In the final week of January's slate of boys prep hockey games, lots of top talent flourished.
A U.S. National Team Development Program candidate led the way in one division, while some usual suspects posted strong weeks in others.
In the goaltending category, some new names emerged with some high-end performances to upset higher-seeded teams.
Let's dive in.
Holt
Top skater:Â Justin Massa, Berwick
It was a big week for Massa, who was a primary contributor for Berwick over three wins. The senior scored two goals and added two assists against Hebron, posted a goal and two assists in an overtime win against Worcester Academy and finished with another goal and four more assists in a 5-3 win over Roxbury Latin. For those keeping track, that's four goals and eight assists over 12 games, bringing his point total to 37 in 19 games.
Honorable mentions: Parker Murch, Berwick (5-6—11); Michael Delage, Berwick (3-4—7); Joe Gaffney, Berwick (2-3—5); Anthony Dimopoulos, Kents Hill (2-3—5); Sam Stejskal, Kents Hill (3-2—5); Hunter McCarthy, Portsmouth Abbey (0-3—3)
Top goalie:Â Nick Hubbard, Pingree
Hubbard had an almost-perfect week, backstopping Pingree to a 5-1 win against Worcester Academy and a 4-1 victory over Brewster Academy. Hubbard made 22 saves to beat Worcester Academy, while he was busying against Brewster, making 29 stops.
Honorable mention: Matthew Pimentel, Berwick (62 saves on 67 shots over two games)
LATEST RANKINGS: How does the top 10 look entering the final month?Â
Housatonic
Top skater: Cooper Snee, Avon Old Farms
There were various worthy candidates from the Housatonic. Snee was vital in both wins for Avon Old Farms, posting two assists in a 6-2 win over Loomis Chaffee and then scoring two goals and adding another assist in a 6-2 win over Choate. Snee, a junior forward, is committed to Providence.
Honorable mentions: Brendan Tighe, Avon Old Farms (1-4—5); Liam Lefebvre, Trinity-Pawling (3-2—5); Jack McGregor, Hotchkiss (2-3—5); Brennan Cail, Hotchkiss (2-3—5); Andrew Migliore, Trinity-Pawling (2-2—4); Jason Musa, Trinity-Pawling (1-3—4); Michael Munroe, Avon Old Farms (4-0—4); Lefty Markonidis, Avon Old Farms (3-1—4); Blake Jones, Avon Old Farms (1-3—4); Ben Brown, Hotchkiss (1-3—4); Jakub Kohn, Deerfield (2-2—4); Justin Tavares, Deerfield (2-2—4);
Top goalie:Â Connor Towle, Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss had a great week, taking down Deerfield, 5-1, and Trinity-Pawling, 2-0, after narrowly falling to Berkshire, 3-2. Towle, a junior '06, continued his strong season, making 36 saves against Berkshire, 28 against Deerfield and then a 36-save shutout against Trinity-Pawling. Towle carries a .923 save percentage and a 2.90 goals-against average for the season.
Honorable mentions:Â Brady Morris, Taft (62 saves on 64 shots over two games); Cooper Flemming, Salisbury (46 saves on 49 shots over two games)
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Jacob Kulas, Rivers
Kulas brought it for Rivers, scoring four goals and seven points over a 2-1-0 stretch. The Stow, Mass., native notched two goals and two assists in a big, 7-4, win over Nobles, before scoring two goals in a 5-3 loss to Middlesex. He also added an assist in a 5-1 win over Roxbury Latin.
Honorable mentions: Matt Egan, Middlesex (6-1—7); Bryan Tang, Middlesex (1-6—7); Justin Graf, Rivers (2-5—7); Andrew Gibbons, St. Mark's (4-3—7); Will Hatten, Rivers (4-2—6)
Top goalie:Â Ryder Shea, St. George's
Shea was his usual strong self, making 31 saves to beat Dexter Southfield, 3-2. Even in a 4-2 loss to Milton Academy, the Framingham, Mass., native made 32 saves on 35 shots. He ranks second in the region in save percentage (.946) and fifth in GAA (1.63).
Honorable mention:Â None
RECRUITING: What's been happening on the college hockey recruiting scene?Â
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Casey Mutryn, St. Sebastian's
The biggest bright spot in St. Sebastian's season has been Mutryn, and that continued this week. The '08 notched three assists in a 6-3 win over Nobles, added another assist in a 2-2 tie with Thayer and scored a goal against Tabor in a 4-2 loss. Mutryn continues to strengthen his case for the U.S. National Team Development Program.
Honorable mentions: Matt Cataldo, St. Sebastian's (4-1—5); Will Cannata, Milton Academy (2-2—4); Jake Tavares, Belmont Hill (1-3—4); David Bosco, Belmont Hill (2-2—4); Will Doherty, Tabor (3-1—4); Ben Merrill, St. Sebastian's (1-3—4); Tyson Scanlon, Governor's Academy (2-0—2)
Top goalie:Â Owen Byers, Tabor
Byers turned in a great week for Tabor. He made 32 stops in a 3-3 tie with Thayer. But his best was making 26 stops to stop the high-flying St. Sebastian's offense.
Honorable mention:Â Sam Caulfield, Milton Academy (69 saves on 74 shots over two games)
Lakes
Top skater:Â Aaron VanWie, Holderness
Another week, another strong batch of performances from VanWie. The recent Maine commit posted two assists in a 6-2 win over Brewster Academy before exploding for two goals and four helpers in a 9-0 win against New Hampton. He finished his week with a goal and an assist in a 7-1 win over Kents Hill.
Honorable mentions: Pavit Mehra, Holderness (3-4—7); Caden Wells, Holderness (4-2—6); Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union (5-0—5); Andrew O'Sullivan, Kimball Union (3-2—5); Caeden Herrington, Holderness (1-4—5); Jake Boulanger, Holderness (4-0—4); Patrick Cooley, St. Paul's (0-4—4); Max Gagnon, Tilton (3-1—4)
Top goalie:Â Blake Truchon, St. Paul's
How about St. Paul's? Head coach Dan Murphy's team won all three of its games this past week and Truchon was at the heart of them. He made 32 stops on 33 shots to take down Milton Academy and followed it up with 29 saves on 30 shots for a victory against Northfield Mount Hermon. In a 5-2 win over Belmont Hill, Truchon was up to the task, making 33 saves.
Honorable mentions:Â Matt Wood, Tilton (113 saves on 124 shots over three games); Ryan Nolan, Holderness (42 saves on 44 shots over two games)
BRACKET PREDICTIONS: Check out our NCAA D1 men's hockey bracket predictions two months from the tournament
Independents
Top skater:Â Jackson Powers, Canterbury
Powers led Canterbury to a perfect week, as the Saints have won seven in a row. Powers posted two goals and two assists in a 7-3 win over Albany Academy, three assists in a 5-1 win against Pomfret and two goals and another assist in a 7-5 takedown of Winchendon. The postgrad had a third of his output this season in one week.
Honorable mentions: Sean Gibbons, Brunswick (3-5—8); Ryan Lucarelli, Canterbury (4-4—8); Luke Corrigan, Pomfret (5-2—7); Gabriel Qureshi, Williston Northampton (2-5—7); Oliver Lapointe, Williston Northampton (2-4—6); Sam Ciappa, Canterbury (4-2—6); Tanner Hunt, Cushing (3-3—6); AJ Sacco, Cushing (2-4—6)
Top goalie:Â Will Baker, Brunswick
Baker took on high-level competition at the MacPherson Challenge at St. Andrew's College. Even though he went 1-2-0, Baker made 26 saves on 28 shots in a 2-1 loss to Northwood, 31 stops on 34 shots in a 4-2 loss to Culver and stopped 27 shots to beat GOJHL U18, 5-4.
Honorable mentions:Â Colin Davis, Dexter Southfield (58 saves on 63 shots over two games); Mitchell McCusker, Frederick Gunn (38 saves on 40 shots in one game)
