May News I

Taffe to the U

A reliable source has told us that Hastings High junior Jeff Taffe has made a verbal commitment to attend the University of Minnesota. Big surprise, right!?   Anyway, look for an official announcement shortly. Taffe, a 6'2", 160 lb. left-shot center -- and our pick for top Minnesota High School prospect this past season --  will be the second Hastings player to commit to the U.  A couple of weeks ago,  5'11", 195 lb. right wing Dan Welch, the son of Hastings coach Russ Welch, gave Doug Woog his word that he'd be coming on board. We're told that a third member of the Hastings High Class of '99, 5'11", 195 lb.left-shot D Ben Tharp, is leading toward the U.  All three were members of last summer's Minnesota Select 16 Team. The troika also played for the U.S. in the International Select 16 Tournament at Kitchener, Ontario over the holidays --  Taffe, in particular, was outstanding, easily the best North American forward in the tournament. By the way, with their stars in Ontario, Hastings lost two games in a New Year's tournament, their only regular season defeats. In early March, Hastings was edged by eventual champs Duluth East in the State Tournament. Next season, of course, they'll be expected to win the whole thing -- unless Welch and Taffe accept a standing invitation to join the U.S. Under-18 Team in Ann Arbor. It's not a likely scenario, given that Woog and others in Minnesota see the national program as a threat to their state's high school programs -- which actually need the wake-up call. Ironically, several of Woog's recruits for the upcoming season, goaltender Adam Hauser, defenseman Jordan Leopold, and forward Doug Meyer, because of the year they just completed with the U.S. Under-18 program, will adapt quicker to college play -- and just might wind up saving the coach's job. If it happens, don't look for Woog to be sending any thank you cards to Jeff Jackson.

Prospects '98: Bring 'em On

Tomorrow night, at Guelph, Ontario, Prospects '98 (specifically, Pre-OHL Draft /Future NCAA for 1981/82's) faces off with a five-game All-Star Extravaganza.

Eighteen of the Top 20 players projected in the first round of the recently-released final rankings put out by OHL's Central Scouting will be taking part.   The list follows. Note that the two asterisked players -- Ottawa center Krzysztof Wieckowski and District III Bantam center Lou Dickenson  --  will not be taking part because -- at least in the case of Dickenson -- his adviser, Larry Kelly, reportedly feels it may jeopardize his lofty ranking.  Carpe Diem, anyone? 

Top Forwards and D's:

1. Jay Harrison, LD, Oshawa Jr. A

2. Bobby Turner, LD, Quinte Jr. A

3. Matt Rock, RD, Elmira Jr. B

4. * Krzysztof Wieckowski, LC, Ottawa Jr. A

5. Kris Newbury, LC, Brampton Jr. A

6. Marc Popovic, LD, Mississauga Jr. A

7. Mark McRae, RD, Brampton Jr. A

8. Derek Fox, LD, Quinte Jr. A

9. Carter Trevisani, LD, Kitchener Jr. A

10. Chris Eade, RD, Oshawa Jr. A

11. Jared Newman, RD, Compuware Jr. A

12. Cory Brekelmans, LD, Strathroy Jr. B

13. Chris Minard, LW, Owen Sound Jr. B

14. Andy Hilbert, LC/LW,  U.S. Under-18 Jr. A

15. Luke Sellers, LD, Wexford Jr. A

16. Kristopher Vernarsky, LC/LW, U.S. Under-18  Jr. A

17. Greg Amadio, LD, Cambridge Jr. B

18. Daryl Bootland, RW, Orangeville Jr. B

19. * Lou Dickenson, LC, District III Bantam

20. Lorne Misita, RC, Niagara Falls Jr. B

Top Goaltenders:

1. Aaron Molnar, St. Thomas Jr. B

2. David Chant, Thornhill, Jr. A

3. Jean-Franc Perras, Smith Falls Jr. A

4. Ben Vanderklok, Thorold Jr. B

5. Richard Olsen, Quinte Bantam

 

Here's the schedule for Thursday:

 

5 p.m.,  Gold Arena: Team #1 vs. Team #2

6 p.m.,  Red Arena: Team #3 vs. Team #4

7 p.m.,  Gold Arena: Team #5 vs. Team #6

8 p.m.,  Red Arena: Team #7 vs. Team #8

9 p.m.,  Gold Arena: Team U.S.A vs. Prospects All-Stars

NOTE:

The rosters for Teams #1-#8, as well as the rosters for the regular portion of the tournament, which runs through Monday May 18, are on the Prospects web site at http://www.prospectstourney.com

Here are the late adds and scratches, and the rosters for Thursday's nightcap: U.S.A. Under-18 vs. Prospects All-Stars

Team 1 -- Scratch: Joe Testa (Phila. Flyers Bantams), and Jimmy Walsh (St. John's Midgets). Add: Rick Hodgkinson (Toronto Nats Bantams), and George Nistas (Thornhill Jr. A).

Team 4-- Scratch: Nathan Herrington (Cambridge Jr. B). Add: Jeff Bateman (Wellington Jr. A).

Team 5 --Scratch: Jesse MacLeish (Peterborough Bantams). Add: Francois Jolette (Sturgeon Falls Jr. A)

Team 6 -- Scratch: Matt Bannon (Milton Jr. A). Add: Corey Sabourin (Cumberland Jr. A)

Team 8 -- Scratch: Rick Wosek (Little Caesar's Midgets), Marc Cavosie (Albany Academy, N.Y.), Rob Globke (Compuware Midgets), Mike Vaillancourt (Rayside Jr. A). Add: Aaron MacKenzie (Thunder Bay Midgets), Marc Boisvert (Cumberland Jr. A), Miguel Delisle (Caledon Jr. A), Jeff Miles (Ajax Midgets).

 

Team U.S.A.

6 Paul Harris

8  John-Michael Liles

11 John Sabo

15 Brad Winchester

17 John Eichelberger

19 Andy Hilbert

20 Jason Reimers

22 Brian Fahey

23 Shawn Roed

24 John Wroblewski

26 Mike Brickley

28 Freddy Meyer

31 Justin Forrest

41 Bill Cass

71 Troy Ferguson

75 Chris Purslow

87 Ron Hainsey

91 Connor Dunlop

29 Rick DiPietro

33 Rob Bonk

 

Prospects All-Stars

1 Jeff Reynaert

30 Jamie van de Spyker

2 Jason Crain

3 Ryan Crain

4 Pavel Nejechlab

5 Dmitri Volozhanin

6 Maxim Linnik

7 Darren Haydar

8 Matt Murley

9 Tom McMonagle

10 Yevgeny Lazarev

11 Pavel Shtefan

12 Lucas Dora

13 Rob Collins

14 Brendan Dietrich

15 Sam Hill

Rosters for Massachusetts Select 16's & 17's Released

16's:

GOALTENDERS: Matt Kelly (Catholic Memorial), Billy Zaniboni (Catholic Memorial).

DEFENSEMEN: Ricky Butler (Thayer), Matt Kasberg (Mt. St. Charles), Ryan Lannon (St. Paul's School), Jack Thompson (Melrose H.S.), Michael Walsh (Milton Academy), Noah Welch (Xaverian).

FORWARDS: Brian Bova (St. John's Prep), Keith Boyer (St. John's-Shrewsbury), Tim Coskren (St. Sebastian's), Brian Doherty (Cushing), Ned Havern (Arlington H.S.), Steve Kelleher (Thayer), Derek Kilduff (Thayer), Ben McManama (Milton Academy), Mark Noble (Catholic Memorial), Brian Swiniarski (B.C. High), Sam Vatrano (Springfield Cathedral), Matt Walsh (Arlington H.S.).

DATES: The Select 16 Festival will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 16-24.

17's:

GOALTENDERS: Rick DiPietro (U.S. Under-18 Team), Ryan MacNeil (Cushing).

DEFENSEMEN: Jack Celata (Cushing),  P.J. Martin (St. John's Prep), Brett Peterson (Cushing), Ken Smith (Catholic Memorial), Kevin Truelson (Archbishop Williams), Steve Wood (Lawrence Academy).

FORWARDS: Nick DiMella (Matignon), Lou Eyster (Thayer), Patrick Foley (St. Sebastian's), Billy Kelly (Catholic Memorial), Chris Mansfield (Arlington H.S.), Mike Mantenuto (Walpole Stars), Mark Mullen (B.C. High), Ben Murphy (Cushing), Chris Owen (Noble & Greenough), Jay Sirois (Springfield Cathedral), Peter Trovato (Catholic Memorial), Michael Woodford (Lawrence Academy).

DATES: The Select 17 Festival will be at St. Cloud, Minn., July 24-Aug. 1.

The Massachusetts Select 15 Team will be announced at a later date.

 

5/11/98               Regan Kerney Stepping Down at Lawrenceville

Word out of Lawrenceville is that coach Regan Kerney has decided to retire -- at least as head coach. The new coach will be Etienne Bilodeau, Kerney's assistant this past season.

Kerney will continue to teach at Lawrenceville, as well as work with the hockey program as a goalie coach. In recent years, Kerney's players have included goaltenders Alex Westlund (Yale) and Craig Bradley (Princeton), and forward Harry Schwefel (Harvard).

When Kerney, a goaltender at Princeton in the 60's, took over the head coaching job from Real Turcotte four years ago, it was only expected to be for one year. Recently, citing age and his teaching duties, Kerney expressed a desire to hand the job over to his assistant. Look for an official announcement soon.

Bilodeau is a Quebec native who played on the first two Div. III national championship teams at Middlebury College. He completed his studies there in only three years, graduating in 1996. At Lawrenceville, he also teaches math.

 

Ericson Lands in Cambridge

Northwood School defenseman Leif Ericson, has decided to attend Harvard in the fall. Ericson, 6'2" and 175 lbs., is a 1980 birthdate and a member of last summer's NY Select 17 Team. A right shot, Ericson was also looked at by Clarkson and St. Lawrence. He also briefly considered going to USHL this coming fall. In his senior season at Northwood, Ericson, who's from Saranac Lake, NY,  grew into his body, becoming much more agile.

 

Platt Among Last-Minute USHL Signings

Cushing Academy sophomore defenseman Jason Platt made his departure from prep school   official yesterday, signing a tender with the Omaha Lancers.

USHL clubs worked right up to the midnight Friday (5/8) deadline. What follows is the final list of  players who've signed tenders with USHL teams. There are only a few teams with unused tenders -- they can use them as extra picks in next week's draft.

Des Moines Buccaneers (0 remaining)

Erik Jensen, Des Moines Buccaneers  NEW

Kelly Miller, Chicago Freeze  NEW

Nick Field, Cleveland Barons

* Matt Carney, Univ. of New Hampshire

Troy Linna, Benton-Zion HS

Dubuque Fighting Saints (1 remaining)

Andy Wozniewski, Stevenson (Ill.) HS  NEW

Justin Martin, Hutchinson (Minn.) HS

Dave Tunon, Pittsburgh Hornets

Fargo-Moorhead Ice Sharks (0 remaining)

J. Garnet Exelby, Winnipeg South Blues NEW

Justin Micek, Billings Bulls NEW

John Grubb, Minot (N.D.) HS

Mikael Engelroos, Hill-Murray (Minn.) HS

Benjamin Hocker, Bemidji (Minn.) Warriors

Ryan Ronkowski, Red River (N.D.) HS

Green Bay Gamblers (0 remaining)

Danny Calzada, Team Illinois  NEW

Joe Kautz, Team Illinois 

Wendell Schwab, Madison (Wisc.) Memorial HS

Robin Finco, Onalaska (Wisc.) HS

Lincoln Stars (0 remaining)

J.J. Hartmann, Central Wyoming  NEW

Nick Fouts, Seattle Sno Kings  NEW

Kyle Nosan, Cloquet (Minn.) HS

Christopher Lieckfield, Ann Arbor Ice Dogs

Kyle Andersen, Thief River (Minn.)

Anthony D'Arpino, Avon Old Farms (Conn.)

Grant Folulny, Red River (N.D.) HS

Joseph Markusen, Grafton (N.D.) HS

North Iowa Huskies (0 remaining)

Mike McLean, Fargo South HS  NEW

Ryan Scott, Stevens Point (Wisc.) HS  NEW

Kurt Sauer, St. Cloud Apollo  (Minn.) HS

Josh Schlipp, Forest Lake (Minn.) HS

Omaha Lancers (0 remaining)

Jason Platt, Cushing Academy  NEW

Joe Motzko, Bemidji (Minn.) HS

Derek Eastman, St. Paul Johnson (Minn.) HS

Tim Horst, South St. Paul (Minn.) HS

Rochester Mustangs (0 remaining)

Nate Markus, Rochester-Mayo HS  NEW

** Ty Hennes, Deerfield Academy (Mass.)

Jeremy Downs, Alaska All-Stars

Joe Krmpotich, Eden Prairie (Minn.) HS

Tony Sylvester, South St. Paul (MN) HS

Sioux City Musketeers (1 remaining)

Patrick O'Leary, Fargo North HS (N.D.)

Tyler Johnson, Helena Ice Pirates

Michael Betz, Pittsburgh Hornets

Chris Olsgard, Seattle Sno Kings

Jimmy Scatchell, Chicago Young Americans

Twin Cities Vulcans (1 remaining)

Peter Samargia, Eveleth-Gilbert (Minn.) HS  NEW

Michael Chin, US Under-18 Team

Peter Talafous, Hudson (Wisc.) HS

Kristopher Birch, Benilde-St. Margaret's HS (Minn.)

Jamison Steinert, Osseo (Minn.) HS

Waterloo Black Hawks (0 remaining)

Brian Canady, Vail Avalanche NEW

Thomas Galvin, Canterbury School (Conn.) NEW

Anthony Switek, National Sports Academy

Peter Fitzgerald, Edina (Minn.) HS

 

* Note: Des Moines tender Matt Carney is planning to return to UNH in September '99 -- i.e., right after Sean Matile graduates.

** Look for Ty Hennes to be moved to the Omaha Lancers in a draft day deal.

 

A Native Son for the Mustangs

Mike Aikens, an assistant for the past three years with the Omaha Lancers, has been hired as the new head coach of the Rochester Mustangs (USHL). Aikens, who is a native of Rochester, played high school hockey at John Marshall as well as playing with the Mustangs. He went on to the University of Denver where, in 1991, a broken neck cut short his playing career. Aikens replaces Gary Sampson, who resigned recently to go into business operating a hunting lodge in Alaska.

 

Rosters for New York Select 16's & 17's Released

And here they are.

16's: GOALTENDERS: Matt Jones, Mark Spadaccini. FORWARDS & D's: Brian Burns, Matt Conway, Chris Cosentino, Tom Ditzer, Jeremy Downs, Brian Escobedo, Nick Fata, Colin Fitzrandolph, Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer, Vincent Hellemeyer, Jay Johnson, Michael Komisarek, Matt Maglione, John Mohrman, Kevin Nee, Kevin Richardson, Chris Uber, Ryan Vesce. ALTERNATES: Brian Stoothoff (G), Sean Gardner (D), Marc Higginbotham (D), Jay LaTulippe (F), Steven Lerner (F), Daniel Pike (F).

COACHING STAFF: Head Coach: John Mickler. Assistant Coaches: Ed Gosek & Pat Murphy. Team Leader: Tony Ciavaglia.

DATES: The Select 16 Festival will be in Ann Arbor, Michigan, July 16-24.

17's: GOALTENDERS: Shawn Conschafter, Chris Gartman. FORWARDS & D's:  Gary Baronick, Ryan Bennett, Drew Bucktooth, Joe Carosa, Tim Connolly, Michael Ferry, Adam Foote, Justin Forrest, Jason Guerriero, Rich Hansen, John Hirliman, David Hughes, Jason Kuczmanski, Jim Lorentz, Ryan Schmidt, Zach Schwan, Tim Thomas, Ken Turano. ALTERNATES: William Owczarczak, Matt Stack.

COACHING STAFF: Head Coach: Stan Moore. Assistant Coaches: Mike Trimboli & Chris Wells. Team Leader: Pete Preteroti.

DATES: The Select 17 Festival will be at St. Cloud, Minn., July 24-Aug. 1.

The New York Select 15 Team will be announced in July

 

Boulerice Gets One Year Suspension 

Five minutes into Game 4 of the Guelph Storm-Plymouth Whalers game on April 17, Plymouth's   Jesse Boulerice, a member of the past two U.S. World Junior Teams, attacked an opponent with a two-handed slash to the face.

Guelph winger Andrew Long, a fifth-round draft pick of the Florida Panthers in 1996, suffered a concussion, a broken nose, a fractured bone near the nasal cavity, a broken bone between the upper lip and nose, twenty stitches, two black eyes, and a severely swollen lip. Long spent three days in the hospital and will be unable to play with the Storm in the Memorial Cup Championship beginning tonight in Spokane.

On Tuesday, Boulerice, a 19-year-old from Mooers, NY, was suspended from OHL play for one year. But since Boulerice was in his last year of junior eligibility, it's unclear what effect the ban will have other than barring him from returning to the OHL and playing as one of the two overage players each OHL team is allowed. It's highly unlikely Boulerice would have been returning to Plymouth as an overage player, anyway.

Logic dictates that Boulerice, 6-3, 215 lbs., and, like his victim, a 1996 fifth round NHL draft pick (Philadelphia), would be starting next season in the minors.

However, the NHL and/or minor leagues could decide to honor the suspension, leaving Boulerice's hockey career in limbo. It's also possible that Long could bring criminal charges against Boulerice. We'll be following this story, so stay tuned.

 

Prep School Commitments

We've had a few requests recently for the prep scool commitment list.   We'd appreciate it if subscribers could help us with any additions to this list. Drop us an e-mail at info@ushr.com with any updates.   Enjoy!

Click here for  USHR 1998 Prep School Commitment List  (May 9, 1998)

 

Final Central Scouting List Out

NHL Central Scouting has released its final rankings for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.  6'4" Rimouski Oceanic center Vincent Lecavalier retains the number one spot, but not without a fight from number two David Legwand, a native of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan.  Legwand, 6'2", 175 lbs., recently capped a fabulous rookie season for the OHL's Plymouth Whalers, winning both the Rookie-of-the-Year and MVP awards. The last time a rookie took home both awards was in 1973-74, when former Soo Greyhound Jack Valiquette did it.

Below we've listed  the top 10 overall prospects in North America. After that, the list includes only U.S. natives and players in U.S. college programs (regardless of native country).

Click here for  Final Central Scouting List 

Reilly Heading North

Look for New England Junior Coyotes Head Coach Gene Reilly to join Shawn Walsh's coaching staff at the University of Maine on July 1.

Reilly, who in March coached the Junior Coyotes to their annual Eastern Junior Hockey League Championship, has been the head coach of the Junior Coyotes (formerly the Junior Whalers/Springfield Pics) since Gary Dineen, the program's architect, reduced his own role for health reasons in the early 90's. Numerous top players developed under Reilly's tutelage, among them Billy Guerin, Scott LaChance, Dan LaCouture, and Doug Janik. Reilly will be reunited with Janik in Maine.

Reilly, himself a former Pic, played for Elmira College. After graduating in the mid-80's he played pro hockey in Sweden. While there he began his coaching career, a path that's now taking him to Orono. Reilly will be filling the vacancy created by the recent departure of Mario Thyer. 

Standbrook Rumors Just That

A rumor making the rounds at last week's coaches convention was that long-time Maine assistant Grant Standbrook would be retiring. Shawn Walsh, reached in Orono, said he too had heard the rumor, but that's all it was -- a rumor.

In other news, Archbishop Williams center Ed Boudreau has committed to the Black Bears. Boudreau, a 6'2", 185 lb. native of Weymouth, Mass., had a 19-26-45 scoring line in 20 games this past winter.

5/7/98                                  Bucs' Get Revenge

Last night (Wed. 5/6), the Des Moines Buccaneers won the USA Junior A Hockey Championship,  beating the Omaha Lancers, 2-1 in Billings, Montana.

Des Moines forward Noah Clarke -- 5-3-8 in five games -- had a goal and an assist for the Buccaneers.

For Des Moines the win was a payback, coming just a little over two weeks after Omaha had swept the Bucs four straight in the Clark Cup, the USHL's championship.

 

5/4/98                        Super League on the Drawing Board

At a mid-April meeting in Des Moines, Iowa, USHL franchise owners offered   full-fledged membership in their league to the 12 current North American Hockey League teams, as well as two unnamed Frontier Hockey League teams, most likely Billings and Bozeman.

At the meeting, billed as informational, would-be owners learned of  the USHL's plan of  upgrading their league to Tier I status within the next two years. For current NAHL owners, shifting to the USHL would be conditional upon having (or planning to have) a suitable arena, locker rooms, and the capitalization  necessary to run a profitable franchise. Players, like now, would keep their college eligibility but, in a   welcome change, would have all major expenses paid for -- including billeting fees, which can currently cost $200 a month or more per player. With a merger of the two leagues a national draft would likely take place, making recruiting battles between leagues a thing of the past. However, a national draft could restrict a player's choices to the team drafting him. While it's likely that the current USHL system of having 'protected' teams would be abolished, it's possible that pre-draft offering of tenders could survive in some form. Sources indicated that details of  the draft are part of the ongoing negotiations and only speculative at this point.

While all the NAHL teams are being invited to join the league, it's unlikely all will pony up the expansion fee. Like most sports leagues, the NAHL has its haves and have-nots. Strong franchises include the Springfield Jr. Blues and the Danville Wings. Each currently bang out their building when playing each other. The Chicago Freeze have drawn extremely good crowds in their first year after moving from Detroit to a spiffy rink in Geneva, Ill., a northern suburb. The St. Louis Sting would be an attractive entry for the USHL simply because of its market size. A couple of teams, Compuware, bankrolled by Peter Karmanos, and the U.S. Under-18 Team, bankrolled by USA Hockey, draw small crowds, but have deep pockets. As for the AFHL franchises,  Bozeman and Billings currently outdraw all but a few USHL teams.

Some teams stuck in tiny, remote market areas -- the Soo Indians, for example -- would likely face even greater traveling expenses than they already are, and might struggle making a go of it without relocating. The Cleveland Barons, though they have a large market from which to draw, do poorly at the gate.

At the very least, look for at least two teams, most likely Springfield and Danville, to join in time for the 1999-2000 season.

         Gone To Hull            

6'1", 190 lb. Holderness junior forward Dustin Russell has signed with the Hull Olympiques of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.  Russell and his father, who hail from Clarenville, Newfoundland, approached Massachusetts-based agent Joe Hamilburg earlier this winter about the possibility of playing major junior.  Hamilburg arranged for a Hull scout to watch Russell play (Perhaps he caught Russell's five goal outburst in the division two prep semi-finals?)  Russell, an 8/26/80 birthdate, is eligible for this year's NHL draft, but will opt out in hopes that a year of major junior will improve his draft rating. 

Cavosie Injured

Albany Academy's superb junior right wing Marc Cavosie has torn his anterior cruciate ligament.  The injury occured when Cavosie caught his foot in a divot during a recent lacrosse game. He'll have surgery on the knee, and doctors project it will be four to six months before Cavosie is back on skates -- in other words, somewhere between September and November. In a late-winter USHR ranking of New England 11th graders, Cavosie was ranked twenty-first overall although, based on his postseason performance, he looked to move up significantly, perhaps even into the top ten.

UNH's Next Assistant?

With Chris Serino getting the Merrimack job, there's a vacancy to be filled on the UNH coaching staff. A name we've heard mentioned is Steve Pleau, currently a graduate assistant coach with the U.S. Under-18 Team. In 1996-97 Pleau, the son of  St. Louis Blues GM Larry Pleau, was a graduate assistant at UNH. Pleau played for UNH from 1992-96.

                                                 Heading West?  

Kimball Union Academy junior goaltender Michael Walsh is looking to forgo his senior year at prep school and take a shot at the USHL.  Don't be surprised to see Walsh, a native of Downington, PA, with the Waterloo Black Hawks this fall.

Only One Person Knows for Sure

We expected Maine recruit Barrett Heisten to put in a year with the Black Bears before  moving on to the WHL. Now, we wouldn't be surprised if Heisten never sets foot on campus at all. The 6'1", 184 lb. winger from Anchorage, Alaska has made no effort to hide his desire to deep-six the college experience -- Mom's the one who wants him to get an education. Heisten, drafted by the Seattle Thunderbirds in this past Thursday's WHL Bantam Draft, even went so far as skipping his SAT's the last time he was scheduled to take them. We have a feeling Maine coach Shawn Walsh isn't sitting up in Orono hand-stitching Heisten's name on a Black Bear uniform.

The Steel's Up

A new player for Tabor Academy will be repeat junior Paul Muniz, a quick, skilled forward who led Division II Gloucester High School to the state Div. II title this past season. His 27-29-56 regular season scoring title made him the third-highest scorer in Mass. Div. II . Two others heading to Tabor are Lincoln-Sudbury (Mass.) High School defenseman R.J. Irving and, as mentioned here last week, CM goaltender Artie Imbriano.  All are repeat juniors.

By the way, the steel framework is already in place for Tabor Academy's new rink. The project is actually ahead of schedule, something rare these days. 

Cushing Doings

Look for Marv Degon, a 5'9", 140 lb. defenseman from Milbury, Mass. at Cushing Academy in the fall. Degon, who'll turn 15 in July, is highly mobile and a good puck handler. He's from the Minuteman Flames organization and will be entering the ninth grade.

Former Cushing goaltender Joey Exter, who played five games this season for the OHL's Erie Otters, is back in New England and hoping to hook on late with a college. Like Sean Matile at UNH, Exter, after sitting out a year, would be eligible to play for three years minus the number of major junior games he played.

A Hound Comes Home, Sort Of

Westboro, Mass. goaltender Steve Belew, who played in Wilcox, Saskatchewan for the Notre Dame Hounds this season, will be at Noble & Greenough this fall. Belew, who also drew a lot of  interest from Exeter and Andover, will be a junior. He'll compete for playing time with Scott Annan, who took over in early January when Chris O'Connell went down with a season-ending knee injury.

For the second straight year, Nobles is getting a transfer from Milton. Last year it was forward Mike Murray. This year it's 6'0", 165 lb. forward Ben McManama, who'll be a junior.

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5/1/98                                                 Get on the Bus!

The Western Hockey League conducted its annual bantam draft yesterday.   The Medicine Hat Tigers wasted no time in making Edmonton defenseman Jay Bouwmeester the first overall selection.  The ten Americans selected over the course of the draft's fifteen rounds are listed below:

 

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