A busy weekend of holiday tournament action means changes in New England Hockey Journal’s third Prep School Coaches Poll of the season.
But the team at the top is not a newcomer as Coach Andrew Will’s Salisbury Crimson Knights returned to the No. 1 spot for the second time this winter after completing a four-game sweep at the Flood-Marr Tournament over the weekend.
No. 2 Dexter and No. 3 Andover were two of the five schools that earned their highest ranking of the season to date in this week’s poll. The Big Blue, which advanced to the Flood-Marr title game before dropping a one-goal decision to Salisbury, is ranked for the first time. Gunnery and St. Sebastian’s also return to the poll after a one-week hiatus.
In addition to the 10 ranked teams, seven others received top-10 votes. Teams receive 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for a second-place vote, eight for a third-place vote, etc.
The poll, featuring head coaches from all leagues around the region, will be released on Tuesday afternoons during the season here on hockeyjournal.com. The poll takes a hiatus next week before returning on Jan. 1.
1. Salisbury (8-2)
86 points - 8 first-place votes
The Crimson Knights return to the No. 1 spot for the second time in three weeks after sweeping through the Flood-Marr Tournament. Lucas Mercuri earned Most Valuable Player honors after scoring all four goals in the 4-3 clincher against Andover and one to open the weekend with a 3-0 win over Kimball Union. Nicholas Haas pitched two shutouts on the weekend, including a 21-save effort against KUA. Salisbury also defeated Deerfield and host Nobles during the tournament.
2. Dexter Southfield (4-1-1)
69 points
Dexter Southfield emerged victorious at the Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament after defeating Culver Academy, Cushing, and Proctor. Most Valuable Player Derek Mullahy (Scituate, Mass.) stopped all 24 shots he faced and Doug Grimes (Brookline, Mass.) scored in a 1-0 win to open the tournament, while Chase McInnis (Hingham, Mass.) had a two-point game in the 4-1 decision against Cushing. In the 7-2 finale, John McElaney (Walpole, Mass.) scored twice and three players had three points to lift Dexter to the title.
3. Andover (8-2)
51 points
The Big Blue had a five-game winning streak snapped in the Flood-Marr finale after it topped Westminster, Mlton, and Hotchkiss to begin the tournament. Mac Carso continued his stellar start (10-9-19 in 10 games) with seven points, though his seven-game goal streak was snapped against Salisbury. Defenseman Charlie Spence (Medfield, Mass.), who has a .933 save percentage this season, also earned All-Tournament honors for Paul Tortorella’s club.
4. Deerfield (6-2)
50 points
Deerfield capped its Flood-Marr run with back-to-back wins over Kimball Union and Hotchkiss, to finish fifth. Captain Sean McAvoy scored 2:57 into overtime to finish a three-point game in the 3-2 win over KUA before posting a goal and an assist en route to defeating Hotchkiss, 6-2. Noah de la Durantaye, who had assists against Nobles and Hotchkiss, was named to the All-Tournament Team. Thomas Gale stopped 60 combined shots in the two wins.
5. Exeter (7-2-1)
44 points
The Big Red went 2-1 over the last week, defeating New Hampton and Hoosac with a one-goal loss to Governor’s in between. Andrew Seaman scored a hat trick and an assist, Garrett Foster (Newfield, N.H.) had two goals, and Ryan Welch (Swampscott, Mass.) made 27 saves in the 7-0 win over Hoosac. Seaman also had three points to help defeat New Hampton, 4-3. Despite the 5-4 loss to Govs, Paddy Bogart and Paddy Mangan (South Burlington, Vt.) both posted 1-2-3 lines.
6. Gunnery (7-2-1)
39 points
Gunnery won the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic with a 2-0 win over St. Paul’s. Ryan Trom and Alex Jeffries (Lunenburg, Mass.) scored in support of JP Mella’s (Stamford, Conn.) 18-save effort in the championship. Jeffries scored two of Gunnery’s goals in the 3-2 win over Loomis, including the deciding overtime strike, and now has a 9-7-16 line through 10 games. Riley Brennan had the game-winning goal and an assist against Trinity-Pawling.
T-7. Tilton (8-1)
36 points - 1 first-place vote
Tilton dominated in its three wins over North Yarmouth Academy, Pingree, and Berwick in addition to losing 4-1 to Millbrook, all at the Brooks-Pingree Tournament. Jagger Benson (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Cam Ryan (Arlington, Mass.) each scored twice in a 6-0 shutout of NYA, while Jakob Wepman made 24 saves. Ryan Harrigan (Scituate, Mass.) netted two goals in a 5-1 win over Pingree before Jack Haley did the same in a 7-1 win over Berwick. Benson finished the tournament with a 2-5-7 line in four games.
T-7. Lawrence (3-0-3)
36 points
The Spartans tied Cushing, Culver Academy, and Groton in the Groton-Lawrence Tournament. Sam Colangelo (Stoneham, Mass.) scored twice and Braden Doyle (Lynnfield, Mass.) had two assists in a 3-3 tie to open the tournament, while Colangelo and Conor Lovett (Franklin, Mass.) were the goal scorers against Culver. Brandon Milberg stopped 48 of the 51 shots he faced on the weekend, including all 20 against Groton.
9. Kimball Union (7-3)
26 points
KUA posted shutouts against Nobles and Milton to bookend its four Flood-Marr games. Arlo Merritt scored the lone goal against Nobles in overtime and was one of four goal scorers in the tournament-ending win over Milton. In the final game, Sullivan Mack had a goal and an assist. Veeti Kohvakka and Zach Paputsakis each had one of the clean sheets. The Wildcats were blanked by Salisbury and lost to Deerfield in overtime.
10. St. Sebastian’s (5-2)
21 points
Four straight victories over Brooks, Winchendon, Albany Academy, and Northwood Junior have helped the Arrows jump back into the rankings. Defenseman Jayden Struble (Cumberland, R.I.) had multiple points in three of the four games and goals in three, including a 1-2-3 line in the 5-1 win against Winchendon. JP Milbury (Needham, Mass.) also netted two goals in that game. Tommy Lyons (Westwood, Mass.) and James Davenport (Natick, Mass.) scored the winning goals in the last two games.
Others receiving votes: Nobles, Avon Old Farms, Hotchkiss, Millbrook, Westminster, Northfield Mount Hermon, Kent
