The 2020 NEPSAC Hockey Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament begins Wednesday with the top eight teams in prep school hockey battling it out for the ultimate crown.
This tournament is wide open, despite many of the usual suspects being involved. Three-time defending champion Kimball Union is the sixth seed and has an extremely tough first-round match up against Salisbury, another perennial powerhouse.
The top seed is Lawrence Academy, a team that persevered even after its starting goaltender went down for the season. Other big names such as Avon Old Farms and Dexter Southfield look to get to the top of the perch.
The surprise entrant in the 2020 NEPSAC Hockey Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament is Hotchkiss, a team that seemingly came out of nowhere to earn the fifth seed. Led by Boston College commit and senior goaltender Henry Wilder, the Bearcats will be a tough out.
The final two seeds should not be overlooked as Nobles has perhaps the best line in prep hockey and Berkshire has a stellar goaltender in Jed Baliotti and a couple of committed senior forwards making them a tough out.
Seeds
1. Lawrence Academy (22-2-2)
2. Avon Old Farms (23-2-0)
3. Salisbury (21-3-1)
4. Dexter Southfield (23-4-0)
5. Hotchkiss (18-5-2)
6. Kimball Union (24-6-2)
7. Nobles (18-5-3)
8. Berkshire (18-7-2)
Quarterfinal matchups
All NEPSAC Hockey Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament quarterfinals take place Wednesday, March 4, 2020, on the campus of the higher seed. The one exception is the KUA-Salisbury clash that will instead take place at Westminster School.
Berkshire at Lawrence Academy (3:30 p.m.)
Hotchkiss at Dexter Southfield (4 p.m.)
Kimball Union at Salisbury (@ Westminster, 4 p.m.)
Nobles at Avon Old Farms (5 p.m.)
Berkshire at Lawrence Academy
Lawrence Academy continued to roll even after Sacred Heart commit Brandon Milberg went down, leaving the Spartans in a precarious position in terms of its goaltending.
It hasn’t always looked pretty, but junior Tomas Pientka has gotten the job done between the pipes. He’s been protected by a defense that is capable of breaking pucks out and a couple of big, defensive defenders.
Junior Damien Carfagna, committed to UNH, has led the way on the blue line. He’s skilled and can move pucks north. Classmate Kyle Furey also is a puck-moving threat. Senior Matt Connor and sophomore Mack Oliphant provide size and toughness. Providence commit Cole Teleki closes quickly on opposing forwards and can chip in offensively from time to time.
The offense is led by junior Riley Duran, a Providence commit and one of the region’s top prospects for the 2020 NHL Draft. The health status of first-line center David Sacco, a UNH commit, is up in the air.
Merrimack commit Conor Lovett is a hard-nosed center who provides a reliable threat up the middle. He competes hard and can shoot it. Providence commit Blake Humphrey is a skilled playmaker with soft hands.
Robbie Barker’s team has gotten terrific effort and some secondary scoring out of forwards such as John Riggins, Holt Oliphant, Anthony Cafarelli and Ryan Meagher.
Berkshire is led offensively by Denver commit Aidan Thompson and Yale recruit Briggs Gammill who have 51 and 42 points, respectively. The next closest player on Berkshire has 18 points.
Baliotti, a junior, has been a key to the team’s success. He’s emerged as a very good goaltender and is earning interest from several college programs throughout the region.
Prediction: Berkshire has the potential to upset Lawrence, but I think the Spartans have too much firepower. LA wins, 4-2.
Hotchkiss at Dexter Southfield
This is a very intriguing matchup as Hotchkiss is a tough matchup for Dexter Southfield. If there is one goaltender in the entire field that can carry his team on his back, it’s Wilder.
While Hotchkiss certainly doesn’t have the horses that Dexter Southfield does, Mike Traggio’s team has some good players, in addition to the goaltender and captain.
On defense, Brown commit Nick Traggio leads the way and has had a terrific senior season after coming back from injury. Classmate Jack Ferguson, and juniors Jack Kane and Brian Haywood have all made progress in their games this season.
Up front, senior Gavin Puskar paces the offense. He’s a skilled left winger who skates well. Center Karsen Dorwart is a speedster who could turn into a good college player down the road. Another fast forward is Bodie Molnar. Also, keep an eye out for Jeremy Abraham and Jon Horn, who could provide secondary scoring.
Dexter Southfield is the deeper and more talented team, but youth is a concern in net. Dylan Silverstein is a terrific goaltending prospect and he’s certainly played in bright lights before, including at this year’s Youth Olympics. However, it won’t be easy for an ’04 in the prep playoffs.
On defense, Harvard commit John Fusco leads the way. He’s taken his game to the next level and his shot from the point is uncanny in prep hockey this season. UMass commit Mikey Adamson, UConn baseball commit Brendan O’Donnell, Matt Fusco and Patrick Morrissey are other key defensemen.
Senior Aidan Connolly, a Sacred Heart commit, has returned from injury to jumpstart the Dexter Southfield offense. He’s a skilled playmaker. He’s been flanked on his wings by Boston University commit Doug Grimes and Jack Dempsey, two big power forwards.
The second line is centered by Matt Copponi with Cully Wilson on the left wing. They are two of the best uncommitted ’03 forwards in the country. Right wing John McElaney is an older senior who is committed to Colby.
Prediction: Hotchkiss has faced a tougher schedule to prepare them for the playoffs. Dexter Southfield has more depth, more skill and the home ice advantage. I’ll go out on a limb and predict an upset win for Hotchkiss. Bearcats, 3-2.
Kimball Union vs. Salisbury
What an epic matchup in the first round. Salisbury will attempt to exact some revenge for the last two finals in this tournament. These two teams met in the Flood Marr Tournament back in December with the Crimson Knights coming out on top, 4-2.
Salisbury is led offensively by Lucas Mercuri, a big power forward, and Quinnipiac commit Jake Quillan, a smart and speedy playmaker. Holy Cross commit Matthew DeBoer, St. Lawrence commit Samuel Deckhut, Providence commit Cole Vallese, Brown commit Dean Bauchiero and Michael Fairfax are other key forwards.
On defense, Penn State commit Jarod Crespo, Colgate commit Bobby Metz and Callum Chau lead the way. Youngster Max Donoso is the better of the two goaltenders, but Nick Haas could get the nod, due to his veteran status.
Kimball Union is led by Providence commit and Edmonton Oilers draft pick Tomas Mazura and Cornell commit Sullivan Mack. The duo have been great together over the past two years. Super sophomore Adam Fantilli has missed the last few games, but he provides a terrific punch from the second line, when in the lineup.
Defensively, Michigan commit Luca Fantilli and Trinity commit Teddy Griffin are the top blue liners. Conner Chalmers continues to make strides on the backend as well.
In goal, Arizona State commit Zak Brice has taken over the starting goaltending role in his first season of prep hockey.
Prediction: This is another tough call. Salisbury is the better team this season. Both squads are extremely well coached. I’m going with the Crimson Knights by a score of 4-3.
Nobles at Avon Old Farms
Head coach John Gardner and his Winged Beavers have lost just twice all season. AOF is riding a 10-game winning into the tournament.
Led by captain Tabor Heaslip, Avon Old Farms has a good mix of talent, grit and veteran players to make a deep run in this year’s Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament.
Heaslip, committed to UConn, might not be the most skilled or the prettiest skater, but he gets it done on a nightly basis. He never stops moving his feet, he goes to the dirty areas, and he’ll give it his all, including blocking shots.
New Hampshire recruit JP Turner is another talented player with intangibles. He’s dominant below the dots, can cycle, play physically, be heavy on pucks, and he shoots it hard.
Other key forwards for AOF are Timur Alishlalov, Brendan Williams, Liam Verdoni and Boston College commit Paul Davey, who played much better down the stretch.
Defenseman Drew Tsakounis, committed to Penn State, is another integral part of AOF’s success. He has great feet and is a slick puck mover. The puck is on his stick a lot, he drives possession, and can jump into the offense.
Yale commit Jason Marsella, Boston College commit Charlie Leddy, Chase Ramsay and Reid Shafer are other blue liners who log significant minutes.
Junior Conor Callaghan has stepped up tremendously between the pipes. He’s been really good and is one of the more underrated goaltenders in the region.
For Nobles, the story really is the top line. Centered by Casey Severo with David Jacobs on the left wing and Princeton commit Jack Cronin on the right wing, the trio has put up huge numbers.
Severo is a smart, 200-foot player who wins face-offs and sees the ice well. Jacobs finally has gained some explosiveness to go with his hockey sense and willingness to go to the net. Cronin has a good shot coming down the wing.
While the vast majority of the scoring has come from the top line, senior Robert Lapsley and sophomores Roman Tacelli and Drew Haxton provide a little muscle and are tough to play against on the second line. A forward to watch for the future is third line center Ben MacDonald, a freshman and son of Harvard legend Lane MacDonald.
Sophomore Aidan Lyons is a super-skilled offensive defenseman who can move pucks north. Colby Bailey and Pierce Kenney provide the senior leadership on the blue line.
Wesleyan commit Marc Smith has been very solid in net during his final year of prep hockey.
Prediction: This is a tough matchup for Nobles as Avon Old Farms should be able to counter the top line with toughness and having the puck a lot with an intense forecheck. Winged Beavers win, 5-2.
Who wins the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament?
As I said earlier, this could be the most wide-open this tournament has been, at least in recent memory. Each team has at least one flaw, whether it be goaltending, lack of depth, or youthfulness.
I wasn’t a believer in Avon Old Farms a few weeks ago, but the Winged Beavers have a solid group and earned a favorable first-round matchup. Still, they’ll face a tough test in the second round with either Salisbury or KUA.
The winner will likely come out of one of those three teams. If I had to pick, Salisbury wins it all.
