NEPSAC Tournament: Strong Efforts, Solid Results
It was a busy week for the Red Wings, as Rivers was one of only two schools in New England to have all four teams (boys’ and girls’ hockey and basketball) qualify for NEPSAC postseason play.
Boys’ Basketball
Boys’ varsity basketball earned the number-one seed in Class B and hosted number eight Holderness on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. They defeated Holderness 74-55, with strong performances by the entire starting five: Ryan Altman ’25 (18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a block), Andrew Alekseyenko ’25 (15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals), Jay Jones ’24 (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals), Amir Lindsey ’24 (12 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists), and Robby Fiore ’25 (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a block.)
Boys’ varsity basketball earned the number-one seed in Class B and hosted number eight Holderness on Wednesday in the quarterfinals. They defeated Holderness 74-55, with strong performances by the entire starting five: Ryan Altman ’25 (18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and a block), Andrew Alekseyenko ’25 (15 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals), Jay Jones ’24 (15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals), Amir Lindsey ’24 (12 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists), and Robby Fiore ’25 (11 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and a block.)
In the semifinals on Saturday, the Red Wings squared off with Brooks for the third time this season, in a rematch of the Rivers Holiday Tournament Championship game. In front of hundreds of fans from each school, Brooks came out strong and took a 29-16 lead into the half. Rivers responded with a 15-0 run to start the second half and take the lead, before the teams battled back and forth for the final 11 minutes. A big assist from Jones to Altman, followed by a block from Jones, had Rivers up two points with 20 seconds to go. Brooks’ shot at the buzzer rimmed out, sending the Red Wings back to the championship.
On Sunday, the Red Wings traveled to Clark University to battle sixth seeded Millbrook School from New York. The Red Wings dominated from start to finish, jumping out to an early 20-10 lead before rolling to a 70-39 victory, the team’s third straight NEPSAC Class B Championship. It was another stellar performance from the starting five, spearheaded by Lindsey, who earned MVP honors with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Alekseyenko added 19 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and a block; Fiore added 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists; Jones added 7 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 steal; and Altman added 4 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, and a block. The Red Wings finished the season 26-2, tying the school record for most wins in a season set by last year’s team.
Boys’ Hockey
Boys’ hockey returned to the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under Coach Freddy Meyer, earning the number-one seed in the small-school bracket. They hosted number eight Proctor on Wednesday, outlasting the Hornets 5-3 thanks to goals from Jonathan Rivard ’26, Cayden Miceli ’24, Evan Handler ’26, and Finn Sears ’28 (2) and advancing to the semifinals.
Boys’ hockey returned to the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under Coach Freddy Meyer, earning the number-one seed in the small-school bracket. They hosted number eight Proctor on Wednesday, outlasting the Hornets 5-3 thanks to goals from Jonathan Rivard ’26, Cayden Miceli ’24, Evan Handler ’26, and Finn Sears ’28 (2) and advancing to the semifinals.
In a packed and loud MacDowell Arena, the Red Wings took down number four Frederick Gunn 5-0 on Saturday, thanks to outstanding goaltending from Jason Delehoy ’24 and goals from Jacob Kulas ’24 (2), Rivard, Will Hatten ’25, and Carter Meyer ’28, advancing to the championship game Sunday.
In front of many Rivers fans, the boys took on number three Canterbury at the historic Bright-Landry Hockey Center at Harvard University. The team fell behind 2-0 early in the third period, before Hatten took matters into his own hands and scored an unassisted goal to bring the Red Wings back within striking distance. They battled hard and had multiple scoring opportunities, but the Saints were able to score an empty netter with a minute to go to make it 3-1 and ice the victory. While the team came up short in the championship game, Rivers advanced to the NEPSAC championship game for the first time since 2016 and finished with a record of 19-10-1.
Girls’ Hockey
In Coach Keith McLean’s first season, the girls returned to the playoffs and earned the number-six seed in the small school bracket. They traveled to number three Frederick Gunn for the quarterfinals on Wednesday, falling behind 0-3 early in the second period. Undeterred, the girls battled back, with Nora Swaim ’28 striking first for the Red Wings, before Lindsay Morin ’25 scored off a feed from Sophie Rousell ’24 to bring Rivers back within a goal at the end of the second period. In the third period, Rivers controlled the play but were still trailing with less than five minutes to go when Morin got her stick on a Kyleigh Rabazzi ’26 shot from the point and deflected it home to tie the game at 3. The teams remained tied and headed to sudden death overtime. Just over a minute into overtime, Lindsey Berlucchi ’25 made a great play along the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone and found Simone Burns ’28, who deked and buried the game-winning goal to send the Red Wings to the semifinals.
The Red Wings traveled to number two New Hampton for the semifinals and the first meeting between the two teams since the 2022 championship game, when the Red Wings came away with a 2-0 win. This one was a different story, however, as the Red Wings fell 6-1; New Hampton went on to win the championship the following day. The girls finished the season with a 13-10-2 record.
In Coach Keith McLean’s first season, the girls returned to the playoffs and earned the number-six seed in the small school bracket. They traveled to number three Frederick Gunn for the quarterfinals on Wednesday, falling behind 0-3 early in the second period. Undeterred, the girls battled back, with Nora Swaim ’28 striking first for the Red Wings, before Lindsay Morin ’25 scored off a feed from Sophie Rousell ’24 to bring Rivers back within a goal at the end of the second period. In the third period, Rivers controlled the play but were still trailing with less than five minutes to go when Morin got her stick on a Kyleigh Rabazzi ’26 shot from the point and deflected it home to tie the game at 3. The teams remained tied and headed to sudden death overtime. Just over a minute into overtime, Lindsey Berlucchi ’25 made a great play along the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone and found Simone Burns ’28, who deked and buried the game-winning goal to send the Red Wings to the semifinals.
The Red Wings traveled to number two New Hampton for the semifinals and the first meeting between the two teams since the 2022 championship game, when the Red Wings came away with a 2-0 win. This one was a different story, however, as the Red Wings fell 6-1; New Hampton went on to win the championship the following day. The girls finished the season with a 13-10-2 record.
Girls’ Basketball
Making the playoffs for the second time in two years under Coach Chantel Jordan, the Red Wings earned the number-six seed in Class AA and traveled to number-three Tabor for their quarterfinal game on Wednesday. While the girls battled hard, they ultimately fell to the Seawolves 77-56, finishing the season with a 15-10 record.
Making the playoffs for the second time in two years under Coach Chantel Jordan, the Red Wings earned the number-six seed in Class AA and traveled to number-three Tabor for their quarterfinal game on Wednesday. While the girls battled hard, they ultimately fell to the Seawolves 77-56, finishing the season with a 15-10 record.
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