With the teams long back from the Christmas and holiday break, the prep school season is heating up for the stretch drive toward league and regional championships.
The Elite 8 awaits.
Just by looking at the New England Hockey Journal Prep School Coaches Poll, you can see which teams are in the running to top them all come the end of the season. Dexter Southfield has had a solid run at the top of the charts, but Salisbury, Lawrence and Avon Old Farms are among the teams closing in. And you can't sleep on two-time defending Stuart/Corkery winner, Kimball Union, either.
It all makes for an exciting run for the end of the season. Which got us thinking: What are the biggest stories as we close in on the Elite 8? Below are some of the biggest storylines in New England prep school hockey right now.
Are we getting a Kimball Union vs. Salisbury redux?
The two rivals have met in the Elite 8 Stuart/Corkery (open) bracket final the last two years, with KUA emerging victorious by one goal both times. So, it would be easy to predict that these two teams, both of whom have very good records this season, are going to meet again in this year's final.
Not so fast.
While Salisbury is plowing through the competition -- the Knights are currently on a 15-game unbeaten streak after losing their first game of the season -- observers have soured a bit on Kimball Union, despite what their 14-5-1 record might indicate. In their last game, the Wildcats lost 3-1 to Deerfield Academy after being scored on in the first two shifts -- a tough setback to recover from, especially on the road.
You also have to take into account the precedent factor, which in this case dates not all that far back to the Flood Marr Tournament, where Salisbury beat its KUA rivals, 4-2, on the way to its second consecutive tournament title.
Having said all that, never count out a team with an elite player, and KUA has that in Adam Fantilli, the odds-on favorite to be the first-overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League draft, and a solid coach in Tim Whitehead. You just know Salisbury's Andrew Will, no slouch himself in the coaching department, is determined to end this debate.
Can Dexter Southfield close the deal?
Most immediately standing in the way of a Salisbury-KUA reunion is the little matter of the dominance exhibited by Dexter Southfield this season. A better question might be, can anyone catch Dexter Southfield? Coach Dan Donato has his team clicking, running up the offense, killing penalties and all-around playing well.
Dexter Southfield is 15-1, its lone loss coming to Lawrence, 5-4, at the Edward G. Watkins tournament at Cushing. The win for Lawrence was in return for Dexter Southfield winning 3-1 in a game between the two teams at the Lawrence-Groton tournament, Lawrence's only loss of the season.
"Things are going great," Donato said. "We really like our group. It’s a really tight group.
"Coming into the season, one of the question marks for our team was whether we’re going to start a freshman or sophomore goaltender. And we’ve been able to battle through the early part of the season, where you might have some freshman moments or sophomore moments, and our goaltending has been solid. Dylan Silverstein went over to the Youth Olympics in Switzerland, so it really gave Ryan Kazmouz a chance to kind of see what he’s made of, and three of the four games he’s stood out. Our goals-against is a 1.64 or something and our goals-for is something crazy like a 6, so when you have that differential, that’s obviously a good sign.
"But we know when you play the real teams at the end, you’re not going to score six goals and you’re not probably going to give up only one. So we’ve been working on tightening up some things in our own zone, but overall, I really, really like our group. They come to practice every day."
One advantage Dexter Southfield has is having virtually all their seniors committed for 2020-21.
"We’ve got a really good group of seniors who’re in a really good place for college, so they’re playing for each other right now, which is a really nice thing to have," Donato said. "I don’t think there’s probably another team in New England that can say that all of their seniors are placed. So, we’re really excited about where our kids are going to school and the opportunities they’re getting."
Circle Feb. 1 on your calendar, because that's when Dexter Southfield takes on Lawrence in the rubber match.
Can Avon Old Farms go all the way?
With stars such as Tabor Heaslip and Drew Tsakounis setting the pace, the speedy Winged Beavers are in the zone in coach John Gardner's latest attempt at a league title.
A minor concern some might have is that, when favored to go big at their own Christmas Classic while charging in undefeated, Avon instead surprisingly lost its second game, 3-1, to eventual tournament champs Kent, sidetracking its championship run.
But when you're 13-1 -- winning some games going away -- that's a minor quibble, really. And considering the Winged Beavers responded in a large way in their next game against the Lions, a convincing 6-0 win, you've got to think they've learned their lesson.
If that's the case, another Founders League title and ninth New England Division 1 Prep School Championship could be within Gardner's grasp.
Is Loomis Chaffee for real?
Standing in Avon's way this season could be a surprising contender: the Loomis Chaffee Pelicans.
Coach J.R. Zavisza has his club firing on all cylinders, running up a 9-2-2 record. Two shootout losses at the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic were minor stumbles, but they could also be a lesson for Loomis: since then, the team has gone 3-1, including two shutouts and a one-goal loss.
Why is this happening? The team spent the Thanksgiving break in Europe, committing a great deal of time and money early in the season to getting to know one another, and it has paid off. The players themselves have cited the trip as a unifying experience. Bottom line, when it comes down to big moments in big games, never underestimate a team that has a deeper bond than the opponent.
On the ice, you can't discount the play of top players Cody Hoban (Guilford, Conn.), Christopher Hibson and Alex Krause. Two games against area rival Avon Old Farms and one against Salisbury down the stretch will present true tests for the Pelicans.
Who will win the scoring race?
New Hampton and Gunnery own the top five players in the scoring race, with the Huskies' Marcus Joughin leading with 10 goals and 35 assists for 45 points.
Right behind him is top prospect Alex Jefferies of Gunnery, he of the laser-accurate shot and high potential, who has 18 goals and 23 assists for 41 points.
New Hampton (13-6-1) is again a small-school beast, looking to repeat its NEPSAC success from 2018, when it was a finalist. Gunnery, meanwhile, isn't having the season it had hoped at 12-7-1, but you can't count out a team that has a player the caliber of Jefferies. David Andreychuk and Mark D'Agostino are also having stellar scoring seasons for the Highlanders, so the balanced offense is there. Games against Salisbury, Avon Old Farms and Berkshire stand in Gunnery's way of pushing through.
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
