In my recent New England boys prep hockey rankings, I highlighted some of the upsets that took place over the last week, which shook up the top 10.
Many of the players most responsible for those upsets and big wins are highlighted below.
I have one other observation for you before we dive in.
This is a thought that's been stewing in my brain for a while, but this is the week I'll finally say it: the Housatonic has the best goalies. It's a legitimate battle every week to pick the top goalie in the Housatonic because there are a plethora of strong netminders.
With that out of the way, let's dive in.
Holt
Top skater:Â Hunter McCarthy, Portsmouth Abbey
Portsmouth Abbey had a busy week, playing four games. McCarthy posted a goal and an assist in a tie with No. 1 Dexter Southfield. He added assists against Worcester Academy and Kents Hill before scoring one in a 6-3 loss to Groton. He ranks second on Portsmouth Abbey in points with 33.
Honorable mentions: Adrian Mendoza, North Yarmouth Academy (2-2—4); Noah Jimbo, Portsmouth Abbey (2-2—4); Max Guertin, Pingree (3-0—3); Joe Gaffney, Pingree (1-2—3); Mike Ronan, Berwick (1-2—3); AJ Oliveri, Worcester Academy (2-0—2)
Top goalie:Â Mark Quinn, Worcester Academy
Quinn was outstanding in Worcester's lone game this week, making 36 saves to beat Portsmouth Abbey, 4-1. The postgrad carries a 2.91 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage on the season.
Honorable mention:Â Von Larson, Pingree (30 saves on 31 shots in one game)
Housatonic
Top skater:Â Issac Oberting, Hotchkiss
While Hotchkiss isn't known for its high-end offense, Oberting led the Housatonic in points this past week. It started when he tallied two goals and two assists to upset then-No. 9 Avon Old Farms, 5-2. He scored again and added a helper in a 5-2 loss against Taft before assisting on his team's lone goal in a 5-1 loss to then-No. 7 Berkshire.
Honorable mentions: Derek Rhodes, Westminster (5-1—6); Ryan Hedley, Salisbury (3-3—6); Blake Burke, Westminster (1-5—6); JT Rothstein, Taft (4-1—5); Jacob Head, Choate (2-3—5); Tommy Coccaro, Westminster (2-3—5); Jake Novak, Salisbury (2-3—5); Owen Burke, Westminster (1-4—5); Greg Najda, Choate (2-2—4); Indiana Grossbard, Avon Old Farms (2-2—4); Easton Kinsler, Choate (1-3—4); Preston Hidy, Taft (1-3—4); Matt Lemay, Taft (2-2—4); Liam Lefebvre, Trinity-Pawling (1-2—3); Jack Broderick, Kent (1-2—3)
Top goalie:Â Jack Fichthorn, Westminster
Westminster was always going to go as far as Fichthorn took it this season. And it's no surprise that as Fichthorn has consistently been a Top Performer, Westminster has moved its way into the playoffs. Fichthorn went 3-0-1 over the last week, making 31 saves to tie Hotchkiss 2-2, 24 saves to beat Choate 6-3, 30 stops to shut out Pomfret 4-0 and 33 saves to upset then-No. 5 Salisbury 3-2 in overtime. The junior has a 2.58 GAA and a .922 save percentage.
Honorable mentions:Â Connor Towle, Hotchkiss (128 saves on 138 shots over four games); Elliot Lennon, Deerfield (55 saves on 56 shots over two games); Jacoby Weiner, Kent (43 saves on 44 shots in one game); Brady Morris, Taft (66 saves on 72 shots over two games)
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ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Justin Graf, Rivers
What a two-game set for Graf. The Merrimack commit assisted on all six goals in his team's 6-3 win over St. George's. He followed that up with a goal and two more assists in a 6-3 win over Roxbury Latin. He ranks second on Rivers in points with 48.
Honorable mentions: Elliot Wood, Groton (1-5—6); Will Hatten, Rivers (4-1—5); Moussa Seydi, St. Mark's (1-4—5); Caiden Pellegrino, St. Mark's (2-3—5); Evan Nee, St. Mark's (2-3—5); Owen Mulhern, St. George's (1-3—4); Harrison Freelove, Groton (1-3—4); Will Manchuso, St. Mark's (1-3—4); Max Donatelli, St. George's (2-1—3); Cole Oberg, Roxbury Latin (1-2—3); Alejandro Hassan, Groton (2-1—3); Nate Moons, Groton (1-2—3); Freddy Meyer, Rivers (0-3—3)
Top goalie:Â Justin BriseBois, St. Mark's
BriseBois continued his strong senior season for St. Mark's. It started with 20 saves in a 10-2 drubbing of Brooks. He followed that up with 30 saves on 32 shots in a 3-1 loss to Cushing on Friday. He carries a 1.71 GAA and a .940 save percentage.
Honorable mention:Â Derrick Huang, Rivers (43 saves on 49 shots over two games)
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Ty Wood, Lawrence Academy
What a week for Wood. It started with two goals and two assists in a 5-4 overtime win over Thayer. Then, he scored in a 2-1 overtime win against St. Sebastian's and tallied another goal and assist in a 4-1 victory against St. Paul's. He leads Lawrence Academy in goals (18) and points (27).
Honorable mentions: David Bosco, Belmont Hill (1-4—5); Luke Allen, Lawrence Academy (4-1—5); Anthony Sergeyev, Milton Academy (3-1—4); Andrew Waugh, Belmont Hill (2-2—4); Jin Lee, Belmont Hill (0-4—4); Jack Torr, Governor's Academy (2-1—3); Kyle O'Leary, Nobles (3-0—3); Dennis Davidson, Nobles (2-1—3); Ethan Cox, Nobles (1-2—3); Harry Lavoie, Belmont Hill (3-0—3)
Top goalie:Â Vinnie D'Urso, Tabor
D'Urso has been strong for Tabor all season. The sophomore '08 made 32 saves to beat Milton Academy, 4-3, in overtime before stopping a whopping 41 shots in a 3-2 loss to Governor's Academy. He has a 2.84 GAA and a .923 save percentage on the season.
Honorable mention:Â Justin Lee, Nobles (49 saves on 52 shots over two games)
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Lakes
Top skater:Â Tanner Petalas, Holderness
It was a big week for the Bulls as they beat Tilton and Kimball Union. Petalas tallied two assists in the 5-2 win over Tilton but went off against Kimball Union, scoring twice and adding an assist in the 7-2 win. He has nine goals and 26 points in 22 games as a senior.
Honorable mentions: Brayden Wade, Holderness (3-1—4); Jeremy D'Souza, Tilton (1-2—3); Cam Fahey, Tilton (1-2—3); Jack Mombourquette, New Hampton (1-2—3)
Top goalie:Â Mark Bierwirth, Holderness
Bierwirth kicked his week off with 22 saves to beat Tilton, 5-2. He followed that up with 23 saves to beat Kimball Union, 7-2. He has impressive numbers on the season with a 2.12 GAA and a .916 save percentage.
Honorable mention:Â Blake Truchon, St. Paul's (60 saves on 64 shots over two games)
Independents
Top skater:Â Gavin Fitzpatrick, Phillips Exeter
Fitzpatrick started his week with two assists in an 8-1 win over Proctor. In a 7-0 victory over Albany Academy, the New Canaan, Conn., native had a goal and two assists and followed that up with a goal in a 3-2 loss to Choate. The '06 postgrad leads Exeter in points with 28.
Honorable mentions: Joe Salandra, Brunswick (3-3—6); Tyler Kelly, Frederick Gunn (2-3—5); Filip Svodoba, Northfield Mount Hermon (2-3—5); Max Dineen, Cushing (1-4—5); Rui Han, Phillips Andover (2-3—5); Blake Baksay, Northfield Mount Hermon (4-0—4); Braydon Hudtloff, Northfield Mount Hermon (1-3—4); Mason St. Louis, Brunswick (1-3—4); Joseph Covelluzzi, Cushing (3-1—4); Jake Pomichter, Canterbury (3-1—4); Dryden Dervish, Phillips Exeter (3-1—4); Noah Poinsett-Yoshida, Phillips Exeter (3-1—4)
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Top goalie:Â Zach White, Cushing
White stepped up for Cushing over the last week, helping the Penguins score wins over two top-10 opponents. It started with a 20-save shutout against then-No. 4 Brunswick. Against then-No. 2 St. Mark's, he made 31 saves to get a 3-1 win. The 6-foot-3 senior has mostly backed up junior Maksim Corovic this season.
Honorable mentions:Â Maxim Pitts, Canterbury (79 saves on 80 shots over two games); Edouard Lord, Phillips Andover (59 saves on 62 shots over two games); Brendan Petraco, Phillips Exeter (60 saves on 64 shots over two games); Lucas Mesika, Phillips Exeter (32 saves on 32 shots in one game); Colin Davis, Dexter Southfield (32 saves on 34 shots in one game)
