This season’s second installment of the New England Hockey Journal Prep School Coaches Poll features change at the top through a few weeks of regular-season action.
The latest poll saw a clear No. 1 among the coaches after Salisbury and Kimball Union finished last week at the top with 72 points apiece. This week, Nobles jumped all the way up from receiving votes to being ranked first after starting the season with four consecutive wins. Four other teams also received first-place consideration.
Brian Day’s Bulldogs are one of four new teams ranked this week, but it was Deerfield that made the biggest jump to being a ranked team as it did not receive any votes in the first ranking. In addition, a 4-1 mark has helped Andover receive top-10 votes for the first time.
The poll, featuring head coaches from around the region across all leagues, will be released each Tuesday afternoon during the season here on hockeyjournal.com.
1. Nobles (4-0)
77 points - 2 first-place votes
A pair of road wins helped the Bulldogs double their win total to four on the season. They defeated Tabor, 4-1, and Dexter Southfield, 5-3. Senior Ryan Stevens has already surpassed the goal total from the first two seasons as he has eight in four games, including three this week. Marc Smith’s second year in the Bulldog net is off to a good start as he has 93 saves on 97 shots, including 26 against Tabor.
2. Lawrence (3-0)
67 points - 1 first-place vote
Lawrence earned a 3-1 win over Milton and a 4-3 win at Belmont Hill over the last week. Sam Colangelo capped a hat trick with a game-winning goal in overtime in the latter contest, while Ethan Bastien and Drew Bavaro each had two-point nights. Against Milton, Brandon Milberg made 17 saves in his first outing of the season, and three players recorded multiple points.
3. Kimball Union (5-1)
62 points - 3 first-place votes
The Wildcats went 2-1 this week, defeating Proctor and Brewster Academy before Tilton broke KUA’s four-game winning streak with a 2-1 decision. Drew Bennett had a hat trick and Veeti Kohvakka made 45 saves in the 6-3 win over Proctor. Bennett was one of four KUA skaters to post a multiple-point game in topping Brewster, 5-1. Seth Stadheim scored the only goal against Tilton.
4. Tilton (5-0)
56 points - 2 first-place votes
The Rams haven’t scored or allowed more than three goals in any game, but coach Brooks McQuade’s club is still perfect after beating New Hampton and Kimball Union, 3-0 and 2-1. Brendan Sjostedt scored back-to-back goals to finish off the first win, which was a 19-save shutout for Owen Cuddyer. Sjostedt has a 5-2-7 line through five games. Against KUA, Cuddyer stopped 27 and goals from Jack Seymour and Tae Lee both came in the third period.
5. Hotchkiss (4-0)
53 points
Hotchkiss becomes a ranked team after beating Salisbury and Lawrenceville, 7-1 and 5-2, to double its win total. Quinn Carlisle netted a hat trick in the former win, while leading scorer Jordan Ehrensperger had two goals and an assist against Lawrenceville. Henry Wilder recorded the first three wins in goal for the Bearcats before Cameron Smith stopped 22 shots in their latest game.
6. Exeter (5-1-1)
48 points - 1 first-place vote
The Big Red is coming off a 2-2 tie with Dexter Southfield and 6-3 win over St. Sebastian’s this week. Michael Pitts is one of just three players in the New England prep ranks with 13 points after recording one goal and one assist in each of Exeter’s last four games. Against St. Seb’s, Paddy Bogart had a goal and two assists, and Sam Willman scored twice. Ryan Welch has been in goal for all seven games this season, making 49 saves over the last two.
7. Dexter Southfield (1-1-1)
33 points
Dexter Southfield slips to the bottom half of the rankings after its 2-2 tie with Exeter and 5-3 loss to top-ranked Nobles. Ben Meehan and Aidan Connolly scored goals in the draw. Against Nobles, Meehan assisted on both of Chase McInnis’ goals. Derek Mullahy made a season-high 33 saves in the losing effort.
8. Deerfield (4-0)
31 points
The Big Green rises into the ranking for the first time after a perfect weekend that included a 4-3 win at Choate and 4-1 win over Avon Old Farms. Eamon Doheny and Alex Robert have each posted 2-3-5 lines this season, while Matt Miron and Noah de la Durantaye are also two-goal scorers thus far. Thomas Gale, who pitched a shutout against Groton to open the season, made 29 stops to defeat Avon in the most recent game.
9. Loomis Chaffee (4-0-1)
26 points
Loomis posted two one-goal wins and one two-goal win this week to extend its season-opening run. Jake Sigal scored a third-period goal and Kohl Reddy made 33 saves in his first start of the season to defeat Pomfret, 3-2. Sigal then added two assists in a 4-2 win over Canterbury and a 5-4 win over Choate. Alex Krause scored the winning goal in the latter contest.
10. Salisbury (3-2)
12 points
The Crimson Knights suffered their second straight loss against Hotchkiss to begin last week, but they bounced back for a 5-3 win at Kent. Matt Coronato scored the lone goal in the loss and matched a 1-2-3 line from Luke Krys in the win over Kent. Nicholas Haas earned his second start against Kent and made a season-high 30 saves.
Others receiving votes: Gunnery, Cushing, Rivers, St. Sebastian’s, Andover
