As the winter sports season’s grip begins to melt ever so slightly, the final freeze has made its arrival with the announcement of the 2022 NHIAA hockey tournaments.
With their discrete Monday morning release, the brackets have favorable matchups for area programs – not by purposeful design, but rather by the accolades which teams provide during the course of the regular season.
The tournament stretches over the course of the first two weeks of March and starts Tuesday with the girls’ preliminary round. All first and second round games are played at the higher seeds home rink with semifinals and championship rounds at neutral sites.
While the dates vary for the first three rounds, all championships regardless of division and sex will be played on March 12 in an all-day fiasco at SNHU Arena in Manchester. Championship Saturday is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. with the girls’ title game and then works its way from Division III to Division I as the headliner.
But before championship day arrives, a look at area teams that are in the tournament.
No. 1 Concord (16-0-2)
The reigning two-time state champions enter the field as the undisputed number one seed and as a result have the first-round off. Concord closed out the regular season 3-0-1 and its three wins were consecutive. The Tide have dealt with injury throughout the season and the first-round bye will be used to get a fully healthy roster and fresh legs for skaters that might have had longer-than-usual shifts.
Concord’s first game in its title defense will be Saturday when it plays the winner of No. 8 Salem-No. 9 Manchester.
No. 5 Somersworth-Coe-Brown (10-7-0)
After a sour end to the regular season, three straight losses by an average of 2.3 goals, the Somersworth-Coe-Brown co-op enters the tournament as the fifth seed.
The Bearcats (10-7-0) have a tough road to travel in order to make the championship game for the second year in a row and it starts Saturday in a rematch of the 2021 title game against No. 4 Dover. SCB lost both regular season games to the Green Wave, each by two goals. Should the Bearcats win over Dover, No. 1 St. Thomas awaits in the semifinals.
No. 3 Belmont-Gilford (14-4-0)
A season ago the Belmont-Gilford co-op ravaged the highs-and-lows of a near .500 season and lost in the quarterfinals to Kennett. Now, the BG tandem sees itself starting in the quarterfinals as a top three seed and championship aspirations.
It won four out of its last five, including a 5-0 win over its first round opponent, No. 6 John Stark-Hopkinton-Hillsboro-Deering. BG’s last title appearance was in 2016 where it lost 2-1 to Berlin-Gorham.
No. 5 Pembroke-Campbell (10-7-1)
In the same regard as BG, Pembroke-Campbell has had a turnaround season that could bode into a banner year if it takes care of business in the playoffs. PAC closed the regular season in a 2-1 loss to Lebanon-Stevens-Mount Royal, which gives it all the motivation in the world to turn around and play that same team who beat it on Feb. 26.
PAC also lost the first regular season game against LSMR 3-2 on Feb. 14.
No. 6 John Stark-Hopkinton-Hillsboro-Deering (9-9-0)
It may not seem like it, but the three school co-op faces a pivotal moment in its season ahead of the playoffs. A tournament win avoids a season that ends with a losing record. The 2019 state champions will look to snap its title drought on Saturday with its quarterfinal game against Belmont-Gilford.
The General Hawks won three of their last six to close out the regular season and look to win their first playoff game since 2020.
No. 7 Kearsarge-Plymouth (8-8-2)
Rounding out the boys’ teams is Kearsarge-Plymouth, who like the General Hawks, need to win its first round game in order to avoid a losing record at the season’s end.
KP’s draw is against No. 2 Hollis-Brookline/Derryfield, who beat KP 4-1 back on Dec. 22 and 5-2 on Jan. 22.
No. 4 Concord (14-4-0)
The Crimson Tide’s top-5 finish earned them a first-round bye, but they already know their opponent for the quarterfinal round Friday. No. 5 St. Thomas-Winnacunnet-Dover will make the trek to Everett Arena for Concord’s first tournament game.
Concord won the regular season game 4-2 back on Feb. 18, one of its five consecutive wins to close out the regular season.
No. 7 Bishop Brady-Trinity (10-8-0)
One of the youngest teams in the field with six freshmen on the roster, Brady-Trinity takes the ice Tuesday in search of its first playoff win in over two years.
BBT draws No. 10 Keene-Monadnock-Fall Mountain, where it won the regular season game 2-1 on Feb. 12.