The race to the playoffs is in full swing. Boys prep hockey teams are looking to steadily improve over these next bunch of weeks.
While some look to turn their seasons around, many new teams sit near the top of our latest rankings.
There were a lot of goals over the last week, especially in both the Housatonic and Lakes divisions, which had some monstrous scores.
Let's dive in to see how that impacted last week's performances.
Holt
Top skater:Â Eli Chilicki, Berwick
Chilicki in this spot has become the norm. Despite Berwick losing both games, the North Berwick, Maine, native was the bright spot in both matchups. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound forward notched an impressive two goals and four points in a 6-5 loss in overtime to Bridgton Academy. In a 4-2 loss to Brewster Academy, Chilicki posted a goal and an assist, which got him to 30 points on the season — the most in prep hockey.
Honorable mentions: Marcus Macchioni, Kents Hill (1-4—5); Chase Aldridge, Hebron (4-1—5); Anthony DeFilio, Hebron (2-3—5); Connor Dozois, Worcester Academy (4-0—4)
Top goalie:Â Patrick McDevitt, Portsmouth Abbey
McDevitt posted a strong week, shutting out Middlesex with 24 saves. Then, in a 5-2 win over Hebron, the netminder turned aside 29 shots. The junior has a 2.60 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
Honorable mention:Â Brandon Prior, Worcester Academy (41 saves on 43 shots in one game)
Housatonic
Top skater:Â Blake Burke, Westminster
There were some borderline football scores in the Housatonic this week, which greatly inflated stats. They weren't quite football scores for Westminster, but a 6-2 win over Taft and a 5-1 victory against Salisbury were convincing. At the center of that was the sophomore Burke (Trumbull, Conn.). In the matchup with Taft, he scored a goal and added three assists (all three helped teammate Brian Judge get a hat trick). And then in a statement win over Salisbury, Burke posted two goals and an assist.
Honorable mentions: Ryan Shaw, Westminster (1-6—7); Justin Tavares, Deerfield (5-1—6); Jack Roberts, Kent (1-4—5); Owen Mahar, Kent (1-4—5); Jackson Holl, Taft (2-3—5); J.J. Lemieux, Taft (3-2—5)
Top goalie:Â Matteo De Luca, Westminster
A byproduct of all the scoring was not-so-great numbers in net. However, that didn't apply to De Luca, who backstopped Westminster to both of its wins. He turned away 33 of 35 shots against Taft and followed that up by taking down the defending Elite 8 champs with 41 saves. He boasts a 2.64 GAA and .920 save percentage.
ISL Eberhart
Top skater:Â Allen Fang, Groton
At 2-8-2, Groton may not be having the best season, but Fang was a bright spot last week. In a 5-1 win over Hebron, the junior forward had two goals and a helper. He followed that up with an assist against St. George's. He leads Groton in points with nine and has already equaled his scoring output from last year.
Honorable mentions: Alejandro Hassan, Groton (0-4—4); Zach Baker, Groton (2-1—3); Jonathan Balzarini, St. Mark's (2-1—3); Jacob Kulas, Rivers (2-1—3); Danny Buckley, St. George's (3-0—3); Will Rassier, Brooks (2-1—3)
Top goalie:Â Ethan Ramonetti, Groton
Ramonetti's strong season continued last week. He posted 27 saves to beat Hebron and stopped 39 of 42 shots against St. George's. The 5-foot-9, 150-pound goalie has found a way to post solid numbers this season: a 2.56 GAA and a .930 save percentage.
ISL Keller
Top skater:Â Brock Cummings, Belmont Hill
Belmont Hill earned two wins last week — one over Thayer and one against Governor's Academy. After being down two goals to Thayer, Cummings tied the game with his lamplighter en route to a 3-2 win. He followed that up with a three-assist performance against Governor's Academy.
Honorable mentions: Matthew Biotti, Belmont Hill (1-3—4); Ronan O'Donnell, Belmont Hill (3-0—3); Jacob Pohl, Milton Academy (2-1—3); Mason Chen, Milton Academy (1-2—3); Austin Tasca, Nobles (2-1—3); Tyson Scanlon, Governor's Academy (1-2—3); Michael Marchese, Governor's Academy (1-2—3)
Top goalie:Â Gus Ackerman, Tabor
Ackerman had another strong week for Tabor. The goaltender from Marion, Mass., stopped 35 of 36 shots to beat Milton Academy, 2-1. In the Travis Roy Cup, Ackerman was solid again, stopping 34 of 37 shots sent his way from St. Sebastian's and standing strong in overtime to get a 3-3 tie. He won MVP for his team.
Lakes
Top skater:Â Jackson Kyrkostas, Kimball Union
Kimball Union needed a big week and got it, sweeping its three-game slate. Kyrkostas, the big gun on offense, showed up in a big way, posting four goals and nine points. That production came through one goal and an assist in a win over Vermont Academy, two goals and an assist in a tight, 4-3 win over Tilton and one goal and three assists in a 6-1 against St. Paul's. The Windham, N.H., native ranks second in prep hockey with 29 points. He's 12 points shy of his total last year, which was 41. Kimball Union has 15 games left. At this rate, he'll have no trouble setting a new career high.
Honorable mentions: Andrew O'Sullivan, Kimball Union (2-4—6); Jack Sadowski, Kimball Union (1-5—6); Dalton Kane, Brewster Academy, (2-3—5); Quinn Booth, Tilton (2-3—5)
PREP HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS: 10 uncommitted underclassmen who raised their stock
Top goalie:Â Nate Zerrenner, New Hampton
Zerrenner stopped 28 of 30 shots, falling just short in a 2-1 loss to Proctor. But he was superb against Dexter, stopping 45 of 46 shots in a 1-1 tie.
Honorable mentions:Â Dan Heroux, Kimball Union (60 saves on 64 shots over two games); Owen Wilgos, Vermont Academy (64 saves on 68 shots in one game)
Independents
Top skater:Â Jed Brazo, Canterbury
It was another big week for Brazo, who continues to produce for Canterbury. In a 6-3 win over Choate, he posted two goals and four points. Against Austin Prep, he had two goals and an assist in a 6-3 win. Even in Canterbury's 6-2 loss to Frederick Gunn, the senior forward notched an assist. Brazo leads Canterbuy in goals (13) and points (25).
Honorable mentions: Sean Gibbons, Brunswick (2-4—6); Ethan Skowronek, Andover (2-4—6); Alex LoGuercio, Frederick Gunn (3-2—5); Linas Dedinas, Cushing (3-2—5); Jake Kloss, Canterbury (2-3—5); Nolan Roche, Andover (3-2—5)
ON THE RISE: 5 underclassmen who boosted stock at prep holiday tournaments
Top goalie:Â Tommy Adams, Northfield Mount Hermon
Adams' week got off to an odd start after coming in to relieve teammate Kyle Bolduc, who had given up five goals to Berkshire. Adams stood strong, making 11 saves on 12 shots. He started the next two games, earning a 21-save shutout against Lawrenceville and stopped 21 of 24 pucks sent his way in a 5-3 win over Stanstead College.
Honorable mentions:Â Danick Leroux, Berkshire (46 saves on 47 shots over two games); Cooper Rautenstrauch, Cushing (42 saves on 45 shots over two games)
