There is less than a week left in the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association’s 2018-19 regular season, which means it’s crunch time for teams looking to make a final push for seeding or a playoff berth.
While some things are a mere formality, such as Salisbury being the top seed in the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament, there are plenty of other aspects of the playoff fields up for grabs.
For newcomers or for those needing a refresher on how the NEPSIHA playoffs work, there are three tournaments. The first is the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament, which is the top eight teams in the computer rankings. The Martin/Earl Large School Tournament consists of the next eight highest-rated teams in that classification. Finally, the Piatelli/Simmons Small School Tournament is the next eight highest-rated teams in that classification that didn’t make the Elite 8.
Kimball Union is the two-time defending Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament champions. Brunswick and Lawrence Academy won the Martin/Earl Large School Tournament and Piatelli/Simmons Small School Tournament, respectively, in 2018.
