NZ Prep is gearing up for the Prep Holiday Tournaments and will have our scouts deployed to nearly all the tournaments and plan to see 85% of the teams in the league over the next 7 days. Before we head into that, we release our Week #2 poll where we saw #1 Salisbury get knocked off in OT by Kent School and a few new teams make enter the poll.
NZ scouts were on the road throughout the week to get eyes on several teams before the Holiday tournaments. We released a preseason poll based mostly on historical performance having not played since the 2019-2020 season but after a week of games we have a better idea of how teams are looking. The top 3 remains the same unbeaten but we have added some teams to the poll this week and moved a few teams up and down.
NZ Prep Poll Week #2: Top 10
1. Kimball Union (5-0-0)
2. Avon Old Farms (5-0-0)
3. Cushing Academy (4-0-1)
4. Westminster (3-0-0)
5. St. Sebastian’s (4-0-0)
6. Noble & Greenough (3-0-1)
7. Belmont Hill (2-0-1)
8. Salisbury School (3-1-0)
9. Frederick Gunn School (5-1-0)
10. Loomis Chaffee (3-1-0)
New to this weeks poll is Loomis Chaffee, Noble & Greenough and Belmont Hill; we saw Nobles play Belmont Hill earlier this season and skated to a 1-1 tie but have remain unbeaten and Loomis had the highest quality resume of the remaining 1 loss teams with wins over Canterbury (who was ranked last week), Pomfret and Trinity Pawling.
1. Kimball Union
Through the first 5 games of the season the Wildcats stand 5-0 and outscoring opponents 33-4. The only team that was able to give them a game was Kent School who despite 3-3 record just knocked off former #1 Salisbury in OT. The favorites heading into a the talent-heavy Flood Marr tournament. Upcoming Week: Flood Marr Tournament
2. Avon Old Farms
The Winged Beavers host their Christmas Tournament this upcoming week and will be heading into it with an undefeated record. Their 3-0 record to start the year was impressive but their most recent two victories against Trinity Pawling and Deerfield prove this isn’t just a team relying on talent, they can play with strong teams who are deep and tough to play against. Gardner has had some talented teams in recent years but this might be his most balanced top to bottom. Upcoming Week: Avon Old Farms Christmas Tournament
3. Cushing Academy
The Penguins are unbeaten through 5 games to start the season and will head to the Lawrence/Groton Holiday Tournament as a favorite despite the deep pool of talent. They may not wow teams in any one area but they are talented in fall facets and can win in a variety of ways. They’ll have their work cut out for them with their upcoming tournament but have a real chance to win it. Upcoming Week: Lawrence/Groton Tournament
4. Westminster
Westminster has been a bit of a surprise so far this year starting out 3-0 with quality wins over NMH and Brunswick. They have just 3 games under their belt so far which is less than the other teams in this poll but they’ll have a real test coming up at the Flood Marr especially against #1 Kimball Union to start the tournament. Upcoming Week: Flood Marr Tournament
5. St. Sebastian’s
The Arrows survived a tough week against two teams who came in undefeated and with one loss (Portsmouth Abby and Phillips Exeter) and was able to tally 13 goals showing their offensive prowess. They host their own Holiday Tournament and should be the favorite heading into it but have to face teams of the likes of Northwood and St. Andrew’s who are much further into their seasons than St. Sebs. Upcoming Week: St. Sebastian’s Holiday Tournament
6. Noble & Greenough
Nobles is a team that is not only undefeated but may have had the toughest schedule thus far with wins over Tabor, Pomfret and Dexter and a tie against #7 Belmont Hill. The schedule doesn’t get any easier as they head into the Flood Marr where they’ll face two one-loss teams in #8 Salisbury and Andover. Upcoming Week: Flood Marr Tournament
7. Belmont Hill
Belmont Hill had two wins on the week to keep their unbeaten streak alive. They may not have as deep a resume as the teams above them but wins over Governors and Lawrence this week should make them the favorite heading down to the Lawrenceville Holiday Tournament. They are talented on the backend and in net and have proven in their last few games that they can finish. Upcoming Week: Lawrenceville Tournament
8. Salisbury School
Salisbury fell 7 spots after an overtime loss to a tough Kent team which isn’t exactly fair but given all the teams above them are undefeated this was the highest spot they could go. They’ll have plenty of chances to climb back up to the top with a strong showing at the Flood Marr which has the #1, #4 and #6 ranked teams. They have a busy week with Berkshire on Tuesday and then make their way to Dedham for the Flood Marr. Upcoming Week: Flood Marr Tournament
9. Frederick Gunn School
Frederick Gunn School along with Salisbury, are the two most feared 1 loss teams in the league and will head to Avon Old Farms with a real chance. They are tough to play against, they have a good combination of size and skill and make opponents earn their ice. They are on a four game win streak and look to be firing on all cylinders headed into holiday tournament time. Upcoming Week: Avon Old Farms Christmas Tournament
10. Loomis Chaffee
The #10 spot was a crowded field sorting through two undefeated teams in Tilton and Holderness as well as strong one-loss teams in Andover, St. Marks and Brooks School. However, the Pelicans won over the rest because their only loss was their opener and since then have gone on to win three straight with quality wins over Trinity Pawling, Pomfret as well as previously ranked Canterbury. They’ll face stiff competition at the Avon Christmas Tournament where they’ll find out just where they stand among the top teams in the league but a strong start for Loomis. Upcoming Week: Avon Old Farms Christmas Tournament
Notes
There were 5 teams in contention for the #10 spot. Tilton and Holderness are both undefeated out of the Lakes Region and Andover, Brooks and St. Mark’s are all one-loss teams in the mix. They all play in Holiday Tournaments this upcoming weekend and will have a chance to show what they are capable of; Andover and Holderness probably have the hardest route with the Lawrence/Groton and Flood Marr but Tilton, St. Mark’s and Brooks all have a legit opportunity to win their respective tournaments so the results of this week will go a long way in determining how good these teams really are.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images