Prep Girls Division 1 Poll
| Rank | Team | W | L | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nobles | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | St. Paul's | 11 | 0 | 1 |
| 3 | Westminster | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| 4 | Choate | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Tabor | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 | Pomfret | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | Williston | 9 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Kent | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | Loomis Chaffee | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | New Hampton | 10 | 7 | 0 |
* Updated 1/12/14
It wasn’t too long ago where the Kent girls program was floundering along in the lower echelon of New England Girls Prep D-1 Hockey. But, things have changed.
The Lions enter the second full week of January ranked #8 in the HNIB News Girls Prep Division I poll. They are 6-2-1, coming off a 1-0 win over Loomis Chaffee.
The turnabout has coming roughly at the same time that Shawn Rousseau arrived at campus and took over the program
“We establish our standards on day one,” said Rousseau, “and whether we are lining up to practice, lining up to play a perceived weak opponent or a perceived strong opponent, we simply aim to achieve the goal of meeting our standards. I think our girls understand and accept that, if we play consistently within our systems, we can, in fact, compete with anyone.”
Kent Goalie Has Been Excellent
In addition to the win over Loomis, the Lions already own wins over Westminster, Taft and Berkshire as well.
“The unselfishness of our girls is the key to success,” Rousseau said. “They have all come together and have been playing a highly disciplined brand of hockey. The quote in our locker room reads ‘Act well thy part, therin lies the glory.’ I think our girls truly understand what this means. They all have a job to do and they all have a role to play.”
Goalie Kacy Rawlyk has been the leader of the team’s defensive effort (0.67 gaa). Co-captains Krista Federow and Melissa Stys have provided tremendous leadership and all six blue liners have been excellent.
#1 Nobles (13-0-0) is cruising right along, picking up wins last week over Rivers, Middlesex and Berkshire. This week, the ‘Dawgs have Brewster Academy Wednesday and Exeter Saturday.
#2 St. Paul’s (11-0-1) was held to a 0-0 tie with Governors Academy but rebounded nicely with a 6-1 win over Brooks. Road trips to Thayer and Milton are on the docket this week.
#3 Westminster (7-3-0) and #4 Choate (7-1-2) traded places thanks to Westy’s 1-0 win over Choate this past Wednesday. The Martlets take on D-2’s top club – Millbrook – on Wednesday, and then play Hotchkiss on Saturday. The Wild Boars have Deerfield and New Hampton.
#5 Tabor is now 8-1-1 after holding off Brewster Academy, 4-3. The Seawolves tackle St. George’s Wednesday, then have a huge battle with #at #7 Williston Friday night before exam break.
A big week ahead for #6 Pomfret (7-2-1). The Griffins, after travelling to Kent on Wednesday, will be at Loomis Chaffee on Saturday.
Red-hot #7 Williston (9-2-2) is fresh off a 3-0 win over Gunnery. The Wildcats also have a big week, with the Tabor game Friday night and then Kent on Saturday after playing Kingswood Oxford on Wednesday. All three games are at home.
Loomis Chaffee is #9, coming off a 2-1 win over Hotchkiss, while New Hampton enters the Division I poll at #10. A 4-1 win over BB&N was huge.
