Sat. 3/1/25
Up For Grabs
Here we are, the final day of the regular season, and there’s still plenty of potential for movement in the Elite 8, and by extension, the Small/Large school tournaments.
First off, the Top 16 is the wildcard of the moment. Yesterday, with a surprise Thayer loss to Seb’s and a Trinity-Pawling win over Brunswick, the Pride snagged the 16th and final spot, which evicted (for now) both Holderness and Brunswick from the Elite 8, much to the delight of Nobles and Rivers who find themselves in the Elite 8 without having played a game yesterday.
Three teams are in the running for the final spot in the Top 16: Trinity-Pawling, Tilton, and Westminster. The RPI margins are razor thin in some scenarios, so this crucial spot may go down to the wire (i.e. last played game). Pertinent games are: Belmont Hill @ Westminster (1:30 pm); T-P @ Millbrook (2:00 pm); and New Hampton @ Tilton (4:00 pm)
1) Westy and T-P win – final spot to T-P or Westy (RPI difference @.0005)
2) Westy wins, T-P loses – final spot to Westy
3) T-P wins, Westy loses – final spot to T-P
4) Tilton & Westy win, T-P loses – final spot should go to Westy (RPI close here as well)
5) Tilton & T-P win, Westy loses – final spot to T-P
6) Tilton wins, Westy & T-P lose – final spot to Tilton
The makeup of the Top 16 by day’s end will almost certainly affect, for better or worse, the Elite 8 bubble teams: Rivers, Belmont Hill, Salisbury, Nobles, Holderness, and Brunswick. There are even moonshot scenarios wherein KUA and Berkshire have a chance, but that entails losses by basically all of the bubble teams and Westy landing in the Top 16.
With wins today both Bel Hill and Salisbury are looking good, regardless of which team lands in the final spot of the Top 16.
Holderness can launch itself into the upper echelon of the Elite 8 (possibly #2 seeding!) with a win over KUA; otherwise, they’ll need a favorable Top 16 and a loss by one or more teams ahead of them.
Rivers’s regular season is finished, and they’re in wait-and-see mode. Trinity-Pawling remaining in the #16 spot is probably ideal for the Red Wings. The same goes for Nobles: win today and hope for T-P to remain in the #16 spot.
Brunswick’s path is less clear. The loss to T-P yesterday to end its regular season didn’t help their cause. The Bruins will be rooting for Westy to beat Bel Hill, hoping that the double whammy of Bel Hill potentially exiting the Elite 8 and Westy entering the Top 16 will be sufficient to get them back in the running.
The current top four seeds (Deerfield, Dexter, Cushing, and St. Mark’s) are guaranteed a spot, with only home ice possibly at risk for Cushing and St. Mark’s.
Plenty of room for drama here on the final day. Stay tuned!
Sun. 3/9/25-- Updated
2025 NEPSAC Girls' Championship Scoreboard
Sunday, March 9, 2025
At the Taft School
Watertown, Conn.
Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite 8):
(#2) Loomis 5
(#5) Andover 3
MVP:
Lindsay Stepnowski, Loomis
Period 1 LC -- Chloe Obser (Megan Hosman, Megan Duplantie) 14:21 ppg
Period 1 LC -- Lindsay Stepnowski (Chloe Obser, Megan Hosman) 11:18 ppg
Period 1 LC -- Bella Zolezzi (unassisted) 6:47
Period 1 AND -- Sarah Powers (Caroline Averill, Emily Mara) 0:55
Period 2 LC -- Bella Zolezzi (Ellie LaChance, Carly Dann) 11:58 ppg
Period 3 AND -- Peyton Kennedy (Lilly McInerney, Kim Duplessis) 15:29 ppg
Period 3 AND -- Maggie Averill (Emily Mara, Sarah Powers) 12:15 ppg
Period 3 LC -- Megan Duplantie (Chloe Obser, Easton Pramuka shg
Goaltenders:
Andover: Maria Lee
Loomis: Adeline Roper
Patsy Odden Tournament (Large School)
(#2) Deerfield 2
(#5) Tabor 0
MVP:
Campbell Krotee, Deerfield
Scoring:
Period 2 Deerfield -- Allie Corrieri (Keira Austen) 15:53 ppg
Period 3 Deerfield -- Chloe Cleaves 0:08 eng
Goaltenders:
Campbell Krotee, Deerfield
Avery Olson, Tabor
Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small School)
(#1) New Hampton 4
(#6) St. Mark's 1
MVP:
Caroline Thomas ‘26, New Hampton
Goals:
Period 1 NHS -- Trinity Walsh (Kennedy Walker) 11:58
Period 2 NHS -- Kelsey Baker (Reese Luber) 4:17
Period 3 NHS -- Emma Macpherson (unassisted) 9:08
Period 3 STM -- Hannah Macron (unassisted) 1:51
Period 3 NHS -- Reese Luber (Caroline Thomas, True Thompson) 1:04
Goaltenders:
Elizabeth Vincent, New Hampton
Jackie Wright, St. Mark's
Sat. 3/8/25
2025 NEPSAC Girls' Semifinals Scoreboard
Saturday, March 8, 2025
At Campus Sites
Send info to staff@ushr.com
Elite 8
#5 Andover 3 @ #1 Williston 0
@ #2 Loomis 4, #6 BB&N 0
Large School Tournament
#5 Tabor 3 @ #1 Thayer 2 (OT)
@ #2 Deerfield 3, #6 Kent 1
Small School Tournament
@ #1 New Hampton 5, #5 St. George's 1
#6 St. Mark's 3 @ #2 Rivers 0
Up Next:
CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY
Sunday, March 9, 2025
At the Taft School
Watertown, Conn.
Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small School): #1 New Hampton vs. #6 St.Mark's, 11:00 am
Patsy Odden Tournament (Large School): #2 Deerfield vs. #5 Tabor, 1:15 pm
Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite 8): #2 Loomis vs. #5 Andover, 4:00 pm
Wed. 3/5/25
2025 NEPSAC Girls' Quarterfinals Scoreboard
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
At Campus Sites
Send info to staff@ushr.com
Elite 8
@ #1 Williston 7, #8 Groton 2
@ #2 Loomis Chaffee 7, #7 Cushing 2
#6 BB&N 4 @ #3 Dexter Southfield 1
#5 Andover 2 @ #4 Nobles 1
Large School
@ #1 Thayer 6, #8 St. Paul's 3
@ #2 Deerfield 3, #7 Milton 2 (OT)
#6 Kent 2 @ #3 Berkshire 1 (OT)
#5 Tabor 2 @ Exeter 1
Small School
@ #1 New Hampton 4, #8 Frederick Gunn 1 -- at Lawrence Academy
@ #2 Rivers, 8, #7 Mount St Charles 0
#6 St. Mark's 2 @ #3 Governor's 0
#5 St. George's 5 @ #4 Lawrence 1
Up Next:
SEMIFINALS
Saturday, March 8, 2025
Games Hosted by Higher Seed
Elite 8
#5 Andover @ #1 Williston, 1:30 pm
#6 BB&N @ #2 Loomis, 3:00 pm
Large School Tournament
#5 Tabor @ #1 Thayer, 2:00 pm
#6 Kent @ #2 Deerfield, 12:00 pm
Small School Tournament
#5 St. George's @ #1 New Hampton, 1:00 pm
#6 St. Mark's 6 @ #2 Rivers, 11:30 am
CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY
Sunday, March 9, 2025
At the Taft School
Watertown, Conn.
Dorothy Howard Tournament (Small School), 11:00 am
Patsy Odden Tournament (Large School), 1:15 pm
Chuck Vernon Tournament (Elite 8), 4:00 pm
New England Prep Hockey News
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