The prep school playoffs were a sprint. In the course of five days, three different tournaments went from eight teams to one.
And there was quite a lot of action.
New champions have been crowned. Taft took the Large School title, Lawrence Academy finished off an impressive run with the Small School championship and Avon Old Farms sits atop the prep hockey mountain after snagging the coveted Elite 8 title.
Lots of players brought their best for these games.
Here are the top performers from the playoffs.
Piatelli/Simmons Small School tournament
Top skater:Â Owen Leahy, Lawrence Academy
Who else was going to get this? Leahy produced in all three games en route to his team's Small School championship win. To take down Governor's Academy in the quarterfinals, Leahy potted a goal and an assist. He added another assist in the semifinal win over New Hampton. He saved his best for last, scoring two goals in a 4-3 win over Frederick Gunn to secure the title. Both goals were huge — the first stopped Frederick Gunn's momentum and the second won the game. Hard to have a better stretch than that.
Honorable mentions: Christian Day, New Hampton (1-4—5); Christian Wood, Frederick Gunn (1-3—4); Brendan Hirsch, Lawrence Academy (3-0—3); Spencer Hirsch, Lawrence Academy (3-0—3); Alex LoGuercio, Frederick Gunn (3-0—3)
Top goalie:Â Vincent Lamberti, Lawrence Academy
Lamberti turned it on in the second half, culminating in three straight wins to secure the title. He shut out Governor's Academy with 28 saves. Against New Hampton in the semifinals, he turned away 28 shots in a 4-3 win. In the championship game, he did enough to take down Frederick Gunn, 4-3. He showed mental toughness after giving up two goals in the third period to go down, 3-1. He didn't allow another after that.
Honorable mention:Â Evan Plunkett, Holderness (57 saves on 61 shots over two games)
HOW IT HAPPENED: Avon wins Elite 8 | Taft wins Large School | Lawrence Academy wins Small School
Martin/Earl Large School tournament
Top skater:Â Jackson Holl, Taft
Holl entered the playoffs as Taft's leading point-getter, and he played like it last week. The senior registered a hat trick and an assist in the quarterfinals against Kent. Then, he notched a goal and two assists against Tabor in the semifinals before scoring a goal against Salisbury in the championship. He finished the prep calendar with 18 goals and 50 points in 28 games.
Honorable mentions: Derek Tremblay, Taft (3-3—6); Alexander Kenerson, Taft (1-3—4); Seamus Latta, Salisbury (1-3—4); Joe Hurton, Dexter Southfield (3-0—3); Kenan Dewberry, Tabor (2-1—3)
Top goalie:Â Rudy Guimond, Taft
Again, did you expect anyone else to get this? Guimond was his typical, outstanding self in the playoffs. The Yale commit stopped 35 of 38 shots against Kent, 46 of 47 shots against Tabor and then put on a show in the final, turning aside 49 of 51 shots to secure the 3-2, overtime win over Salisbury. What a season.
PHOTO GALLERIES: Elite 8 | Large School | Small School
Honorable mention:Â Matt Alberti, Salisbury (49 saves on 53 shots over two games)
Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 tournament
Top skater:Â Joe Odyniec, Avon Old Farms
In Avon Old Farms' run to the Elite 8 title, Odyniec posted four goals and seven points in three games. After notching an assist in the Winged Beavers's win over Westminster in the quarterfinals, Odyniec exploded for a hat trick and two assists against Belmont Hill in the semifinals. He capped off the run with the eventual game-winning goal in the championship game. Odyniec finished the season with an impressive 18 goals and 38 points in 28 games.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: Elite 8 | Large School | Small School
Honorable mentions: Joe Connor, Avon Old Farms (1-3—4); Ronan O'Donnell, Belmont Hill (2-2—4); Landan Resendes, Cushing (3-0—3); Sean Gibbons, Brunswick (3-0—3); Lenny Greenberg, Belmont Hill (2-1—3)
Top goalie:Â Stephen Peck, Avon Old Farms
Peck was the heartbeat of Avon Old Farms all season, and that continued through the playoffs. He stopped 26 of 27 shots to beat Westminster and then made 30 stops to beat Belmont Hill, 7-2. His best performance came in holding Cushing to one goal by making 44 saves. Peck finished the season with a stunning 1.26 GAA (first in the region) and .948 save percentage (tied for first in the region).
Honorable mentions:Â Cooper Rautenstrauch, Cushing (59 saves on 64 shots over three games); Brendan Holahan, Brunswick (50 saves on 54 shots over two games)
