Earlier this month, Vermont crowned high school boys hockey state champions in two divisions: Rice in Division I and Harwood in D-II.
Now, it’s time to name a playoff MVP among those two winners. And it’s up to you, the reader, to vote for the player who’s most deserving. We included multiple players from the two winning squads. Voting is unlimited until the polls close at 9 p.m. on Sunday, March 29.
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See below the poll for how each player performed during tournament time.
Vote away!
Joe Alexander, Rice Memorial High School
Joe Alexander bagged a pair of goals and two assists in Rice’s 8-2 rout of Burlington in the Division I quarterfinals. He then struck once in a 3-1 win over South Burlington in the semifinals and tallied another goal in the final, a 6-1 victory over Burr and Burton as the Green Knights rolled to a D-I three-peat.
Eli Herrington, Harwood Union High School
Eli Herrington opened the playoffs with a goal and an assist in the D-II quarterfinal win over Woodstock, 3-1. He added a goal and three assists in the 5-0 shutout of Middlebury in the semifinals, and capped postseason play with a goal and an assist in the Highlanders’ 4-3 comeback win in two overtimes to beat U-32 for back-to-back crowns.
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Milo Lavit, Harwood Union High School
Milo Lavit scored the game-winning goal in the second overtime to lift Harwood past rival U-32 in the D-II final. He also had four goals in the semifinals and a goal and assist in the quarterfinal round.
Bayler Lamos, Rice Memorial High School
Bayler Lamos supplied the first hat trick in the D-I final in six years, sparking Rice to its third straight title.
Chais Lyford, Rice Memorial High School
A defenseman, Chais Lyford picked up an assist in the quarterfinals, a goal and two helpers in the semifinals, and set up two more goals as Rice cruised to the D-I crown.
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Alex McCabe, Harwood Union High School
Goalie Alex McCabe totaled 50 saves across three playoff wins, including a 17-stop clean sheet in the semifinals. In the final, McCabe turned back 24 shots.
Griffin Nelson, Harwood Union High School
After tallying four assists combined in the quarterfinal and semifinal victories, Griffin Nelson struck for two goals and two assists in the D-II title-game win. His second goal in the final drew Harwood level at 5:13 of the third period.
Griffin Seitz, Rice Memorial High School
Griffin Seitz struck twice in the quarterfinals and recorded a trio of assists in the D-I championship-game win over Burr and Burton.
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Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont high school boys hockey championship MVP during playoffs
