Established 1996
 
 

 

Andover Strikes in the Third Period

Andover, Mass. -- Late in the third period, Andover struck for two goals 52 seconds apart to break up a 0-0 game en route to a 3-1 victory over visiting Groton.

This was a highly-entertaining, back-and-forth 0-0 game for two periods -- and all but the final six minutes of the third. Both teams displayed crisp passing and sound positional play, along with excellent goaltending from Andover's Charlie Archer and Groton's Kevin Clark, both juniors. 

The stalemate ended at 11:59 of the third, as Andover senior forward John Assayag, a Montreal native, took a beautiful cross-crease feed from senior D Carter Giampietro and beat Clark glove side for the first goal of the game.

For Assayag, it was his sixth goal in the last two games after netting five -- and an assist -- in Andover’s 10-5 win over Brewster on Saturday.

Fifty-two seconds later, Andover PG Mac Carso charged down the right wing side and into Groton's end. At the top of the circle he released a laser cross-ice feed to a streaking Thomas Manty at the far post. A nice bang-bang play, and it put Andover up 2-0. It would prove to be the game-winner.

Groton would pull Clark for the extra attacker with just over three minutes to play, but heavy forechecking by the hosts forced the Zebras to turn the puck over along their own left wing boards, allowing the ever-present Carso, a former Chicago Mission U18 player, to fire the puck into the empty net at the 15:20 mark for the insurance goal that made it 3-0.

Groton, however, didn't pack it in. Playing to the final buzzer, an unassisted goal by hard-working Groton senior Will Torriani with less than a second to play denied Archer and his mates the shutout.

Final shots were 32-25 in Andover’s favor.

After the game, Andover Head Coach Paul Tortorella praised his team for its solid defensive play and total team effort. “We stuck to the game plan, we played as a pack. It was a team effort and the D played really well. We had to keep the puck low in their zone and pressure them. You could see the pressure having its effect in the third period, and it created quality scoring chances. Groton played well, though.”

“Archer was solid tonight," Tortorella added, "as well as well as Dawson Arkell on defense. Patrick McDonald and (freshman William) Hughes had very good games for us up front, too."

Groton Head Coach Bill Riley said, “We wanted to get bodies in front of Archer and keep taking our shots. Their defensemen and Archer were really good tonight. I was pleased with the chances we created though. Drew Burke and Jonah Gold created some great opportunities. Burke has top-notch hockey IQ and very quick feet. Our defense, led by Brandon Slawaska and Thomas Dempsey, did a good job as well. We’ve been rotating our goalies (Kevin) Clark and Tristan Mecenas. Today, it was Clark’s turn to start. He was really seeing the puck well, and he controlled rebounds very effectively. He kept us in it deep into the game.” 

Groton, now 2-2 on the young season, will next play on Friday against Holderness when it hosts the Groton-Lawrence Holiday Tournament. Meanwhile, Andover, now with a record of 3-1, will take on Westminster this Friday at the Flood-Marr Holiday Tournament.

***
The above is a recap of a Tuesday night game. There was a limited slate of games on Wednesday night, as teams are readying themselves for the weekend's tournaments.

***

Results From Around Prep Hockey, Wed. Dec. 12, 2018:

Canterbury 4 @ Williston 2 -- Canterbury got all four of its goals -- from four different scorers -- in the second period. 6'4" junior goaltender Cal Skwara (39/41) earned the win. Williston outshot the Saints, 41-24.

Exeter 4 @ New Hampton 3 -- Both teams traded goals all night, but, with Exeter trailing 3-2 entering the final minutes of regulation, junior goalie Ryan Welch was pulled for the extra attacker, and it worked out for the visitors, as Exeter captain -- and workhorse -- Garrett Foster tipped home a point shot from PJ Garrett to tie the game up with 1:56 to play. Twenty-four seconds later, senior Andrew Seaman scored the game-winner, a snipe from the slot for the game-winner. Exeter doesn't play in the traditional Xmas tournaments. But they will be in action, as they host Governor's on Friday, and Hoosac on Saturday (at Deerfield).

@ Winchendon 5, St. George's 2 -- Senior Devin Moran (2g,1) and junior Danny Cavanagh (1g,2a) led Winchendon's attack and senior goaltender Topias Maki -- great name, by the way -- kicked out 30 of 32 shots.

@ Salisbury 8, Albany Academy 1 -- A bushelfull of Salisbury players chipped in offensively, and the Knights outshot AA, 45-12. Salisbury improves to 4-2, and will face KUA Friday morning at 11:00 am at the Flood-Marr.


 

Sun. Dec. 30th Tournament Scoreboard

 Edward G. Watkins Tournament (Final Day)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.    


Sunday's Playoff Schedule: -- Cushing edges Thayer, 2-1, for the title.
 
9:00 am: 7th Place -- Governor's 3, Canterbury 1
11:10 am: 5th Place -- NMH 3, Dexter 0
 1:20 pm: 3rd Place -- Lawrence 2, Culver 0
 3:30 pm: Championship Game -- Cushing 2, Thayer 1 -- Both Cushing goals -- both were also tips -- were scored by junior F Jacob Banks. Junior G Joe Sharib, a Union recruit, was named Tournament MVP. Cushing head coach Steve Jacobs said Thayer came out hard. "It was a fast-paced, up-and-down game," he said. "They (Thayer), are fast, but we were able to hold them off early. Sharib made some great saves and then we were able to take over."
All-Tournament Team:
Matt Iasenza - Canterbury, Grant Adams - Culver, Alex Duncan - Governor’s, John Fusco - Dexter, Sam Colangelo - Lawrence, Brandon Milberg - Lawrence, Jack Quinn - NMH, Reilly Moran - Thayer, Christian Hayes - Thayer, Brad Zona - Cushing, Jacob Banks - Cushing, Pat Keegan - Cushing, Jake Hewitt - Cushing, MVP - Joe Sharib - Cushing

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament (Final Day)
At Buffalo, NY

Sunday's Playoff Schedule: KUA tops Rivers, 5-3, for Championship.
 8:00 am -- 4th Place Teams -- Belmont Hill 6, St. Francis 1
10:00 am -- 3rd Place Teams -- New Hampton 4, Millbrook 4
12:00 pm -- 2nd Place Teams -- Nichols 3, Brunswick 1
 2:30 pm -- Championship Game -- KUA 5, Rivers 3 -- "We took a strong step forward this weekend as a team," KUA head coach Tim Whitehead reports. "We were disappointed with our performance at the Flood-Marr, but proud of our effort and execution in the Nichols Tourney. We competed hard and had balanced scoring and consistent defense."

Roxbury Latin Holiday Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Hennessy Rink, The Roxbury Latin School

101 Saint Theresa Ave, West Roxbury, MA 02132

Sun. Dec. 30th -- 2nd Round 
9:00 am -- Roxbury Latin 6, NYA 0
11:15 am -- BB&N 3, Berwick 3

Sun. Dec. 30th -- Final Round 
4:00 pm -- Roxbury Latin 6, Berwick 1
6:15 pm -- NYA 3, BB&N 1 



Sat. Dec. 29th Tournament Scoreboard

Edward G. Watkins Tournament (Day 2 of 3)

At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.                  
 9:00 am -- Dexter 5, Canterbury 0
11:10 am -- Thayer 3, Culver 2 
 1:20 pm -- Lawrence 4, NMH 3 (OT)
 3:30 pm -- Cushing 7, Governor’s 3
 5:40 pm -- Dexter 2, Thayer 2
 7:50 pm -- Culver 3, Canterbury 0

Sunday's Playoff Schedule:
 9:00 am: 7th Place -- Governor's vs. Canterbury
11:10 am: 5th Place -- NMH vs. Dexter
 1:20 pm: 3rd Place -- Lawrence vs. Culver
 3:30 pm: Championship -- Cushing vs. Thayer

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Buffalo, NY
 9:00 am -- Millbrook 2, Belmont Hill 1  
11:00 am -- Kimball Union 4, Brunswick 0 
 1:00 pm -- New Hampton 6, St. Francis 2
 3:00 pm -- Rivers 5, Nichols 4 
 6:00 pm -- Kimball Union 5, Belmont Hill 2
 8:00 pm -- Brunswick 3, Millbrook 2 

Sunday's Playoff Schedule:
 8:00 am -- 4th Place Teams -- Belmont Hill vs. St. Francis
10:00 am -- 3rd Place Teams -- New Hampton vs. Millbrook
12:00 pm -- 2nd Place Teams -- Nichols vs. Brunswick
 2:30 pm -- Championship Game -- KUA vs. Rivers

St. Sebastian's-Nobles New Year's Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Noble & Greenough School
12:00 pm -- Nobles 5, Williston 1
  2:15 pm -- Berkshire 4, St. Sebastian's 1

Roxbury Latin Holiday Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At Hennessy Rink, The Roxbury Latin School

101 Saint Theresa Ave, West Roxbury, MA 02132
1st Round:
1:00 pm -- Roxbury Latin vs. BB&N
3:15 pm -- Berwick 6, NYA 2          


 

Fri. Dec. 28th Tournament Scoreboard
Fifth Annual Pete Frates Classic (Day 2 of 2)

At the Essex Sports Center; Middleton, Mass.
Fundraiser for ALS research

Third-Place Game -- St. John's Prep 3, Central Catholic 3
Championship Game -- BC High 5, Pope Francis 4

Edward G. Watkins Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.                                              
 9:00 am -- Lawrence 3, Governor’s 2
11:10 am -- Cushing 4, NMH 3
 1:20 pm -- Culver 2, Dexter 1
 3:30 pm -- Thayer 5, Canterbury 1
 5:40 pm -- NMH 6, Governor’s 4
 7:50 pm -- Cushing 4, Lawrence 3 (SO)

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Buffalo, NY
  9:00 am -- Nichols 6, St. Francis 1 
11:00 am -- Rivers 4, New Hampton 3 (2-OT) 
 1:00 pm -- Brunswick 4, Belmont Hill 2
 3:00 pm -- Kimball Union 5, Millbrook 2
 6:00 pm -- Nichols 4, New Hampton 1
 8:00 pm -- Rivers 8, St. Francis 0 

St. Sebastian's-Nobles New Year's Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Sebastian's School (Friday)

At Noble & Greenough School (Saturday)
11:00 am -- St. Sebastian's 8, Williston 3
 1:15 pm -- Nobles 3, Berkshire  1 

 

 

Pulling the Goalie: When's the Best Time?

Recently, we came across a curious monograph that tackles that eternal question: When is the best time to pull the goalie? It's called "Pulling the Goalie: Hockey and Investment Implications" and the hockey argument, buttressed by applied mathematics, is that most coaches wait too long, thus reducing their team's chances of tying the game and getting to overtime. 
 
The study we're linking to below, by Clifford Asness and Aaron Brown, is heavy on applied mathematics, so there were parts this reporter skimmed over. So we can't comment on the methodology. But the conclusions, based on running various scoring models, supports a more aggressive approach.

To give the most dramatic example, the study argues that, all things being equal, the best time to pull the goalie when down by one goal comes with 6:10 left in the game.

If your team is down by two goals and there are 13:00 minutes remaining in the game, the study suggests pulling your goalie then. If you score before the clock reaches 6:10 left, put your goalie back in. If your team scores before the 6:10 remaining mark, pull him again until -- and if -- your team scores the tying goal.

If your team is down by three goals, the math suggests pulling your netminder with 3:40 to go in the second period.

Down by four, pull your goalie 4:10 into the second.

Down by five or more goals? Pray. The hockey gods may answer.

All of the above is subject to numerous game variables, which the authors do touch on. The study assumes the teams playing each other are evenly matched. And it ignores power plays, which zone the faceoff is in, and the fact that there is less scoring in the first period of a hockey game than the two periods that follow. There are additional variables, of course.

The study also gets into the likelihood of some of the more extreme strategies being employed in game situations.

"Two reasons have been advanced for this failure to act," the authors write. "First, coaches are not actually rewarded for winning. They are rewarded for being perceived as good coaches. Obviously, the two are closely related, but not exactly the same thing."

If, say, a coach employs one of the suggested strategies and, trailing 2-0, pulls his goalie with 13:00 left on the clock and it totally backfires, with the opposition just pouring in goals, the coach's trip back to the dressing room would be more like a perp walk, and the reporters would be questioning the wisdom of such a move.

"Essentially, winning ugly is undervalued versus losing elegantly,"the authors write, "and losing ugly can be career suicide. Once again, the way you measure risk matters in making the optimal decision."

"These numbers may sound silly, but they make the case and matter."

Draw your own conclusions, but the advantages gained are small, and most useful over an 82-game NHL schedule; less useful in shorter prep and college seasons.

Or, to use a phrase popularized by Mark Twain (but attributed to British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli), "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."


Pulling the Goalie: Hockey and Investment Implications, by Clifford Asness and Aaron Brown


 

Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Dec. 24, 2018


Thurs. Dec. 27, 2018:

Fifth Annual Pete Frates Classic (Day 1 of 2)
At the Essex Sports Center; Middleton, Mass.
Fundraiser for ALS research
Pope Francis vs. Central Catholic, 3:00 pm
St. John's Prep vs. BC High, 5:20 pm

Fri. Dec. 28, 2018:

Fifth Annual Pete Frates Classic (Day 2 of 2)
At the Essex Sports Center; Middleton, Mass.
Fundraiser for ALS research
Third-Place Game, 3:00 pm
Championship Game: 5:20 pm

Edward G. Watkins Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.                                              
 9:00 am -- Governor’s vs. Lawrence
11:10 am -- Cushing vs. NMH
 1:20 pm -- Dexter vs. Culver
 3:30 pm -- Thayer vs. Canterbury
 5:40 pm -- NMH vs. Governor’s
 7:50 pm -- Cushing vs. Lawrence

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Buffalo, NY
  9:00 am -- Nichols vs. St. Francis 
11:00 am -- New Hampton vs. Rivers
 1:00 pm -- Belmont Hill vs. Brunswick
 3:00 pm -- Millbrook vs. Kimball Union
 6:00 pm -- New Hampton vs. Nichols
 8:00 pm -- Rivers vs. St. Francis

St. Sebastian's-Nobles New Year's Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Sebastian's School (Friday)

At Noble & Greenough School (Saturday)
11:00 am -- Williston vs. St. Sebastian's
 1:15 pm -- Nobles vs. Berkshire 


Sat. Dec. 29, 2018:

Edward G. Watkins Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.                  
 9:00 am -- Canterbury vs. Dexter
11:10 am -- Culver vs. Thayer
 1:20 pm -- Lawrence vs. NMH
 3:30 pm -- Cushing vs. Governor’s
 5:40 pm -- Dexter vs. Thayer
 7:50 pm -- Canterbury vs. Culver

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Buffalo, NY
 9:00 am -- Belmont Hill vs. Millbrook
11:00 am -- Brunswick vs. Kimball Union
 1:00 pm -- St. Francis vs. New Hampton
 3:00 pm -- Nichols vs. Rivers
 6:00 pm -- Kimball Union vs. Belmont Hill
 8:00 pm -- Millbrook vs. Brunswick

St. Sebastian's-Nobles New Year's Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Noble & Greenough School
12:00 pm -- Williston vs. Nobles
  2:15 pm -- St. Sebastian's vs. Berkshire

Roxbury Latin Holiday Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At Hennessy Rink, The Roxbury Latin School

101 Saint Theresa Ave, West Roxbury, MA 02132
1st Round:
1:00 pm -- Roxbury Latin vs. BB&N
3:15 pm -- Berwick vs. NYA           


Sun. Dec. 30, 2018:

Edward G. Watkins Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.      
Fisher Division:
Cushing, Governor's, Lawrence, NMH
Iorio Division: Canterbury, Culver, Dexter Southfield, Thayer    
 
9:00 am -- Fisher 4 vs. Iorio 4
11:10 am -- Fisher 3 vs. Iorio 3
1:20 pm -- Fisher 2 vs. Iorio 2
 3:30 pm -- Fisher 1 vs. Iorio 1

Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At Buffalo, NY
Blue Division:
Belmont Hill, Brunswick, Millbrook, Kimball Union.
Green Division:
Nichols, St. Francis School, New Hampton, Rivers.
 8:00 am -- 4th Place Teams
10:00 am -- 3rd Place Teams
12:00 pm -- 2nd Place Teams
 2:30 pm -- Championship Game

Roxbury Latin Holiday Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Hennessy Rink, The Roxbury Latin School

101 Saint Theresa Ave, West Roxbury, MA 02132

Sun. Dec. 30th -- 2nd Round 
9:00 am -- Roxbury Latin vs. NYA
11:15 am -- BB&N vs. Berwick

Sun. Dec. 30th -- Final Round 
4:00 pm Roxbury Latin vs. Berwick
6:15 pm NYA vs. BB&N

Tues. Jan. 1, 2019:

Joshua H. Weeks Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At Tabor Academy, Marion, Mass. (except as noted)
Game 1: 9:00 am – St. Paul’s vs. Winchendon
*Game 2: 9:00 am – Proctor vs. Pomfret (at Gallo Arena) 

Game 3: 11:00 am – Tabor vs. Kents Hill
*Game 4: 11:0 0am – St. George’s vs. Worcester (at Gallo
 Arena)
Game 5: 2:00 pm – Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
Game 6: 4:00 pm – Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
Game 7: 6:00 pm – Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
Game 8: 8:00 pm – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4

 *Asterisk denotes games at Gallo Ice Arena, 231 Sandwich Rd, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532

Wed. Jan. 2, 2019:

Joshua H. Weeks Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At Tabor Academy, Marion, Mass.
9:00 am – Loser of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 5
11:00 am – Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 5
1:00 pm – Loser of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 7
3:00 pm – CHAMPIONSHIP -- Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 7

 


Salisbury #1 in New USHR Poll

Last week, Salisbury, then 3-2-0, did not even make USHR's Weekly Prep Poll. But a lot can change in seven days. The Knights, now on a six-game win streak that includes an impressive performance at the Flood-Marr, are back to a spot they are familiar with.

Salisbury is just one of three new teams to enter the Top 10 this week. Check it out:

USHR Prep Poll, Week of Dec. 17, 2018


 

Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Dec. 17, 2018

There is just a handful of prep games this week. Plenty of local high school action, though!

Mon. Dec. 17
Don Bosco Prep @ Bergen Catholic, 3:00 pm
Freehold Township @ CBA, 4:30 pm

Tues. Dec. 18
Princeton Day School @ The Hun School, 4:00 pm
Seton Hall Prep @ Delbarton, 4:45 pm

Wed. Dec. 19
Exeter vs. Groton, 2:30 pm -- at Merrimack College
North Yarmouth Academy @ Berwick, 3:45 pm
St. Augustine @ La Salle College HS, 4:00 pm
Delbarton @ Pope John, 5:00 pm
Pope Francis @ Brunswick, 5:00 pm
Gloucester Catholic @ CBA, 5:00 pm
Andover High School @ St. John's Prep, 5:15 pm
Hebron @ Dexter, 5:30 pm
St. Sebastian's vs. Catholic Memorial, 7:00 pm -- at Warrior Arena
Austin Prep @ Matignon, 8:00 pm

Thurs. Dec. 20
Stanstead College @ Exeter, 3:00 pm
Hill School @ Tabor, 4:00 pm
Bishop Eustace Prep @ Don Bosco Prep, 6:00 pm

Fri. Dec. 21
Bergen Catholic @ Don Bosco Prep, 7:00 pm
CBA @ St. Rose, 8:30 pm

Sat. Dec. 22
Xaverian @ Austin Prep, 4:00 pm
Framingham High @ St. John's Prep, 6:00 pm 


Mercuri Propels Salisbury to Flood-Marr Title

Dedham, Mass. -- Salisbury junior forward Lucas Mercuri, a UVM recruit who was playing Quebec Midget AAA hockey at this time last year, scored all four of his team's goals as the Knights made a statement here, topping a game Andover squad, 4-3, to take home Salisbury's sixth Flood-Marr title in the last 15 years.

In doing so, they quieted the critics.

Longtime prep hockey observers were wondering what was happening in the second week of the season when the Knights bowed to Millbrook, 8-5, and Hotchkiss, 7-1. Two consecutive losses -- and uncharacteristic ones at that.

"We've been looking for stability in net," Salisbury head coach Andrew Will said. "Nick Haas had two shutouts here, and Jared Levine played great against Deerfield. We need our goalies to come up big when we need it."

That they did. The Knights allowed only one goal over the three Flood-Marr games leading into the title game, and appear to be back on the beam.

Mercuri, the tournament MVP, was tough to handle. He scored a short-handed goal in the first, taking advantage of an Andover turnover. Next, after an ill-advised hit from behind penalty to Andover sophomore D Victor Malzahn -- a major and a game misconduct -- Mercuri cashed in as he appeared to deflect a shot in front in front of Andover junior goalie Charlie Archer. Mercuri completed his hat trick with a powerplay goal at the 4:54 mark of the second, converting a nice cross-crease pass from Nick Capone for a back-door goal. Salisbury, with a 3-0 lead, looked to have the game comfortably in hand.

But Andover, to its credit, had no quit in them. And Salisbury let them back into the game, as all three of Andover's goals came on the powerplay. The Thomas Manty-Tyler Little-Mac Carso line was on the ice for all three of Andover's goals.

The first goal came on a tip by Tyler Little at the 10:00 minute mark of the second, a powerplay goal.

The teams entered the third with Salisbury holding a 3-1 lead. 

At 4:49 of the third, Thomas Manty, who plays with speed, finished off a great pass from Andover senior Jonathan Assayag for the powerplay goal that cut Salisbury's lead to 3-2.

The killer -- Mercuri's goal with 7:01 left in regulation -- came off an Andover turnover. Mercuri corraled the loose puck and fired a 15 foot slapshot past Archer. That made it a two-goal game again. And Andover seemed to have no interest in rolling over and playing dead. On the powerplay, Little scored from the right faceoff circle, assisted by Manty. It was back to a one-goal game -- and that's how it ended.

Final shots were 38-19 in favor of Salisbury. Archer, who had allowed just five goals in the four games leading up to the title game, had an excellent game -- an excellent tournament, actually.

"Full credit to Andover," said Salisbury's Will. "They kept working, kept battling. Kept coming. Three power play goals for them. They capitalized on their opportunities."

"We have 16 kids who are new to prep hockey," added Will. "There are a lot of talented kids here, but they are still learning to play against older kids."

"We didn't quit," Andover coach Paul Tortorella said. " I'm proud of my guys. They deserved to be here. They played well, and they stuck to the game plan."

"They went to the net," added Tortorella. "We got a full effort from every single kid. We didn't have Christian Powers. And he was huge even though he didn't play. The kids reacted to his absence."

***

Flood-Marr All-Tournament Team


Flood-Marr MVP: Salisbury junior forward Lucas Mercuri

Flood-Marr All-Tournament Team:

Lucas Mercuri, Salisbury Jr. F
Clay Korpi, Salisbury Jr. D
Nick Haas, Salisbury Jr. G
Charlie Spence, Andover Soph. D
Mac Carso, Andover PG forward
Charlie Archer, Andover Jr. G
Marc Smith, Nobles Jr. G
Jack Cronin, Nobles Jr. F
Ian Shane, Weatminster Jr. G
Ned Blanchard, Westminster Jr. D
Quinton Fox, Milton Sr. F
Kyle Penney, KUA Sr. F/D
Noah de la Durantaye, Deerfield Sr. F
Jordan Ehrensperger, Hotchkiss Sr. F


 

Five-Goal Outburst Propels Dexter to Groton-Lawrence Title

Groton, Mass. -- Dexter exploded for five goals in the second period and rode the solid goaltending of tournament MVP Derek Mullahy to capture the 45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Tournament Championship with a 7-2 victory over Proctor on Sunday.

Down 1-0 entering the second period, Dexter wasted no time in evening the score, as a Proctor defensive miscue allowed the puck to squirt loose into the slot where Dexter junior forward Aidan Connolly pounced on it, poking it past Proctor goaltender Cole Chingras at the 13 second mark. And from there the floodgates opened wide. With Proctor on the power play, speedy junior Chase McInnis, a Northeastern recruit, broke down the right side, blew past the Proctor defense, and beat Chingras high stick-side, off the blocker, at the 3:26 mark. Dexter, now up 2-1, had a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

In the middle of the period, sophomore Connor Blanchard extended Dexter’s lead to 3-1, prompting Proctor head coach Mike Walsh to call timeout. The move, though, provided only a brief respite from the Dexter onslaught, as they continued to pressure Proctor. At 13:21, Dexter junior defenseman Jack Hughes blasted a slapshot from the right point to make it 4-1. Less than a minute later, some crisp passing set up junior John McElaney, who beat Chingras high to the glove side, giving Dexter a commanding 5-1 lead to take into the third period.

In the third, McElaney scored his second goal of the game, and freshman Vincent Gould made it 7-1 on a shot inside the far post at 11:18. With less than two minutes on the clock, Proctor ­­­senior Cam Joslin collected a rebound at the left side of crease and beat Mullahy stick-side at 16:53.

Final shots favored Dexter, 29-21.

“We were a little frustrated after the first period,” Dexter head coach Dan Donato said. “We were playing well but had nothing to show for it. At the beginning of the second period we got that poke-in goal by Connolly, and that got us going. From there we really seemed to get our legs and started capitalizing on our chances. Things really started to favor us then. With Mullahy in goal, teams know that it’s going to be tough to score a lot of goals.”

Tournament MVP Mullahy noted, “We practiced really hard in the days leading up to this tournament. We felt we were prepared when it began and it’s great to see our efforts pay off. I have great confidence in my defensemen and know they have my back out there.”

Proctor head coach Mike Walsh said his team battled in the first period, but just made too many mistakes in the second period. "You give a good team like Dexter chances and they’re going to finish them," Walsh said. We had a good run though. Our co-captain Kevin Craig was a real horse out there today, and Myles Abbate had a great tournament.”


 

Sun. Dec. 16th Tournament Scoreboard

 45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament (Final Day)
At the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)


Sun. Dec. 16th Playoff Schedule:

7th Place -- 9:00 am -- Groton 0, Lawrence 0 
5th Place -- 9:30 am -- Culver 3, Pomfret 2
3rd Place -- 11:00 am -- Cushing 4, Holderness 2  
1st Place -- 11:30 am --  Dexter 7, Proctor 2  

***
54th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Final Day)
Sun. Dec. 16th @ Nobles
  8:00 am - 7th Place: KUA 4, Milton 0  
10:00 am - 5th Place: Deerfield 6, Hotchkiss 2 
12:00 pm - 3rd Place: Westminster 5, Nobles 3
2:00 pm - Championship: Salisbury 4, Andover 3   

***

71st Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Final Day)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ.

Sunday's Playoff Schedule:
8:00 am -- 4th vs. 4th: Belmont Hill 5, Canterbury 3
10:00 am -- 3rd vs. 3rd: Nichols 2, Upper Canada College 1
12:00 pm -- 2nd vs. 2nd: NMH 1, Lawrenceville 0
 2:15 pm -- Championship Game -- Taft 5, Choate 0

***
St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament  (Final Day)
At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.
Sun. Dec. 16th
Game 9 -- 9:00 am -- Rivers 5, Winchendon 1
Game 10 -- 11:00 am -- Williston 4, Brunswick 4 (Consolation Game)
Game 11 -- 1:00 pm -- St. Andrew's College 3, Albany Academy 0 (Third Place Game)
Game 12 -- 3:00 pm --  St. Sebastian's 4, Northwood 3 (Championship Game)

***

Brooks-Pingree Tournament
(Final Day)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)

The schedule for Sunday, December 16:

@ Brooks School:
 9:00 am - Brooks 3, NYA 0
11:30 am - Championship Game -- Millbrook 4, New Hampton 3 (3-OT, but won in SO)
@ Pingree School:  
9:00 am - Pingree 4, Hebron 3
11:30 am - Tilton 7, Berwick 1  


 

Sat. Dec. 15th Tournament Scoreboard

36th Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Final Day)
At Avon Old Farms except, where noted, Trinity College.

Pierpont Division: Trinity-Pawling, Gunnery, Kent, Loomis Chaffee.
Trautman Division: Avon Old Farms, St. Paul's, Tabor, Berkshire.

Playoff Results: 
8:30 am -- Loomis 2, Berkshire 0
10:30 am -- Tabor 2, Trinity-Pawling 1 
 1:30 pm -- Avon 6, Kent 4
 3:30 pm -- Championship -- Gunnery 2, St. Paul's 0
Tournament MVP: Gunnery Jr. F Alex Jeffries

***

45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)
Sat. Dec. 15th
Game #5 -- 3:00 pm -- Pomfret 4, Groton 0
Game #6 -- 4:00 pm -- Culver 2, Lawrence 2 -- Culver advances on shootout
Game #7 -- 5:00 pm -- Proctor 7, Holderness 3
Game #8 -- 6:00 pm -- Dexter 4, Cushing 1

Sun. Dec. 16th Playoff Schedule:
7th Place -- 9:00 am -- Groton vs. Lawrence  (@ Lawrence Academy)
5th Place -- 9:30 am -- Pomfret vs. Culver (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
3rd Place -- 11:00 am -- Holderness vs. Cushing (@ Lawrence Academy)
1st Place -- 11:30 am --  Proctor vs. Dexter (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)

***
54th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 2 of 3)

At the Noble & Greenough School (Fri. Dec. 14 and Sun. Dec. 16); at Milton Academy (Sat. Dec. 15)
Sat. Dec. 15th @ Milton
 9:00 am -- Andover 5, Milton 2
11:00 am -- Westminster 3, Hotchkiss 0
 1:00 pm -- Salisbury 3, Nobles 0
 3:00 pm -- Deerfield 3, KUA 2 (OT)
 5:00 pm -- Westminster 8, Milton  1
 7:00 pm -- Andover 4, Hotchkiss 1

Sun. Dec. 16th @ Nobles
  8:00 am - 7th Place: Milton vs. KUA
10:00 am - 5th Place: Hotchkiss  vs. Deerfield 
12:00 pm - 3rd Place: Westminster  vs. Nobles
2:00 pm - Championship: Andover  vs. Salisbury
Team listed second is the home team and will wear dark jerseys.

***

71st Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament
(Day 2 of 3)

At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ.
Sat. Dec. 15th
 7:30 am -- Northfield Mt. Hermon 3, Canterbury 0 
 9:30 am -- Taft 4, Nichols 2
11:30 am -- Choate 2, Lawrenceville 1
 1:30 pm -- Upper Canada College 4, Belmont Hill 3
 3:30 pm -- Taft 4, Northfield Mt. Hermon 1
 5:30 pm -- Nichols 4, Canterbury 0
 7:30 pm --  Lawrenceville 3, Belmont Hill 1  
 9:30 pm -- Choate 3, Upper Canada College 2  

Sunday's Playoff Schedule:
8:00 am -- 4th vs. 4th: Belmont Hill vs. Canterbury
10:00 am -- 3rd vs. 3rd: Nichols vs. Upper Canada College
12:00 pm -- 2nd vs. 2nd: NMH vs. Lawrenceville
 2:15 pm -- Championship Game -- Choate vs. Taft

***

St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament
  (Day 2 of 3)

At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.
Sat. Dec. 15th
Game 5 -- 11:00 am -- Williston 7, Winchendon 1
Game 6 -- 1:00 pm -- Brunswick 3, Rivers 2
Game 7 -- 3:00 pm --  St. Sebastian's 3, Albany Academy 2
Game 8  -- 5:00 pm --  Northwood 2, St. Andrew's College 1

St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament  (Day 3 of 3)
At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.
Sun. Dec. 16th
Game 9 -- 9:00 am -- Winchendon vs. Rivers
Game 10 -- 11:00 am -- Williston vs. Brunswick (Consolation Game)
Game 11 -- 1:00 pm -- Albany Academy vs. St. Andrew's College  (Third Place Game)
Game 12 -- 3:00 pm --  St. Sebastian's vs. Northwood (Championship Game)

***

Brooks-Pingree Tournament
(Day of 2 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)

Sat. Dec. 15th
9:00 am: New Hampton 3, Brooks 2 
11:00 am: Berwick 3, Hebron 1 
5:00 pm: New Hampton 5, Hebron 3
7:00 pm: Brooks 3, Berwick 0 

9:00 am: Pingree 3, NYA 2 (OT)
11:00 am: Millbrook 4, Tilton 1 
5:00 pm: Millbrook 7, NYA 3
7:00 pm: Tilton 5, Pingree 1 

Here is the schedule for Sunday, December 16:

@ Brooks School:
 9:00 am - Brooks School vs. NYA
11:30 am - Championship Game -- New Hampton vs. Millbrook 
@ Pingree School:  
9:00 am - Pingree vs. Hebron
11:30 am - Tilton vs. Berwick

***
The Barber Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)
Sat. Dec. 15th
Game 5 -- Kents Hill 2, Portsmouth Abbey 0   
Game 6 -- Worcester vs. Princeton Day (@ St. Mark's), 8:30 am -- missing score
Game 7 -- Middlesex 4, Hill 1  
Game 8 -- St. Mark's 3, Vermont Academy 2  
Game 9 -- Kents Hill 1, Princeton Day 1  
Game 10 -- Consolation -- Portsmouth Abbey vs. Worcester (@ Middlesex), 1:30 pm -- missing score
Game 11 -- Hill 2, Vermont Academy 0  
Game 12 -- Championship -- St. Mark's 1, Middlesex 0

***

17th Annual Howard Invitational
(Day 2 of 2)
At St. George's School; Middletown, RI
Sat. Dec. 15th
Wyoming Seminary 3, St. George's 1
Rice 7, Brewster 5 

Saturday's Other Games:
Don Bosco (NJ) 6, Catholic Memorial 2  (@ Schneider Arena)
Delbarton 2, Malden Catholic 1  
Exeter 7, Hoosac 0  
Stanstead College 3, Thayer 2

 

Fri. Dec. 14th Tournament Scoreboard

36th Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 2 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms except, where noted, Trinity College.

Trinity-Pawling 4, Loomis 1
Kent 3, Gunnery 3
St. Paul's 4, Berkshire 0
Avon 4, Tabor 3
Gunnery 3, Loomis 2 (OT)
Kent 4, Trinity-Pawling 1
Tabor 7, Berkshire 2
St. Paul's 2, Avon 1 (SO)

***

45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)


Choate Division: Groton, Holderness, Pomfret, Proctor.
Kullen Division: Lawrence, Culver, Cushing, Dexter.

Proctor 5, Pomfret 3  
Holderness 2, Groton 2 (SO) Holderness wins shootout 
Dexter 1, Culver 0 
Cushing 4, Lawrence 3 (SO)  Cushing wins shootout

***
54th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Noble & Greenough School (Fri. Dec. 14 and Sun. Dec. 16); at Milton Academy (Sat. Dec. 15)


Owen Division: Nobles, Deerfield, KUA, Salisbury
Harding Division: Milton, Hotchkiss, Westminster, Andover

Fri. Dec. 14th -- @ Nobles 
Nobles 4, Deerfield 1
Salisbury 3, KUA 0
Hotchkiss 2, Milton 0
Andover 3, Westminster 1
KUA 1, Nobles 0
Salisbury 4, Deerfield 1

***
St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament  (Day 1 of 3)
At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.

Game 1 -- St. Sebastian’s 5, Winchendon 1
Game 2 -- Albany Academy 3, Williston 0
Game 3 -- Northwood 4, Brunswick 2
Game 4 -- St. Andrew’s College 5, Rivers 1

***
71st Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ.

Bernard Division: Canterbury,  Nichols, Northfield Mt. Hermon, Taft. 
Schonheiter Division: Belmont Hill, Choate, Lawrenceville, Upper Canada College. 

Northfield Mt. Hermon 6, Nichols 2
Lawrenceville 1, Upper Canada College 0
Canterbury 4, Taft 3 (OT)  
Choate 3, Belmont Hill 2 (Triple OT)

***

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)


Brooks Division: Berwick Academy, Brooks School, Hebron Academy, New Hampton School
Pingree Division: Millbrook School, North Yarmouth Academy, Pingree School, Tilton School

Hebron Academy 2, Brooks School 0  (@ Brooks)
New Hampton School 4, Berwick Academy 1  (@ Brooks)

Millbrook School 5, Pingree School 1 (@ Pingree)
Tilton School 6, North Yarmouth Academy 0  (@ Pingree)

***
The Barber Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)

Schools: Hill School, Kents Hill, Middlesex, Portsmouth Abbey, Princeton Day School,  St. Mark's, Vermont Academy, Worcester Academy

Game 1 -- Middlesex 3, Portsmouth Abbey 0
Game 2 -- St. Mark's 4, Worcester Academy 2 
Game 3 -- Hill School 2, Kents Hill 0
Game 4 -- Vermont Academy 2, Princeton Day School 1

***
17th Annual Howard Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
At St. George's School; Middletown, RI

St. George's 2, Brewster 1
Rice 4, Wyoming Seminary 1
Rice 5, St. George's 2 
Wyoming Seminary 4, Brewster 1

Friday's Other Games:
Governor's 5 @ Exeter 4 , 5:00 pm
Don Bosco (NJ) vs. BC High, 6:00 pm (@ Bentley)
Bishop's College School 5, Thayer 4  (@ Stanstead College)


 

Thurs. Dec. 13th Tournament Scoreboard

 36th Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 1 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.

Pierpont Division: Trinity-Pawling, Gunnery, Kent, Loomis Chaffee.
Trautman Division: Avon Old Farms, St. Paul's, Tabor, Berkshire.

Gunnery 4, Trinity-Pawling 3
Avon 5, Berkshire 0 -- Two goals from soph John Turner
Kent 4, Loomis 3 (OT) -- Michael Posma with OT GWG, 2G from Alex Giummo
St. Paul's 2, Tabor 1 (OT) -- Eric Sinson GWG in OT



RPI and JSPR Live Rankings Open!

Yesterday, we opened up our RPI, JSPR, and Elite 8/Large School/Small School 'real time' standings for this season. They can be viewed underneath "Playoffs" in the dropdown menu in the navigation bar along the top of this page, or simply by visiting the links below:

RPI
https://www.ushr.com/neprep/rpi

JSPR
https://www.ushr.com/neprep/jspr

Playoff Seedings
https://www.ushr.com/neprep/playoffs/seedings


This is the earliest we've done this. Usually, we've waited until after the holiday tournaments are complete, and started running them then. The reason we waited was to allow the database to reach a point at which there were enough games for it to become meaningful. Right now, the numbers are still bouncing around like Mexican Jumping Beans. But meaningful is a relative term, and one that people who've seen the early fluctuations are familiar with. Besides, it's fun to watch.

If the regular season ended this morning, the #1 seeds would be Nobles (Elite 8), Andover (Large School), and Rivers (Small School). But, this afternoon, as soon as coaches upload game box scores the numbers will begin moving.

We share our findings with NEPSIHA, with each verifying the results of the other. Last year, their numbers and ours lined up at season's end. The system works well, but it's also complicated.

Without getting into the dense thicket of the math, we'd like to share the genesis of the system.

Ten years ago, NEPSIHA announced it was dropping Div. II, and, in one fell swoop -- starting with the 2008-09 season -- all prep schools would become Div. I. This was drastic and it got USHR's in-house 'math wizard,' Jeremy Philipson, then a student at Taft, wondering if the 'old system' of seeding playoff teams would still be tenable. So Philipson did a simulation for USHR using the 2007-08 season, the last year of Div. II. From that simulation, Philipson concluded that putting all 60 or so schools into the calculations prep hockey was using at the time simply would not work. It would crumble under the weight. So he devised his own system and dubbed it JSPR, an acronym for Jeremy S. Philipson Ranking system. Prep hockey adopted it, and it was implemented that fall. Philipson moved on to Carnegie-Mellon. There, along with Ephraim Hathaway (a fellow Carnegie Mellon student, and the brother of Calgary Flames F Garnet Hathaway) he continued doing the calculations for USHR for several years. On behalf of USHR, he shared his findings with Garrison Smith, a teacher and coach at Kent who was -- and still is -- keeping the books for NEPSIHA. It's a partnership that has been fruitful.

A few years back USHR's lead developer, Noah Cutler, set to work on implementing the JSPR algorithm, with the goal of creating a system to track playoff seedings in real time. The prototype performed well enough to warrant further development -- today, the various real-time ranking metrics that you see are the result of a substantial engineering effort, one that is used by NEPSIHA to cross-check its own results, as well as providing the prep hockey community with a snapshot of the state of the playoff world as it happens, in real time.

RPI, which mimics the system NCAA hockey uses, is at the base of the calculations. At the close of the season, the top 16 teams in RPI are put through a series of increasingly granular calculations to arrive at the Elite 8. The teams ranked from nine to 16 in RPI are put back into the hopper, where they are seeded for the Large and Small School Tournaments.

It's a complicated system, and an explanation of the mathematics will have to wait for another day.

In the meantime, accept no substitutes. The current system was invented here, and it's accurate. Please enjoy it!


 

Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Dec. 10, 2018

Mon. Dec. 10
Delbarton @ Gloucester Catholic, 3:30 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Westminster, 5:00 pm
Kent @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
St. Anthony's @ Portledge, 5:30 pm
Loomis Chaffee @ Choate, 5:30 pm
Vermont Academy @ Proctor, 6:00 pm
La Salle College HS @ Malvern Prep, 6:30 pm

Tues. Dec. 11
Princeton Day School @ Delbarton, 4:00 pm
Lawrenceville @ The Hun School, 4:00 pm
Groton @ Andover, 5:15 pm

Wed. Dec. 12
Kents Hill @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:00 pm
Portledge @ Hill School, 3:30 pm
Canterbury @ Williston Northampton, 3:30 pm
Albany Academy @ Salisbury, 4:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
La Salle College HS @ Wyoming Seminary, 4:00 pm
Exeter @ New Hampton, 4:00 pm
St. Sebastian's @ Brooks, 4:00 pm
Pingree @ Portsmouth Abbey, 4:30 pm
St. George's @ Winchendon, 4:45 pm
Arlington Catholic @ Austin Prep, 6:00 pm


Thursday, December 13, 2018:

36th Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 1 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.

Pierpont Division: Trinity-Pawling, Gunnery, Kent, Loomis Chaffee.
Trautman Division: Avon Old Farms, St. Paul's, Tabor, Berkshire.
Thurs. Dec. 13th
1:00 pm -- Gunnery vs. Trinity-Pawling
3:00 pm -- Berkshire vs. Avon
5:00 pm -- Loomis vs. Kent
7:00 pm -- Tabor vs. St. Paul's 


Friday, December 14, 2018:

36th Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 2 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms except, where noted, Trinity College.
Fri. Dec. 14th
9:00 am -- Loomis vs. Trinity-Pawling (@ Trinity College rink)
9:00 am -- Kent vs. Gunnery
11:00 am -- St. Paul's vs. Berkshire (@ Trinity College rink)
11:00 am --  Tabor vs. Avon
                   (Lunch)
3:00 pm -- Loomis vs. Gunnery  
5:00 pm --  Trinity-Pawling vs. Kent
7:00 pm --  Berkshire vs. Tabor
9:00 pm -- St. Paul's vs. Avon

45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)


Choate Division: Groton, Holderness, Pomfret, Proctor.
Kullen Division: Lawrence, Culver, Cushing, Dexter.
Fri. Dec. 14th
Game #1 -- 4:00 pm -- Proctor vs. Pomfret (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
Game #2 -- 5:00 pm -- Holderness vs. Groton (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
Game #3 -- 6:00 pm -- Dexter vs. Culver (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
Game #4 -- 7:00 pm -- Cushing vs. Lawrence (@ Lawrence Academy)

54th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Noble & Greenough School (Fri. Dec. 14 and Sun. Dec. 16); at Milton Academy (Sat. Dec. 15)


Owen Division: Nobles, Deerfield, KUA, Salisbury
Harding Division: Milton, Hotchkiss, Westminster, Andover

Fri. Dec. 14th -- @ Nobles 
 9:00 am -- Deerfield @ Nobles
11:00 am -- Salisbury @ KUA
 1:00 pm -- Milton @ Hotchkiss 
 3:00 pm -- Westminster @ Andover 
 5:00 pm -- KUA @ Nobles
 7:00 pm -- Salisbury @ Deerfield

St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament  (Day 1 of 3)
At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.
Fri. Dec. 14th

Game 1 -- 2:00 pm – St. Sebastian’s vs. Winchendon
Game 2 -- 4:00 pm – Williston vs. Albany
Game 3 -- 6:00 pm – Brunswick vs. Northwood
Game 4 -- 8:00 pm – Rivers vs. St. Andrew’s College

71st Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ.

Bernard Division: Canterbury,  Nichols, Northfield Mt. Hermon, Taft. 
Schonheiter Division: Belmont Hill, Choate, Lawrenceville, Upper Canada College. 
Fri. Dec. 14th
 9:00 am -- Nichols vs. Northfield Mt. Hermon
11:00 am -- Lawrenceville vs. Upper Canada College
 1:30 pm --  Taft vs. Canterbury 
 3:30 pm --  Belmont Hill vs. Choate

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)


Brooks Division: Berwick Academy, Brooks School, Hebron Academy, New Hampton School
Pingree Division: Millbrook School, North Yarmouth Academy, Pingree School, Tilton School

4:00 pm: Brooks School vs. Hebron Academy (@ Brooks)
6:00 pm: Berwick Academy vs. New Hampton School (@ Brooks)

4:00 pm: Pingree School vs. Millbrook School (@ Pingree)
6:00 pm: North Yarmouth Academy vs. Tilton School (@ Pingree)

The Barber Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)

Schools: Hill School, Kents Hill, Middlesex, Portsmouth Abbey, Princeton Day School,  St. Mark's, Vermont Academy, Worcester Academy

Game 1 -- Middlesex vs. Portsmouth Abbey, 5:00 pm (@ Middlesex)
Game 2 -- St. Marks vs. Worcester Academy, 5:00 pm (@ St. Mark's)
Game 3 -- Kents Hill vs. the Hill School, 7:00 pm (@ Middlesex) 
Game 4 --  Princeton Day School vs. Vermont Academy, 7:00 pm (@ St. Mark's)

17th Annual Howard Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
At St. George's School; Middletown, RI

2:00 pm -- St. George's vs. Brewster (Howard Rink)
2:15 pm -- Wyoming Seminary vs. Rice (Cutler Rink)
6:30 pm -- St. George's vs. Rice (Howard Rink)
6:45 pm -- Brewster vs. Wyoming Seminary (Cutler Rink)

Friday's Other Games:
Governor's @ Exeter, 5:00 pm
Don Bosco (NJ) vs. BC High, 6:00 pm (@ Bentley)
Thayer vs. Bishop's College School, 7:00 pm (@ Stanstead College)


Saturday, December 15, 2018:

36th Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 3 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms except, where noted, Trinity College.

Pierpont Division: Trinity-Pawling, Gunnery, Kent, Loomis Chaffee.
Trautman Division: Avon Old Farms, St. Paul's, Tabor, Berkshire.
Sat. Dec. 15th
8:30 am -- 4th Place Pierpont vs. 4th Place Trautman
10:30 am -- 3rd Place Pierpont vs. 3rd Place Trautman
                   (Lunch)
1:30 pm -- 2nd Place Pierpont vs. 2nd Place Trautman
3:30 pm -- Championship -- 1st Place Pierpont vs. 1st Place Trautman

45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)
Sat. Dec. 15th
Game #5 -- 3:00 pm -- Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
Game #6 -- 4:00 pm -- Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 (@ Lawrence Academy)
Game #7 -- 5:00 pm -- Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
Game #8 -- 6:00 pm -- Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 (@ Lawrence Academy)

54th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At the Noble & Greenough School (Fri. Dec. 14 and Sun. Dec. 16); at Milton Academy (Sat. Dec. 15)

Sat. Dec. 15th @ Milton
 9:00 Andover @ Milton
11:00 Hotchkiss @ Westminster 
 1:00  Nobles @ Salisbury
 3:00 Deerfield @ KU
 5:00 Westminster @ Milton 
 7:00 Andover @ Hotchkiss 

71st Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ.
Sat. Dec. 15th
 7:30 am -- Canterbury vs. Northfield Mt. Hermon
 9:30 am -- Nichols vs. Taft
11:30 am -- Lawrenceville vs. Choate
 1:30 pm -- Upper Canada College vs. Belmont Hill 
 3:30 pm -- Northfield Mt. Hermon vs. Taft
 5:30 pm -- Canterbury vs. Nichols  
 7:30 pm --  Belmont Hill vs. Lawrenceville
 9:30 pm -- Choate vs. Upper Canada College 

St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament  (Day 2 of 3)
At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.
Sat. Dec. 15th
Game 5 -- 11:00 am -- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 6 -- 1:00 pm -- Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 7 -- 3:00 pm --   Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 8  -- 5:00 pm --   Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4 

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day of 2 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)

Sat. Dec. 15th
9:00 am: Brooks School vs. New Hampton School (@ Brooks)
11:00 am: Hebron Academy vs. Berwick Academy (@ Brooks)
5:00 pm: New Hampton School vs. Hebron Academy (@ Brooks)
7:00 pm: Brooks School vs. Berwick Academy (@ Brooks)

9:00 am: Pingree School vs. North Yarmouth Academy (@ Pingree)
11:00 am: Tilton School vs. Millbrook School (@ Pingree)
5:00 pm: Millbrook School vs. North Yarmouth Academy (@ Pingree)
7:00 pm: Pingree School vs. Tilton School (@ Pingree)

The Barber Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)
Sat. Dec. 15th
Game 5 -- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3 (@ Middlesex), 8:30 am
Game 6 -- Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4 (@ St. Mark's), 8:30 am
Game 7 -- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3(@ Middlesex), 10:30 am
Game 8 -- Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4 (@ St. Mark's), 10:30 am
Game 9 -- Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (@ St. Mark's), 1:30 pm
Game 10 -- Consolation -- Winners of Games 5 & 6 (@ Middlesex), 1:30 pm
Game 11 -- Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 (@ St. Mark's), 3:30 pm
Game 12 -- Championship -- Winners of Games 7 & 8 (@ Middlesex), 3:30 pm

17th Annual Howard Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
At St. George's School; Middletown, RI
Sat. Dec. 15th
8:30 am -- St. George's vs. Wyoming Seminary (Howard Rink)
8:30 am -- Brewster vs. Rice (Cutler Rink)

Saturday's Other Games:
Don Bosco (NJ) vs. CM, 12:30 pm (@ Schneider Arena)
Delbarton @ Malden Catholic, 1:00 pm
Exeter vs. Hoosac, 1:30 pm (@ Deerfield Academy)
Thayer vs. Stanstead College, 2:30 pm (@ Stanstead College)


Sunday, December 16, 2018:

45th Annual Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) and Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)

Sun. Dec. 16th
7th Place -- 9:00 am -- Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6 (@ Lawrence Academy)
5th Place -- 9:30 am -- Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
3rd Place -- 11:00 am -- Loser of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8 (@ Lawrence Academy)
1st Place -- 11:30 am --  Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8 (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)

54th Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At the Noble & Greenough School (Fri. Dec. 14 and Sun. Dec. 16); at Milton Academy (Sat. Dec. 15)


Owen Division: Nobles, Deerfield, KUA, Salisbury
Harding Division: Milton, Hotchkiss, Westminster, Andover
@ Nobles
 8:00 am - 7th Place
10:00 am - 5th Place
12:00 pm - 3rd Place
2:00 pm - Championship

71st Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ

Bernard Division:
Canterbury,  Nichols, Northfield Mt. Hermon, Taft. 
Schonheiter Division: Belmont Hill, Choate, Lawrenceville, Upper Canada College. 
Sun. Dec. 16th

 8:00 am -- 4th vs. 4th
10:00 am -- 3rd vs. 3rd
12:00 pm -- 2nd vs. 2nd
 2:15 pm -- Championship Game -- 1st vs. 1st

St. Sebastian’s Christmas Tournament  (Day 3 of 3)
At St. Sebastian’s School; Needham, Mass.
Sun. Dec. 16th
Game 9 -- 9:00 am --  Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
Game 10 -- 11:00 am -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (Consolation Game)
Game 11 -- 1:00 pm --   Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 (Third Place Game)
Game 12 -- 3:00 pm --   Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Championship Game)

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)

Sun. Dec. 16th Playoffs:
There will be 9:00 am and 11:30 am games at both Brooks and Pingree. Matchups to be determined.

Sunday's Other Games:
Delbarton @ BC High, 10:30 am

 


 

Nobles Tops Season's First USHR Prep Poll

Our first poll of the season is up, and Nobles is #1. We're always dubious about the season's first poll, given the small sample size. On the other hand, we're excited about it because it highlights the early-season success of teams that have not been in such company for years, i.e. Hotchkiss, and, in some cases, forever, i.e., Tilton.

Conspicuous by their abscence are stalwarts such as Salisbury. A couple of their early-season scores appear to come from some alternate universe. But we doubt that will last.

The next poll is scheduled for Monday night, Dec. 17th. Because of all the upcoming tournaments, the sample size will have grown significantly. We expect big changes.


USHR Prep Poll, Week of Dec. 10, 2018


 

Colangelo, LA Too Much for Belmont Hill

Belmont, Mass. -- Lawrence Academy junior forward Sam Colangelo, a Northeastern recruit from Stoneham, Mass., notched a hat trick -- capped off by the GWG in OT -- to lead the Spartans to a 4-3 road win over Belmont Hill here today.

The winning goal came just 47 seconds into overtime. Belmont Hill had the momentum, tying the game at 3-3 with three minutes to go in regulation. But it didn't take long for LA to answer. Senior C Ethan Bastien, working the corner, got the puck to senior Connor Sweeney behind the goal line. Sweeney made a perfect pass out front to Colangelo, who was charging down the slot and only had to bang it past Belmont Hill sophomore goaltender Michael Hauswirth.

LA had to contend with numerous penalties in this game, as they were called for eight, as opposed to Bel Hill's four.

But Lawrence has a top line -- PC recruits Riley Duran and Tyler Young, along with Colangelo -- that Belmont Hill, among other preps, just can't match. LA's second line of Connor Sweeney (UNH), Conor Lovett and UNH recruit David Sacco, a soph, is also tough.

The first period ended 0-0. "We started off slow," said LA coach Robbie Barker. "Bel Hill slowed us down in the neutral zone, and made it hard to enter their end. They played a tough game, never backed down, never gave up."

"We had trouble getting into a rhythm because of our guys being in the box. But I thought we did a good job in the second. We played a good possession game. We weren't just throwing the puck around."

That's on the money. The second period was compelling as the two teams went at each other hard. LA senior center Ethan Bastien put the Spartans on the board first, forcing a turnover 10 feet in front of the Belmont Hill net, and then sweeping a backhander by Hauswirth at the 10:20 mark. Bel Hill came right back, scoring two goals within a minute. On the powerplay, 6'3" senior center Andrew Holland redirected a pass from junior Luke Khozozian defenseman past LA senior goalie Ian Graiff to tie it at 1-1. The Hillies followed that up as senior Robby Griffin, on a 2-on-1, took a perfect pass from Holland to give his team what would turn out to be its only lead of the game. That's all because Colangelo quickly answered, deflecting a Braden Doyle point shot past Hauswirth to send the teams to their rooms tied 2-2.

In the third, Colangelo struck again as he redirected Drew Bavaro's shot from the right point to give LA what could have been the game-winner. But, with three minutes left in regulation, a James Perullo shot from the point wound up sitting in the crease, like a Pop Tart straight from the oven, and Belmont Hill junior forward Zephan Kraus only had to nudge it over the goal line.

The game went into OT, where Colangelo came through again, giving LA (3-0-0) its third win of the young season.

"Sam Colangelo really stepped up in this game," Barker said afterwards. "Connor Sweeney skated well and played physically. On the back end, all our D did a good job containing the Bel Hill attack. They also did a great job breaking the puck out and through the neutral zone."

"This was a tough loss," Belmont Hill coach Jeremiah McCarthy said. "Lawrence made a great play in OT, with Sweeney getting it out front to Colangelo. They did an incredible job."

"I loved our first period," McCarthy added. "We played at a great pace and challenged them. In the second, Lawrence took over. In the third, goals were exchanged and we got it to OT. Holland was outstanding. He really kicked it into power forward mode. I thought the compete level of the team was very good. But we have a lot of work left to do in order to win hockey games like this one."

***
Results from around prep hockey, Sat. Dec. 8, 2018:
@ NMH 4, Académie Saint-Louis 1 -- Senior Theo Hembre notched a hat trick and classmate Devan Tongue had four assists. NMH had the edge in shots, 54-11.

Hill 3 @ Cushing 2 (OT) -- This was a statement game for Hill, where head coach Chris Bala has been working for several years to bring his team back to where they once were, back in the day. Junior F Brock Weiner scored the OT game-winner, his second goal of the game. Hill took seven penalties, as opposed to none for Cushing. Cushing outshot Hill, 33-26, but senior Max Cichanowicz (31/33) held the fort.

@ Avon Old Farms 5, Trinity-Pawling 3 -- Senior C Stefan Miklakos (1g,3a) led the Winged Beavers' attack. Junior F Stephen Willey notched a pair of goals for T-P. Avon senior G Alex Aslanidis (30/33) earned the win.

@ St. Mark's 5, Brooks 2 -- Soph Brendan Gibbons notched a hat trick and junior D Tucker Hartmann (1g,2a) and junior Von Mabbs (3a) also chipped in to lead the Lions to the win. Junior G Will Bundy kicked out 26 of 28 shots for the win.

@ Brunswick 2, Westminster 1 -- Soph Paul Davey and senior D Henry Hill scored the goals and senior G Dan Dachille (32/33) came up big between the pipes. Junior G Ian Shane (34/36) had a good outing for Westy.

@ Exeter 6, St. Sebastian's 3 -- Exeter jumped out to a 3-0 lead before St. Seb's got on the board, but this was a case of too little too late. Seniors Paddy Bogart (1g,2a) and Sam Willman (2g) led the Exeter attack. Exeter is now 5-1-1.

@ Berwick 6, Portsmouth Abbey 3 -- Juniors Chris Dowd (2g) and Tyler Gaulin (3a) keyed the Berwick attack. Berwick outshot PA, 50-29. 

@ Pomfret 7, Pingree 1 -- Junior forwards Tyler Bourque (2g,1a) and Sami Hakkarainen (3a) led the Pomfret attack. Senior G Peyton Durand kicked out 17 of 18 shots. Pomfret outshot Pingree, 42-18.

@ Holderness 5, Vermont Academy 4 -- Seniors Joe Biddle  (3a) and Isaiah Fox (2g) led the Bulls' attack, and junior G Keenan Alnahas (37/41) got the win. Junior Kevin Urqhuart had a pair of goals for VA. Holderness improves to 4-1-1 with the win.

@ Andover 10, Brewster 5 -- Senior F Jonathan Assayag (5g,1a)  was the story here today. Andover is now 4-1-0.

@ Milton 3, Governor's 0 -- Senior Erik Voloshin (45/45) posted the shutout to lead the Mustangs. Gov's outhot Milton, 45-32, but took the loss.

Tilton 2 @ KUA 1 -- PG goaltender Owen Cuddyer kicked out 27 of 28 shots to lead the Rams, now 5-0-0, to the road win. Junior G Veeti Kohvakka (28/30) was the hard-luck loser for the defending prep champs, now 5-2-0. "Tilton deserved to win," KUA head coach Tim Whitehead reported. "They outworked us and earned the last bounce. They have a talented team."

@ Hotchkiss 5, Lawrenceville 2 -- Jordan Ehrensperger (2g,1a) led the Hotchkiss attack and sophomore G Cameron Smith (22/24) earned the win in net for the Bearcats, now 4-0-0. Junior F Nikita Nesterenko had a pair of goals for L'ville.

Deeerfield 4 @ Choate 3 -- Senior D Noah de la Durantaye (3a) led the offense for Deerfield, now 3-0-0, and senior G Thomas Gale stopped 22 of 25 shots for the win. Senior F Sean Dennehy, with three assists, figured in all of the Wild Boars' goals.

Gunnery 4 @ Williston 2 -- Senior G JP Mella (22/24) led the Higlanders to the win.

@ Proctor 4, St. Paul's 2 -- A powerplay goal from senior D Kevin Craig with a minute left in the second period turned out to be the game-winner. Proctor outshot SPS, 45-23.

St. George's 4 @ Millbrook 2 -- Dragons' senior F Matt Tartaglio (3g,1a) figured in all four of St. George's goals. Sophomore G Owen Hipple kicked out 37 of 39 for the win.

@ Hebron 1, NYA 0 -- At the Maine Prep Cup, Hebron senior Stavros Rigas scored the game's only goal, and senior netminder Jarod Boudreau (20/20) earned the shutout.

Tabor 7 @ Worcester Academy 2 -- Soph Morgan Winters (2g,1a) and senior Owen Rudicus (1g,2a) led the Seawolves' attack. Senior G Kyle Myer (20/22) earned the win.

Salisbury 5 @ Kent 3 -- Kent junior F Alex Laferriere gave the hosts a 2-0 lead, but Salisbury (3-2-0) fought back for the win. Salisbury junior G Nicholas Haas kicked out 30 of 33 shots to lead the Knights.



 

0-0 Games: How Rare?

Recently, two games ended in 0-0 ties: BU at BC last Saturday and, three days earlier, in a prep game, Berkshire traveled to Albany Academy and also played to a 0-0 stalemate.

Since prep hockey is our main beat, we wondered exactly how often 0-0 games crop up. So we researched it, and found that, over the last 15 years, 23 NEPSIHA games ended 0-0. If you add in a few Christmas tournament games between NEPSIHA teams and non-NEPSIHA teams -- specifically, UCC, Northwwood, and Nichols -- that number rises to 26. That works out to less than 1.5 games per year. Over the last three seasons, there have been two every year. In some years -- '10-11, '11-12, '14-15 -- there were none.

In addition to Albany's Kyle Penton and Berkshire's Jed Ballioti, who, in the above-mentioned game, shut each other out on Wed. Nov. 28th, active prep goalies who played in a 0-0 game are Avon's Alex Aslanidis and Hotchkiss's Henry Wilder, who pulled it off last Jan. 10th. Exactly a month later, on Feb. 10th, Kent's Alex Contey and Trinity-Pawling's Evan Ruschil achieved the feat.

Going back through the last 15 years, Hotchkiss has played four 0-0 games, with Wilder, Tyler Haywood, and John Yanchek pulling it off. Yanchek did it twice, which is a true rarity. (Yanchek went on to play at Middlebury for four years, never posting a GAA less than 2.56.)

Belmont Hill has been in three 0-0 games over the same time span, with Ryan McConnell, Mike Condon, and Matt Gedman each pulling it off.

The only other team, besides those two, to have multiple 0-0 games over the last 15 years, is Westminster, with two (Kai Edmonds and Bryce Shattie).

Notes:

As an addendum to the above, the widely-used terms 'scoreless game' or 'scoreless tie' are grammatically incorrect. Once the puck is dropped for the opening faceoff, the game is no longer scoreless. It has a score, and that score is 0-0.


 

Prep Coaches Opportunity

Many of the top younger players -- the '04s, '05s, and '06s -- will be playing in the Boston area over the next three weekends.

This weekend's schedule, hosted by David Franzosa, the U14 coach and youth director of the South Shore Kings, features the '04s.

Saturday, December 8th:

10:00 am at Holy Cross (Hart Center) -- Buffalo Jr. Sabres (#6 in US) vs. South Shore Kings Elite (#27 in US).
5:00 pm at Providence College (Schneider Arena) -- Buffalo Jr. Sabres  vs. Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers (#7 in US)

Sunday, December 9th:

11:15 am at Harvard (Bright Center) -- Buffalo Jr. Sabres vs. Mid-Fairfield Jr. Rangers
4:00 pm at Holy Cross (Hart Center) -- South Shore Kings Elite vs. Seacoast Performance Academy (#26 in US). 

***
Next weekend's schedule, plus the weekend after, will be hosted by Harvard Director of Hockey Operations Sean O'Brien. The bulk of the games will be at Harvard University's Bright Hockey Center.

The first weekend of the Crimson Elite Series will run from Thurs.- Sun. December 13-16, and feature top '05 teams from all over the country.

Crimson Elite Series, '05s Schedule

The weekend after that, the Crimson Elite Series will feature top '06 teams and run from Thurs.-Sun. December 20-23.

Crimson Elite Series, '06s Schedule



 

Dexter & Exeter Battle to a Draw

Brookline, Mass. -- Every season there are a few games that, like the 1968 Harvard-Yale football game, finish in a tie, but everyone leaves the building a winner.

That's the way it was here today, as Exeter senior LW Garrett Foster, who looks like Samson but battles like Spartacus, scored a goal with 6.2 seconds left in regulation and the extra attacker on to lift Exeter to a 2-2 road tie at Dexter.

The only down note today was an injury to Dexter star center John Farinacci who, in the first minute of the game was hit cleanly, but had to be helped off the ice with a Charley horse. Later in the first period, Farinacci was tripped, fell into the end boards, and had to leave the game. As of now, consider the Harvard recruit is day-to-day with a shoulder injury. He will be evaluated tomorrow.

In the Dexter room, after the first period, Farinacci's linemate, junior Chase McInnis, rallied the troops, who not only would be without their star forward for the rest of the game, but were also down 1-0 on a Michael Pitts tough angle backhander of a rebound to put Exeter up, 1-0.

"We had a so-so start," said Dexter coach Dan Donato, "but everybody rallied around Chase McInnis and in the second and third we found our legs."

The first period was a track meet, and the pace had the Dexter D, who have played their two regular season games without John Fusco (concussion protocol), back on their heels, allowing the Exeter forwards to fly through the neutral zone with speed.

In the subsequent periods, Dexter made adjustments and were more capable in all three zones. And the game blossomed into two compelling periods of play.

Late in the second, as Dexter was putting pressure on the Exeter D and junior goaltender Ryan Welch, a pass across the top of the crease was deflected, bounced high off junior Ben Raymond's chest -- and into the goal. Flukey, for sure, but it came as a result of Dexter crashing the net and working hard down low.

The game was tied at 1-1 going into the final stanza. But, just 56 seconds in, Dexter junior Aiden Connolly, from a scrum in front of Welch, poked the puck over the goal line to give Dexter a 2-1 lead, one they would hold until the game's final seconds when Foster charged into the Dexter end, using his strength to hold off a defender. The puck would wind up at the left point, where PG defenseman Paddy Mangan, the erstwhile Brooks School defender, fired a low shot on net. After a brief scrum, the puck wound up behind the net where senior Michael Pitts, a force all night long, found it, curled toward the goal line and found Foster in front with a perfect pass.

In overtime, each team had golden opportunities. Dexter senior forward Tommy Grealy, an unsung player, stripped Exeter PG defenseman PJ Garrett and broke in alone, only to be turned back by Welch. Exeter had a great  opportunity when Pitts broke into the Dexter zone on a 1-on-1, juked the Dexter d-man, but couldn't find the back of the net. With 2:39 left, Dexter was called for hooking. With the game on the line, there were tense moments, but the Dexter penalty killers came through.

And that was it. Trust us, there were many noteworthy moments here today. In a dull game, we would mention them all, but here at Dexter today they were just part of the up-and-down action that made this game a pleasure to watch.

"We don't have any big names or D-I commits," Exeter coach Dana Barbin said. "But I think we're hard to play against and we have some great seniors. And our top line (Foster, Pitts, and Paddy Bogart) can score."

Dexter coach Dan Donato said that the Exeter goal with six seconds left "was tough to swallow, but," he added, "We'll take it. I was proud of the way we battled. We rose to the occasion."

"And both goalies were excellent."

We second that. There were some hairy flurries in which both Mullahy (18/20) and Welch (21/23) were forced to come up with big saves.

Notes:

-- These two teams seem to bring out the best in each other. Every time they've met over the last six years the games have been as tight as a corset. Last year, almost to the day, the teams tied 2-2. In '16-17, Dexter won, 5-4, on a Ben Meehan OT goal. In '15-16 Exeter won, 3-1, with the final goal an empty-netter. In '14-15, another 2-2 tie. In '13-14, the teams went to OT tied at 2-2 but Exeter got a goal from David White to win it. In '12-13, Exeter won, 4-3.

-- Unlike past years, these two teams will meet for a second time. Circle Friday, February 1st on your calendar. Dexter will be at Exeter on that night (5:00 pm).

***
Recaps From Around Prep Hockey, Wednesday, December 5th, 2018


@ Gunnery 5, Berkshire 1 -- Gunnery senior F Robert Cronin (2g, 2a) led the host Highlanders past Berkshire, 5-1. Gunnery outshot Berkshire, 48-18.

Kent 3 @ Brunswick 2 (OT) -- Kent junior F Alex Laferriere had a hat trick and senior G Alex Contey (25/27) picked up the win.

Hoosac 3, Winchendon 2 (OT) -- An overtime goal from Hoosac junior F Ronny Paragallo lifted Hoosac to a 3-2 win over host Winchendon.

@ Westminster 5, Choate 1 -- Westminster senior F Jordie McKenna (2g,1a) and junior G Ian Shane (19/20) led Westminster to the home win.

@ Andover 4, Thayer 2 -- PG Mac Carso scored a hat trick and added an assist to lead the Big Blue to the win over Thayer Academy. In net, Charlie Archer (30/32) did all that could be expected of him, and then some. Senior Thomas Manty (1g, 2a) also had a big night for Andover, now 3-0-0.

@ Hotchkiss 7, Salisbury 1 -- This shakey start to the season from Salisbury (2-2-0) is not something we expected. Losing 8-5 to Millbrook on Monday, and 7-1 to Hotchkiss today? This is not something we've seen from the Knights for years. Senior G Jared Levine, who was solid last year, is struggling in a big way. On Monday, he allowed 5 goals in two periods vs. Millbrook, and today he allowed 6 goals in two periods to Hotchkiss. Look for junior G Nicholas Haas to get more playing time, perhaps much more. We don't want to take anything away from Hotchkiss. In particular, senior F Quinn Carlisle, who had a hat trick today, and PG forward Alex Mozian (1g, 2a). Hotchkiss junior G Henry Wilder (33/40) has only allowed one goal all season. The Bearcats are 3-0-0.

Holderness 6 @ Brewster Academy 3 -- Senior F Isaiah Fox had a hat trick and added an assist.

@ Tilton 3, New Hampton 0 -- Tilton PG goaltender Owen Cuddyer (19/19) posted a shutout and senior F Brendan Sjostedt scored two goals. Tilton is 4-0-0 in the young season.

Kimball Union 6 @ Proctor 3 -- Senior F Drew Bennett (2g, 1a) figured in half of KUA's goals. This was a shootout, with KUA outshooting Proctor, 49-48. Seems hard to believe, but there it is. Goalies were KUA junior Veeti Kohvakkla (45/48) and Proctor junior G Cole Chingras (44/49). Defending champs KUA are now 4-0-0.

@ Groton 3, Roxbury Latin 1 -- Senior F Jonah Gold (1g,1a) led the Groton attack.

@ Loomis 3, Pomfret 2 -- The two teams exchanged leads, but Loomis got the last ups, and junior F Jake Sigal scored the GWG in the third period. Loomis senior G Kohl Reddy kicked out 33 of 35 shots for the win. Loomis is 2-0-1 on the season.

@ Brooks 4, Middlesex 2 -- Brooks (3-0-0) got goals from four different players -- and this was a 3-2 game until an empty-netter salted it away in the final minute. Senior G Spencer Pierce (36/38) got the win. Middlesex senior Joe Stanizzi (48/51) was the hard-luck loser.

Trinity-Pawling 1 @ Albany Academy 1 -- The goaltending of Albany Academy PG Kyle Penton (30/31) and T-P senior Evan Ruschil (40/41) was the story here. Midway through the second period, AA's Mikas Kulbris-Marino scored the game-tying goal. Earlier, in the first period, T-P senior D Gabe Blanchard scored a PPG.

@ St. Mark's 9, Worcester Academy 1 -- Senior Connor Berry and sophomore Jackson Coutu each had two goals to lead the Lions. 

Nobles 4 @ Tabor 1 -- Will Zink, Ryan Stevens and Casey Severo scored even-strength goals, and Stevens added a second tally, an ENG with 47 seconds left.  Junior G Marc Smith kicked out 26 of 27 shots. Smith has allowed only one goal over those three games, a .986 save percentage. Nobles is 3-0-0 and is at Dexter Friday night (6:15 pm).

Avon Old Farms 3 @ Taft 1 -- Senior G Alex Aslanidis stopped 43 of 44 shots to lead the Winged Beavers. Senior center Stefan Miklakos, sophomore D Chase Ramsay, and senior D Moe Acee (ENG) tallied Avon's goals. Taft PG goalie Thomas McAleer (28/30) was the hard-luck loser; junior center Tristin Fasig scored the Rhinos' goal, on a first period powerplay.

@ Cushing 4, Williston 3 -- Junior F Jake Hewitt scored a pair of second-period goals, with just 7 seconds between them. But it was Lukas Gustafsson's PPG at 5:55 of the third that turned out to be the game-winner. Senior Max Bogdanovich and junior Max Dorrington each had two assists for the Penguins. 

@ Lawrence 3, Milton 1 -- Senior D Drew Bavaro, junior F Holt Oliphant and senior D Braden Doyle each scored a goal. Lawrence G Brandon Milberg (17/18) took the win. Milton senior G Erik Voloshin (41/44) was saddled with a tough loss.

@ Deerfield 3, NMH 2 -- The Hoggers had a 2-0 lead after the first period, but couldn't hold it as Deerfield came back with three unanswered goals, the final one a game-winner off the stick of senior F Sasha Shogren.

@ St. Paul's 5, Vermont Academy 4 -- St. Paul's sophomore F Owen Stadheim scored two goals, including the game-winner with 1:41 left in regulation.

Belmont Hill 3 @ Governor's 1 -- Sophomore F Ryan McGuire, freshman F Drew Blackwell and junior F  Zephan Kraus each found the back of the net for Bel Hill. Sophomore G Michael Hauswirth kicked out 28 of 29 shots for the win. Governor's freshman G David Palandjian (35/38) took the loss.

@ Pingree 8, Berwick 3 -- Senior F Matt Hulse, sophomore F Ian Driscoll, junior F Brendan Driscoll and sophomore F Will Halecki each had three points. In net sophomore Cam Brown (32/35) picked up the win.

Rivers 5 @ St. George's 1 -- Junior F Matt Cormier (2g), senior D Tony Andreozzi (1g,1a), junior F Phillip Tresca (2a) and soph Ryan Bell (2a) led the Rivers attack. In net, freshman Connor Sullivan (21/22) earned the win.


 

Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Dec. 3, 2018

Mon. Dec. 3

The Hun School @ Bergen Catholic, 3:00 pm
La Salle College HS @ St. Joe's Prep, 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ St. George's, 4:45 pm
St. Mark's @ St. Sebastian's, 4:45 pm
Millbrook @ Salisbury, 5:30 pm
Canterbury @ Berkshire, 5:30 pm -- Now Fri. Dec. 7 @ 5:30 pm
Columbia Prep @ Portledge, 5:30 pm 

Tues. Dec. 4
Gloucester Catholic @ Delbarton, 4:45 pm
Rice Memorial @ Middlebury College JV, 8:00 pm

Wed. Dec. 5
Berkshire @ Gunnery, 2:30 pm
Hoosac @ Winchendon, 2:30 pm
Middlesex @ Brooks, 2:30 pm
New Hampton @ Tilton, 3:00 pm
Kent @ Brunswick, 3:00 pm
Choate @ Westminster, 3:00 pm
Kimball Union @ Proctor, 3:00 pm
Princeton Day School @ Portledge, 3:15 pm
Williston Northampton @ Cushing, 3:30 pm
Belmont Hill @ Governor's, 3:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ St. Mark's, 3:30 pm
Salisbury @ Hotchkiss, 4:00 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm
Thayer @ Andover, 4:00 pm
The Hun School @ La Salle College HS, 4:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ St. Paul's, 4:00 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Taft, 4:30 pm
Holderness @ Brewster Academy, 4:30 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Tabor, 4:30 pm
Roxbury Latin @ Groton, 4:30 pm
BB&N @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm -- Postponed to Tues. Jan. 8
Pomfret @ Loomis Chaffee, 4:30 pm
Harvey @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm
Exeter @ Dexter, 4:45 pm
Rivers @ St. George's, 5:00 pm
Northfield Mt. Hermon @ Deerfield, 5:00 pm
Milton @ Lawrence Academy, 5:30 pm
Lawrenceville @ Hill School, 5:30 pm
Berwick @ Pingree, 6:00 pm

Thurs. Dec. 6
St. Michael's College School @ Nichols, 5:00 pm

Fri. Dec. 7 
Holderness @ Vermont Academy, 4:00 pm
Roxbury Latin @ Portsmouth Abbey, 4:30 pm
Kent @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Canterbury @ Berkshire, 5:30 pm
Académie Saint-Louis @ Williston Northampton, 5:30 pm
Berwick @ Middlesex, 5:30 pm
St. Mark's @ BB&N, 5:30 pm
Pomfret @ Worcester Academy, 5:45 pm
Kimball Union @ Brewster Academy, 6:00 pm
New Hampton @ Andover, 6:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Dexter, 6:15 pm
Milton @ Governor's, 6:45 pm
Bridgton Academy @ Hebron, 7:00 pm

Maine Prep Cup at Hebron Academy (Day 1)
North Yarmouth vs. Kents Hill, 4:00 pm
Hebron vs. Bridgton, 7:00 pm

Rider Cup at Albany Academy (Day 1)
Albay Academy
Game 1 --Bishops vs Everest, 2:00 pm
Game 2 --  Stanstead vs Wyoming Seminary, 4:00 pm
Game 3 --Albany Academy vs Rice Memorial, 6:00 pm
Game 4 -- Pope Francis vs Ridley College, 8:00 pm


Sat. Dec. 8

Académie Saint-Louis @ Northfield Mt. Hermon, 12:00 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Avon Old Farms, 3:00 pm
Hill School @ Cushing, 3:00 pm
Groton @ Rivers, 3:30 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Belmont Hill, 3:30 pm
Governor's @ Milton, 3:30 pm
Brooks @ St. Mark's, 3:30 pm
Deerfield @ Choate, 3:30 pm
Tilton @ Kimball Union, 4:00 pm
Westminster @ Brunswick, 4:00 pm -- new start time is 5:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Holderness, 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
St. Sebastian's @ Exeter, 4:00 pm
Pingree @ Pomfret, 4:30 pm
Tabor @ Worcester Academy, 5:00 pm
Hoosac @ Thayer, 5:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Andover, 5:15 pm
St. Paul's @ Proctor, 5:15 pm
St. George's @ Millbrook, 6:00 pm
Gunnery @ Williston Northampton, 6:30 pm
Salisbury @ Kent, 7:00 pm
Lawrenceville @ Hotchkiss, 7:00 pm -- Moved up to a 6:00 pm start
Canterbury @ Loomis Chaffee, 7:00 pm

Maine Prep Cup at Hebron Academy (Day 2)
Consolation: Hebron vs. NYA, 1:00 pm
Championship: Bridgton vs. Kents Hill, 4:00 pm

Rider Cup at Albany Academy (Day 2)
Game 5 -- Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 10:00 am
Game 6 -- Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 12:00 pm
(Alumni Game, 2:00pm)
Game 7 -- Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 4:00 pm
Game 8 -- Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 6:00 pm


Sun. Dec. 9
Hill School @ Winchendon, 10:00 am
Avon Old Farms @ Deerfield, 3:00 pm

Rider Cup at Albany Academy (Day 3)
Game 9 -- Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 9:00 am
Game 10 --
Consolation -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11:00 am
Game 11 -- Third-Place -- Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8, 1:00 pm
Game 12 -- Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3:00 pm

Mon. Dec. 10
Delbarton @ Gloucester Catholic, 3:30 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Westminster, 5:00 pm
Kent @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Loomis Chaffee @ Choate, 5:30 pm
Vermont Academy @ Proctor, 6:00 pm




Sat.  Dec. 1, 2018 Highlights

@ Hotchkiss 1, Canterbury 0 -- Hotchkiss junior G Henry Wilder posted his second straight shutout and senior D Mason Von Jess scored the only goal the Bearcats, now 2-0 on the season, needed. Wilder stopped all 22 shots he faced. Canterbury senior G Connor Cherry (32/33) was the hard-luck loser.

@ Tilton 3, St. Paul's 2 (OT) -- An overtime goal from senior Brendan Sjostedt, his second tally of the game, lifted Tilton to the win. Junior Justin Lee (22/24) picked up the win; senior Andy Beran (41/44) took the loss.

Loomis 3, Trinity-Pawling 1 -- Loomis junior F Cody Hoban scored two goals and sophomore G Kyle Chauvette (25/26) earned the win in net.

@ Avon 3, Hoosac 0 -- Senior G Alex Aslandis (19/19) picked up the shutout and three different scorers found the back of the net for the Winged Beavers. Hoosac senior G Gabriel Pigeon (cool name!) stopped 51 of 54 shots, but took the loss.

St. Mark's 2 @ Winchendon 2 -- The Wapitis took a 2-0 lead in the second, but St. Mark's battled back on a pair of goals from sophomore D Ian Moore.

Hill 4 @ Choate 2 -- Sophomore F Gabe Shipper scored two goals for the Hill and senior G Max Cichanowicz (28/30) earned the win.

Brunswick 6, New Hampton 6 -- At the Exeter Invitational, Brunswick, trailing New Hampton 6-2 entering the third period, scored four goals in the final period, the first from sophomore Ryan St. Louis and the next three from senior D Cooper Moore to give the Bears a 6-6 'win.' Moore also scored goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods to give him 5 for the game. He almost had 6, as he rang one off the far post in OT. New Hampton junior F Jake Dunlap (1g, 3a) led the scoring for Huskies. This game was not exactly goalie friendly. All four first period goals, three from New Hampton and one from Brunswick came on long wrist shots that sailed into the back of the net without touching anything but air. That's rare. After the third New Hampton goal, Brunswick replaced starter Dan Dachille with Alexander Rohlf.

Andover 1, Albany Academy 0 -- At the Tabor Invitational, PG forward Tyler Little scored the only goal Andover would need, and junior G Charlie Archer (41/41) did the rest. Albany PG goalie Kyle Penton (28/29) was the hard-luck loser.

@ Nobles 5, Belmont Hill 0 -- Ryan Stevens (4g,1a) figured in all of this game's goals. Junior G Marc Smith posted a 23-save shutout. Sixteen penalties were called in this one, nine of them to Nobles. But Nobles cashed in on its opportunities. Three of Stevens' four goals came on the PP.

@ Lawrenceville 1, Millbrook 0 -- Lawrenceville junior F Nikita Nesterenko scored the game-winner, and  junior TJ Semptimphelter (40/41) earned the win in net. Millbrook sophomore G Owen Hains (32/33) absorbed a tough loss.

@ NMH 4, St. George's 0 -- Senior F and captain Jack Quinn scored two goals and junior G Connor Hasley (13/13) earned the shutout for the Hoggers. NMH outshot the Dragons, 43-13.

Exeter 4, Kent 2 -- At the Exeter Invitational, the host team got goals from four different scorers and junior G Ryan Welch (32/34) picked up the win.

Salisbury 4 @ Williston 1 -- Nick Capone had two goals and G Nicholas Haas (26/27) got  the win for the Knights.

Brooks 7 @ BB&N 0 -- Junior Michael Herrera notched a hat trick in the win. Brooks outshot BB&N, 70-9 (!). 

@ Roxbury Latin 3, Portsmouth Abbey 1 -- Sophomore F Frankie Lonergan had a pair of goals for RL, including the GWG. Junior G Mikey Jones (15/16) picked up the win. PA sophomore G Ryan Porter (43/46) was the bright spot for PA.

Taft 3 @ Berkshire 1 -- The Rhinos got goals from three different players and PG goaltender Thomas McAleer (24/25) earned the win.

Deerfield 5 @ Groton 0 --Deerfield got goals from five different players to take its opening game.

Pomfret 3 @ Tabor 2 -- Pomfret got goals from four different players, and senior G Peyton Durand kicked out 39 of 41 shots to earn the win.

Gunnery 9, Hebron 1 -- At the Exeter Invitational, junior Alex Jeffries notched a hat trick and junior D Jimmy Rayhill added four assists as Gunnery romped. Gunnery outshot Hebron, 61-17.

Pingree 5 @ NYA 3 -- Senior F Vito Visconti scored a hat trick and sophomore G Cam Brown (30/33) got the win.

KUA 5, Vermont Academy 3 -- At the Exeter Invitational, the defending prep champs got goals from five different scorers and junior G Zach Paputsakis (17/20) picked up the win. VA's senior G Dylan Regan, who opened eyes when he stymied KUA here a year ago this weekend, didn't do that this time. But he did kick kick out 50 of 55 shots, with a ton of those coming during a 5-minute PP in which the puck was in his end for the duration.

Proctor 10, Brewster Academy 3 -- Junior F Ronan Walsh had a hat trick and seniors Grant Porter and Jack Swarbick each had three points (2g,1a) to lead the Hornets, who outshot Brewster, 57-35.

We're waiting on two scores:
Worcester Academy @ Holderness
Governor's @ Thayer



Around the Rinks

KUA's Paul Dore celebrates his game-winning goal, scored with 52 seconds left in the third period on Sunday March 3rd at Manchester, NH. The goal gave
KUA's Paul Dore celebrates his game-winning goal, scored with 52 seconds left in the third period on Sunday March 3rd at Manchester, NH. The goal gave the Wildcats a 4-3 win and its third straight championship. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)
 
Salisbury junior F Lucas Mercuri scored two of his team's three goals -- Michael Fairfax scored the other -- in Sunday's Elite 8 Championship Game los
Salisbury junior F Lucas Mercuri scored two of his team's three goals -- Michael Fairfax scored the other -- in Sunday's Elite 8 Championship Game loss to KUA. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)
 
A 0-0 tie midway through the the third period of Sunday's Large School Championship game was broken by Kent junior Aidan Cobb. Eleven seconds later te
A 0-0 tie midway through the the third period of Sunday's Large School Championship game was broken by Kent junior Aidan Cobb. Eleven seconds later teammate Alex Giummo would score what turned out to be the GWG. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)
 
Senior F Brendan Sjostedt (2g,1a) helped Tilton to a 5-3 win over Holderness in the Small School title game on Sunday in Manchester, NH.
Senior F Brendan Sjostedt (2g,1a) helped Tilton to a 5-3 win over Holderness in the Small School title game on Sunday in Manchester, NH. (Photo: Dave Arnold Photography)