December 11, 2017

New England Prep Hockey Rankings

Rank Record The Skinny
1
Salisbury		 4-0-0
More newcomers, and greater depth than last year. Losing Tyce Thompson and Johnny Beecher hurts, but the Knights 5 leading scorers were juniors last year -- and 4 are back. We expect more firepower than last year. LAST WEEK: beat Millbrook 7-4, beat Hotchkiss 5-3. THIS WEEK: @ Albany (Wed.), then the Flood-Marr (KUA, Milton, Deerfield, and TBD)
2
Rivers		 4-0-0
Quick out of the gate, with wins over Seb's and Thayer. Senior Teddy Wooding (4-7-11 in 4 GP) is lighting it up and senior G Aidan Porter, a Princeton recruit, continues his excellent work (1.25 gaa, .960 save %). LAST WEEK: beat St. George's 6-1, beat Groton 7-2. THIS WEEK: @ St. Seb's Tournament (Brunswick, TBD, and TBD).
3
Kimball Union		 5-1-0
Defending champs have junior D Jordan Harris, a contender for prep d-man of the year. They lost several top scorers from last year (Lombardi, Hirvonen, Young) but there is depth to make up the difference. They also have both goalies -- Dynan and Turcotte -- back. LAST WEEK: beat Proctor 7-4, beat Brewster 10-0, beat Tilton 5-4. THIS WEEK: @ Flood-Marr (Salisbury, Deerfield, Milton, and TBD).
4
Milton		 3-0-0
Milton has a new goalie in junior Erik Voloshin -- and he's only allowed 5 goals over 3 games with a .928 save %. Late '02 freshman Matt Beniers, who leads the team in scoring, is a special talent. The Mustangs have a tough draw at the Flood-Marr, so we'll know more next week. LAST WEEK: beat LA 5-2, beat Gov's 7-2. THIS WEEK: @ Flood-Marr (Deerfield, Salisbury, KUA, and TBD).
5
Exeter		 5-1-1
Sophomore G Ryan Welch, now a veteran, will have to be just as good as last year, and can't afford hiccups like against St. Seb's Saturday. There's depth up front, but the defense is relying on several converted forwards. LAST WEEK: tied Dexter 2-2, lost to St. Seb's 6-0. THIS WEEK: vs. New Hampton (Wed.), vs. Hoosac (Sat.)
6
Dexter		 2-0-1
Senior D Jack Rathbone will be out for a few weeks, the result of a nagging knee injury suffered in fall hockey. That hurts, but Dexter appears to be a better, faster team than last year, mainly because they didn't lose much to graduation and got junior G Derek Mullahy and junior F John Farinacci, both Harvard recruits, from S-SM U16. LAST WEEK: tied Exeter 2-2, beat Nobles 4-2. THIS WEEK: @ Groton-Lawrence Tournament (Proctor, Culver, Groton, and TBD).
7
Frederick Gunn School		 3-1-0
A young team, with just a few seniors, so time will tell how they do against bigger, older teams. To that point, their only loss thus far is a 2-1 decison to Exeter. Senior F Albert Washco will be counted on for a lot. Junior JP Mella, who shared goaltending duties with Dexter's Mullahy at Shattuck last season, takes over for Cedrick Andree, who left for the OHL. LAST WEEK: beat New Hampton 6-2, beat Berkshire 3-1. THIS WEEK: @ Kent (Mon.), then the Avon Tournament (T-P, Berkshire, Loomis, and TBD).
8
Trinity-Pawling		 3-0-0
They're already halfway to last year's win total. In 4 games junior G Evan Ruschil, from the Hartford Jr. Wolfpack, has been terrific, with a 1.31 GAA and .960 save %. He has to be terrific, as T-P has been outshot in every game. Junior Joey Musa is the key to the attack. LAST WEEK: beat Albany 4-1, beat Avon 2-1 (OT). THIS WEEK: @ Avon Tournament (Gunnery, Loomis, Berkshire and TBD).
9
Westminster		 2-0-0
A small sample, but sophomore Ian Shane (1.00 gaa, .959 save %) has been key. Last year, Shane backed up Kai Edmonds, who left for the OHL. LAST WEEK: beat NMH 5-1, beat Choate 3-1. THIS WEEK: @ Flood-Marr (Andover, Hotchkiss, Nobles, and TBD).
10
Vermont Academy		 4-0-0
Opened eyes at the Exeter Invitational, especially with a 3-2 upset of defending prep champs KUA behind a 43-save effort from junior Dylan Regan, who was excellent for Austin Prep last year. On Saturday, Regan had 46 saves in win at Holderness. LAST WEEK: beat Holderness 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Proctor (Mon.), then the Barber Tournament (Kents Hill, TBD, and TBD).
* Note: Only games between NEPSIHA Div. I schools -- the principal factor in determining seedings for the playoffs -- are included in the won-lost records above.