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* * 🏒  HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT GUIDE  🏒 * *

Wed. 2/28/24 -- updated Thurs. 2/29

NEPSAC Boys' Hockey Tournament
* Quarterfinals Highlights *
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

ELITE 8

@ (#4) Avon 2, (#5) Holderness 1 

In a 'home' neutral-site game at UConn, what had been a scoreless game through two periods came to a head in the final frame as the teams traded goals, making it a 1-1 game as the clock ran down to under five minutes and OT began looking like a distinct possibility. But, with 4:29 left on the clock, Avon cashed in on a partial 2-on-1 when junior Won-Jun Yun's shot rebounded to junior forward Cooper Snee, who fired home the game-winner as the 'Avon Army,' which had filled the stands at the far end, launched themselves into a delirious orbit.

Avon next travels to #1 Cushing on Saturday afternoon (2:00 pm) for a rematch of last season's Elite 8 Championship Game, won by Avon.

Over the first two periods, the game was fairly even, with both sides keeping out of the box and limiting chances. The first period was a 'feeling-out' period, with a slight edge to Avon. Things picked up in the second. Several minutes in, Avon established its forecheck and had an edge in possession, but -- except for senior Ryan Flaherty hitting a post -- not much in the way of Grade A chances.

In the third, at the 1:34 mark, Flaherty put Avon up 1-0 when he beat Holderness senior goalie Ryan Nolan (the son of former Avon and UNH goalie Tom Nolan) stick-side on a wraparound, with the assist going to senior Lefty Markonidis.

As soon as Avon got on the board, Holderness quickly went into attack mode, picking up the tempo and getting on the board less than four minutes later when junior Eli Chilicki won a scrum along the right half-wall and got it to classmate Tanner Petalas, whose shot rebounded out to Jake Boulanger. The game was tied at 1-1 -- and that was as close as Holderness would get.

Holderness pulled Nolan for the extra attacker with under two minutes to play. It appeared Avon's Flaherty scored an empty-netter to make it 3-1, but the goal was waved off as linemate Markonidis was called for offsides.

The key for Avon was its ability to choke off odd-man rushes by dominating the neutral zone, as well as keeping star Holderness d-man Caeden Harrington from playing his game. No patented four-man rushes for the speedy Bulls. (Forgive the oxymoron.)

Shots on the day favored Holderness, 30-29.

Coach Alan Thompson's Holderness squad finishes its season 25-4-0 and proved to the skeptics that, despite playing an easier schedule than most other Elite 8 teams other than St. Geeorge's, they were the real deal. It's always a pleasure to see a new team in the Elite 8.

@ (#1) Cushing 2, (#8) St. Sebastian's 1 (OT)

In front of a jam-packed house at Iorio Arena, #8-seed St. Sebastian's took #1-seed Cushing to overtime, but the high seed prevailed on junior Max Dineen's goal 36 seconds into the extra frame.

On the game-winner, PG Bronson Hunt rimmed it around the dasher, Emerson Marshall picked it up, got it quickly to the net, where Hunt knocked it to Max Dineen for the wraparound goal.

Cushing will host # 4 Avon in a repeat of last year's prep final. Faceoff will be at 2:00 pm on Saturday. 

Like the Avon-Holderness game, this one was also 0-0 after two periods, but in the third, Cushing struck quickly as junior D Ryland Randle fired a strong-side one-timer past Seb's senior netminder Pelle Russo, who had an excellent game, kicking out 34 of 36 shots, several of the 10-bell variety.

The Arrows knotted the game at 1-1 on a Matt Cataldo's 6x5 goal with eight seconds left in regulation.

The Elite 8 seemed out of reach for the Arrows when they had six losses a month ago. But Coach Sean McCann's group caught fire in the last month of the regular season, going 7-0-1 and snagging the #8 seed. No hardware, but a season they can feel good about.


@ #2 Kimball Union 5, #7 St. George's 4 (OT)

In a wild game in front of a packed house, visiting St. George's outplayed and outshot KUA for the first two periods, took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but KUA fought back in the third taking a 4-3 lead before St. George's Max Donatelli tied it up 4-4 on a 5x3 powerplay goal midway through the period. 

In OT, the two teams traded chances. Just as a KUA powerplay was expiring, junior D Andrew O'Sullivan went end-to-end, stickhandling through a couple St. George's players before breaking in alone, going forehand to backhand and roofing it on Dragons' star goalie Ryder Shea.

The Wildcats were led by its potent top line of Sam LeDrew (2g,1a), center Corwith Simmers (2g), and Jack Sadowski (3a), along with junior defenseman Andrew O'Sullivan (1g,2a).

St. George's was led offensively by D Marco Senerchia (1g,2a), forwardsTate Pecknold (1g,1a), Max Donatelli (1g,1a), and Owen Mulhern (2a), and standout junior D Everett Baldwin, who scored an end-to-end goal.

St. George's outshot KUA, 53-35. That's not a misprint.

"We feel fortunate," said KUA Head Coach Tim Whitehead.


(6) Salisbury 3 @ (#3) Brunswick 1

Salisbury, which was red-hot (12-1-1, with its only loss to Brunswick) over the last six weeks of the regular season, continued its strong play, visiting Brunswick's Hartong Rink, never trailing, and coming away with a 3-1 win.

The game started quickly, with Salisbury's Seamus Latta scoring just 38 seconds in. At the 54 second mark, Brunswick senior Luke Drury tied it up on the PP, for 'Wicks only tally of the game. Later in the period, Salisbury's Duke Gentzler, from senior D Anthony Biakabutuka, notched the game-winner, making it 2-1.

Early in the third, Salisbury junior Connor Davis, from Nicholas Petrut and Biakabutuka, stretched the lead to 3-1. That was it for the day's scoring.

In the third period, Salisbury skillfully protected its lead, taking away the middle of the ice and keeping 'Wicks potent forwards at bay.

For Salisbury, Davis (1g,1a), Petrut (2a), Biakabutuka (2a) each had two points. Latta and Gentzler had a goal apiece.

For 'Wick, Drury (1g), d-man Cooper Cleaves (1a) and Brendan Giles (1a) was the extent of the scoring. It was the first NEPSAC game all season in which Brunswick scored just one goal.

In net, Salisbury senior Cooper Flemming (23/24) earned the win; Brunswick senior Will Baker (21/24) took the loss.

Salisbury advances and will travel to #2 KUA for a semifinal Saturday.

Brunswick had a great season, winning the St. Sebastian's Tournament, the Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament, and lost just three regular NEPSIHA games -- to Loomis (in the season's first game), Culver, and Cushing.


***

SMALL SCHOOL

@ (#4) Frederick Gunn 3, (#5) Groton 1 --
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Despite the best efforts of Groton senior netminder Ethan Ramonetti (40/42), the Zebras, making their first postseason appearance since pre-pandemic days, were bounced from the Small School tournament by last year's runners-up. Frederick Gunn put double the number of shots on net that Groton did, but Ramonetti — who finishes a standout prep career with a .934 save percentage and 2.35 GAA — kept this first-round tilt close until the final minute.

Gunn's pressure was unrelenting, but nobody cracked the scoreboard in the first. Less than two minutes into the middle frame, though, Groton senior Devin Fitzgerald gave his team a 1-0 advantage. Fitzgerald's goal, the Zebra captain's ninth of the season, would be the only one allowed by Highlanders' senior goalie Mitchell McCusker (20/21) all day. Just 33 seconds later, Texas-born junior Will Jackson knotted the score at one apiece.

From there, Ramonetti battened down the hatches, and wouldn't be beat again until nearly midway through the third, when Gunn junior Trey Dionne, assisted by linemates Ian Kusis and Corbin Carkner, potted what turned out to be the game-winner. Groton had fleeting chances down the stretch, but nothing came to fruition and, with under a minute left, Gunn post-grad Jake Johner buried an empty-netter to end any hopes of a Groton comeback.

With the win, Craig Badger's Highlanders reach prep hockey's final weekend for the fourth consecutive full season. They'll face #1Rivers in the semifinals on Saturday.

@ (#1) Rivers 5, (#8) Proctor 3 

Rivers, the top seed in the Small School bracket, relied heavily on the production of underclassmen all season. More than 60% of the Red Wings' goals this year came from a collection of 15 eighth-graders, freshmen, and sophomores. We at USHR can't recall a prep team so dependent on its youngsters, so it was no surprise that the youth movement in Weston carried right into the playoffs.

Hosting Proctor, Rivers took a 1-0 lead almost halfway through the first, then relinquished that lead when Hornets senior Carter Dougherty scored with eight seconds left in the frame. In the second, the Red Wings came out flying, potting three straight goals and seemingly blowing the game open.

But Proctor, which limped into the postseason with just four wins in its last 10 games, wasn't deterred. Defensemen Kevin Delaney and Gerald Cahill bookended the second intermission with scores that drew the Hornets within one. But, for the game's final 13 minutes, Rivers senior G Jason Delehoy — who saved 17 of the 20 shots he faced — was perfect. Finn Sears of Rivers — an eighth-grader, of course — notched an ENG, his second goal of the day, for the 5-3 final.

In addition to Sears, sophomores Jonathan Rivard and Evan Handler scored for the Red Wings, who advance to the semifinals for the first time since March of 2020. They'll host Gunn in a Saturday semifinal.

(#7) Pomfret 5 @ (#2) St. Mark's 2

In a meeting of two Small School tournament stalwarts that finished the regular season trending oppositely, Pomfret — which entered the playoffs on a 6-2-1 stretch — took down St. Mark's, which suffered as many losses in the season's final month as it did in the previous two months combined.

Drew Carr's opening goal less than four minutes in electrified the home crowd, and then Lions' fans had nothing to cheer about for nearly 40 minutes of game action. Griffins' senior captain Louie Marcellino scored halfway through the first. His classmate, Brooks Pearce, converted a penalty shot chance in the second. Junior Luke Corrigan added another tally early in the third. Pomfret wouldn't relinquish that lead.

The Lions held a 38-30 advantage in shots for the game, but Griffins senior goalie Beau Johnson (36/38) shut down St. Mark's efforts for a critical swath of game time while his teammates built an insurmountable advantage.

After missing the postseason altogether last year, Pomfret will face #3 Canterbury next, with a chance to make a third Small School title appearance in five seasons.

@ (#3) Canterbury 7, (#6) Tilton 4

In a neutral-site contest played at Trinity College, Tilton carried a 1-0 lead into the second period before Canterbury exploded for four goals in the second period and three more in the third to win handily and advance to the Small School semifinals.

Unlike some of the other results of the day, the shots certainly told the full story of this one: any way you twist it, this was domination by the Saints, who put 47 shots on net against Rams sophomore goalie Matt Wood. In the opposite crease, ’Bury senior Maxim Pitts stopped 16 of 20 Tilton shots for the win.

Canterbury junior Ryan Lucarelli, who last week pledged to Sacred Heart, scored twice in the win, which sets up an all-Connecticut semifinal between the Saints and Pomfret.

***

LARGE SCHOOL

(7) Andover 6 @ (#2) Lawrence Academy 2 

Andover, which hit an early-February swoon that sent it careening from the Elite 8 picture towards the bottom of the Large School bracket, finished the regular season with three consecutive wins. In a quarterfinal meeting with second-seeded Lawrence, the defending Small School champs, the seventh-seeded Big Blue kept their momentum rolling.

Junior winger Rui Han potted two goals in the first 10 minutes and change, helping stake Andover to a 3-1 lead by the end of the first. The two sides traded goals in the second, then Dartmouth commit Grayden Robertson-Palmer — who had a massive four-point (1g,3a) day — and Zachary Skowronek scored in the third for the final margin of victory.

On paper, this was a decisive victory, but the shot chart tells a different story. LA took 46 shots, far more than Andover's 30, but goaltending was the difference. Ben Skowronek, the Big Blue senior who, like his team, had a season of peaks and valleys, was on his A-game against the Spartans, stopping 44 shots and surrendering just two goals. On the other end, Lawrence junior Kolin Belliveau, a Holderness transfer, saw one-fifth of PA's 30 shots elude him.

It's extra special for Andover bench boss Paul Tortorella, who became the head coach at his alma mater in 2015: the win marks the first postseason victory under his watch.


(#8) Berkshire 8 @ (#1) Nobles 5

If you like goal-scoring, this was a four-course meal.

Berkshire, which had been blanked by Nobles, 3-0, in their previous game, back on December 29th, avenged that loss at the most opportune time, blasting Nobles, 8-5, to advance to a Large School semifinal Saturday at #5 Kent.

Berkshire held the lead throughout, but a goal midway through the third by Nobles' junior F Matthew Welch cut the Bears' lead to 6-5, but that was as close as Nobles would get. Berkshire stretched the lead to 7-5 on junior F Luke Matthews's goal at 14:27, and added an empty-netter from junior Evan Regan for the final margin of victory.

Regan (2g,1a), senior Antoine Gauthier (1g,2a), and junior Deven Hikspoors (1g,2a) led Berkshire scorers with three points apiece. Matthews (2g), junior Duncan Thompson (1g,1a), senior D Nico Pasquale (2a) and senior F Camden Raifstanger (2a) each had two points.

For Nobles, sophomore Billy MacAusland (1g,2a) led all scorers. Juniors Ted MacAusland (1g,1a), Kyle O'Leary (2a), and d-man Lou Munger (2a) each had a couple of points. Juniors Matthew Welch, Ben Nakata, and Dennis Davidson each had single goals.

Nobles, with only four seniors on its roster, was a skilled but young and unpredictable team this season. When going to see them, we had no idea which team would show up. However, they were good enough to finish the regular season 15-7-4 (good for a 9th-place finish in RPI and 10th in JSPR). The future looks very good.

Berkshire was, and is, a team in transition, with coach Kevin Czepiel arriving from NMH to take over from longtime head coach Dan Driscoll, who had retired. The Bears got better as the season went along, beating the teams they should beat, and losing to the better teams. Seven of their 11 losses came against Elite 8 teams.  Other losses were to Gunn (2x), Canterbury and Westminster. One of their wins came against Kent, Saturday's semifinal opponent.


(#5) Kent 5 @ (#4) Deerfield 1

Kent, after getting goals in the first from Owen Mahar and the second from Gio DiGiulian, allowed host Deerfield to cut it to 2-1 on a Jakub Kohn PPG early in the third. But senior G Aidan Hopewell (26/27) barred the door after that and the Lions built on their lead with a 5x3 goal from junior Michael Fiedorczuk, an even-strength goal from senior D Teddy Mallgrave, and an ENG from DiGiulian.

Top guns for Kent were Mahar (1g,3a), DiGiulian (2g,1a), Mallgrave (1g,2a), and Fiedorczuk (1g,1a).

Next up is a Saturday semifinal, with #8 Berkshire coming to town for a 2:00 pm showdown. In their sole matchup this season, Kent lost at Berkshire, 5-4.

Kent had a great December, winning the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic and holding a 7-2-1 record when returning from the holiday break, but went 8-6-1 to conclude the season.

Deerfield was 0-6-1 vs. TUCs, but also had losses to Choate and Hotchkiss, and ties against Pomfret and Taft. The Big Green graduates their top forward, Tom Molson, and their third-leading scorer. Jakub Kohn. They will also graduate #1 goalie John Tolve.


@ (#3) Dexter 6, (#6) Belmont Hill 3

Host Dexter, trailing 3-2 after two, exploded for four unanswered third-period goals. Junior Sean Leetch tied it on a PPG, sophomore Jake Assad scored the GWG, freshman Noah Survilas, on the PP, added an insurance goal, and Carson Nikulas put it to bed with an ENG.

Sophomore Colin Davis (31/34) picked up the win; sophomore JJ Thibodeau (25/30) took the loss.

Top scorers for Dexter were Survilas (2g,1a), junior Nathan Porter (3a), and senior Cullen Emery (3a). Assad (1g,1a) had two points. Marchi, Leetch, and senior D Carson Nikulas (ENG) rounded out their scoring with single goals.

For Belmont Hill, which had also lost its penultimate regular-season game at Dexter five days earlier, junior Andrew Waugh had two goals and senior Jake McManus had one.

Dexter started the season a little uncertainly, but came together after the New Year, going 10-5-0 down the stretch and just missing the Elite 8.

Belmont Hill was the opposite, standing 8-2-2 the first week of January, but going 9-9-0 the rest of the way.

Sun. 3/3/24

NEPSAC Girls' Hockey Tournament Championships
Sunday, March 3, 2024
At The Noble & Greenough School

Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite 8):

#1 Nobles vs. #2 Williston, 4:00 pm -- Nobles, 3-1

1st period: N&G -- Catherine McCool (Rachel Zhao, Gretta Hulbig)
2nd period: N&G -- Sophia Levering (Francie Ames, Lily Bromley)
3rd period: N&G -- Olivia Maffeo (Meghan Loeber, Calleigh Brown)
WN -- Riley Stocker (Camille Armaganian, Emily Hamann)

John Cooper Tournament MVP: Nobles' G Anya Zupkofska (30 saves)

***
Patsy Odden Tournament (Large Schools):

#4 Buckingham Browne & Nichols vs. #3 Dexter Southfield, 1:30 pm -- BB&N, 1-0

1st period: BB&N -- Savana Littlewood (Anika Singh, Kate Glantz)

Moe Tarrant Tournament MVP: BB&N senior goaltender Alexsa Caron (33-save shutout)

***
Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small Schools):

#2 New Hampton vs. #1 Groton, 11:00 am --  New Hampton, 2-1

1st period: No scoring
2nd period: NH -- Reese Luber (Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan, True Thompson)
3rd period: Groton -- Tina Scalese (Jaelyn Trudell) 
NH -- Kayleigh Michaud-Nolan (Caroline Thomas, True Thompson)

Kimberly Nanoff Tournament MVP: New Hampton goaltender Vera Lee

Sun. 3/3/24

 
NEPSAC Girls' Hockey Tournament
* Championship Sunday *
Sunday, March 3, 2024

-- At Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.

Livestream (all games): https://bbiglive.com/nepsac


Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite 8)

#1 Nobles vs. #2 Williston, 4:00 pm -- Nobles, 3-1 (Final)

Patsy Odden Tournament (Large School): 

#3 Dexter Southfield vs. #4 BB&N, 1:30 pm -- BB&N, 1-0 (Final)

Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small School):

#1 Groton vs. #2 New Hampton, 11:00 am -- New Hampton, 2-1 (Final)

Thurs. 2/29/24 -- Updated Sat. 3/2/24
 

NEPSAC Girls' Hockey Tournament
* Semifinals Schedule *
Saturday, March 2, 2024

Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite)

#4 Loomis @ #1 Nobles, 3:00 pm -- Nobles, 1-0
https://livebarn.com/en/

#3 Andover @ #2 Williston, 3:45 pm -- Williston, 3-1
https://www.williston.com/livestream/

Patsy Odden Tournament (Large School)

#4 BB&N @ #1 Choate, 2:00 pm -- BB&N, 2-1 (OT)
https://events.locallive.tv/events/139848

#3 Dexter @ #2 Westminster, 1:00 pm -- Dexter, 5-1
https://www.westminster-school.org/live

Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small School)

#4 Millbrook @ #1 Groton, 2:00 pm -- Groton, 5-2
https://events.locallive.tv/school/groton-school

#6 Rivers @ #2  New Hampton, 2:30 pm -- New Hampton, 6-1
https://www.newhampton.org/quick-links/nhs-live

Sat. 2/24/24 -- Updated Mon.

NEPSAC Girls' Hockey Tournament
* Quarterfinals Schedule *
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite)

#8 St. Paul's @ #1 Nobles, 5:00 pm -- Nobles, 4-3
#7 Tabor @ #2 Williston, 4:30 pm -- Williston, 8-1
#6  Deerfield @ #3 Andover, 4:30 pm -- Andover, 4-0
#5 Kent @ #4  Loomis, 3:00 pm -- Loomis, 1-0

Patsy Odden Tournament (Large School)

#1 Choate -- bye
#2 Westminster -- bye
#6 Exeter @ #3 Dexter, 6:15 pm -- Dexter, 4-0
#5 Thayer @ #4 BB&N, 4:00 pm -- BB&N, 3-0

Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small School)

#1 Groton -- bye
#2  New Hampton -- bye
#6 Rivers @ #3 Frederick Gunn, 6:15 pm -- Rivers, 4-3 (OT)
#5  Tilton @ #4 Millbrook, 2:00 pm (at Deerfield) -- Millbrook, 2-1