We have three new champions in boys prep hockey.
Last Sunday, Kimball Union took home the Elite 8 title, while Kent snagged the Large School and Canterbury won the Small School.
All three teams had various contributions throughout the lineup to get there — that's typically what it takes to win any championship. But along with those three teams, other squads competed with them and had their top performers.
Don't worry — this won't be our last Top Performers. Next week, I'll have the top performers of the full season.
For now, let's take a look at the top performers from the NEPSAC playoffs.
Holt
Top skater:Â Quinn Moses, Pingree
Yes, I know. The Holt had no representation in the NEPSAC playoffs, however the Holt playoffs took place right before, with Pingree as the champion. Moses had his biggest game in a 6-0 win over Hebron, scoring two goals and adding three assists, before tallying an assist in a 5-0 win over Berwick and another in a 4-0 win over North Yarmouth Academy.
Honorable mentions: Hugo Daniel, NYA (4-3—7); Ryan Kavanagh, Pingree (2-4—6); Max Kirianov, Pingree (3-2—5); Joe Gaffney, Pingree (1-4—5)
Top goalie:Â Nick Hubbard, Pingree
No question about this one. Hubbard pitched three shutouts en route to the Holt title, making 17 saves against Hebron, 20 against Berwick and 30 against North Yarmouth Academy.
Honorable mentions:Â None
Housatonic
Top skaters: Owen Mahar and Gio DiGiulian
I'm giving this to Mahar and DiGiulian because both had huge impacts on Kent's Large School championship. Mahar tallied two goals and a whopping six assists over the three games. One of those goals and one of those assists came in the championship. DiGiulian scored five goals and added an assist, including potting two in the championship.
Honorable mentions: Teddy Mallgrave, Kent (1-3—4); Zach Walsh, Salisbury (1-2—3); Duke Gentzler, Salisbury (2-0—2); Ryan Flaherty, Avon Old Farms (2-0—2)
Top goalie:Â Aidan Hopewell, Kent
No team gets a championship without strong goaltending and Hopewell provided that for Kent this past week. He made 26 saves to beat Deerfield, 5-1, before turning away 32 shots to edge out Berkshire, 5-4. He saved his best for Sunday, making 36 saves to hold Dexter Southfield's strong offense to two goals.
Honorable mentions:Â Anthony Palmer, Avon Old Farms (60 saves on 63 shots over two games); Cooper Flemming, Salisbury (57 saves on 62 shots over two games)
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Jonathan Rivard, Rivers
Rivard was especially impactful in Rivers' two wins leading up to the championship game, notching a goal and an assist in both a 5-3 win over Proctor and a 5-0 win over Frederick Gunn. The sophomore '07 finished the season with five goals and 15 points in 29 games.
CHAMP RECAPS AND TAKEAWAYS: KUA wins Elite 8 | Kent wins Large School | Canterbury wins Small SchoolÂ
Honorable mentions: Jacob Kulas, Rivers (2-2—4); Finn Sears, Rivers (2-1—3); Sam Pandolfo, Rivers (0-3—3); Marco Senerchia, St. George's (1-1—2); Tate Pecknold, St. George's (1-1—2); Max Donatelli, St. George's (1-1—2)
Top goalie:Â Jason Delehoy, Rivers
Rivers' goalie situation was up in the air throughout the season, but Delehoy took hold of the job at the end of the season, guiding the Red Wings to the Small School final. He made 17 saves against Proctor before earning a 20-save shutout of Frederick Gunn. Even though his team lost to Canterbury, Delehoy still made 32 saves on 34 shots and kept his team in the game.
Honorable mentions:Â Ethan Ramonetti, Groton (40 saves on 42 shots in one game)
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Billy MacAusland, Nobles
ISL Keller teams didn't have the best showing in the NEPSAC playoffs. But in Nobles' 8-5 loss to Berkshire in the Large School quarterfinals, MacAusland did score a goal and register two assists.
Honorable mentions: Teddy MacAusland, Nobles (1-1—2); Andrew Waugh, Belmont Hill (2-0—2)
FULL BRACKETS: Elite 8 | Â Large School | Small School
Top goalie:Â Pelle Russo, St. Sebastian's
Yes, St. Sebastian's fell to Cushing, 2-1, in overtime. But the only reason St. Sebastian's was able to force overtime was because of Russo's outstanding play in net. The senior made 34 saves on 36 shots, keeping the Arrows in the game as the Penguins ramped up offensive pressure.
Honorable mentions:Â None.
Lakes
Top skater:Â Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union
No contest here. Over three games, the UNH commit scored four goals and nine points, leading Kimball Union to an Elite 8 title. Two of those goals came in the championship game, along with one nifty assist. Just like the regular season, Sadowski always came up for the Wildcats when it mattered most.
Honorable mentions: Sam LeDrew, KUA (3-4—7); Andrew O'Sullivan, KUA (1-5—6); Corwith Simmers, KUA (4-0—4)
Top goalie:Â Blake McMeniman, Kimball Union
Again, no contest. McMeniman backstopped Kimball Union to an Elite 8 title, taking down St. George's with 49 saves, Salisbury with 28 and Cushing with 31. He also went toe-to-toe with St. George's goalie and Maine commit Ryder Shea, Flemming and Cushing goalie and Arizona State commit Marko Bilic. He won all three battles.
Honorable mentions:Â Ryan Nolan, Holderness (27 saves on 29 shots in one game)
Independents
Top skater:Â Cullen Emery, Dexter Southfield
The Independents featured a lot of top performers from the previous week. Emery was outstanding, notching three assists in a 6-3 win over Belmont Hill in the Large School quarterfinals before scoring two goals in a 3-1 semifinal win over Phillips Andover. He assisted on sophomore defenseman Matt Hines' goal in the championship game, too, giving him a six-point stretch.
Honorable mentions: Ryan Lucarelli, Canterbury (2-3—5); Jake Stevens, Canterbury (1-4—5); Nate Porter, Dexter (0-5—5); Duncan Stewart, Canterbury (1-3—4); Sam Ciappa, Canterbury (3-1—4); Evan Regan, Berkshire (3-1—4); Antoine Gauthier, Berkshire (1-3—4); Grayden Robertson-Palmer, Phillips Andover (1-3—4)
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS & MVP: Elite 8 | Large School | Small School
Top goalie:Â Ben Skowronek, Phillips Andover and Beau Johnson, Pomfret
I know, I know. I should pick one. But I'm not because both are equally deserving. Skowronek made a whopping 44 saves to upset No. 2 Lawrence Academy in the Large School quarterfinals, while Johnson turned in a 36-save performance to topple No. 2 St. Mark's in the Small School quarterfinals. Skowronek stopped 29 in the semifinal loss to Dexter, while Johnson did everything to keep Pomfret in the game against Canterbury, making 46 saves in the 3-2 loss.
Honorable mentions:Â Marko Bilic, Cushing (61 saves on 66 shots over three games); Max Pitts, Canterbury (65 saves on 72 shots over three games); Colin Davis, Dexter (87 saves on 94 shots over three games)
