Brunswick hockey team tops Taft, Frederick Gunn after losing to Salisbury; Bruins primed for the playoffs

By David Fierro on February 23, 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

**Photo by David Fierro:** Brunswick School sophomore Colton Cleaves, right, moves the puck up the ice during a varsity ice hockey game against Salisbury School on Feb. 18, 2026, at Hartong Rink at Brunswick.

With only two games remaining in the regular season and the postseason rapidly approaching, the Brunswick School varsity hockey team is primed and poised for the playoffs.

Facing a daunting schedule throughout the season, the Bruins sport an impressive record of 16-8, a mark that has them currently ranked fourth in the Martin Earl/Large School Tournament, if it were held today. The Martin Earl/Large School Tournament includes eight teams. Belmont Hill School (16-7-4) is currently ranked No. 1, Thayer Academy is ranked second (13-9-3), Cushing Academy is third (16-11-1), Brunswick is fourth (16-8) and Andover (13-10-3) is ranked fifth.

St. Paul’s (16-10-1), Kent School (10-11-2) and Deerfield Academy (10-10-2) round out the eight-team Large School Tournament bracket. Should the Bruins keep their No. 4 ranking or move up, they will earn a home game in the tournament’s first round.

Brunswick played three games recently, two of which were at home at Hartong Rink. The Bruins dropped a 6-0 decision to a powerhouse Salisbury School squad, a rare convincing loss for the team. Salisbury has posted a record of 21-3-2 and is the No. 1-ranked team in the Elite 8 rankings. The Elite 8 Tournament also features eight teams, with Salisbury, Dexter (18-1-4), St. Mark’s (22-3) and Avon Old Farms School (14-7-1) among the top four ranked squads.

Brunswick rebounded from its setback at home versus Salisbury School on Feb. 18th, by traveling to Frederick Gunn School on Feb. 20 and recording a 3-1 victory. The Bruins then hosted rival Taft School on Feb. 21st and was victorious, 5-2.

**Photo by David Fierro:** Brunswick School senior captain Mason St. Louis, right, in action vs. visiting Salisbury School.

Against Taft School at Hartong Rink, it was all about junior Keegan Kazan, as the crafty winger netted four goals and added an assist to power the Bruins to the three-goal win.

Bruins coach Mike Kennedy noted that Taft registered 20 shots on goal in the opening period but only came away with two goals.

Kennedy described junior goaltender Evan Akerman as the next story of the game for his squad. Akerman made 35 saves and kept his teammates in the contest before they began to play better hockey, especially in the third period, Kennedy noted.

**Photo by David Fierro:** James Jackson of Brunswick moves the puck along the boards during varsity ice hockey action against Salisbury School at Hartong Rink at Brunswick School on Feb. 22, 2026. Salisbury won the game, 6-0.

The previous day on Feb. 20, Brunswick went on the road to Frederick Gunn School and earned a hard-fought 3-1 win – the program’s eight consecutive victory against the Highlanders across the last four years.

Playing without their captain Mason St. Louis and needing a ‘W’ to move up in the playoff standings, the Bruins dug deep and rallied from a 1-0 deficit after the first to score three second-period goals and snatch the lead from the home team after 36 minutes, Kennedy noted.

Brunswick generated goals in 5v4, 4v3, and 4v4 situations on two rebounds from sophomore Colton Cleaves and senior Ben Lombardi and then one on a 2v1 rush from junior Alex Zinman. Junior Keegan Kazan was in on all three goals.

**Photo by David Fierro**: Brunswick applies pressure near the net against Salisbury School in NEPSAC hockey action.

In the third period, Brunswick dug deep on the defensive side of the puck to preserve the win, with goalie Zai Ferraro stepping up big between the pipes.

In the Bruins’ home matchup against Salisbury on Feb. 18th, the Crimson Knights showed why they are ranked No. 1 in the Elite 8 Tournament bracket so far this season.

Salisbury outshot Brunswick, 38-19, for the game and took a 1-0 lead at the 8:15 mark of the opening period, on a goal from junior Sebastian Ball, who tapped in a feed from behind the net.

Photo by David Fierro: Brunswick School’s varsity ice hockey team hosted NEPSAC foe Salisbury School on Feb. 18, 2026.

With 5:15 remaining in the second period, junior Grayson Espenshade scored, giving Salisbury a 2-0 advantage heading into intermission.

In the second period, Brunswick applied a good deal of pressure on Salisbury senior goalie Jordan Rittenberg. The Bruins’ best moments came during the second period, as they generated several strong shots on goal, yet they didn’t light the lamp and the Knights held them off the scoreboard.

Picture by David Fierro: Bruins senior forward Ben Lombardi (No. 11) looks to get a shot on goal in Salisbury’s zone.

“I think it was deflating the fact that we had a couple of power plays late in the second period when the game was still within reach and we didn’t really generate anything off that,” coach Kennedy said. “That was the deflating part.”

Salisbury opened the game up in the third period, scoring four times on their way to the win.

“It’s a really good team,” Kennedy said. “We were competitive at the start and late into the second period, but that just proves what an elite ‘A’ team is. They have a lot of competitive edge to them. They won a lot of battles, they buried their chances in front and our team can learn a lot from playing a team like that.”

Picture by David Fierro: Brunswick hosted Salisbury School, the No. 1-ranked team in the NEPSAC on Feb. 18, 2026.

“It’s up to us to either learn from that team and kind of implement some of their qualities and characteristics into our game the last couple of weeks or else we will continue to get these disappointing results,” Kennedy also noted.

The defeat against Salisbury, indeed, proved to be a learning lesson for the Bruins, who recovered well with victories versus Frederick Gunn and Taft.