WATERTOWN, Conn. – In one of the most passionate rivalries in prep school hockey, Taft School skated to a 4-0 shutout victory over Hotchkiss on home ice Saturday at Odden Arena.
Taft’s top players came up big and the Rhinos took advantage on the power play, scoring twice while up a man. First-line center Derek Tremblay had three assists while his wings, JJ Lemieux and Jackson Holl, each had a goal and an assist. Second-line left wing Zave Greene, who plays on the first power play unit, scored the game-winning goal and third-line center Preston Hidy also found the back of the net.
Junior goaltender Rudy Guimond, a Yale commit, picked up his first shutout in the regular season finale. The Kirkland, Quebec, native finished his second prep regular season with a .941 save percentage, up from .882 as a sophomore in 2021-22.
Hotchkiss was certainly the underdog to begin with, but the Bearcats brought a shorthanded lineup to Taft on Saturday. It was a trying first year for first-year head coach Michael Doyle, but the future appears headed in the right direction.
Here are the standout players from the matchup.
Rudy Guimond
Taft, 5/19/05, G, catches left, 6-3/180
NCAA: Yale
Guimond did a good job in this game of kicking rebounds to the corners and not allowing second chances. He was square to shooters, which allowed him to make saves look easy. Guimond was quiet in the crease and didn’t have to scramble. He skates well and has quick reflexes when needed. A couple of times when traffic prevented him from eating the first puck, he quickly covered up the rebound. He picked up an assist on the second goal of the game.
James Mackey
Hotchkiss, 10/15/05, D, left shot, 6-6/210
NCAA: Harvard
Mackey didn’t have a lot of help in terms of forwards to move pucks to in this game, but he showed off his physical tools on a few occasions. He’s big and makes good hockey plays. His skating has improved. He displayed that on two or three occasions when he skated the puck up ice and created chances on the rush.
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Derek Tremblay
Taft, 2/18/05, C, left shot, 5-11/165
I knew a little about his linemates, Holl and Lemieux, but came away impressed with Tremblay. He consistently made plays and had a primary assist on the last three goals of the game. He slid a pass across to Hidy for a power-play goal on zone entry and then dished one across the crease for a goal on a man-advantage situation later in the game.
Jackson Holl
Taft, 12/5/03, RW, right shot, 5-8/170
Holl is on the smaller side, but he’s quick and makes plays on the rush. He picked up a goal and an assist. His goal came off a one-timer in the third period.
Preston Hidy
Taft, 7/17/06, C, right shot, 5-10/175
Hidy is one of the younger players on this Taft team that has plenty of experienced, older seniors. He scored a goal on a two-on-one on zone entry with Tremblay on a second-period power play. Hidy was around the puck a lot and was noticeable in a depth scoring role during even-strength situations.
JJ Lemieux
Taft, 10/29/03, LW, left shot, 6-4/195
Lemieux is a power forward who uses his size and length to protect pucks. He scored the fourth goal of the game and assisted on a power play goal earlier in the third period. He’s tendered to play for the Rochester expansion franchise in the NAHL for the 2023-24 season.
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Michael Buenzow
Hotchkiss, 8/16/05, D, left shot, 6-3/180
Buenzow is in his second season at Hotchkiss after playing three years with the Chicago Mission. He has good size and some intriguing physical tools. He’s a solid second or third defenseman at the prep level. He’ll be a player NESCAC schools will be honing in on as he approaches his senior year in 2023-24.
Gerrit Lansing
Taft, 7/31/05, D, right shot, 6-0/175
Lansing skated well and moved pucks north. He’s not overly offensive, but I liked his reliable, efficient breakouts on a few occasions. A junior from New York City, he could be a fringe NESCAC candidate for 2024-25 or beyond.
Taft lines
Lemieux - Tremblay - Holl
Greene - Brown - Mettler
Lowry - Hidy - Crescimanni
Foley - Podhajsky - Reynolds
Lancaster - Lansing
Johnson - Kenerson
Bast - Weisman
Guimond
Hotchkiss lines
Brown - Owens - Cail
Lizatovic - Bjorn - Harrison
xx - xx - Bullock
Mackey - Gallary
Buenzow - Marcink
Kloeber
