It’s the best time of year in Prep School Hockey – Playoff Time! Neutral Zone’s scouting staff will break down each of the upcoming playoff matchups. Our scouts have seen each team remaining multiple times and will give insider info on styles of play, key matchups in the game, and some statistics to help preview the games.
Small School Playoffs
#8 Pomfret (16-12-1) @ #1 Tilton (19-8-0)
Tilton: Tilton turned a lot of heads this season with their play and was on the doorstep of making the Elite 8. In their first 18 games they went 15-3-0 with wins over playoff teams Proctor (2x), New Hampton (2x), Holderness, KUA and St. Paul’s. With that being said, the Rams have closed the season with a 4-6-0 record in their last 10 games. Keep in mind though that they played 6 playoff bound teams and 3 Elite 8 games in that stretch. The Rams are an older, aggressive, high compete squad who gets under teams’ skin. They have had great goaltending all season and have a solid three lines with 12 players on their team with double digit point totals. That kind of depth will give them a real advantage in the small school bracket as most teams are 1 or 2-line teams.
Key Players: Tilton’s scoring has been pretty spread out throughout the season and with the exception of netminder Owen Cuddyer they don’t have a real go-to-guy. With that being said, their top forwards have been Jack Seymour, James Cates, Brendan Sjostedt and Ryan Harrigan. On the backend they are led by juniors Jagger Benson and Mark Blaney.
Pomfret: Pomfret closes the season on a 5-3-0 record through their last 8 games but all those losses were against Elite 8 teams. They have been consistent in their own end this season allowing a 2.03 GAA over 29 games including 5 shutouts. They have a talented top line but lack the depth of some other playoff teams. They have a 3-8-0 record against playoff bound teams which shows they have a tough strength of schedule but haven’t had much success against the top teams. They are a hardworking, disciplined team that plays the game right way and doesn’t get outworked.
Key Players: Most of the teams offense flows through their top line of Kyle Tomaso, Sami Hakkarainen and Tyler Bourque. Defensively they have two solid seniors in Nate Schuman and big-bodied Landon Krekorian.
Analysis: These are both older teams who aren’t going to out-skill teams but will work hard, get in your face and get pucks to the net. Tilton is a bit stronger and have a few more offensive weapons but Pomfret plays to their strengths and comes into the playoffs riding a 4 game win streak whereas Tilton has a losing record in their final 10 games. Cuddyer, Tilton starting goalie, however is a winner and has the potential to steal games.
Key Matchup: Tilton’s offense vs. Pomfret’s defense/goaltending. Tilton averages 4.48 goals per game on the season or a total of 121 in 27 games but Pomfret is one of the best defensive teams in the league giving up just 2.03 or 59 goals against all season. Whoever wins that battle will win the game.
Tilton wins if….they can roll 3 lines. Tilton has a major depth advantage so if they can roll 3 lines deep into the game then they’ll have the advantage during the most critical part of the game.
Pomfret wins if….they can score 3 or more goals. In Tilton’s 4-6-0 record in the last 10 games; all 6 losses came from losing by 3 or more goals. Tilton has not lost a game this season when giving up 2 goals or less.
#7 Holderness (12-11-4) @ #2 Proctor (19-11-1)
Proctor: The Hornets have had an up and down season; they started an even 2-2-0 then won 4-straight in December but fell to 2-3-1 from mid-December through early January. From January 9 to February 9 Proctor proved to the prep landscape that they are legit going 10-2-0 with their only losses to Tilton and St. Sebastian’s. The difference was their offense as they were averaging just shy of 6 goals per game during that stretch. However, in the last two weeks to close out the season Proctor is 1-4-0 so they aren’t exactly heading to the playoffs with confidence. With that being said, all 4 of those teams are in the playoffs including 2 losses against #2 KUA. Overall Proctor is a team that is highly offensive putting up 139 goals on the season. They are a bit thin on the backend and while they have really solid goaltending they don’t always support him the way they need to. Offensively they have a few difference makers up front complimented with solid depth. They are a good skating team and have a nice combination of skill and hustle.
Key Players: The team has 14 players with double digit points so this isn’t a one-man team but it is certainnly led by two seniors Myles Abbate and Kevin Craig. Abbate has 22 goals and plays in every situation and Craig logs a ton of ice both running the power play and the penalty kill, moves pucks and plays a smart, reliable, 200 ft game. Abbate is complimented by a pair of ’02 forwards Ronan Walsh and James Tepper who combine for 38 goals between them. Cole Chingris has earned the starting job in net and had an impressive season (.917 SV%) finishing 9th in the league in saves.
Holderness: The Bulls started the year with a 4-1-2 record through the first 7 games and looked like a team that could compete in the Small School Tournament but then fell to 1-5-0 over the next 6 games. They rebounded and won 3 straight but then fell to 0-3-1 over the next 4. However, their season changed in early February where they beat a ranked Tilton on the road and then followed that up with a tie against #2 KUA. While they finished the year 5-2-1 with both losses to St. Paul’s; their wins over Tilton, Proctor and tie to KUA gave them the confidence heading into playoffs that they can play with the best.
Key Players: Holderness is a team that relies heavily offensively on their top unit of Kevin Pitts, Isaiah Fox and Tim Manning. They are supported by a pair of exciting ‘02s in Jake Waterman and Carter Rose. Between the pipes Connor Androlewicz has the size and skill to take over games.
Analysis: These two teams are quite familiar with each other not only scrimmaging early in the season, but playing twice in the regular season and splitting the series 1-1. Proctor won the first matchup 2-0 at Holderness in mid-January and then lost at home in mid-February 5-1. The difference was goaltending; the first game Proctor outshot Holderness 35-40 and Chingris got the shutout. The second matchup Proctor outshot Holderness 49 to 43 and it was Androlewicz who stole the game with 48 saves. Proctor has more offensive fire power than Holderness but both teams pride themselves on their compete level and it should be a great rivalry grudge match.
Key Matchup: Proctor’s offense vs. Holderness team defense. Proctor can score, they have a pair of 20+ goal scorers and 14 players with double digit point totals. Compare that to Holderness who has 6 players in double digits. With that being said Holderness is playing their best hockey as of late and are coming off a big win against the Hornets so it doesn’t feel like a 2 vs. 7 game to them. Holderness will need to have to shut down Proctor’s offensive attack because they are averaging over 4 goals per game and Holderness’ record against teams who have scored 4 goals or more against them is 2-7-2.
Proctor wins if….they can turn the game into a shootout. They have a tendency to stretch the ice, open up the game, take some risks and make plays. If they can turn this into an up and down offensively focused game than it plays into their advantage as they have the offense to win that matchup.
Holderness wins if….they can neutralize Proctor’s top six forwards. If they can shut down Abbate, Walsh and Tepper then that is essentially taking out half of their teams offensive production and a low scoring battle plays to Holderness strength. They’ll also need another big game in the net like they did two weeks ago to pull this “upset” off.
#6 New Hampton (15-15-4) @ #3 Rivers School (17-9-2)
Rivers School: Rivers heads into the post season after going 6-5-0 in their last 11 games. They are a younger team this season and a bit top heavy with their top line producing the majority of the offense. The strength of their team however lies on their blue line where they have size, skating ang two-way players who can change the game. They have only given up 59 goals on the season or an average of 2.11 GAA. Team defense, discipline and hard nose play has always been the cornerstones of a McEachern lead Rivers squad.
Key Players: The strength of the team is on the blue line led by NHL Draft prospect Cade Webber (BU) a highly mobile big reach defender with a two-way game but he’s surrounded by other D1 prospects in Antonio Andreozzi (Brown), Pat Lawn (Bentley) and Ryan Rahbany. Up front the team is led by Phillip Tresca (Yale), Matt Cormier and Michael McEachern. Also of note is emerging ’03 prospect Will Conway who is a top six forward with a scoring touch.
New Hampton: The Huskies have always challenged themselves to tough schedules and despite a 5-3-3 start they had played 5 playoff teams in that stretch. In January they started 1-4-0 but ended the month with a 5-1-0 run. February on the other hand as seen the Huskies drop 6 of their last 9 games. Important to note that those 6 losses all came against playoff teams including 3 Elite 8 teams. The team has some size and skill up front, they have a solid backend but have struggled to keep pucks out of their net giving up 128 goals against on the season, second worst in prep hockey. Bit of a down year for the Huskies but Casey Kesselring is one of the best coaches in NE Prep and he will have his team ready.
Key Players: New Hampton can score which is evidence by having 6 players in double digit goals on the season but their top 7 forwards are all solid in Jack Ring, Alec Grace, Cory Morris, Marcus Joughin, Greg Peterson and most notably Ontario native and power/skill forward Isaac MacLeod and speedster Jake Dunlap (UMass Amherst).
Analysis: These are two very different teams; Rivers is disciplined defense-first team that has given up just 59 goals on the year and New Hampton is a skilled, good-sized offensive minded team who have scored 115 goals on the season. Both teams can roll 3 lines; New Hampton has a slight advantage up front but Rivers is much better on the blue line as they have one of the best defensive cores in the league. Goaltending is a toss up. They have already played once this season and skated to a 3-3 tie.
Key Matchup: Rivers speed vs. New Hampton’s size and age. Rivers is a younger team but they can skate, their defense breaks pucks out clean and generate speed rushes through the neutral zone. The pressure they put on opposing defense could be a lot for New Hampton to handle as they are not as fast and their defensive core isn’t as mobile. However, Rivers doesn’t have great size and New Hampton is bigger, more physical and older. The Huskies will have the advantage in most wall battles.
Rivers wins if….they can hold New Hampton to 3 goals or less. New Hampton gives up over 3 goals per game so Rivers will get their opportunities; if they can keep them under 3 goals they have a great chance to win as their record when doing so this season is 16-5-2.
New Hampton wins if….they can push Rivers off pucks physically and create offense in zone. New Hampton will have a tough time against this defensive unit scoring on the rush but they are bigger and stronger and if they can get pucks behind the Rivers defense and get a lot of offensive zone time it could wear down Rivers.
#5 St. Mark’s (15-9-2) @ #4 Groton (19-7-2)
Groton: Groton has been one of the most exciting teams to follow in prep hockey this season. A team that started the year 3-5-2 through their first 10 games then went on a 14 game win streak before finishing the year 2-2-0 in the final four games of the season. Their team has two solid lines both up front and on the backend despite not having perhaps their most talented player in Jonah Gold for almost a month. The team is resilient, well coached and won’t give the game away.
Key Players: Will Torriani is a big, talented Quebec native who is tough to handle o the cycle and can make people miss. Drew Burke (Colby) is an undersized but skilled winger who is excellent in transition. he plays fast. . Can be a difference maker is he finds space. On the blue line, Thomas Dempsey should see lots of time along with Trey Whitehead as they play in all situations. Dempsey is one of the more underrated players in prep hockey.
St. Mark’s: The strength of this team is they have a talented, strong core of defensemen with some snarl and size up front. They like to get pucks in behind opponents and cycle; grind out shifts. Very well coached like Groton, they also won’t beat themselves.
Key Players: Ian Moore (Princeton) is a very talented sophomore with NHL upside and is usually paired with his brother Nolan who is experienced and smart. Tucker Hartmann has some wiggle on the blue line and is a breakout machine. Good on the power play and facilitates clean zone entries. Up front, Matt Toporowski is skilled and smart. Danny Ciccarello has a cannon for s a shot and leads the team in scoring. Brendan Gibbons is a strong player who can wear opposing D down and is really tough to move from the front of the net. Jackson Coutu is an exciting 2003 to watch. He can make plays if given space.
Analysis: Two similar teams in that they are well coached and play hard. St. Mark’s is a bit deeper on the blue line and Groton has a bit more skill up front. Goalies are similar so that’s probably a wash. Groton went 4-2 their last six games and St. Mark’s went 5-1. Teams each won a game at the other’s rink. Tough to find a real advantage as is the case as in most 4/5 games. Should be a great game and we enjoyed the last one. Rivals playing for a chnace to move on. Prep hockey at its best.
Key Matchup: St. Mark’s defense vs Groton defending forwards in the Groton zone. If St. Mark’s is able to involve their defense in the offense up ice, it could be a long night as the likes of Ian Moore, Nolan Moore and Tucker Hartmann They can all make plays and fire the puck. Watch the matchup, especially when St, Mark’s first line is out as they are very good cycling the puck and often force defending wings down to help. This will open up the point.
Groton wins if….they win the special teams battle and get to the net consistently. They cannot play on the perimeter and they must make the St. Mark’s D corp work. Make good dumps, forecheck hard and finish checks. Don’t chase however if they don’t have good speed entering the zone.
St. Mark’s wins…if they can involve their defense up ice and move it quickly in transition. Special teams battle is crucial for them as well. They must stay out of the penalty box. No neutral zone or offensive zone penalties. Forwards must plant themselves near the crease.
These teams just played in the same venue last week. We were there and here is a link to that report. St. Mark’s came away with the win and their coach coach Carl Corazzini said after the win: “Typical Groton/St. Mark’s game. Both teams competed really hard and we made some plays down the stretch that helped us win”
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling images