RinkWise podcast: Forecasting the boys and girls prep Elite 8 tournaments

In less than a week, the NEPSAC will unveil its brackets for the Elite 8 tournaments in both boys and girls prep hockey.

With just a few precious games remaining in the regular season, several teams will be making last-ditch pushes to try and sneak into the Elite 8's or solidify their standings as top seeds in the Large and Small School tournaments.

Meanwhile, the locks to make the Elite 8, whether it's Kimball Union and Cushing on the boys side or Nobles and Williston for the girls, will aim to maintain momentum heading into the postseason.

New England Hockey Journal editor Evan Marinofsky and writer Patrick Donnelly forecasted both the boys and girls Elite 8 tournaments. They took stock of the top eight teams as things currently stand and others on the bubble.

Which under-the-radar team could make a run on the girls side?

Donnelly: "I think Loomis Chaffee for sure. They have the win over Andover this year at the Odden tournament. They have some other really quality wins, too, whether it's Westminster, they've beaten Tabor, they've beaten Kent. They've proven probably to be the best of that secondary grouping we've talked about all season. And even their loss to Deerfield was tight, 2-1. They've beaten Choate, too. So I would say Loomis is — I think maybe the deepest offensively and just the track record this season — probably the best of
the rest."

Which team could make some noise in the boys Elite 8?

Marinofsky: "I've talked a lot about St. George's as a team that I think could make some noise. They would be slated to play Cushing in the Elite 8 if it began today. I think St. George's is gonna be a tough out. Ryder Shea is a great goalie, out with something to prove. He had a down year last year, and St. George's had a really down year, last year as a whole. They're a big team and I think in a one-game elimination playoff-type atmosphere, sometimes those big guys can wreak some havoc and it would not shock me if St. George's upset a team in the first round. If Ryder Shea gets hot, they move the puck well, I've mentioned this before so I don't wanna repeat myself, but I think to me, they're the Elite 8 sleeper team in that bottom tier."