Sunday, November 29, 1998                     

November News

Top College Prospect Goes Major Junior

Goaltender Craig Andersson has left the Chicago Freeze (NAHL) and signed a major junior contract with the Guelph Storm (OHL).

Andersson, a senior in high school, had been drawing interest from Bowling Green,   Wisconsin, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clarkson, RPI, and others. 

With the Freeze this fall, he was 11-3 with a 2.56 gaa and .914 save percentage.

The Storm reportedly gave Andersson six figures, a no-cut / no-trade clause, and the standard school / insurance package.

The Storm's #1 goaltender, Chris Madden, the Memorial Cup MVP last spring, will be leaving shortly to join the U.S. National Junior Team, and won't be back with the Storm until Jan. 5. Madden's current backup, rookie Mike D'Allesandro, has struggled.

Andersson, an '81 from S. Barrington, Illinois, played last season with the Chicago Young Americans midgets. At the 17 Festival last summer, he played on the Central team, posting a 4.80 GAA and a .844 save percentage. Guelph had drafted him in the 10th round of last June's OHL draft.

A Two-Sport Guy

Deerfield Academy forward Aaron Kim will be attending Harvard University next fall to play both hockey and lacrosse.

Kim, a 5'11", 180 lb. RW from Deerfield, Illinois, chose Harvard over Yale, Princeton, and Cornell.

By the way, we watched Dennis Kim, Aaron's younger brother, in a tournament this weekend.  Dennis, a forward with the Chicago Young Americans Major Bantams, is 15 and could turn out to be as good as his older brother. In style of play, physique, etc. they're total clones..

Rubber Stamp It

We can now confirm a couple of college signings we had said earlier were likely to happen. The McRae Twins, forward Matt and defenseman Mark, currently teammates at Brampton (OPJHL) will indeed be attending Cornell together next fall (though there's at least a few people we've spoken to who believe they might still go major junior). The McRaes chose Cornell over fellow Ivies Yale, Harvard, and Princeton.

Forward Ryan Fultz of the Cleveland Barons (NAHL) will be going to Bowling Green. 

Apple Core Takes Northeast Showcase

Lowell, Mass. -- A power-play blast from the point by defenseman Chris Pedota broke a 2-2 tie and propelled Apple Core to a 5-3 win over the Walpole Stars in the championship game of  the Northeast Hockey Showcase this afternoon at Tsongas Arena.

Evan Wax had two goals for Apple Core, while Ken Turano and Brian D'Ambrosio had   one apiece.

Marius Andersen had two goals for Walpole. Jamie Dalton scored Walpole's third goal.

John Leino was in goal for Apple Core; Ryan Grant for Walpole.

In the third place game, Capital District's Yanik Fournier scored with three seconds remaining and the goalie pulled to give his team a 4-4 tie with the Boston Bulldogs. It was Fournier's second goal of the game. Kurt Kamienski and Eamon Delgiacco also scored for Capital District.

Chris Maniatis, Al Salvia, Steve Slonina, and Russ Mazgut scored for the Bulldogs. Maniatis finished as the tournament's leading scorer with an 8-7-15 line in 3½ games (he received a game misconduct for hitting from behind midway through today's contest.)

In the 5th place game, Northwood School beat the Connecticut Clippers, 4-2.

In the 7th place game, Little Caesar's beat the Vail Avalanche, 4-1.

In the 9th place game, Canterbury School beat the Seattle Ironmen, 3-2.

A Hot Property

Big Apple Core defenseman Doug Murray is drawing interest from BU, Cornell, UMass-Lowell, Maine, and others. Scouts from the NY Rangers and NJ Devils were watching him in action recently in a game against the Valley Junior Warriors. Murray, 6'3, 220 lbs., is an early '80 birthdate and thus eligible for the June draft without opting in.

Steve Clark, a 6'1" LW with the Streetsville Derbys (OPJHL) was being watched last week by Ohio State. Reportedly, Northern Michigan and others have already made substantial offers. Clark, an '81, has a 22-22-43 line in 23 games with Streetsville. He was a 4th round pick of Owen Sound in last June's OHL draft but opted to keep his eligibility. 

Three for the Riverhawks

Darryl Green, a defenseman with the Chatham Maroons (WOJHL) will be coming to UMass-Lowell next fall. But, because he played five games for the S.S. Marie Greyhounds in the 1995-96 season, he'll have to wait until the fall of 2000 to suit up for the Riverhawks. Green, who's 6'0" and 188 lbs., has 31 points and 98 penalty minutes in 29 games at Chatham this season.

UMass-Lowell has two coming in who can play right away. Steve Slonina, a 5'11" right shot defenseman who can also play forward and Mark Concannon. Slonina, a senior at BC High, is playing with Mike Addesa's Boston Bulldogs now.  Concannon, who's 6'1" and 190 lbs., played last year for Div. III Hull High School and had a 38-35-73 line in twenty games. He's taking a PG year at Winchendon now. Concannon was also a member of the South Shore team that went 13-0 en route to winning this year's Hockey Night in Boston Summer Tournament.

 

11/24/98

Tourney Time, Fa-La-La-La-La

O.K., with Thanksgiving around the corner, we have to start thinking about Christmas -- not Christmas shopping, but Christmas tournaments, and New Year's, too. To help with your planning, we're going to be gathering up schedules over the next couple of days and posting them to the site.

For starters, we have the matchups for the 34th annual Flood-Marr tournament. Click here, please.

Of course, the road to Christmas leads through Thanksgiving. Mike Addesa's Northeast Hockey Showcase, which starts Friday morning, offers some intriguing matchups. Little Caesar's, Vail, Apple Core, the Walpole Stars, the Connecticut Clippers, the Seattle Ironmen, Capital District Selects, Canterbury, Northwood, and the Boston Bulldogs will be there. So you have plenty of alternatives to eating dried-out leftover turkey and watching football with your obnoxious brother-in-law. 

The finals are on Sunday at the gleaming new Tsongas Arena in Lowell, so you don't have to start freezing your toes off yet, either.

Click here for the Northeast Hockey Showcase Schedule.

Added 11/26:    Click here for the Avon Old Farms Christmas Tournament

Added 11/26:    Click here for the Barber Tournament

 

11/22/98

Dardis a Gem

It's pretty rare when a player comes out of nowhere and knocks our socks off. But on Thursday, night at the Duluth Jamboree, Jay Dardis put on one of those performances that had scouts and recruiters buzzing afterward.

Dardis, a 6'3" senior center from Proctor High School (that's a few miles west of Duluth, and it's...well, small), scored all three goals in his team's 3-3 tie with Silver Bay. A lanky right shot with great mitts, Dardis actually came close to notching five goals in the game, which consisted of two 11-minute halves. With his reach and stride, he shrinks the rink. He is extremely effective killing penalties. He's tough and doesn't back down in scrums along the wall. He turned 18 in July. 

Dardis also has a highly-skilled winger, junior Aron Slattengren, to get him the puck. They look like they've been playing together for a long time, but actually Slattengren just moved back to northern Minnesota from Pittsburgh, PA, where last year he played an injury- abbreviated campaign with the Hornets. Slattengren, a left shot, has excellent vision and patience with the puck. He protects it extremely well, and when Dardis is open...bingo. Slattengren, who's a solid 5'9", is a player to keep an eye on.

Getting back to Dardis, Scott Pionk, coach/GM of the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks is a native of Proctor. Pionk had Dardis down to the Waterloo tryout camp last summer, and wished he could have kept him all year. But, as Pionk said, Proctor is his home town, he has a lot of friends there, and Dardis also stars on the football team -- so he didn't push too hard.    

Still, it's rather surprising no one else did. If a college doesn't jump on him now, and Dardis plays in the USHL next season, he'll be a money player. He's reported to be a decent student, with a GPA around 2.8.

It was enjoyable watching Silver Bay's John Conboy, too. Conboy, a Minnesota-Duluth recruit, shuttled between defense and left wing all game. He's not super fast, super quick, or even a pure scorer or playmaker. He's just an athlete who has good size and is extremely agile -- he cuts, pivots, and changes direction awfully well. On top of all that, he's a competitor who plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.  He's a good get for the Bulldogs, who are now 0-6-1 in WCHA play and need something to look forward to.

Watch Out for the Greyhounds

Duluth East, the defending state champs, are being picked behind Hastings High by most people this season. It's true that Hastings, with future Gophers Jeff Taffe, Dan Welch, and Ben Tharp, have great high-end talent, but Duluth won't abdicate easily. They have excellent team speed -- the line of junior Zach Burns, junior Ross Carlson, and senior Chad Roberg looked particularly good Thursday night at the DECC. On defense, sophs Jon Hedberg and Tom Allen stood out as East decisively shut down archrival Cloquet, 3-0.

Is That Syracuse Down There?

U.S. Under-18 forward Joe Cullen of Moorhead, Minnesota will be spending a lot of time in the air this weekend, as he's visiting both St. Cloud State, where older brother Matt played, and Boston University.

In the near future, Cullen will also be visiting the University of Minnesota and Colorado College, where his brother Mark is a freshman.

By the way, look for Cullen's teammate, forward Connor Dunlop to make his college choice -- either Boston College or Notre Dame -- over Thanksgiving. 

11/19/98                          Hilbert a Wolverine

Center Andy Hilbert of the U.S. Under-18 Team, perhaps the most-coveted member of this year's recruiting class, has decided on the University of Michigan. Hilbert made his final choice from among BU, Michigan, and Michigan State.

Hilbert made his decision Tuesday night after talking it over with his parents, then headed over to Yost Arena to sign his letter of intent after yesterday's classes at Pioneer High School ended. Yesterday was the last day of the early signing period. 

Michigan also received a verbal commitment from John Shouneyia, a crafty 5'7", 165 lb. center for the Compuware Ambassadors (NAHL).

On the Range, Guyer's the Guy

Virginia, Minn. -- For the first time since last winter, this observer saw high school hockey action. Snow, too. And both on the same day. Up here on the Iron Range, winter's not shy about re-introducing itself.

At the Miner's Memorial Arena in Virginia,  a good-sized turnout showed up for the Iron Range Conference Jamboree, with four mini-games -- two eleven-minute periods -- offering all eight conference teams the chance to get their legs under them.

Here's some random observations: The three best-looking teams -- in no particular order -- were Hibbing, Greenway, and Eveleth-Gilbert.

Hibbing, in sophomore goaltender Travis Weber,  has the best netminding prospect to come out of the Iron Range since Greenway's Adam Hauser. Weber  didn't dress, though, as seniors Bill Whiteside and Casey Conda each got in their 11 minutes. We'll look for Weber on Friday at a round of scrimmages in Grand Rapids and Greenway.

Hibbing is also deep on the blue line, where seniors Rico Fatticci, an excellent skater with offensive skills, and Steve Suihkonen, a more rugged defensive D who also moves the puck nicely, pair up. The junior pairing of Ryan Johnson, a tall, lanky right shot, and big right-shot Erik Maras, both of whom made some pin-point passes, are good prospects, too. We also liked 10th grader T.J. Renskers.

Up front, Hibbing is on the thin side, with their best prospects all underclassmen. We liked right-shot center Brad Willis a lot. He's big enough, has excellent acceleration, and is a danger when he has the puck anywhere inside the blue line. Either blue line, actually -- he needs to improve his defensive game. Fellow 11th graders John Bottoms and Jesse Jagunich also showed something. Bottoms is skilled, while Jagunich is quick, nasty, and can create havoc with his forechecking.  

Greenway has our choice for top forward prospect on the Range: Gino Guyer, a 5'9" freshman who centers the Raiders' top line of LW Andy Sertich (also a freshman) and senior RW Josh Miskovich. Guyer, an '83, is a talent. He can skate, handle the puck, sees the ice well, anticipates plays, and can set up a play or finish. He's the son of Greenway coach Pat Guyer. Greenway also has a group of  senior defenseman who love to fire the puck. All are solid high school defensemen. Most intriguing were Beau Geisler, a shifty, mobile D who can handle the puck, and Adam Johnson, who at first glance appears to be a big meat-and-potatoes type of D, but will grow on you -- he actually has pretty soft hands. Both could play in the USHL next year.  

Eveleth-Gilbert, the defending Class A champs, have a solid pair of senior netminders in Zach Sikich and Matt Uhan. Quick, small center Andy Sacchetti, a senior, leads the attack. The best prospects are junior forwards Phil Perpich, who's starting to fill out and has a good deal of upside, and Kyle Hawley. Right behind them are sophs Sam Stanisich, a big, raw RD, and quick forward Tony Dolinsek. 6'3½", 200 lb. senior defenseman Troy Korpi certainly has the size, but he needs to lengthen his stride and handle the puck a little more cleanly.

(By the way, Eveleth-Gilbert has added a girls's team this year. Last week, they played Duluth, and lost, 22-0. Seriously.)

We didn't get a good feel for Grand Rapids. They lost defenseman Andrew Downing to the U.S. Under-17 Team, are lack a real go-to guy up front. They're a mid-level Minnesota high school team -- not bad, but not particularly good, either.

The International Falls Broncos are young, but can hold their own. Their best prospect is big 10th grade right wing Christopher Nagurski, who certainly has the athletic bloodlines. He's a great-grandson of  football great Bronco Nagurski, which would also make him a relative of former BC forward Tim Sheehy and his younger brother, Harvard D Neil Sheehy, both of whom went on to lengthy professional careers. As we said, good bloodlines. 

Mesabi East is only a threat when senior center Keith Radtke is on the ice, flanked by junior wingers Troy Scott and Rob Ronning. Senior defenseman Jeremy Stoks has size, is a very fluid skater, and showed he can carry the puck, too. There's a good deal of upside with him, but he'd need a year or two in the USHL to get there.

Chisholm was thin. However, we liked 11th grader Dante Tomassoni, a right-shot D who, on the power play, showed that he might have potential as a power forward type. He goes to the net hard. Yes, he's a relative of Harvard coach -- and former Eveleth star -- Ronn Tomassoni.

Virginia-Mt.Iron-Buhl won't win many games this season.

In closing, because the U.S. Hockey Report realizes there's a world beyond the rinks, here are a few news briefs from the Iron Range. The deer hunting season is the best in three years, with 42% more bucks killed than a year ago. Jesse "The Governor" Ventura named his advisory panel, but it didn't include anyone from north of the Twin Cities. And there'll be a dance at the Virginia Elks Club on Friday night.

Hastings Tops Preseason Poll

Hastings, which returns seniors Jeff Taffe, Dan Welch, and Ben Tharp -- all bound for the U next fall -- got four of the five first-place votes in the Minnesota High School Preseason Poll, just released by Let's Play Hockey. Duluth East, the defending Class AA champions, got the other first-place vote -- despite losing defenseman Patrick Finnegan to the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) and goaltender Adam Coole and forward Rheese Carlson to graduation.

Here's the whole list.

1) Hastings; 2) Duluth East; 3) Roseau; 4) Bloomington Jefferson; 5) Eden Prairie; 6) Edina; 7) Anoka; 8) White Bear Lake; 9) Maple Grove; 10) Hill-Murray. Others receiving votes: Elk River, Osseo, Burnsville, Grand Rapids, Holy Angels, Hibbing, Eagan, Greenway.

*    In the Class A preseason rankings, defending champions Eveleth-Gilbert and Warroad each had two first-place votes while Benilde-St. Margaret's had one. Here's the whole poll:

1) Eveleth-Gilbert; 2)Warroad; 3) Red Wing; 4) Hermantown; 5) East Grand Forks; 6) Benilde-St. Margaret's; 7) Lake of the Woods; 8) Breck; 9) St. Louis Park; 10) Fergus Falls. Others receiving votes: Blake, Virginia, Silver Bay, Mound, Mahtomedi, Hutchinson, Mora, Crookston, Proctor, and Thief River Falls.    

Lorentz to St. Lawrence

Jim Lorentz, a left-shot center with the Nichols School and the Buffalo Saints Midgets, has committed to St. Lawrence University.

Lorentz, who's 5'10", 175 lbs. and a good puckhandler, is the son of former Buffalo Sabre (and current Sabres' TV analyst) Jim Lorentz.

He joins fellow recruit Blair Clarance of the Stratford Cullitons. Clarance, who committed last spring but is taking another year to hone his skills at Stratford, is a 5'11", 195 lb. left wing/center. An '80 birthdate, Clarance was the third-leading scorer in the league (Mid-Western Jr. B) last season. This year, though, he's been nagged by injuries.

12/18/98                 Nowak Chooses Harvard

Hotchkiss School center Brett Nowak has chosen Harvard over Boston College and Michigan.  He also visited Boston University and Yale.   Nowak's older brother, Derek, is a freshman at Harvard.  Nowak is USHR's #1 rated senior in New England. 

New Prep Poll

With the New England prep school  season right around the corner, USHR is proud to announce its second annual pre-season prep poll.  Proceed to our prep school section to view this season's poll.  Later this week, we'll be unveiling our team-by-team previews.   We look forward to another exciting hockey season!

A Fast Spartan

6'0", 170 lb. LD Brad Fast of the Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL) has committed to Michigan State. As his name indicates, Fast is an excellent skater. He's an offensive defenseman who in 19 games this season has a 7-14-21 scoring line with 10 penalty minutes. He's very good on the power play. Other schools visited by Fast -- some last season -- were BU, Princeton, Cornell, Colorado College, and Northern Michigan.

Go, Cat, Go

Centerman J.F. Gamelin of the Pembroke Lumber Kings (CJHL) will be taking his game to the University of Vermont next fall. Gamelin is an uptempo player with a lot of speed who should take to the big sheet at the Gut right away.

Prime Time in New Jersey

Scott Prime, a native of Moncton, New Brunswick playing for the Penticton Panthers (BCHL), will be attending Princeton University next year. Prime, an '80 birthdate, is a quick forward in the Casson Masters mold. He went to the BCHL to work on getting stronger. An '80 birthdate, he's 5'11", 175 lbs. now. In 15 games with Penticton, Prime has a 2-7-9 scoring line with four penalty minutes.

Also headed to Princeton is Neil McCann, a 20-year-old left-shot D from the Calgary Royals (AJHL).  McCann, 6'0½", 175 lbs., is described as a strong transition player who moves the puck well.

DeMarchi Bows Out

6'2½", 170 lb. defenseman Matt DeMarchi of the North Iowa Huskies will be sitting out the King of the Hill Tournament, which starts Monday in Waterloo, Iowa. DeMarchi, who played on the USHL team at last week's Four Nations Tournament, is a high school senior -- and it was felt that he's already missed enough class time for one month.

Not only that, but with the USHL's King of the Hill Team comprised entirely of players yet to receive a Div. I scholarship, DeMarchi, a Bemidji, Minn. native, doesn't really need to be there. He'll get a scholarship, anyway. The four schools in the run for his services are Minnesota, Colorado College, Denver, and Wisconsin. He'll be taking official visits to all four shortly.

His place on the roster will be taken by Joe Markusen, a 6'0", 185 lb defenseman from Grafton, North Dakota and the Lincoln Stars. 

The Waiting Game

As of Friday afternoon, we still had no decisions from top prospects such as Andy Hilbert, the McRae Twins, Connor Dunlop, and Brett Nowak.

Hilbert, who announced a month ago that he'd narrowed his choices to Michigan, Michigan State, and Boston University, is said by some close to the scene to be cooling a bit on the idea of Michigan, which is deep in centers.

Look for the McRae Twins -- Mark, a RD, and Matt, a center, are teamates with the Brampton Capitals (OPJHL) -- to make up their minds this weekend. We have a hunch Cornell will emerge the winner. .

With Dunlop, who had reportedly narrowed his choices to BC and Notre Dame, it looks like the waiting may continue until at least Thanksgiving week. If Hilbert chooses Michigan State or BU, it's possible Michigan might get back into the Dunlop picture. For one thing, Dunlop doesn't have to play center -- he's equally good on the wing. Also, Red Berenson coached Blake Dunlop, Connor's father, for three years in St. Louis (1979-83).

As for Michigan, they're in the running for Nowak, too. But so is BC and Harvard, where older brother (and former linemate) Derek is a freshman this year.

Look for BC to make a push for U.S. Under-18 Team forward John Sabo, who recently announced his plans to accelerate and get his high school diploma next summer. Sabo's sister graduated from Boston College this past spring, and Sabo, who played at Cushing Academy in 1996-97, is partial to the Boston area.

And just in case anyone's thinking it's a slam dunk (block that metaphor!) that 5'8" center Martin Kariya will automatically follow his two brothers to Maine, we just got word that Kariya took a visit to the University of Denver last week. Kariya, who plays for the Victoria Salsa (BCHL) is currently the top-scoring '81 in the BCHL.

Cronin Decides...

6'1", 200 lb. RD John Cronin of the Noble & Greenough School has decided on Boston University. Cronin, from Duxbury, Mass. and one of the East's elite defensemen, was also recruited hard by Yale and Princeton.

...DiSalvatore, Too

6'1", 180 lb. right wing Jon DiSalvatore of the New England Coyotes has decided on Providence College.

Ultimately, the choice came down to Boston University or Providence, and DiSalvatore picked the Friars. DiSalvatore, who's an '81 from South Windsor, Conn., has a 9-13-22 scoring line in nine games played. He has good hands, and is projected as a power forward, but needs to add a little more strength first.

Also signing with the Friars is Devin Rask, a left-shot center from the Yorkton Terriers (SJHL). Rask, who's 5'10", 175 lbs., is a fast, hardworking forward who generates a lot of scoring chances . He has 38 points in 20 games for Yorkton. He also has at least four shorthanded goals.

Warriors Pick Cammarata

St. Sebastian's School defenseman Nick Cammarata will be signing early with Merrimack College. Cammarata, a mobile defenseman who can carry the puck, adds skill to the Warriors' blue line. He's a right shot from Canton, Mass.

And Dartmouth Looks to Murray

6'1", 170 lb. right-shot forward Mike Murray of Noble & Greenough will be attending Dartmouth next fall. Murray, a '79 from Dover, Mass., has a good frame, is agile for his size, and has solid all-around offensive skills.

Dartmouth will also be bringing in forward Kent Gillins, a fast, skilled 5'10" forward who's playing for North Battleford (SJHL).

Taft Delivers Two More

Brad D'Arco, a 6'0 left wing from Greenwich, Conn.; and John Longo, a 5'11" right-shot center from Trumbull, Conn., have made their choices.

D'Arco will be going to Colgate next fall, while Longo will be heading to the University of Vermont.

Taft will be sending at least four players on to the Division I ranks next year. In addition to D'Arco and Longo, Evan Nielsen (Notre Dame) and Denis Nam (Yale) will be making the big jump.

Cap District's Kamienski Too Much for Caesar's

Troy, NY -- Down by a goal late in Sunday's championship game at RPI's Houston Field House, Kurt Kamienski scored to send the game to overtime. Once there, it took less than a minute for Kamienski to strike again, scoring on  a breakaway to give the host Capital District Selects a 4-3 OT win over Little Caesar's.

Kamienski's pair gave him a tournament-leading six goals. Against the Boston Bulldogs the day before, his teammate, Ryan Bennett, scored five of the six Cap District goals. Adam Campana, who played at New Hampton Prep last season, also finished the tournament with five goals. Cap District is now 20-4-3 on the season, and have won two tournaments by beating Caesar's in the championship game. (Last month, Cap District and Caesar's met in the final of the Biddeford, Maine tournament).

In the third-place game, the Boston Jr. Bruins topped the Boston Bulldogs, 3-1.

In the fifth-place game, the Bay State Breakers topped the Toronto Young Nats, 4-1.

In the seventh-place game, Northwood School topped the Connecticut Clippers, 8-5.

Ohio State Gets Their Man

6-0½", 195 lb. LW Miguel Lafleche of the Hawkesbury Hawks has signed his letter of intent with Ohio State. Lafleche is pretty much the complete player -- a power forward who is  fast, has good acceleration, can produce points, and has a physical presence that could make him an impact college player.

In addition to Ohio State, Lafleche, a '79 birthdate, was also offered by Clarkson, St. Lawrence, RPI, and Michigan. 

He speaks French, so he'll be right at home with the five Francophones skating for Ohio State.

Chin Signs with Notre Dame...

Forward Mike Chin has signed a letter of intent with Notre Dame. Reportedly, Taft defenseman Evan Nielsen has committed to Notre Dame, too.

Chin, who played last season with the U.S. Under-18 Team and this year with the Des Moines Buccaneers, is currently the leading goal scorer in the USHL with 17 (in 13 games played). Chin, a 6'3", 195 lb, right wing, is an '80 birthdate and a native of Urban, Ill. Before going to the National Program, Chin played for the Shattuck-St. Mary's midget team

...Nielsen Next

Taft defenseman Evan Nielsen has made a verbal commitment to Notre Dame. Nielsen is a 6'2", 195 lb. right shot D from Evanston, Ill. -- that's north of Chicago -- who was playing Illinois high school hockey before going east to prep school. A fluid skater with a great deal of natural athleticism, Nielsen's upside is enormous.

Vermont and several of the Ivies were also in the hunt for him. 

A Blueliner for the Bears

6'0", 190 lb. left-shot D Owen Walter of the Victoria Salsa (BCHL) will be heading to Brown next fall. Walter, a native of Prince Albert, Sask., is smart, tough, and an excellent skater. Brown has been on  him for over a year.

By the way, we stopped in and caught the last period of Brown's 4-1 win over Harvard on Friday night (two periods of BU's thrashing of Princeton was enough), and saw that Roger Grillo has a team that could be one of this season's surprises. Scott Stirling just keeps getting better in goal, while the forwards are quick, decisive, and go hard to the net.

Bulldogs Get a Bulldog

Yale University has received a commitment from Taft's Dennis Nam, a quick, hard-working, two-way forward from Northfield, Illinois. Nam is 5'9", 180 lbs., an '80 birthdate, and a right shot.

Speaking of Yale, which begins its season Friday night at Clarkson, one of the pleasant camp surprises was the play of freshman Luke Earl. A canny forward out of the Westminster School, Earl is one of those players who has few eye-popping skills but a ton of hockey savvy. Not surprisingly, he's a coach's son -- his father is long-time Westminster mentor Tom Earl.

As Rare as Hens' Teeth

Over the weekend, the New England Coyotes 31-game home unbeaten streak was snapped. The streak, which stretched back to Jan. 31,1997 and a 5-1 loss to the Great Northern Snowdevils, has now given way to a new streak, for the Coyotes lost both of their weekend home games.

On Saturday, the Walpole Stars defeated the Coyotes, 5-1, behind goals from Mike Matta, John Ronan, Brian Sjostrom, Chris Heisten, and Marius Anderson. Goaltender Ryan Grant came up big for the Stars, kicking out 37 shots. Defenseman Peter Ollari scored for the Coyotes.

On Sunday, N.Y. Apple Core, down 4-2 in the second-period, came back with five unanswered goals to beat the Coyotes, 7-4. Evan Wax and Vinny Hellemeyer each had a pair of goals.

The Coyotes -- formerly the Whalers and, for a long time before that the Pics -- are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year. With Gene Reilly having moved on to a spot on the staff of Maine coach Shawn Walsh, Coyotes founder Gary Dineen is back behind the bench.

A lot of the the Coyotes top forwards of last season have moved on to college. Gone are Dan Cavanaugh (BU), Chris Baldwin (Dartmouth), Jim Henkel (RPI), Joe Carpenter (Army), and Sotheby Chung (Middlebury). The big gun remaining is Jon DiSalvatore.

On top of that, the defense is young -- Eric Lundberg and Michael Komisakrek are tremendous college (and pro) prospects, but they're also only 15 and 16 years old, respectively.

"We may have been a little too preoccupied with winning last year," Dineen allowed. "This is still a development program."

U.S. Under-18 Team Knocks off Host Finland; Takes Three Nations Tournament

Kurikka, Finland -- The U.S. Under-18 Team won the championship game of the Three Nations Tournament yesterday with a 7-2 win over host Finland Sunday.

The U.S. exploded for five goals in a 4:01 stretch of the first period, with Andy Hilbert scoring twice, and Patrick Foley, Jeff Taffe and Todd Jackson each notching one goal.

Finland scored in the second period, and then again early in the third to cut the U.S. lead to 5-2, but goals from Brad Winchester and John Wroblewski salted it away for the U.S. 

Finland outshot the U.S., 30-25. Rick DiPietro made 28 saves for the win.

The team returns home to Ann Arbor tonight (Monday).

A New Twist for the King of the Hill Tournament

The USHL team competing in next week's King of the Hill Tournament in Waterloo, Iowa will, for the first time, be limited to U.S. citizens who haven't (as of Nov. 1st) made a college commitment.

The tournament, which starts on Monday the 16th and runs through the 18th, will, in addition to the USHL team, feature teams from the North American Hockey League, the America West Hockey League (why it changed its name from the Frontier League -- excessively evocative, perhaps? -- to something so bland is beyond us), and a Junior   B All-Star Team.

Click here for all four rosters.

U.S. Under-18 Team Knocks off Sweden, 4-2

Down by a goal early, the U.S. Under-18 Team stormed back and defeated Sweden, 4-2, to advance to the championship game against host Finland on Sunday afternoon.

John Wroblewski, in the second period, scored the first of four straight U.S. goals. John Eichelberger, Joe Cullen, and Freddy Meyer tallied in the third period. Sweden added a late goal to account for the final margin.

Chris Gartman had 20 saves for the U.S. team, which outshot Sweden 36-22 (18-3 in the second period). 

Powerful Shattuck Squad Upset in Des Moines

Des Moines, Iowa -- Shattuck-St. Mary's #1 team, which came into the the Des Moines Midget Buc Bowl as a heavy favorite, had its 21-game winning streak stopped with a 3-2 semifinal loss to the Detroit Trackers on Sunday (Nov. 1).

The Marquette Electricians won the other semi, squeezing  past Team Illinois, 6-5 in OT. In the final, Marquette beat the Trackers, 3-1, to take home the championship trophy. (In round-robin play, Shattuck had knocked off Marquette, 12-4.)

Here are some of the players who impressed one scout at the tournament. We'll start with Shattuck: 

6'4", 205 lb. 10th grader Brent MacLellan, an '83 from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, looks from here like a future first-round NHL draft pick. In addition to his size, he has nice hands, is a sure skater, and does a lot of little things right, particularly for a 15-year-old. 

Another impressive D is Ryan Caldwell, a 6'3", 175 lb. 12th grader from Deloraine, Manitoba. Caldwell is tall and lanky, skates well, has good hands, and moves the puck well. He might sign with Mankato State next week.

6'2", 202 lb. left-shot D Cliff Loya, who used to skate for the Pittsburgh Hornets, also impressed. Loya, also a 12th grader, is a physical in-your-face type of D.

Up front, 5'9, 165 lb. Ben Eaves was excellent. Eaves, an 11th grader and an '82 birthdate, is the son of former NHL'er Mike Eaves, and is turning out to be more than just a chip off the old block. We were impressed by his intelligence, the way he looks off players when he has the puck, and his positioning. He's very dangerous because of his speed, and the way he uses it. He's always moving, darting shark-like around the front of the net, and driving opposing D-men crazy.

Senior RW Max Bull is another quick, fast one -- great wheels. He's 5'10", 173 lbs. and from Faribault, Minn., which, in case you didn't know, is where Shattuck, a boarding school, is located.

We also liked Shawn Vinz, a 10th grader who played last year for John Marshall HS in Rochester, Minn. Vinz, a 5'11, 177 lb. right-shot forward, is a converted D. He, too, is an excellent skater, though he could work a little on his acceleration. He moves well laterally, has good hands, and is rugged.

Another prospect who's rugged  -- and very aggressive -- is 6'0", 175 lb. forward Quinn Henry, an 11th grader from Ste. Rose du Lac, Manitoba. An '82 who was a second-round pick in the 1997 WHL Bantam draft, Henry is pursuing the college route.

Shattuck, coached by Andy Murray, formerly with Canada's national program, won't be making an appearance in the east until the Cushing Tournament (Jan. 1-3).

Now, let's move on to the other teams.

Compuware always has good young players. This year, they have three '83s -- defensemen Derek Smith and Josh Griffith, and forward Dwight Helminen.

Smith, 5'11", 166 lbs., is a skilled defenseman who's likely to keep growing. He skates well, cuts and pivots strongly, but overhanbdles the puck at times. Griffith, who's from Findlay, Ohio, is already a very big kid at 6'1", 205 lbs. He's coming along well -- he headmans the puck nicely, and keeps it simple. Has also has a hard, low shot. He'll have to keep working on his skating.

Helminen, a 5'8", 156 lb. winger is quick, has good hands, and a strong sense of the game. He goes to the net hard and plays bigger than his size.

5'11" left-shot D Bryan Thompson also played well. Thompson, an '82, is tough, there's zip to his passes, and he makes smart decisions.

'82 forwards Ryan Webb and Brian Nicklas also looked solid. 

The Metro Northwest team from Minnesota's Bauer Prep Fall League came to the tournament as the "Anoka All-Stars." We liked the play of forward Gabe Hillmoe, a 6'0" senior from Anoka HS. He's quick, has good hands, and there's zip to his game.

Two other forwards who played well were Tim Jackson, a tall, lanky senior from Park Center HS who has good hands, a long reach, and protects the puck well; and Matt Moore, a 5'10" right-shot forward from Blaine HS who's a solid playmaker.

The Soo Hawks got good play from 5'9" left shot-D Seth Vinocur. 6'3", 200 lb. RD Mark Murphy is a player we've been watching for a few years now. He's still pretty raw, but he's an '81 so he has time to work on his agility and quickness. The OHL guys like his size, but he doesn't really use it as well as he might. Reportedly, he's a 4.0 student, so we'd expect him to go that route.

The Marquette Electricians got excellent play from forwards Andy Contois and Alan Swanson. Contois, 6'1" is the sniper coming in off the wing, and Swanson, a 5'9" center can set him up. Both are '81s, as is the RW on that line, 5'9" Ryan Moderson, who had two of the three Marquette goals in the championship game win over the Trackers.

For Team Illinois, rugged 5'10" D Ryan Roeder played very well. Roeder, an '82, is an 11th grader who doesn't mind throwing his weight around.

Up front, Blake Stewart, an '83, Clay Estabrooke, and Steve Black -- both '82's -- and Justin Schabes, an '81, all played well. Schabes is a high school senior this year.

For the Detroit Trackers, 5'10" right-shot center Marty Antonelli, a smooth, agile playmaker, stood out, as did 5'10" left-shot forward Rocky Molinaro, who has good hands. Antonelli is an '80; Molinaro is an '81 and a senior in high school.

Next Stop, Babcock St.

Rick DiPietro, the most sought-after goaltender in this year's recruiting class, has committed to Boston University.

DiPietro, who's from Winthrop, Mass., is in his second year with the U.S. Under-18 Team in Ann Arbor, Mich. Against USHL opponents this year, he's 10-0-0 with a 1.99 GAA and a .918 save percentage.

DiPietro, who played for St. Sebastian's before going out to Ann Arbor, was also recruited hard by BC, Harvard, and Notre Dame.

All Tied Up in Finland

Right now, DiPietro and the rest of the U.S. Under-18 Team is competing in the Three Nations Tournament, a four-game round-robin tournament in Kuortane, Finland, which, if you don't have a map handy, is hundreds of miles north of Helsinki -- really pretty remote.

Halfway through the first period of Wednesday afternoon's opening game against Sweden's Under-18 Team, the U.S. was down, 2-0, but got goals from Brad Winchester, Jeff Taffe (on loan from the Rochester Mustangs and Hastings High School), and Connor Dunlop to finish up in a 3-3 tie. The U.S. outshot Sweden in the game, 33-21.

Thursday night, the U.S. was again tied up, this time by host Finland's Under-18 Team. U.S. goals were scored by Joe Cullen, R.J. Umberger, and John Eichelberger.

Minnesota High Schools Gearing Up

Here's our Minnesota Jamboree Schedule. If we're missing any, please let us know.

Tues. Nov. 17         Section 7                             Virginia                 6 p.m

Thurs. Nov. 19        Lake Superior                     Duluth (DECC)    4 p.m.

Sat Nov. 21            Classic Lake, Lake Conf.    Braemar              10 a.m.

Mon. Nov. 23         St. Paul Suburban                Wakota                 5 p.m.

Mon. Nov. 23         Minneapolis                         Parade                  7 p.m.

USHL Select Team Pours it on in Norway

Oslo, Norway, Nov. 6 -- The USHL Select Team bopped the Swiss National Junior Team, 7-1 today.

The line of Noah Clarke (Des Moines Buccaneers), Joe Mastronardi (Green Bay Gamblers), and Jed Ortmeyer (Omaha Lancers) was on the ice for five of the seven goals, two of which came on the power play.

In all, there were seven different scorers for the USHL; Matt DeMarchi (N. Iowa Huskies), Mastronardi , Clarke, Pete Summerfelt (Omaha), Micah Wouters (Dubuque Fighting Saints), Ryan Malone (Omaha), and Ortmeyer.

Defenseman Tom Preissing (Green Bay) had three assists.

Goalie Marc Ranfranz (Rochester Mustangs) kicked out 28 shots.

Mastronardi was named player of the game.

Click here for the USHL Selects' roster.

A Correction

Yesterday (Nov.3), we reported that Nick Cammarata, a defenseman from St. Sebastian's School, had committed to Providence College.

This is not true.

It is true that Cammarata has taken an official visit to Providence, but beyond that he has yet to make up his mind -- he's still talking to a number of schools.

This mistake was the result of a reporter's error. The U.S. Hockey Report apologizes to Providence College and the Cammarata family for any confusion it caused.  

Big Green Get the Good Word

6'3", 200 lb. left-shot D Trevor Byrne of Deerfield Academy has decided to play for Dartmouth.

Byrne, whose older brother, Mike, is a sophomore forward for the Big Green, helped Deerfield reach the prep finals last March, where they lost to Cushing, 2-1. The year before Byrne paced Hingham High to the Massachusetts Div. II state finals. That April, Byrne was invited to join the U.S. National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, but chose to attend Deerfield, to which he'd already committed. This past summer, Byrne was co-winner of the MVP, Top Defenseman, and Best Pro Prospect awards at Hockey Night in Boston.

Byrne, an '80 birthdate, had narrowed his choices to Yale, Cornell and Dartmouth, before deciding yesterday on the Big Green.

Also committing to Dartmouth is Halsey Coughlin, a 6'2, 195 lb. left-shot power forward from Andover Academy. 

Friars Get Fregoe

Des Moines Buccaneers center Peter Fregoe will be going to Providence College next fall as a sophomore. Fregoe, 20, is a Massena, NY native who's in his fourth USHL season. He's attending school at Iowa State this season. If he maintains his current academic standing, he'll be eligible to play for the Friars immediately.

Fregoe, 5'9", 185 lbs., is a solid two-way player with an excellent scoring touch.

Stars Tricked on Halloween

Providence College is also talking to U.S. Under-18 Team defenseman Ron Hainsey, a 6'2", 177 lb. left shot from Bolton, Connecticut. Hainsey picked up his fourth goal of the season on Saturday, and right now we're going to use that to segue into a spooky little story, sort of a cautionary tale.

With 11 minutes remaining in the game, the Lincoln Stars, leading the U.S. 6-3, took a   penalty. Can't you just hear the deep, ominous organ music?  U.S. coach Jeff Jackson, deciding to turn that one-man advantage into a two-man advantage, pulled goaltender Ricky DiPietro for the extra skater. At 13:36, Freddy Meyer scored, and Lincoln's lead was cut to two. Minutes later, Lincoln took another penalty and Jackson once again pulled DiPietro for the extra skater. And, once again, it worked, as John Wroblewski tallied at 16:36. Now it was a one-goal game and, with a little over a minute remaining, the U.S. tied it up on Meyer's second goal of the night. The game went to overtime, but neither team scored, forcing a shootout. There, DiPietro, who hadn't been scored on since relieving Chris Gartman in the second period, stopped all four of Lincoln's shootout attempts, while Joe Cullen and John Sabo scored to give the U.S. a 7-6 win.

The following day, Sunday, the teams met again, with the U.S. winning, 4-1. After the game, the U.S. kids took off for Finland and the Three Nations Tournament. Play starts tomorrow (Wed.) with the U.S. meeting Sweden. 

Pedota, Vesce Lead Apple Core

Lawrence, Mass. -- Defenseman Chris Pedota of Apple Core blasted three straight goals from the point, and then assisted on Ryan Vesce's game winner, as New York Apple Core defeated the Capital District Selects in the championship game of the Valley Junior Warriors tournament Sunday afternoon.

Evan Wax had three assists on the afternoon, while Kenny Turano and Tom Prate each had a goal and an assist.

Capital District forwards Zach Schwan, Kurt Kamienski, and Jay LaTulippe each had a goal and an assist in a losing cause.

The tournament MVP went to Ryan Vesce, Apple Core's 5'8", 155 lb. center. The 16-year-old Vesce (he's an '82), is quick, clever and finished the tournament with a 5-9-14 scoring line. The championship game MVP went to Pedota. Here's a closer look at some of the players in the tournament:

Apple Core, coached by Henry Lazar, is a deep, talented team. They're also very young -- eight players on their roster, most of whom are key contributors, are '82s or '83s. Besides the players mentioned above, we should mention 5'9" center Vincent Hellemeyer, an '82 who, though he didn't have a point in the championship game, is dangerous any time he has the puck. He doesn't hold it for more than a beat, though. He's a distributor who is quick on his feet and makes decisive, crisp passes. He can finish, too. RW Brian D'Ambrosio, also an '82, is a different kind of player -- a big solid (6'1", 190 lbs.), physical winger who likes to throw his weight around.

We should also mention a couple of defenseman. For our money, 6'1", 170 lb. Brian Escobedo, only an '82, is an extremely good prospect. An 11th grader, Escobedo is a left shot. He makes excellent decisions defensively and, on the transition, moves the puck out of his end with poise.  Big Doug Murray is also a left-shot D. Given that he's a 12th grader, a 1980 birthdate, and 6'3", 220 lbs., it's no surprise that he was drawing considerable interest from both NHL scouts and DI recruiters. Murray, a Swede (can't you tell by the name?), is still pretty raw -- his skating and agility need work -- but he's tough and strong. He's also never worked out in his life.

Scouts and DI guys, take note: Murray's older brother, who just completed his army duty in Sweden, will be playing with Apple Core after Christmas.

Both Apple Core goalies, erstwhile Lewiston HS product John Leino, who took a PG year at Exeter last season; and young John Yaros, who made some key saves at crucial times yesterday, were both solid.  

Capital District has some strong players, too. We liked Ryan Bennett, a big 6'0", 180 physical, banging winger who doesn't have particularly good feet. But he really shines along the wall and he can score. Bennett had a hat trick in Saturday's game against the Bridgewater Bandits. He's an '81 and a senior in high school.

The line of  Andrew DiScanio, a PG from the Troy area; Kurt Kamineski, a PG from Pittsfield, Mass., and high school senior Zach Schwan, played well. Kaminenski and Schwan each had a goal and an assist vs. Apple Core, as did Jay Latulippe, an '82 and a junior in high school.

In the third-place game, the Walpole Stars got goals from five different guys and whacked the Great Northern Snowdevils, 5-1. Stars we were impressed by  included '83 Jesse Lane, a 5'10", 160 lb. D who played much better than he did over the summer at the Select 15 Festival. Lane has a quick stick, and likes to move the puck up ice with a short outlet pass. We also liked Chris Heisten, the older brother of Maine freshman Barrett Heisten. Heisten's a '78, so he's running out of time. He makes things happen, though, so he should be able to land himself an offer. Norwegian forward Marius Anderson, a '79, has size and ability, but is still a bit of an enigma to us. We'll have to watch him some more. 

Walpole is solid defensively and has good size, too, with erstwhile CM'ers Jeremy Cormier, Mike Matta, and Peter Tormey all on the blue line. At times, Matta, who lacks agility, struggles with the pace, but he's strong and physical.   

Great Northern Snow Devils we liked included forwards Derek Seal and Ian Morse, and '82 Landon Bathe, a hard-hitting, mobile defenseman who can also play up front. For our money, Bathe, the son of Frank Bathe, former Flyer and Red Wing defenseman, is the club's best long-range prospect. There's a chance he'll go major junior next year.

Northwood Prep has at least two forwards who are DI prospects -- 5'11', 185 lb. junior winger Sean Terry, who formerly played at Belmont Hill, and 5'11" senior Les Haggett, who notched hat tricks in both games we saw him in. Reportedly, Clarkson is interested in Haggett.

The Bridgewater Bandits, Niagara Scenic, and Valley Junior Warriors all struggled over the weekend. We were not exactly blown away by the Warriors' highly-touted "Russian Rocket,"  Merrimack-bound Alex Sikachev. Yes, he is skilled, but he was also missing in action for lengthy stretches. However, 6'1" Warriors defenseman P.J. Martin (of St. John's Prep) was excellent, possibly the best defense prospect in the tournament. Look for him to decide between Yale and Dartmouth any day now.

The Prep Season is Approaching...

And we need schedules. Ideally, we'd like to get them as an HTML attachment to an e-mail, but we'll also be more than happy to have them as a regular, everyday e-mail.  Click here for our e-mail link

In addition, we're looking for a correspondent from each Division I school. All this job requires is getting to a computer as quickly as possible after a game, writing up just a few lines -- who scored, who made the saves, etc. -- and e-mailing it to us. This is not a paying position, but it's easy and it's something that you can put on your resume or college application. 

Also, we're looking for a techno-wizard with an interest in hockey. Being a prep school student is not necessary. You can be from a nunnery or jail for all we care -- we just need someone on the cutting edge of computer-and-internet related stuff to consult with. Basically, this position would involve going over the site, checking on and updating links, and suggesting more expedient ways to accomplish some of the things we're trying to do. Trouble-shooting is also part of the job description -- we need someone to be able to call for help when we're stuck with a problem.

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