Prep hockey had some key matchups this past week #7 Kent defeated #4 Salisbury, #1 KUA defeated #5 Holderness in overtime and #8 St. Marks defeated #10 Cushing Academy. As we come into the final weeks of the season we’ll get into the playoff scenarios for each bracket; Elite 8, Large School and Small School.
NZ Prep Poll Top 10
1. Kimball Union
2. Avon Old Farms
3. Belmont Hill
4. Salisbury School
5. Holderness School
6. St. Sebastian’s
7. Kent School
8. St. Mark’s
9. Dexter
10. Westminster
Honorable Mentions: St. Georges, NMH, Brunswick, Nobles, Exeter, Gunnery, Cushing, Pomfret
- Kimball Union
Key Wins: #7 Kent, #10 Westminster, #4 Salisbury, NMH, Exeter, #5 Holderness
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 6-0
Important Upcoming Games: #10 Cushing
Kimball Union remains undefeated against NEPSHIA competition and got a big win this Saturday against #5 Holderness School who gave them all they had but the Wildcats were able to pull of the win in overtime. They will be the #1 seed in the Lakes Region where they very well could face Holderness again.
2. Avon Old Farms
Key Wins: #7 Kent, #10 Westminster (2x), NMH, Gunnery
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 5-1
Important Upcoming Games: #4 Salisbury, Pomfret and Loomis Chaffee
Avon continues their 10 game win streak and scoring 4 or more goals in their last 8 games. They have as much offensive firepower as anyone in prep. They play Connecticut foes in Choate and Hotchkiss but come Saturday, the NZ Game of the Week, will be a battle between rival Salisbury whom they knocked out of the tournament in 2019-2020 season in overtime of the Elite 8 semi-finals. A win for Avon could potentially knock Salisbury out of the Elite 8 (pending a lot of scenarios).
3. Belmont Hill
Key Wins: NMH, St. Mark’s, #6 St. Sebastian’s
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 3-0-2
Important Upcoming Games: Nobles, #9 Dexter, #10 Westminster
Belmont Hill got their first win over a top 10 opponent and did so in overtime on the road which showed a winning formula for a deep playoff run. They have a tough road to close out the season and plenty of teams will try and knock them off their undefeated record but their team defense has been the most impressive in the league allowing just 4 goals in their last 7 games!
4. Salisbury School
Key Wins: Andover, #10 Westminster, Brunswick and Cushing Academy
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 4-4-0
Important Upcoming Games: #2 Avon
Salisbury remains in the #4 spot because #5 Holderness and #6 St. Sebastian’s also lost including last week’s #7 Brunswick, #8 Cushing, #9 Pomfret tied and #10 Westminster tied. Salisbury got knocked off by a Kent team who is surging at the ned of the year and made a big jump up the poll. They have a long practice week and then will face thier rivals Avon Old Farms on Saturday for the NZ Prep Game of the Week. The results of that game will have major playoff implications.
5. Holderness School
Key Wins: Andover, Pomfret and Exeter
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 2-1-0
Important Upcoming Games: Lakes Region Playoffs
Holderness proved this isn’t a just a team beating up on non-playoff contenders as they went toe to toe with the league’s best team in KUA and forced the game into overtime where they eventually lost to the home team. A strong finish for Holderness will likely put them in another KUA vs. Holderness Lakes Region final where a win would all but guarentee the Bulls a spot in the Elite 8 finals.
6. St. Sebastian’s
Key Wins: Andover, Exeter, Nobles, #8 St. Mark’s
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 2-5-0
Important Upcoming Games: N/A
St. Seb’s had a tough loss at home against #3 Belmont Hill where they had chances but given the tight game and other losses in the poll they keep their spot at #6. St. Seb’s has yet to get a signature win and they will be favored in every game they play the rest of the regular season. With that being said, given their upcoming schedule, they are one of the safest bets for an Elite 8 berth among the teams in contention outside the Top 3.
7. Kent School
Key Wins: #2 Avon Old Farms, #4 Salisbury x2, Gunnery, Brunswick
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 5-3-0
Important Upcoming Games: Westminster
Kent’s schedule, as always, is among the most challenging in the league but they have answered the bell and did so again this week defeating #4 Salisbury. They have the only win against #2 Avon which came in their own home tournament and the Lions have won 6 of their last 7 games. They are climbing up the playoff seeding charts and a strong finish will secure them a spot in the Elite 8.
8. St. Mark’s
Key Wins: Cushing
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 1-3-0
Important Upcoming Games: St. George’s
St. Mark’s makes their prep poll debut after winning 7 of their last 8 games and knocking a talented Cushing team out of the poll after a 1-0 victory this week. They will be favored in all their remaining games and likely don’t have the resume to achieve Elite 8 status, particularly with their recrod against top teams, but they’ll be one of the favorites in the Small School.
9. Dexter School
Key Wins: Cushing, Gunnery, Brunswick, #8 St. Mark’s
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 4-1-2
Important Upcoming Games: #3 Belmont Hill
Dexter’s last game of the season comes against #3 Belmont Hill which could be just the win they need to secure an Elite 8 playoff berth. They are 6-1-1 in their last 8 games with the sole loss against Andover and a tie against Pomfret. They have an impressive record against teams in consideration despite only 1 win against a Top 10 opponent.
10. Westminster
Key Wins: Andover, NMH, Brunswick
Record Against Teams in Poll + Honorable Mentions: 3-4-1
Important Upcoming Games: Loomis, #7 Kent, Gunnery, #3 Belmont Hill
Westminster picked up two wins and a tie against Pomfret before they enter their toughest week of the season where they’ll play 4 games in 6 days against two gritty Connecticut rivals in Trinity Pawling and Loomis Chaffee as well as #7 Kent and Berkshire. Westminster likely needs to run the table this week to have a chance in the Elite 8 but 3 of 4 with a win over Kent could also keep them in contention leading up to a big showdown against #3 Belmont Hill to end the season.
NZ Game of the Week:
2/19 #2 Avon Old Farms vs. #4 Salisbury School
Other Big Games this Week:
2/15 Portsmouth Abbey vs. St. George’s
2/16 Pomfret vs. Frederick Gunn School
2/16 Loomis vs. #10 Westminster
2/16 NMH vs. Exeter
2/18 #7 Kent vs. #10 Westminster
2/18 Cushing vs. #1 Kimball Union
2/18 Brunswick vs. Frederick Gunn School
2/18 #3 Belmont Hill vs. Nobles & Greenough
2/19 Loomis vs. NMH
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling / Hickling Images