All the action begins today with the NEPSAC finals held at Harvard University ! Get caught up on all the action from this weekend + previews for the New Jersey High School Championships and top performers from junior hockey.
Elite 8 Tournament
#1 Cushing Academy vs #2 Kimball Union Academy
5:00 PM Sunday - Harvard University
#1 Cushing defeated #4 Avon Old Farms 4-1 after Max Dineen broke a 1-1 tie mid 3rd period, returning to the Elite 8 final to take on #2 Kimball Union Academy, fresh off their 4-3 OT thriller vs #6 Salisbury. Marko Bilic was crucial in net for Cushing, coming up with the timely saves while Luke Goukler continued to use his skill and agile puck handling ability to get high quality shooting chances.
After barely avoiding the upset vs #7 St George’s School with a 5-4 OT win, Kimball Union faced a tough out in #6 Salisbury who were fresh off an upset win of their own, defeating #3 Brunswick School 3-1. After trailing the majority of the game 1-0, Salisbury looked to have another upset in their hands, battling back from 2-0 to lead 3-2 late in the 3rd. But Kimball Union forced OT late in the 3rd on Malcolm Baar’s rebound goal net front before a determined Jack Sadowski forced a turnover in overtime and buried a hard-fought goal to win it for KUA, his 2nd of the game.
Cushing will be looking to finish the job after falling to Avon in last season’s Elite 8 championship, watch for goaltender Marko Bilic to be a key vs Kimball Unions elite offensive weapons like Jack Sadowski, Sam LeDrew and Malcolm Baar.
Large School Tournament
#3 Dexter Southfield School vs #5 Kent School
Sunday 2:30 PM - Harvard University
This year’s Large School Tournament has certainly been the group of the upsets, with all top seeds besides #3 Dexter Southfield falling in the first round. After defeating #6 Belmont Hill 6-3, Dexter Southfield faced #7 Phillips Academy Andover in the semi’s, who took care of business 6-2 vs a very tough #2 Lawrence Academy. Colin Davis was clutch between the pipes and Cullen Emery would score twice to secure Dexter’s place in the finals with a 3-1 win.
After defeating #4 Deerfield Academy 5-1 in the opening round, Kent would meet #8 Berkshire who took down top seed Nobles 8-5. Kent School would control the majority of the matchup, going up 5-1 early in the 3rd but would have to fend off a fierce 3rd period push by Berkshire, bringing the game to within one with minutes to go but the Lions would prevail 5-4 to advance.
Kent forward Giovanni Di Giulian scored his 3rd goal of the Large School Tournament vs Berkshire, and will be a prospect to watch vs Dexter Southfield. The 6’1” lengthy yet skilled and powerful forward was ranked #153 on the most recent NHL Central Scouting rankings amongst North American skaters.
Small School Tournament
#1 Rivers School vs #3 Canterbury School
12 PM Sunday - Harvard University
#1 seed Rivers School has strung together 2 hard-fought wins defeating #8 Proctor Academy 5-3 before a commanding 5-0 shutout of #4 Frederick Gunn to reach the Small School Championship, led by Jacob Kulas with a 2G 2A performance.
#3 Canterbury took on #7 Pomfret in the semifinals, the only team to pull off an upset in the opening round after taking down #2 St Mark’s 5-2, led by ‘04 junior and college goaltending prospect Beau Johnson. Canterbury would advance on a 3 point night from defenseman Jake Stevens, 3-2 over Pomfret, outshooting the Griffins 50-18.
New Jersey High School Hockey Championships Preview
Get ready for the 3 championship games Monday to determine the New Jersey state champions ! We break down each game including players to watch.
Matvei Gridin ‘06 Forward
Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
Gridin certainly is doing everything he can to keep NHL scouts on him as his draft stock continues to grow. Adding another goal on Saturday, Griffin now has 6G 5A in his last 5, and leads the league with 64 points (28G 36A).
Tommy Cronin ‘04 Forward
Bismarck Bobcats (NAHL)
The Colgate commit continued his point streak to 4 games this weekend with a 3G 2A weekend series vs North Iowa. Cronin has been a producer since coming over from Waterloo (USHL), and over a point per game in the NAHL with 15G 29A in 29 games.
Dominik Bartecko ‘03 Forward
New Jersey Titans (NAHL)
Bartecko has heated up right when New Jersey needed him too in a competitive East Division. The Mercyhurst commit is skilled and poised on the puck, and has registered a point in 17 of 18 games in 2024, currently on a 8 game heater with 7G 8A.
Garrett Joss ‘04 Forward
Utah Outiers (USPHL NCDC)
Joss continues to find ways to drive offense, a creative, skilled forward where the game seems to slow down when he’s making passing decisions or attacking 1 on 1. His last 7 games have been an offensive show, putting up 3G 10A.
Samuel Stitz ‘03 Forward
Maryland Black Bears (NAHL)
The strong 6’1” Air Force commit continued his point streak this weekend with 3G 1A vs New Jersey, now 5G 2A in last 5 games. Stitz played his first game of the 2023-2024 season in January, and has 9G 8A in 16 games.
Ryan Keyes ‘03 Goaltender
South Shore Kings (USPHL NCDC)
Keyes has been steady all season but has been the backbone of South Shore’s recent push for the #1 seed, now just 1 point from top seed Islanders HC with less than a month of play. Keyes has gone 5-0-1 over his last 6 games, stopping 135 of 145 including 1 shutout. A technical, competitive goaltender currently still uncommitted.
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