Little has changed in the upper echelon, but a new school continued a strong run of play and earned its first ranking in the New England Hockey Journal Prep School Coaches Poll during this week’s seventh installment.
Salisbury earned three more wins to improve to 16-2 on the season and remains in the No. 1 slot for the fifth consecutive week, while Lawrence rose as high as No. 2 for only the second time this season. Overall, nine teams ranked last week maintained their positions as Northfield Mount Hermon jumped over Andover to place in the top-10 for the first time this season.
Seven other teams also received consideration in at least one submitted ballot. Teams receive 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, eight for a third-place vote, etc.
Coaches from around New England make up the voting panel for the poll, which is released on Tuesday afternoons throughout the season. If you are interested in participating, please send an email to jkummins@hockeyjournal.com.
1. Salisbury (16-2)
118 points - 11 first-place votes
The Crimson Knights maintained their top New England ranking after defeating Trinity-Pawling, 5-2; Kent, 7-6; and Berkshire, 6-2. Lucas Mercuri finished a six-point week with a hat trick and an assist against Berkshire. Justin Hryckowian had a pair of multiple-point games, assisting three times against Berkshire and scoring in the other two games. Luke Krys (Ridgefield, Conn.) had a goal and two assists against Kent as well as two helpers on the week.
2. Lawrence (8-0-5)
95 points
Lawrence continued its undefeated season and skated to a 3-3 tie with Nobles in its lone game of the past week. Connor Sweeney (North Andover, Mass.), Braden Doyle (Lynnfield, Mass.), and Holt Oliphant scored goals for the Spartans. Brandon Milberg made 30 saves.
3. Kimball Union (16-4)
92 points - 1 first-place vote
The Wildcats had their eight-game win streak snapped against Deerfield, but a 13-1 win over Brewster and 5-0 win over Stanstead College got them back on the right track. Devan Newhook and Tomas Mazura each scored and added two assists in the last of those three games, while Veeti Kohvakka made 24 saves. Seventeen players found the scoresheet against Brewster, including Kyle Penney with a goal and three assists, three players with three points, and Sullivan Mack and Christian Felton with two goals each. Mack scored against Deerfield.
4. Deerfield (8-4)
68 points
The Big Green ran its unbeaten streak to four games with wins over Kimball Union, 4-1; and Pomfret, 2-1 in overtime; as well as a 1-1 tie with Choate. Michael Holland scored twice against KUA, Sasha Shogren had the winner against Pomfret, and Noah de la Durantaye was the lone scorer against Choate. Thomas Gale stopped 58 of the 60 shots he faced over the three games in goal.
5. Gunnery (14-3-1)
66 points
Gunnery lost for the first time since Dec. 2 with last Wednesday’s 5-4 decision against Millbrook. Riley Brennan scored twice in the setback, while Alex Coady (Milford, Mass.; 1-1-2) and Robert Cronin (Plymouth, Mass.; 0-2-2) each contributed two points. JP Mella (Stamford, Conn.) made 26 saves.
6. Dexter Southfield (11-3-3)
57 points
Derek Mullahy (Scituate, Mass.) pitched shutouts against Andover and Brooks during Dexter’s three-win week. The senior captain made 21 and 20 stops in 4-0 and 3-0 games, while his 28-save effort led to a 2-1 win over Thayer. Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.; 1-1-2) and John Fusco (Westwood, Mass.; 0-2-2) each had multiple-point games against Andover. Chase McInnis (Hingham, Mass.) netted the deciding goal in the Thayer game. McInnis joined Kevin MacKay (Franklin, Mass.) and Aidan Connolly (Marshfield, Mass.) in the goal column against Brooks.
7. Avon Old Farms (10-4-1)
49 points
The Winged Beavers played in three close games this week, falling to Northfield Mount Hermon, 4-2; and Westminster, 3-0; while defeating Berkshire, 3-1. Five different players marked the goal column during the week. John Turner (East Falmouth, Mass.) scored his fourth goal of the season against NMH and became the fourth Avon skater to reach the 10-point mark. Connor Callaghan made 35 saves in the lone victory.
8. Tilton (14-2)
43 points
The Rams earned a 5-2 win at Brewster and 4-2 win over Proctor this past week, their third and fourth consecutive. Jack Seymour recorded a two-goal game against Brewster. Seymour and Cam Ryan (Arlington, Mass.) had two assists each against Proctor, while Justin Lee made a season-high 31 saves in his fifth appearance of the season.
9. Northfield Mount Hermon (12-4)
26 points
The Hoggers join the NEHJ ranks in the midst of a five-game winning streak, including triumphs against Avon Old Farms and Lawrenceville over the past week, 4-2 and 5-0. Michael Siemering (Wellesley, Mass.) assisted on two goals against Avon. Connor Hasley made 54 saves in two games, including 21 for a shutout in the latter game. Against Lawrenceville, Theo Hembre (Falmouth, Maine; 2-1-3) and Jack Quinn (Lancaster, Mass.; 1-2-3) were each three-point scorers for coach Kevin Czepiel’s team.
10. Exeter (12-4-2)
15 points
Exeter continued its winning ways during two games last week. Danny Colon logged a goal and an assist during a 4-1 win over Tabor and repeated the same line in a 4-2 triumph against Berwick. Reese Popkin (Hooksett, N.H.) was the offensive star in the latter game though, scoring twice and adding two assists. Goaltender Ryan Welch (Swampscott, Mass.) was strong in both games, including a 26-save effort against Tabor.
Others receiving votes: Andover, St. Paul’s, Cushing, Kent, St. Sebastian’s, Thayer, Westminster
