhans assisted on two, and Alex Contey (Nutley, N.J.) made 33 saves. Michael Posma (Pomona, N.Y.) led the offensive onslaught against Deerfield with a hat trick and three assists, while Alex Laferriere (Chatham, N.J.) posted a goal and four assists, and Aidan Cobb (Ridgefield, Conn.) notched a goal and three helpers. Alex Giummo (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Cobb scored goals in the championship contest, while Contey finished his senior campaign with 34 and 18 saves, respectively, over the final two games.
7. Gunnery (22-6-3)
52 points
Gunnery suffered a narrow, 1-0 loss to Kimball Union in the Elite Eight opening round. JP Mella (Stamford, Conn.) made 24 saves and had pitched a clean sheet until the final two minutes of regulation, but the offense was unable to solve the Wildcats’ Veeti Kohvakka on any of its 20 shots.
8. Northfield Mount Hermon (22-6-2)
28 points
The Hoggers entered the postseason on a nine-game unbeaten streak (8-0-1) before dropping a 2-1 overtime decision to Lawrence in the Elite Eight opening round. Mike Kennedy (Holyoke, Mass.) scored the tying goal at the 14-minute marker of the third period, but Connor Hasley’s (North Tonawanda, N.Y.) 28 saves were just not enough in the narrow defeat.
9. Tilton (22-8)
26 points
Tilton advanced to a NEPSAC Small title in convincing fashion, defeating Pomfret, 4-1; St. Mark’s, 4-1; and Holderness, 5-2. Jack Seymour scored twice in the opening game of the tournament, while Brendan Sjostedt (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Jagger Benson (Lynnfield, Mass.) each notched one goal and one assist. Seymour also posted a two-goal game against St. Mark’s, and Shawn Leslie (Braintree, Mass.) added a pair of assists. Sjostedt led the offense with two goals and a helper against Pomfret, while Leslie and Seymour both had two points. Owen Cuddyer (Braintree, Mass.) was strong in goal all week, stopping 99 of the 103 shots he faced over three games. Thirty-three saves came in the title game.
10. Cushing (18-11-4)
23 points
The seventh-seeded Penguins dropped a 2-1 decision to Kent in the NEPSAC Large title game after opening the tournament with a 2-0 win at Exeter and 4-2 win at Nobles. Against Exeter, Joe Sharib (Natick, Mass.) pitched an 18-save shutout as Brad Zona (Auburn, Mass.) and Max Dorrington (North Reading, Mass.) scored goals. Anthony Cafarelli (Middleton, Mass.) scored a hat trick and Nick Cafarelli (Middleton, Mass.) had three assists against Nobles. The latter Cafarelli scored Cushing’s lone goal against Kent, while Sharib kept his team in the game with 18 more of his 61 total postseason stops.
Others receiving votes: Westminster, Deerfield, Rivers, Exeter, Holderness, St. Mark’s
