There is one week left in the boys prep regular season. We've almost made it to the end.
Over the last seven days, various top teams battled one another. Kimball Union and Cushing engaged in a weekend series. Salisbury played both Brunswick and Avon Old Farms. Nobles took on Belmont Hill Friday night.
That's led to shakeups in these rankings, which will be the final edition of the regular season.
Let's dive in.
1. Cushing (24-3-0)
Previous ranking: 2
Head coach: Paul Pearl
Next game: vs. New Hampton, Feb. 21, 4:30 p.m.Â
It's razor thin, but Cushing emerges from this past weekend's series with a slight edge over Kimball Union. As I wrote after Saturday's game, Cushing is a bit deeper. Along with splitting the games with the Wildcats, Cushing also posted a 3-0 win over Phillips Andover on Wednesday. The most impressive thing from the past week was defenseman Ryland Randle's hat trick in the 5-3 win at Kimball Union.
2. Kimball Union (28-4-0)
Previous ranking: 1
Head coach: Tim Whitehead
Next game: Lakes Region Tournament, Feb. 23Â
There's nothing wrong with being No. 2. Kimball Union is right there with Cushing, as it proved this weekend. The Wildcats showed resilience in coming back from a two-goal deficit to beat the Penguins, 4-2, at Cushing. Senior forwards Sam LeDrew and Jack Sadowski (Arlington, Mass.) were vital in bringing KUA back and have been all season. That top line of LeDrew, Sadowski and Corwith Simmers is probably the best line in the region.
HIGH-LEVEL CLASH: 7 takeaways from Kimball Union's 4-2 win over Cushing on Saturday
3. Brunswick (25-5-2)
Previous ranking: 4
Head coach: Mike Kennedy
Next game: vs. Trinity-Pawling, Feb. 23, 7 p.m.Â
It was an outstanding week for the Bruins. It started with a come-from-behind, 4-3 win over Salisbury on Wednesday. Kennedy's team followed that up by beating Frederick Gunn, 6-3, before shutting out Taft, 3-0. Senior Brendan Giles can't stop scoring goals. The Ridgefield, Conn., native potted two against Salisbury and then five (yes, five) against Frederick Gunn. Brunswick has itself positioned nicely for a home Elite 8 game in the quarterfinals.
4. Avon Old Farms (19-2-1)
Previous ranking: 3
Head coach: John Gardner
Next game: vs. Pomfret, Feb. 19, 5:45 p.m.Â
Avon finally lost a game in regulation, falling to Salisbury, 5-1, on Saturday. Because of the loss, the Winged Beavers fall a spot, but not below Salisbury. Overall, Gardner's team holds the advantage — but not by much. The Winged Beavers did get a win earlier in the week, taking down Choate, 6-2, on Wednesday.
5. Salisbury (16-5-1)
Previous ranking: 5
Head coach: Andrew Will
Next game: at Berkshire, Feb. 19, 5 p.m.Â
Salisbury had a tough week, facing both Brunswick and Avon Old Farms. Losing to Brunswick, 4-3, and then beating Avon Old Farms, 5-1, keeps the Crimson Knights securely in the No. 5 spot. What Salisbury proved is that it's playing its best hockey at the right time. In the win over Avon Old Farms, Will's team had five different goal scorers, which is symbolic of how it's getting production right now: from everyone.
BIG-TIME BATTLE: 9 takeaways from Brunswick's 4-3 comeback win over Salisbury
6. Holderness (22-3-0)
Previous ranking: 6
Head coach: Alan Thompson
Next game: vs. Dexter Southfield, Feb. 21, 4:45 p.m.Â
Holderness had a slew of convincing victories. The week started with a 5-1 takedown of Winchendon, before edging out Vermont Academy, 3-1. A 7-2 drubbing of St. Paul's came on Saturday. Postgrad forward Pavit Mehra (Hopkinton, Mass.) had yet another impressive slew of performances, posting a hat trick against Winchendon, another goal against Vermont and then two goals and an assist against St. Paul's.
7. St. George's (21-3-1)
Previous ranking: 7
Head coach: Allie Skelley
Next game: vs. St. Mark's, Feb. 21, 4 p.m.Â
There's a new ISL Eberhart champion. St. George's captured the crown with its 4-0 win over Groton on Saturday. Prior to that, the Dragons had an offensive outburst at Tabor, taking down the Seawolves, 9-4. The week started with a 5-3 win over Roxbury Latin. St. George's should have no problem holding onto an Elite 8 spot in the final week of the season.
8. St. Sebastian's (18-6-1)
Previous ranking: 9
Head coach: Sean McCann
Next game: vs. Lawrence Academy, Feb. 21, 4:15 p.m.Â
The Arrows are playing their best hockey at the best time, exploding for an 8-4 win over Tabor before taking down Governor's Academy, 7-3. Harvard commit Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) posted two goals and two assists against Tabor and then notched another goal and an assist against Governor's. The key for St. Sebastian's in the final week is to turn in consistent, high-scoring performances against Lawrence Academy and Thayer.
FORECASTING: Who will make the Elite 8?Â
9. Belmont Hill (17-8-2)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Brian Phinney
Next game: at Tabor, Feb. 21, 5 p.m.Â
The Sextants move into the final top 10 of the regular season after beating Milton Academy, 5-4, and upsetting Nobles, 5-3, over the past week. Freshman David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) notched two goals against the Mustangs before being a driving force behind Belmont Hill's comeback win over Nobles, scoring two more goals and adding two assists. Bosco continues to look like a U.S. National Team Development Program candidate for next season.
10. Rivers (16-9-1)
Previous ranking: NR
Head coach: Freddy Meyer
Next game: at Brooks, Feb. 21, 3:30 p.m.Â
The month of February has been a great one for Rivers. The Red Wings have won five of their last six games. Two of those came over the past week when they beat St. Mark's, 6-5, and Middlesex, 3-2. If the playoffs began Monday, Rivers would be the No. 1 seed in the Small School Tournament, which is extremely impressive with how young the roster is.
Dropped out:Â Nobles (14-7-3; 8), Lawrence Academy (14-9-1; 10)
In the hunt:Â Nobles, Dexter Southfield, Kent, Canterbury, Lawrence Academy, Berkshire, Loomis Chaffee
