Last year, the New Hampshire high school hockey season was chock-full of thrilling games and stellar performances.
As we churn into December, it means only one thing for high school hockey players across the state: It’s go time.
There were action-packed championship games across all three divisions last year, and this season promises to be a great one across New Hampshire as Concord, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Belmont-Gilford look to defend their titles.
Here’s a look at 10 of the top teams in the state across each division, with the new season set to get underway on Dec. 15.
DIVISION I
Concord
Last season: 19-2-0
Coming off of their third Division 1 state championship in the last five years, Concord remains the class of New Hampshire’s top conference and the clear team to beat. The Crimson Tide hung on to win a four-overtime marathon in the championship game against Bishop Guertin. Having only graduated five seniors, Concord is poised to make another run at the title.
Leading the way for the Crimson Tide will be senior Chad LaRiviere and sophomores Nolan Walsh and Carter Heise. LaRiviere led the team with 38 points, while Walsh put up 29 as a freshman. Heise won the starting goaltender role heading into the playoffs and was outstanding on their championship run. He posted an incredible 0.66 goals against average in the three playoff games.
“I wouldn’t say there’s pressure to win. Every year our goal is the same. We want to try to get better and better as the year goes on and have a chance at the end,” Concord head coach Dunc Walsh said. “We lost some good kids as everyone does, but our goal is the same.”
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Bishop Guertin
Last season: 17-4-0
The Cardinals narrowly fell to Concord in the state championship last season after winning their final 11 games of the regular season last year to claim the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. Gavin Santos will likely be the Cardinals' top player. Santos earned praise from Concord head coach Dunc Walsh, who said sees him as one of the best defensemen in the state.
Hanover
Last season: 12-7-2
Hanover made a run to the semifinals in last season’s playoffs, but was ultimately ousted by the eventual state champs in Concord. The Bears entered the playoffs as the No. 5 seed and upset No. 4 Salem in the quarterfinals.
Ronan Przydzielski, Ryder Wilson, Will Hopkins, and Gavin Nartowicz were all impact players for the Bears last season.
Exeter
Last season: 12-8-1
Exeter fell short of expectations in 2023-24, finishing with a 10-11-0 record. They followed that up with a strong campaign last season as they made a run to the semifinals. Though the Blue Hawks lost plenty of players to graduation and prep school, they still have a solid core that will look to build on last year’s success.
DIVISION II
St. Thomas Aquinas
Last season: 15-6-0
St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Merrimack/HBD 4-2 in last year’s Division II championship, and as the adage goes: “they’re the champs till they’re not.” The Saints lost their top two scorers heading into this season in Garrett Aceto and Jackson Estes, who combined for 96 points last season. They do retain their No. 3 and No. 4 scorers in Adam Kozlowski and Aiden Tibbets.
Kozlowski would have been the top scorer on most other teams, as he finished the season with 21 goals and 17 assists for 38 points. Tibbets wasn’t far behind him with 10 goals and 16 assists for himself.
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Oyster River
Last season: 15-3-3
Oyster River was upset in the semifinals by St. Thomas Aquinas last season, losing that game 6-5 in overtime. The Bobcats looked poised to claim the top seed in the postseason as they were undefeated for the first two months of the regular season, but losses in three of their last five games gave them a lower seed.
Spaulding
Last season: 17-3-0
Spaulding was eliminated in the semifinals in an upset loss to Merrimack/HBD after entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Spaulding will lose one of the best players in the state from last season in Ryan Dube, who left prep school to return to the Red Raiders for his junior and senior seasons. Dube had 35 goals and 27 assists for 62 points last season. Still, a strong culture around the program should propel them towards another successful season.
DIVISION III
Belmont-Gilford
Last season: 16-4-2
It took overtime for Belmont-Gilford to defeat Kingswood in the Division III championship last season. The Golden Eagles had lost three times to Kingswood throughout the season, but showed immense grit to beat them when it mattered most. Belmont-Gilford has all the pieces in place to make another run in the playoffs this year.
Kingswood
Last season: 17-3-1
Kingswood was the runner-up in Division III, but was clearly the team to beat all season long. They finished the season as the No. 1 seed in a parity-heavy division, and just didn’t have the legs to finish the job in the championship game.
Nate Cloos, Jake DeBuc and James Rogers will be players to watch for the Knights this season as they look to stack successful campaigns and make it back to the championship game for the second time in school history.
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Berlin-Gorham
Last season: 16-3-2
Berlin-Gorham inherits players who have all played together through their time in the youth program. They are a perennial contender at the Division III level. This season shouldn’t be any different. Last season was the first time since 2019 that they didn’t make it to the state championship. The Mountaineers will be led by Boyd Poulin, Dillon Boucher, and Hudson Goulet as they look to carry on their school’s tradition and make it back to the championship this season.
