CONCORD
Division: I
Coach: Dunc Walsh (30th year)
Last year: 15-4-1, reached semifinals
Returning players: Matt Hauschild, sr., F; Parker Taylor, sr., G; Anders Norton, sr., D; Alex Forward, jr., D; Colin O’Brien, jr., F; Zach Drew, jr., F; Noah Drew, jr., F; Ryan Philbrick, soph., F; Tyler Coskren, soph., f; Colin Nelson, soph., D; Joey Ala, soph., F; Ryan Doherty, soph., F; Will Pegnam, soph., G
Top newcomers: Brooks Craigue, fr., F; Joey Tarbell, fr., F; Cam McGonigle, soph., F
Outlook: The Crimson Tide should be solid defensively right away with Taylor, an Honorable Mention D-I goalie last year, in net, a talented top D pair in Forward (five goals, 12 assists last year) and Philbrick (seven goals, 16 assists last year) and an experienced second D pairing in Norton and Neslon. The forward lines are young and may take some time to produce, especially with Hauschild missing the start of the season as he recovers from an injury. Hauschild was Concord’s leading scorer last season with 17 goals and 21 assists, and he was a Second Team D-I pick. “I think we have a good group,” Walsh said. “Offensively we have a lot of guys stepping into new roles, players that didn’t see much time last year. We are inexperienced up front but we have some guys that are really smart and skilled. We just need to play hard and continue to get better and hopefully come March we are in the hunt. I think this is going to be a fun team to watch.
Teams to beat: Bedford, Bishop Guertin, Trinity, Exeter
Division: I
Coach: Josh Vega (1st year)
Last year: 8-10-1, reached first round
Returning players: Alex Pfeifer, sr., F; Trevor Gallagher, sr., F; Darren Earley, jr., F; Ben Marceau, jr., F; Sam Verdi, soph., F; Dom Dubreuil, soph., F; Nathan Smith, soph., F; Ethan Piotrowski, soph., D; Peyton Vachon, soph., D; Ben Mordarski, soph., F; Owen Currier, soph., G
Top newcomers: Marat Latypov, fr., D; Tucker Townsend. fr, F/D; Dylan Garvin, fr., F
Outlook: Vega inherits a very young team with seven sophomores and 10 freshmen in the program and just two returning seniors and two returning juniors. Brady lost both of its goalies to graduation, so Currier will get the nod in net. He’ll be helped by a solid D pairing of Vachon and Piotrowski and a defensive-minded style of hockey that Vega plans to employ. Dubreiul, Earley, Marceau and Pfeifer figure to be the top scoring threats for the Giants. “Compete! Compete! Compete!” is Brady’s motto this season as Vega tries to establish an aggressive, hard-working, team-first mentality.
Division: I
Coach: Tim Walsh (19th year)
Last year: 2-15-1, did not make tournament
Top returners: Jake Mielcarz, sr., F; CJ Smethurst, sr., D; Ben Tobeler, sr., F; Devin Perry, sr., F; Aiden Roy, sr., F; Cole Billow, soph., D; Mike Anderson, jr., F
Top newcomers: Dominic Jurcins, fr., D/F; Blake Scarinza, fr., D/F; Cooper Joscelyn, fr., D; Finn Benoit, fr., D/F; Josh Billow, fr., F
Outlook: Bow, which should be in D-III given its size, has struggled the last two years in D-II (3-15-0 in 2017-18) and D-I (2-15-1 last year). The Falcons want to stay in D-I, and there’s some optimism around the team as the new season begins. “We are looking to rebuild the program back to its winning ways after two down years,” Walsh said. “The influx of new players has the team encouraged to take big steps this season and make the playoffs for the first time in Division I.”
Teams to beat: Bedford, Trinity, Salem, Concord, Bishop Guertin
Division: III
Coach: Denis Kolehmainen (8th year)
Last year: 20-1, D-III champions
Returning players: Austin Lunt, sr., F; Benny Madden, sr., F; Owen Olson, sr., F; Brett Patnode, sr., F; Billy Finn, jr., F; Cooper Rivers, jr., F; Tyler Scordo, jr., F; Owen Jones, soph., F; Ethan Molnar, soph. F; Nick Osborne, soph., F; Cabot Lineberry, sr. D; Carter Pike, sr., D; Noah Lewis, sr., D; Caysen Allard, jr., G; Bridget Lynch, jr., D; Logan Pike, soph., D
Top newcomers: Jordan Lamarre, sr., G; Bobby Arnold, fr., F; Olin Heino, fr., F; Nick Martel, fr., D; Samuel Patrick, fr., D; Kyle Provencher, fr., D; Hal Stokes, fr., D
Outlook: The General Hawks lost four players that received D-III honors, including First Team D-III goalie Jameson Bourque. But they also return 16 players from the group that rolled to a second-straight D-III title, including Patnode, a First Team D-III forward last year who has to be one of the favorites to be the division’s Player of the Year this season. “We have plenty of holes to fill this year after last year’s graduations,” Kolehmainen said. “We will be working hard on our defensive coverage and our juniors and sophomores will need to step up and fill some of the gaps we have to fill out our top three lines.”
Teams to beat: Berlin, Kennett, Belmont-Gilford
Division: III
Coach: Marc Noel (19th year)
Last year: 7-12, reached first round
Returning players: Adam Omundon, jr., G; Nathan Carter, sr., D; Andrew Durfee, jr., F; Kaleb Pelletier, sr., D; Matt Dexter, jr., F; Gage Dumas, sr., F
Top newcomers: Zach Sonia, fr., F
Outlook: The strength to start this season will be in between the pipes in the form of Omundson, a 6-foot-0 junior from Pembroke Academy who draws plenty of praise from Noel for his performance on the ice and his attitude off it. “We’re looking forward to being very competitive in this rebuilding year,” Noel said.
Teams to beat: Belmont-Gilford, Berlin, John Stark-Hopkinton