February 7, 2022

New England Prep Hockey Rankings

Rank Record The Skinny
1
Belmont Hill		 13-0-2
(1) Team GAA/GPG: 3.63/1.10 -- They'll be at #4 St. Seb's tomorrow. A big game for both teams. Belmont Hill will want to keep it a low-scoring affair. Their first meeting, on Jan. 8th, ended in a 3-3 deadlock. LAST WEEK: Beat Brooks, 3-0; beat LA, 5-1; beat Rivers, 4-1. THIS WEEK: @ Seb's (Wed.), vs. Thayer (Fri.), @ BB&N (Sat.)
2
Avon Old Farms		 16-1-0
(2) Team GAA/GPG: 4.24/1.18 -- The Winged Beavers, strong defensively, have two scoring lines, so the offense is spread around nicely. The most complete team we've seen this year. LAST WEEK: Beat Loomis, 4-2; beat Choate, 7-2; beat Westy, 4-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Gunn (Wed.), @ DA (Sat.), vs. Hotchkiss (Mon.)
3
Kimball Union		 20-1-1
(3) Team GAA/GPG: 5.52/1.99 -- KUA was scheduled to play Holderness on the road last Saturday, but, like all games that day, it was wiped out by snow and ice. Because of jammed-up schedules, the game will not be made up. (For purposes of Lakes Region standings only, this Saturday's game vs. Holderness will count double.) LAST WEEK: Beat Exeter, 3-1; beat Tilton, 6-2; beat NMH, 2-0, beat New Hampton, 5-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Andover (Wed.), vs. New Hampton (Fri.), vs. Holderness (Sat.)
4
St. Sebastian's		 13-3-1
(4) Team GAA/GPG: 4.59/2.60 -- The Arrows are 8-1-1 over their last 10, with a 3-2 OT loss to Nobles, and a 3-3 tie at Bel Hill their only 'blemishes' since the calendar flipped to 2022. #1 Bel Hill comes to Needham Wednesday, a good opportunity to see the Grier-B. Gorman-Callow line go up against a stingy defense. Something has to give. LAST WEEK: Lost to Nobles, 3-2 (OT); beat Thayer, 6-4; beat Milton, 5-2; beat St. Mark's, 6-5. THIS WEEK: vs. Bel Hill (Wed.), @ LA (Fri.), vs. Hoosac (Sat.)
5
Holderness		 15-1-1
(9) Team GAA/GPG: 5.24/1.74 -- Beating #10 Exeter in OT last Wednesday gave the Bulls a huge lift. A few days later, a winter storm wiped out their home game vs. KUA. As mentioned in our KUA comments above, that game will not be made up. But the Bulls will be facing #3 KUA on the road Saturday. LAST WEEK: Beat Brewster, 6-2; beat New Hampton, 4-3; beat Exeter, 2-1 (OT). THIS WEEK: @ Tilton (Wed.), vs. Kents Hill (Fri.), @ KUA (Sat.)
6
Salisbury		 14-5-0
(8) Team GAA/GPG: 4.79/1.93 -- #7 Kent put a crimp in the Scarlet Knights' second-half surge with a 4-3 OT win Monday. Kent also brought Salisbury's nine-game win streak to a halt. LAST WEEK: Beat Gunn, 8-0; beat 'Wick, 4-1; beat T-P, 7-2; beat Cushing, 3-1; lost to Kent, 4-3 (OT). THIS WEEK: vs. Taft (Wed.), @ Loomis (Sat.)
7
Kent		 12-6-0
(10) Team GAA/GPG: 3.61/2.14 -- It's easy to look at their six losses and go, "Whoa!" But Kent, which beat Salisbury in OT Monday to sweep their season's series, also has the toughest schedule in prep hockey (Only Seb's has an OPW anywhere near them.) Kent has split with #2 Avon, both 2-1 games. Half the Lions' games have been one-goal decisions either way, so they can handle the pressure. The all-senior McInery-Palombo-Kraft line has been difficult for opponents to handle. LAST WEEK: Beat Taft, 7-1; lost to Loomis, 4-2; beat Taft, 3-1; beat Salisbury, 4-3 (OT). THIS WEEK: @ Berkshire (Wed.), @ T-P (Sat.)
8
Brunswick		 13-4-0
(6) Team GAA/GPG: 4.70/2.52 -- Have won eight of last nine NEPSIHA games. The loss was to Salisbury, 4-1, on Jan. 31st. The Bruins have tons of talent, but, with only two seniors, they're green behind the ears. How will they handle the pressure as playoffs approach? LAST WEEK: Lost to Salisbury, 4-1; beat L'ville, 5-0; beat Williston, 6-2. THIS WEEK: vs. Elite U18, vs. Gunn (Fri.), @ Berkshire (Sat.)
9
Dexter		 11-4-3
(7) Team GAA/GPG: 3.63/2.49 -- A very good team, but also a team that lacks a high-end scorer. And depth, too. If any one of their key players is on the shelf with an injury, it shows. Last week, with both goalies out of the lineup with injuries, Dexter was forced to use a freshman vs. Pomfret and Andover. That's a big ask at any level. LAST WEEK: Tied Pomfret, 3-3; lost to Andover, 4-3. THIS WEEK: @ New Hampton (Wed.), @ Rivers (Fri.)
10
Exeter		 11-5-2
(N/R) Team GAA/GPG: 3.72/2.07 -- Only two losses since the Christmas break: one to #3 KUA, the other to #5 Holderness. (December losses came against #8 Brunswick, #4 St. Seb's, and Gov's.) In short, they win the games you'd expect them to win, but wins vs. teams above them in this poll are non-existent. Junior G Michael Salvatore has been excellent, not allowing more than two goals in a game since Dec. 11th. LAST WEEK: Beat SPS, 4-1; beat Cushing, 3-2; lost to Holderness, 2-1 (OT); beat Tilton, 4-2. THIS WEEK: @ Proctor (Wed.), vs. AA (Fri.), @ Choate (Sat.)
* 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.