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12/31/99

Under-17's Top Finland, Clinch Spot in Medal Round

Haileybury, Ont. -- In this snow-shrouded village in Northern Ontario, in a classic hockey barn nearly as old as the century, the U.S. Under-17 Team defeated Finland, 5-2, this afternoon, thus clinching themselves a spot in the medal round.

The key to the win was a first period explosion in which the U.S. scored three goals in a span of 1:41.

The first goal was scored by Patrick Murphy, who took a pass from Justin Maiser, broke down the right wing, beat a defenseman to the outside and fired it far side past Finnish starting goaltender Simo Vehvilainen. A mere 43 seconds later, Lee Falardeau scored a powerplay goal, banging home a puck from out of a scrum in front of the net. And then, less than a minute after that, Ryan Murphy, Dwight Helminen and Gino Guyer completed the blitz, breaking into the Finnish end in full flight, each making superb passes. Before the Finns could really react, the puck was at the top of the crease where , in a bang-bang play, Guyer tapped it past Vehvilainen.

There was no scoring in the second period.

In the third, the U.S., coming off a high-tempo and physical game against Russia, began to show signs of weariness, allowing several turnovers, and the Finns, who had yesterday off, seemed to come to life.

At 3:45 of the period, right wing Tuomas Mikkonen converted a Jussi Jokinen pass from behind the net to make it a 3-1 game. Then, at 10:06 Tomi Mustonen knocked the rebound of a blast from the right wing past U.S. goaltender Travis Weber.

As they did last night against the Russians, the U.S. kids responded well, digging deep for a second wind.

The next mistake, then, belonged to the Finns, as one of their defenseman committed a costly turnover in front of the net and Maiser pounced on it, firing the puck past Finnish goaltender Jaakko Huhti for a big insurance goal at the 17:84 mark.

With 1:08 left on the clock, Eric Nystrom scored an empty-netter to salt the game away.

After the game, U.S. head coach Bob Mancini said, "We made a couple of mistakes in the third period, and they (the Finns) capitalized on them. But our kids -- just like last night when they kept coming back against the Russians -- showed this tremendous resiliency."

The U.S. will pull up stakes and move across the border to Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec where tomorrow, in their final round-robin game, they'll face Quebec's Under-17 Team in front of a highly partisan crowd. Today, Quebec was defeated 7-3 by Russia, in what was the final round-robin game for the latter. If the U.S. can do what Russia did -- i.e., beat Quebec by four or more goals -- they can win their division outright. Failing that, they'll come in second. Either way, they move into Sunday's medal round.

This tournament is an endurance test and the U.S., which had its off-day on the first day of competition, will have played six games in six days if they go all the way. The team is highly-conditioned, but managing the fatigue level will pose a challenge. Another obstacle is a 24-hour bug that's hit Ryan Whitney, Jason Ryznar, Falardeau, Maiser, and others. "They're exhausted," said Mancini. "I have to make a decision on exactly how important it is to come in first in our division. If I decide it will help us in the medal round on Sunday, I may rest some players tomorrow."

And that, friends, is next century. Stay tuned. Tonight, the players will be having a small get- together at the hotel. A little more than half the parents made the trip. These towns where the tournament is being held are way up in Ontario, so it's a haul even if you fly into Timmins or North Bay. If you drive...well, most of the Minnesota contingent did just that, arriving in a two-car caravan. They had logged 18 hours on the road. 

Box Score

 

12/31/99

Gleason Lifts U.S. into Tie with Russians

New Liskeard, Ontario -- U.S. defenseman Tim Gleason capped off a rink-length rush by shoveling a backhander past Russian goaltender Andrei Medvedev for a powerplay goal with 5:49 remaining in the third period to lift the U.S. into a 4-4 tie with Russia at the World-Under17 Challenge here.

In the game, which was played fast, hard and before an appreciative audience of not just scouts and family members but many people from the local community, the two teams traded goals all night.

The Russians came out flying, scoring on the first shift, and then quickly turning to physical intimidation and blatant diving tactics in an effort to knock the U.S. off their game. The U.S. kids didn't buy it, though, trading blow for blow, and quickly answering the Russian goal with one of their own when center Brian McConnell tipped in a shot from the point by Bryan Nathe at the 3:22 mark.

That set the tone of the game. It was punch, counterpunch, as the Russians held four different one-goal leads, and four times the U.S.  came back to tie it up. Not only that, but every U.S. goal came within four minutes of the Russians taking a lead. After the Russians went up 2-1 on a Vladislav Evseev goal, it only took the U.S. 52 seconds to get it back, as Gino Guyer, an Iron Ranger from Greenway High School in Minnesota, knocked home the rebound of a Derek Smith shot from the point at the 13:20 mark. It was Guyer's third goal in two nights.

In the second period, highly skilled --but nasty and mercurial, too -- Russian winger Ilya Kovalchuk curled out into the high slot on the powerplay and drilled a shot that beat U.S. goaltender Steven Belanger five-hole at the 12:53 mark.

The U.S. came right back, and, 1:37 later, Justin Maiser completed a nice pass from behind the goal line to Patrick Murphy out front. Murphy buried it, and it was 3-3 after the second period.

Late in the second, Russian defenseman Vladimir Korsunov took a run at Belanger and was whistled off. For 56 seconds the U.S. had a 5-on-3 advantage, but couldn't take advantage.   

At 12:53 of the third, Stanislav Tchistov converted a nice pass from the corner to give Russia its final lead of the night.

While the first period was extremely physical and chippy, and the second a little less so, in the third the Russians just played hockey. The only penalty was a strenously-argued delay of game penalty called on goaltender Andrei Medvedev after his clearing pass went over the glass and into the crowd with 6:55 remaining

A little over a minute later, Gleason, a defenseman for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) and a native of Clawson, Michigan, took a pass from Belanger and took off, finishing his dash with a big-time goal, then crashing into the net, knocking it off its mooring.

The U.S. has little time to rest, as they meet Finland at 2 p.m. today. The Finns had yesterday off.

Box Score

 

12/30/99

Honeybaked Cooking in Canada

Sorry about the paucity of news the past four days, but this typist has been scouting in the Toronto area since the morning after Christmas. It's the usual glut of tournaments, with games running 8 a.m. to late night, and, as usual, the Toronto Marlies Tournament is providing the best window to the future. Unlike past years, the tournament has no local star --  e.g. Jason Spezza -- drawing raves. Across the board, OHL scouts say this is a down year for Ontario talent at the major bantam level, so, unless Western Canada and Quebec come through, Canada could struggle at the 2003 World Junior Championship. The US has the deeper pool of talent here, and the strongest team in the tournament going into today's semifinals is Detroit Honeybaked, who appear headed toward a showdown against the host Marlies in the title game. (By the way, across town at the Bell Challenge Cup -- a Pee Wee tournament that provides an even longer look into the future -- Honeybaked and the Marlies are hooking up in one of today's semis.) Anyway, we'll have a more detailed look at much of this tomorrow, if the phone system hangs in there. Right now, the road beckons. From here, it's a six-hour drive to New Liskeard, Ontario, where tonight the U.S. Under-17 Team meets Russia in the World Under-17 Challenge. Last night, the U.S., playing its first game, downed Canada West, 5-3. In the other three games, Russia topped Finland, 6-3, Atlantic Canada topped Germany, 6-2, and Pacific Canada topped the Czech Republic, 4-3. More tomorrow,

 

12/26/99

Under-17 Team Gets Ready for World 

The U.S. Under-17 Team returns to Ann Arbor from Christmas break today and, on Wednesday, begins play in the World Under-17 Challenge. Formerly known as the Esso Cup, the World Under-17 Challenge is the most prestigious tournament of the year for 1983 birthdates. Bob Mancini, who'll be coaching the team said, "We're tremendously excited. Besides the eighteen 1983 birthdates that have been working hard in Ann Arbor since the end of the summer, we've been able to add four others to truly make this a competitive team." 

Those four are defensemen Tim Gleason of the Windsor Spitfires (OHL) and Ryan Whitney of Thayer Academy (Mass.);  and forwards Gino Guyer of Greenway High School (Minn.) and Ryan Hollweg of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL). 

The schedule is round-robin, with the first two teams in each division going to the medal game. The U.S. is in a division with Russia, Western Canada, Finland, and Quebec. The other division consists of Slovakia, Ontario, Pacific Canada, Czech Republic, and Atlantic Canada.

The first U.S. game is Wednesday the 29th, vs.West. On the 30th, they'll meet Russia, on the 31st Finland, and the 1st Quebec. Playoffs are on the 2nd and 3rd. 

Here's the roster:

Goaltenders (2): Steven Belanger (Anchorage, Alaska) and Travis Weber (Hibbing, Minn.).

Defensemen (7): Matt Gens (Baudette, Minn.); Tim Gleason (Clawson, Mich.); Bryan Nathe (Elk River, Minn.); Joe Pomeranski (Gurnee, Ill.); Derek Smith (Marysville, Mich.); Eric Werner (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) and Ryan Whitney (Scituate, Mass.)

Forwards (13): Joey Crabb (Anchorage, Alaska); Lee Falardeau (Midland, Mich.); Gino Guyer (Coleraine, Minn.) Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.); Ryan Hollweg (Downey, Calif.); Justin Maiser (Edina, Minn.); Brian McConnell (Norfolk, Mass.); Patrick Murphy (Aurora, Ontario); Ryan Murphy (Rumson, N.J.); Eric Nystrom (Thore, N.Y.); Jake Riddle (Minneapolis, Minn.); Jason Ryznar (Anchorage, Alaska); and Barry Tallackson (St. Paul, Minn.). 

The head coach is Bob Mancini. He'll be assisted by Alex Roberts and Jim Hunt.

 

12/24/99

Cavanaugh In; Liles Out in Sweden

Boston University forward Dan Cavanaugh is on his way to Sweden, having been added to the 22-man U.S. National Junior Team roster as a replacement for Michigan State University defenseman John-Michael Liles. 

Liles re-injured his shoulder in last night's 2-2 tie with Sweden.

Adding Cavanaugh changes the U.S. forward/defense ratio from 12/8 to 13/7. 

Cavanaugh, who played for the New England Junior Coyotes (EJHL) before going to B.U., leads the Terriers in scoring with a 4-16-20 line in 17 games. He was a second round draft pick of  Calgary in last summer's NHL draft. 

The first U.S. game at the World Juniors is against the Czech Republic Sun. Dec. 26 at 3:30 Sweden time (9:30 a.m. EST).  

 

12/24/99

Meyer to Join Terriers Monday

U.S. National Program defenseman Freddy Meyer and the Boston University staff have gotten the New Hampshire native's paperwork through the clerical maze of the NCAA clearinghouse, and Meyer will be in uniform when the Terriers meet Ferris State on Monday in Duluth, Minn. (4:05 p.m. CST, game #1 of the Silverado Shootout). On Tuesday, the Terriers will meet host Minnesota-Duluth at 7:05 pm CST. 

As long as we're on the subject, what's with this proliferation of college hockey "showcases?" These, of course, are tournaments with pre-determined brackets. In other words, there is no winner or loser, everyone goes home unsatisfied, and the host school escapes the ignominy of losing its own tournament. Perhaps they shouldn't even bother with keeping score.  

By the way, Meyer was expected to compete in the Viking Cup next week. We'll let you know who'll be replacing him as soon as we find out. 

 

12/24/99

A Batch of College Commitments

It's that time of year, so here's a bunch more:

Thayer Academy center Steve Greeley will be going to Boston University. Cushing Academy defenseman Brett Peterson will be attending Boston College, Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL) center Trevor Reschny will be heading to Northeastern; Kindersley Klippers (SJHL) LW Ryan Shields will be going to RPI; and, in the fall of 2001, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) forward Chad LaRose will be attending Miami University.   

 

12/22/99

U.S. Junior Team Ties Up Sweden in Exhibition 

An Andy Hilbert goal with 27 seconds left in regulation lifted the U.S. National Junior Team into a 2-2 tie with Sweden in an exhibition game this afternoon in Skelleftea, Sweden. There was no overtime period.

Boston University goaltender Rick DiPietro, who had 29 saves, was named the outstanding player of the game for the U.S.

Box Score

 

12/22/99

Chowder and Conversation 

Crazy time of year, huh? The winter solstice has some people going around the bend, Christmas has even more acting nutty, and then there's this millennium nonsense. Well, this typist isn't having anything to do with all that. He's still busy  recuperating from prep-induced catatonia -- 597 miles behind the wheel, a pitiful amount of sleep, and not a single sit-down meal in four days.  

A thought for today: It's refreshing to go to games and not have to hear any music over the PA. While the USHR is seriously pro-music (though Duke Ellington trumps Limp Bizkit every day of the week), it's also true that if you go to 300 or so games a year and hear the same 20 of so songs over tinny PA systems in every rink...well, it gets old. At the music-less Flood-Marr, we saw people using the silences normally punctuated by music to actually have conservations with those around them. Conversation! Really! Is that a throwback or what? 

Another nice thing about the Flood-Marr was the clam chowder -- and seeing parent like George McManama, ex-player, coach, and father of Noble's junior forward Ben McManama, ladling it out.

A question for today? What's with Princeton? Is everyone going there? In the last week we've learned that Sharam Fouladgar-Mercer (Manlius, NY, and the Rochester Jr. Americans -- NAHL); James Fitzpatrick (Lawrenceville, NJ and Hotchkiss); Tom Colclough (Holbrook, Mass. and Milton Academy); and Chris Owen (Westwood, Mass. and Nobles) will all be in Toot Cahoon's class of 2004. All are forwards, and three of them were in the Flood-Marr Tournament. 

As for the tournament, Kimball Union was the biggest surprise, going from last to third in a year. Junior center Josh Truitt, whom we'd never heard of before the tournament,  had a huge weekend for KUA. Every time he had the puck on his stick something good came of it. He had five points in Sunday's dismantling of Nobles. KUA could be OK next year, too, because two more of their top players -- smooth-skating D Nick Watroba and goaltender John Czaplinski, both Buffalo, NY natives -- are now juniors.  

Milton was the most enigmatic team in the tournament, losing a pair of one-goal games (to Hotchkiss and to Westminster), then tossing in the towel in one-sided losses to KUA and Salisbury. An item drawing considerable rinkside commentary -- all of it negative -- was the decision of Milton Academy coach Paul Marks to forbid one of his top players, 6'2" sophomore RW Rob Flynn, from playing for the United States in the World Under-17 Championship in Ontario Dec. 26-Jan. 3. For Flynn, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a chance to compete against the top 16-year-olds from Canada, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia, etc. Instead, Flynn will be playing that weekend in a New Year's jamboree Milton is taking part down in New Jersey. Can you imagine if Jerry York, to use a local example, forbade Brooks Orpik from taking part in the World Juniors because he needed him for the Sheraton/US Air Classic?  It's the same thing. Not a good move at all.  

At the Flood-Marr, the final game, though not as dramatic as the Choate-Taft  double OT game in the Lawrenceville final, was every bit as competitive as expected. For Deerfield, linemates Rob Fried and Tyler Kolarik were excellent -- no surprise there. A Deerfield player to watch for the future is right-shot D Ben Lovejoy, a 9th grader out of the Cardigan Mountain School. Lovejoy has size, is physical and, once he got over a few opening-minute jitters in the title game, was excellent the rest of the way. Hotchkiss also had an excellent pair of 9th grade D in Michael Gershon, a highly mobile puck-handling D, and his partner, Tim Cook, a 6'3" kid who's more than just a big body. Both Gershon and Cook are from New Jersey, which just keeps producing good players. 

As long as we're on the subject of Hotchkiss, forwards Brent Robinson and Adam Foote are pretty special players. Robinson, who's already committed to Brown University, is roughly 5'11", has very good hands, and will be just what the Brown offense needs -- somebody who can put the puck in the net. Foote, a 6'1" left-shot playing on the right side, has size, plays extremely well in all three zones, and has pro potential, too. He was injured (groin) and missed Friday's action but came back Saturday. Don't know where Foote's going to school yet, but the Ivies are reported to be all over him. James Fitzpatrick, a left-shot center out of Lawrenceville, N.J. who, mentioned above in the list of Princeton recruits, was another player we kept noticing.

Westminster has a sleeper in 6'2" RW Rob Hammel of Pittsburgh, Pa. Hammel is in his second year at Westminster and keeps getting better. He has size and can skate with the puck. He'll make a nice Div. I player for someone. RW Mike Kennedy looked very good, too, but he's already taken, by Middlebury. Westminster has solid D goaltending and defensemen, and the forwards get back and help out. In eight games this season only two opponents -- Choate and Hotchkiss -- have managed to score more than two goals against Tom Earl's squad. Westminster will lose to the top teams this season, but they'll beat everyone else by 2-1 or 3-2.  

Salisbury's top player, at least when we were watching, was forward Joe Versino, scoring a hat trick in one game. Versino, a Willmette, Ill. native with good size, played Midget hockey in Illinois last season. Brodie Merrill, a forward from Orangeville, Ontario, also played well, as did goaltender David Sandals, a junior from Wallingford, Connecticut. 

Nobles is a team we'll just have to watch some more. It just wasn't their weekend. The goaltenders struggled and the team never got on track. Nobles has a new defenseman, 6'3" Tom McCarthy, a junior. We've been watching him in R.I. for a couple of years now, and he's somebody to keep an eye on. LW Kevin Lyons, who's an '82, young for a prep senior these days, Owen, McManama,  and Jake Clapton are the top forwards at Nobles, and will have better stretches ahead.     

Milton Academy has a kid line with 8th grader Josh Hennessey on the left wing, freshman Brendan Byrne in the middle, and sophomore Michael Carthas on the right. All of them can play, and Hennessey's upside is huge.  

Down at the Avon Tournament, NHL scouts were following every move of Loomis PG defenseman Josh Hoffman, who played last season at Scituate (Mass.) HS. Hoffman is a bit on the slow side, but he's huge (6'5", 215), has good hands, and a shot. None of the DI recruiters were falling over themselves, but, of course, they can't wait long for a kid to develop. The pros can. Hoffman will be taken in the NHL draft. Best bet would be middle rounds. 

The knock last year on Avon senior center Scott Horvath was his consistency. Some games, some shifts he was on; others, he wasn't. This year, he's stringing together strong games and was named the MVP of the Avon Tournament. He's 6'2", 215 lbs. and has good pro potential. Junior LW Chris Higgins is far better than this typist would have predicted a year ago. A good skater with the puck, Higgins has a real nose for the net. He's also gotten stronger and grown -- he's 5'11" now -- and it's made a world of difference. UNH-bound defenseman Mick Mounsey was his usual self. He's ready to move on. 

For Berkshire,  RW Nick Tsiantar has improved since last year. He did a lot of digging along the wall, and showed a jump to his game we hadn't previously seen. Tsiantar, who's 6'1" is from Simi Valley, California. Big 6'2" LW Patrick Topping, a 6'3" native of Colorado Springs, Col. was hard to miss, too. Berkshire finished the tournament as runner-up to Avon. While they've lost a lot of players, they've filled the holes nicely.   

Gunnery LW Jamie Free, a stocky junior, had a good game when we saw him -- he dove to block shots, dished off and well and finished -- and played good hard-nosed hockey. Junior goaltender Matt Pane looked sharp, too. He's quick on his feet, and has a quick glove hand, too. 

The St. Paul's-BB&N game was the worst we saw all weekend. About the only BB&N player we noticed was junior forward Joey Zappala, who's a new player at BB&N and one of those players who doesn't skate very well, but has the scorers' touch. The St. Paul's player who looked the best was junior D Ryan Davey of  Nashua, NH. Davey, who can play hard and physical in his own end, also came through offensively, leading his team with a pair of goals from the point, one a particularly nice blast.  

Trinity-Pawling defenseman P.J. Byrne, a left shot and a senior, is by far the best player on his squad. He's a legit Division I candidate.  

For Tabor, senior forward Ryan Foley, who played at Arlington Catholic a couple of years ago, looked awfully good, showing some big-time moves around the net. Bob DeLong, a solid and mobile D, played well for Tabor, too. Both are players worth following closely. 

The above is a cursory list covering the two tournaments in which we watched all the teams. For a good number of these teams, it was our first viewing. Please bear in mind that if  someone wasn't mentioned, it doesn't mean they didn't play well.  

 

12/20/99

Cushing Holds onto Top Spot in Prep Poll

Undefeated Cushing Academy holds onto the top spot in this week's USHR Prep Poll as four of last week's ranked schools drop out. 

The Full Poll

12/17/99

Prep Tournaments Underway

It's that time of year again, and the Christmas Prep Tournaments are in full swing. Check out Holiday Tournament Central to keep current.

12/16/99

Viking Cup Roster Announced 

Here's the roster the for the U.S. Viking Cup squad. It was picked based on performance at the USA Hockey Prospects Tournament held at the Compuware Sports Arena in Michigan a little over two weeks ago. That  tournament, you may recall, was limited to players from the country's three Jr. A leagues -- the USHL, NAHL, and AWHL. The final roster shows a 50-50 split between the USHL and NAHL.  No AWHL players were selected. The Viking Cup begins Dec. 26 in sunny Camrose, Alberta, and runs through Jan. 5. Head coach will be Mike Hastings of the Omaha Lancers. 

GOALTENDERS: Jason Bacashihua (Chicago Freeze); Craig Kowalski (Compuware Ambassadors). 

DEFENSEMEN: Mike Roemensky (Compuware Ambassadors); Andy Burnes (Compuware Ambassadors); David Hale (Sioux City Musketeers); Justin Forrest (USA National Program); Jason Platt (Omaha Lancers); Freddy Meyer (USA National Program).

FORWARDS: Troy Riddle (Des Moines Buccaneers); Brian Canady (Waterloo Black Hawks); Chad LaRose (Sioux Falls Stampede); Jon Maruk (Twin Cities Vulcans); Jason Guerriero (Texas Tornado); Rick Gorman (Sioux Falls Stampede); Aaron Smith (Green Bay Gamblers); Jim Slater (Cleveland Barons); Luke Fulghum (Waterloo Black Hawks); Frank Werner (Springfield Jr. Blues); Grant Potulny (Lincoln Stars); Todd Jackson (USA National Program). 

12/16/99

  Todd Jackson Makes Surprise Pick

A couple of weeks ago, it looked like USA National Program (and Viking Cup) forward Todd Jackson, had narrowed his college choices to Boston College, Yale, and Princeton. 

Then Maine, which had spoken to Todd during the fall, jumped into the picture, inviting the Cortland, NY native up to Orono. Jackson went last weekend, saw Maine beat BU, was impressed by the program, and accepted the full ride offer the Black Bears staff made him. 

Jackson will join fellow National Program alums Barrett Heisten and Doug Janik at Maine. 

An Interesting Aside: Jackson went to the Hotchkiss before signing on with the National Program after his 10th grade year. At Hotchkiss he was coached by Jeff Kozak, who played under Maine assistant Grant Standbrook  in both high school in Minnesota (Greenway-Coleraine) and at college (Dartmouth).

12/16/99

Lebda Out for Year? 

US National Under-18 Team defenseman Brett Lebda slid into the boards awkwardly during a scrimmage with the U.S. Under-17 team and broke his ankle. The surgery went well, but it's still highly unlikely that the Notre Dame recruit will make it back before the end of the season. 

In other news out of Ann Arbor, flashy Under-17 team defenseman Eric Werner, now an 11th grader, has made an early commit to the University of Michigan. He'll be there in the fall of 2001. Werner's father, Frank, played for the Wolverines from 1972-74. Werner is from Grosse Point Woods Michigan and played for the Little Caesar's Midgets before signing on with the National Program. 

12/15/99

Opening Eyes in the USHL 

The Sioux Falls Stampede go into tonight's game at Omaha sporting a 14-6-3 record. Not too bad for an expansion franchise. On the road, they're a sparkling 7-1-1, though that could be imperiled tonight as they visit Omaha and red-hot goalie Dan Ellis, who many observers feel is playing head and shoulders above any other goaltender in the USHL. "He's been unbelievable," an opposing coach said, "and he makes it look so easy, too. He takes everything away; you have no place to put the puck."  Ellis has a 2.10 GAA and a .929 save percentage. On top of that, he has five shutouts. College recruiters who saw Ellis last season, when he was playing for Newmarket in the Ontario Provincial League, say they had no idea the Orangeville, Ont. native would develop into the player he has. The University of Omaha -Nebraska was on to him early -- for once they had the advantage of location -- and now they boast the biggest recruit in the program's short history. 

Drawing a lot of college attention is Sioux Falls RW Justin Bittner, who's being courted by Ohio State and Michigan. Bittner, who's 5'11" and 163 lbs. and steadily building himself up, has an 11-11-22 line in 21 games. He's ditched the short stick he used when he was playing for the Pittsburgh Hornets Midget program last year for one that has about an extra 3" in length and, as the numbers indicate, it's paying off. He has an extremely quick release and a deft passing touch. He's young (an '82 birthdate and a 12th grader), and indications are that he'll take another year in the USHL, then head to college in the fall of 2001. He could still go next year, though. . 

Another '82 forward coming through big-time for the Stampede is Chad LaRose. A Fraser, Michigan native who played last year for the Compuware Midgets, LaRose is getting interest from Miami and Ferris State, with Michigan dabbling a bit, too.  In 20 games, he has a 14-5-19 line. 

12/13/99

Tragedy at Prep Game

Tragedy struck the New England amateur hockey community on Saturday afternoon when long-time referee John Donohue collapsed and died on the ice during an Avon Old Farms vs. Trinity-Pawling hockey game at Pawling, N.Y. He was 58.

Donohue, a Hamden, Conn. resident who played varsity hockey at Providence College from 1959-62, had just completed the first period, and was checking the net at the Trinity-Pawling end of the ice in preparation for the second, when he fell to the ice, struck down by a massive heart attack. 

Donohue's officiating partner for the game, Ricky Gentile, rushed to his side, quickly followed by Avon coach John Gardner and the Trinity-Pawling trainer. Gardner and the trainer began administering CPR, and were quickly joined by the father of Avon player Josh Zimmering, a doctor in Cheshire, Conn.  

The players were ushered into their dressing rooms, where the situation was explained to them, and prayers were led.

The paramedics arrived and worked on the ice for nearly an hour, but according to reports it's unlikely Donohue ever regained consciousness. He was later pronounced dead at Putnam Medical Center in Carmel, N.Y.

Donohue was a well-known and well-liked referee who had been working games in Div. I college and prep hockey for years. He leaves a wife and four children, one of whom, Sean, is an official in the MAAC conference. 

Chuck Waimon, the president of the Connecticut chapter of the National Ice Hockey Officials Association (NIHOA) said, "John led by example and was a great mentor to all young officials. He had an impeccable work ethic, which was surpassed only by his dedication and commitment to the game."

 "We've lost a great guy," Waimon added.  

The wake will be held at the Sisk Brothers Funeral Home, 3105 Whitney Ave., Hamden, Conn. (Tel. 203-787-2281) with calling hours Tuesday from 4-8 p.m. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Rita Church, also in Hamden. A scholarship fund in Donohue's name has been established and donations can be made through the National Ice Hockey Officials Assoc, 27 South View Drive, Wallingford, Conn. 06492 

Players, coaches, parents, and fans at the game are, obviously, very shook up by what they experienced on Saturday. Both schools were reported to have counselors available. The score of the game was 4-0 Avon after the first period, and it's likely to go into the books that way. The alternative would be resuming play at a later date, which might be too painful for all involved.  

12/11/99

Cushing #1 in Season's First USHR Prep Poll 

Our first regular-season prep poll is in and -- surprise! surprise! -- Cushing, coming off a 5-3 win over Exeter on Saturday, sits on top. 

The Full Poll

12/12/99

Kowalski Makes His Pick

Compuware Ambassadors goaltender Craig Kowalski, whom we wrote about yesterday, made his college decision after last night's game between Compuware and the Soo Indians up in Sault. Ste. Marie, Mich. 

His choice? It's Northern Michigan. 

For the record, Compuware, with Kowalski kicking out 23 of 25 shots, lost the game, 2-1. 

12/11/99

Doman Out; Sabo In

The injury suffered to Matt Doman in Wisconsin's December 4th game vs.Colorado College has put the Sartell, Minn. native and Calgary Flames fifth-round pick on the shelf not only for the upcoming World Junior Championship but for the entire season. The injury was freakish, as the skate blade of CC's Dan Peters somehow got behind Doman's protective guard, slicing deeply into Doman's Achilles' tendon. Missing the WJC and Wisconsin's so-far successful season is tough, but Doman's lucky -- if that blade had gone a  little more deeply, he could have been facing a career-threatening injury.

The U.S., suddenly faced with having to make a decision on a replacement for Doman, a veteran of last year's WJC, chose to add Boston University RW John Sabo to the 22- man roster. The feeling was that Sabo, 2-4-6 in 16 games with BU this season, would not only add feistiness, speed, and character to the lineup but, as he proved at last April's World Under-18 championship, also be a key to the penalty killing unit. 

The U.S. squad will convene at West Point, N.Y. on Monday, then travel to Sweden for exhibition games against Russia (Dec. 20) and Sweden (Dec. 22). The U.S. begins tournament play on December 26 in Skelleftea, Sweden, facing the Czech Republic. On the 28th they face Slovakia, and follow that with games against Finland (Dec. 29) and Canada (Dec. 31). The Quarterfinal round is scheduled for Jan. 1, with the semis on the 3rd, and the gold medal game on the 4th.

12/11/99

Honeybaked Cookin' 

While quite young compared to the competition they're facing at this weekend's Walpole Junior Stars Tournament at Iorio Arena in Walpole, Mass., the (Detroit) Honeybaked Midgets have players you'll be hearing from in the future. They're keyed by the immensely talented duo of 5'8" LW Chris Conner and 5'10" center Jason Tejchma. Both are '83 birthdates and 10th graders. They look like they've been playing together since age five -- and they pretty much have been. Up front, 6'2" Marty Guerin, also an '83, but an 11th grader, is developing  into a powerful RW.  Others who stood out at times included Reese Dobrick and John Thomas, who have size, and a bunch of kids who know what to do when the puck's on their stick -- in particular, Bryan Dobek, Pat Lerg, Chris Shea, Kevin Krogol, and Eric Strzempek. On defense, we liked 6'2" 11th grader Jonathan Saunders, who just happens to be the nephew of ESPN hockey anchor Jon Saunders (both his dad and uncle played at Western Michigan in the 70's). Saunders, whose family moved from Michigan to the east coast last season (he played at Seton Hall Prep in New Jersey) moved back to Michigan on his own so he wouldn't miss another year of development. Saunders, by the way, is an Ivy-level student. We didn't get to see goaltender Matt Migliaccio, a senior who's bounced around a bit the past couple of years, but, back with the organization with which he played bantams two years ago, is reportedly doing well. Honeybaked is coached by Dan Lerg, who played for the University of Michigan in the late '70s, and the estimable Dave Liimatta, one of the most knowledgeable hockey men in Michigan....An interesting re-emergence (can we call it a comeback?) at the tournament was that of highly-skilled center Mike Kinnie, one of the top '82's in Michigan, who, for reasons best known to himself, quit hockey over the summer. Somehow, Little Caesar's coach Chris Coury coaxed him out of early retirement and there he was on Friday, sporting a hand-written name plate, and playing his first game since last spring. Didn't look too bad, either. Expect him to be lighting it up again soon.

12/11/99

Notes

As expected, Corey LaTulippe, who as a freshman at the University Vermont this fall didn't make the varsity, has filed a federal lawsuit in Burlington, Vt. In it, the former Northfield-Mt.Hermon goaltender charges that, as part of the hazing first reported last month, he was forced to play drinking games, parade naked, and hand over his credit card to team captain Kevin Karlander. Named in the suit are Karlander, assistant  captains Andreas Moborg and Matt Sanders, UVM head coach Mike Gilligan, and UVM president Judith Ramaley.  LaTulippe, who withdrew from UVM in Ocotober, is now the #1 goaltender with the Rochester Americans of the North American Hockey League, where he's played 14 games, and has a 3.40 gaa and .890 save %....Speaking of goaltenders, the hot hand right now belongs to Craig Kowalski of the Compuware Ambassadors, who came up big in leading the NAHL to its third straight title at the USA Hockey Top Prospects/King of the Hill Tournament last week. Kowalski, who in 22 games with Compuware has a 2.79 GAA and a .910 save percentage, is being recruited by Providence and Northern Michigan, with other schools, Clarkson, for one, nibbling around...Another player who raised his stock at that tournament was Lincoln Stars left-shot D Andy Schneider. A native of Grand Forks, ND, Schneider, who's 6'0" and savvy, too, is being recruited by North Dakota, Colorado College, and Michigan State....Tim Branham, a 6'2" left-shot D and a teammate of Kowalksi's on the NAHL squad, has left the Soo Indians and gone major junior, signing on with the Barrie Colts....Congratulations to Michael Ayers, the former Thayer goaltender who took a PG year at Trinity-Pawling to improve himself academically then headed west to the Dubuque Fighting Saints to improve himself in the USHL. Last week, Ayers, who's from Hingham, Mass., made a verbal commitment to UNH. (Ty Conklin, a junior, and Matt Carney, a sophomore, are the incumbents there.) Ayers has played in all but one of Dubuque's games this season and has a .898 save % and a 3.94 GAA.  ....Speaking of former Thayer players, Brian McConnell, an '83 forward, is getting into a groove. After a strong series against the Swiss with the U.S. Under-17 team in early November, McConnell added two goals the following weekend with the Under-17 team in NAHL competition, then moved up to the Under-18 team, notching a goal and an assist in a two-game set at Fargo-Moorhead. 

12/08/99

A Prodigy in the Making? 

Of the hundreds (thousands?) of stories we've printed here in the U.S. Hockey Report one generated more readers' response than any other.

In August 1998, it was discovered that the father of a 13-year-old player from Michigan had falsified an application, thus enabling his son to compete in that summer's USA Hockey Select 15 Festival in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The father, whose son at the time was an '85 playing for the Belle Tire '83 squad, was smart enough not to try to enter his son in tryouts for the Michigan team, where he was well known. Instead, he back-doored it, going to the Atlantic/Southeast District, where his son, with the help of a phony registration, made it through the tryout process and was selected for the Atlantic/Southeastern Select 15 team. 

The kid, Patrick O'Sullivan, was 5'6", 150 lbs. at the time, and the team's #2 center, According to Randy Walker, his shocked coach on the Atlantic/S.E. team, O'Sullivan was "a joy to coach, exhibiting love of the game, a great work ethic, and toughness." On Tuesday, August 4, O'Sullivan scored the winning goal in his team's 4-1 win over Massachusetts. As for the ruse his father had orchestrated, nobody said anything to US officials until the end of the week. By that time the Atlantic/S.E. team had finished play. 

That fall, the father, John O'Sullivan, was suspended from taking part in any USA Hockey sanctioned activities for seven years. At the same time, he moved his son from Belle Tire, heading across the border to play in the Western Ontario Jr. B league where this fall his son has been lighting it up for the Strathroy Rockets. An OHL scout of our acquaintance says there's a good chance that O'Sullivan could possibly play in the O next season as an underage.

O'Sullivan, 5'10" and 175 lbs. now, has played 35 games so far this season and has a 17-17-34 line, which puts him third on the team behind 6'1" LW Jason Davies, an '81 who has 55 points and is being recruited by Western Michigan; and RW Rob McFeeters, a '79, fully six years O'Sullivan's senior.   

O'Sullivan's coach, Len Press, says his prodigy, who lives and goes to school in Sterling Heights, Michigan, outside of Detroit, travels one hour and forty-five minutes each way to reach Strathroy. "He's never missed a practice or anything. His commitment to hockey is total.," Press said.

Press, asked if O'Sullivan could play in the O as an underage, suggested it might not be the best idea socially. Hockey-wise? "He's real close," Press said. "It's a good possibility. We'll see where he is at the end of the season." 

If there's anything that's holding O'Sullivan back, it's his upper body strength -- after all, he's still a boy. The strongest part of his game is his tenacity and, says Press, "his knowledge of the ice. He's a finisher." 

12/07/99

NHL Central Scouting List -- Expanded Version

Last week, we ran the National Hockey League's Central Scouting Bureau Preliminary Rankings of draft-eligible players at U.S. high schools, junior teams, and colleges. By "draft-eligible", we meant players eligible to be taken in next June's NHL draft without having to "opt in." However, since then we've had requests for an expanded list with the names of the opt-ins -- so we went back to the keyboard and hammered them out. On the list below, the opt-ins are the names in blue.

Notes: 1) Any U.S. player born on or before Sept. 15, 1981 is eligible for the 2000 draft without opting in. They, of course, retain their amateur status. 2) Any player born between Sept. 16, 1981 and Sept. 15, 1982 would have to opt-in to become eligible for the draft. By doing so, they renounce their amateur status. 3) Any player born after Sept. 15, 1982 is ineligible for the draft until next season.  

Please note that the following document is precisely what it says it is -- a preliminary list, particularly with regards to U.S. prep and high school players, most of whom have yet to be seen in regular-season play this year. 

Also, we wish to make it clear that this is the NHL's list, not ours...so please don't ask us why Player X is ranked higher than Player Y, etc.

U.S. HIGH SCHOOL (EAST)

"A" Prospects:

Jeff Dwyer, LD, Choate; Rob Fried, RW, Deerfield; Tyler Kolarik, C/RW, Deerfield; Scott Horvath, RW, Avon Old Farms

"B" Prospects:

Martin Brisebois, RW, Hotchkiss; Robert DeLong, LD, Tabor; Andrew DeMarco, RD, Belmont Hill; Cameron DeYoung, LD, Choate; Lou Eyster, RC, Thayer; Adam Foote, LW, Hotchkiss; Mike Hoffman, RD, Loomis-Chaffee; Sean Kotary, RC, Northwood; Oriel McHugh, RD, Deerfield; Mick Mounsey, RD, Avon Old Farms; Martin Paeplow, LC, Northfield-Mt.Hermon; Steven Wood, RD, Lawrence; Ed Caron, LW, Exeter Academy; Chris Connerty, RW, Boston College HS; Mike Kreger, RW, Choate; Greg Lauze, LD, Lawrence Academy; Tom McCarthy, RD, Noble & Greenough; Eric Molander, RD, Milton Academy; Mike Walsh, LD, Milton Academy; Noah Welch, LD, St. Sebastian's.

Goaltender: Ryan MacNeil, Cushing Academy; Bill Zaniboni, Catholic Memorial HS

U.S. HIGH SCHOOL (WEST)

"A" Prospects:

Adam Gerlach, RC, Hastings HS (Minn.); Matt Hendricks, LC, Blaine HS (Minn.); Paul Martin, LD, Elk River HS (Minn.); Brian Sipotz, RD, Culver Military Academy (Ind.); Tim Jackman, RW, Park Center HS (Minn.).

"B" Prospects:

Ross Carlson, RW, Duluth East (Minn.); Aaron Forsythe, LD, Forest Lake HS (Minn.); David Klema, LW, Roseau HS (Minn.); Ryan Langenbrunner, RW, Cloquet HS (Minn.); Cody Marks, RW, South St. Paul HS (Minn.); Joe Schuman, LD, Benilde-St. Margaret's (Minn.); Aaron Slattengren, LW, Proctor HS (Minn.).

EASTERN JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE (EJHL)

"B" Prospects:  

Ryan Glenn, LD, Walpole Stars;  Jaymie Harrington, RW, Boston Jr. Bruins; Mike Mantenuto, C, Walpole Stars;  Mikko Miettinen, LD, Walpole Stars;  Lars-Peder Nagel, LD, Tyngsboro Huskies; Peter Zingoni, LW, New England Jr. Coyotes; Brian Escobedo, LD, NY Apple Core; Gregg Johnson, LC, New England Jr. Coyotes.

INDEPENDENTS

Tim Morrison, LC, Boston Jr. Bulldogs.

U.S. NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

"A" Prospects: 

Neil Komadoski, LD; Mike Komisarek, RD; Dennis Packard, LW; Kenny Smith, RD; R.J. Umberger, LC; Jon Waibel, RC.

"B" Prospects:  

Justin Forrest, L D; Art Femenella, RD; Joey Hope, RD; Matt Maglione, LD; Bryan Perez, LW; David Steckel, LC.

Goaltender: Rob Bonk, U.S. National Team Development Program .

NORTH AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE (NAHL)

"B" Prospects:

Tim Branham, LD, Soo Indians; Colin Shields, RW, Cleveland Barons; Mikko Viitanen, LD, Chicago.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE (USHL)

"A" Prospects:

Derrick Byfuglien, LD, Fargo-Moorhead; Ryan Caldwell, LD, Thunder Bay; John Eichelberger, LC, Green Bay; David Hale, LD, Sioux City; Josh Olson, LD, Fargo-Moorhead, Jason Platt, LD, Omaha; Andy Schneider, LD, Lincoln; Lee Green, LD, Omaha; Colin Peters, RD, Rochester; Scott Polaski, Sioux City; Colin Stuart, LC, Lincoln.

"B" Prospects:

Pascal Appel, RW, Rochester; Dan Calzada, LD, Green Bay; Matt Koalska, C/LW, Twin Cities; Joey Martin, LD, Omaha; Lee Marvin, LD, Lincoln; Ken Scuderi, LD, Dubuque; Peter Talafous, C/RW, Twin Cities; Brad Thompson, LC, Twin Cities; Chad Hontvet, RW, Lincoln; Bryce Lampmann, LD, Rochester; Patrick Sharp, RC, Thunder Bay.

Goaltenders: Dan Ellis, Omaha; Steve Jones, Sioux City.

U.S. COLLEGES

1. Brooks Orpik, D, Boston College; 2. Dan Heatley, LW, Wisconsin; 3. Jeff Taffe, C, Minnesota; 4. Brett Nowak, C, Harvard; 5. Matt Pettinger, RW, Denver; 6. Ron Hainsey, D, Mass- Lowell; 7. Kryzstof Wieckowski, C, Cornell; 8. Matt DeMarchi, D, Minnesota; 9. Brad Winchester, LW, Wisconsin; 10. Krystofer Kolanos, C, Boston College; 11. J.J. Hartmann, C, Denver; 12. Andy Hilbert, C, Michigan; 13. Joe Cullen, C, Colorado College; 14. Francois Senez, D, RPI; 15. Dominic Moore, C, Harvard; 16. Evan Nielsen, D, Notre Dame; 17. Jonathan DiSalvatore, RW, Providence; 18. Brian Fahey, D, Wisconsin; 19. Cliff Loya, D, Maine; 20. Sean Connolly, D, Northern Michigan; 21. Mike Cammalleri, C, Michigan; 22. Michael Chin, LW, Notre Dame; 23. Marc Cavosie, LW, RPI; 24. Dan Welch, RW, Minnesota; 25. Patrick Foley, LW, New Hampshire; 26. Paul Harris, D, Notre Dame; 27. Jordan Bianchin, C, Denver; 28. Doug Wright, C, Providence; 29. John Conboy, D, Minnesota-Duluth; 30. Erik Adams, D, Denver; 31. Connor Dunlop, C, Notre Dame; 32. Martin Kariya, C, Maine; 33. Jon Francisco, C, Minnesota-Duluth; 34. Ryan Bayda, C, North Dakota; 35.  Mike Stuart, D, Colorado College; 36. Chris Bahen, D, Clarkson; 37. Matt McRae, C, Cornell; 38. Bill Cass, D, Boston College; 39. Jason Jozsa, D, Colorado College; 40. Kevin Truelson, D, New Hampshire. 

Goaltenders: 1. Rick DiPietro, Boston University; 2. Brandon Snee, Union; 3. Chris Gartman, Cornell; 4. Rob Anderson, Minnesota- Duluth; 5. Pete Samargia, Minnesota; 6. Tim Kelleher, Boston College; 7. Todd Marr, Northeastern.

COLLEGIANS UNRANKED DUE TO LIMITED VIEWING:

Joe Carosa, RD, Clarkson; Mark Jackson, LD, Wisconsin; Jim Lorentz, LW, St. Lawrence; P.J. Martin, RD, Dartmouth; Mark McRae, RD, Cornell; Chris Purslow, RW, St. Cloud St.; Dave Burleigh, G, Miami-Ohio; Nolan Schaefer, Providence College.

12/05/99

Sejna on Fire

Des Moines Bucs LW Peter Sejna, who's bound for CC next fall, is pulling away from the pack in the USHL scoring race. In 23 games he has 16 goals and 26 assists, good for 42 points. His closest competitor, Green Bay RW Aaron Smith, who's going to Nebraska-Omaha, has 32 points. For the record, Sejna's pace is within range of the two points-per-game mark, which hasn't been hit in the USHL since the mid-90's. Current Providence freshman Peter Fregoe, playing for Des Moines last season, came fairly close with a 1.84 ppg mark, but the last player to hit the 2.00 ppg mark in USHL play was Dave Hoogsteen who hit it exactly (96 points in 48 games) for the 1994-95 Thunder Bay Flyers. The year before that, Waterloo's Jason Blake did even better with a 50-50-100 line in 47 games, good for a 2.13 ppg mark. In 1991-92, Chris Ferraro, with his second straight season averaging over 2 ppg, set the decade's mark with a  2.61 ppg. That year, his brother (and linemate) Peter had a 2.40 ppg average (yes, that was the year the Ferraros were traded mid-season from Dubuque to Waterloo). The all-time USHL points-per-game champ is Tim Ferguson, who had 135 points for Sioux City in 1985-86, a 2.81 ppg clip.

Notes: Stephen Wood, Lawrence Academy defenseman, was one of the more interesting names to appear on the latest USHL protected list. He was added just before Thanksgiving. Unless some big-time school bowls him over with an offer he'll be playing for Mark Osiecki next season... A reader recently asked us for a list of USHL teams and the clubs they have as their protected team for this season. Here it is: Sioux Falls: Team Illinois; Green Bay: Chicago Chill; Omaha: Detroit Honeybaked; Cedar Rapids: Shattuck-St. Mary's; Twin Cities: Hill-Murray HS (Minn.); Fargo-Moorhead: White Bear Lake HS (Minn.); Lincoln: Holy Angels HS (Minn.); Sioux City: Seattle Sno-Kings; Rochester: Eden Prairie HS (Minn.); Dubuque: Catholic Memorial HS (Mass.); Des Moines: Superior HS (Wisc.).

12/05/99

Musketeers Make a Move 

The Sioux City Musketeers hit a rough patch recently, losing seven of eight games (two were shoot-out losses). The problem? Scoring. In that stretch the Musketeers averaged 2.00 goals per game. Dave Hakstol and Leigh Mendelson worked a trade with Cedar Rapids, picking up University of Denver-bound RW Max Bull (ex of Shattuck-St. Mary's) for Mike Patton, the latter being somebody who can help Cedar Rapids for two years. This weekend, Sioux City began to turn it around with two road wins at Thunder Bay. As always. a big plus for Sioux City is the play of goaltender Mike Betz, who'll be at Ohio State next season.  A couple of years ago, when others thought Betz, a Pittsburgh-area kid who'd played for the Mt. Lebanon Midgets, too small and too young to play in the USHL, Musketeers assistant Mendelson insisted he was ready to step in and do the job, and was proved right. Mendelson, by the way, has quietly put together an impressive track record of identifying and working with goalies. In the USHL, he's worked not only with Betz, but a large number of others who have gone on to Div. I play such as Jeff Sanger (CC), Jake Moreland (St. Cloud); Trevor Hanger (Yale); and Dan Ragusett (Northern Michigan). In the summer he's worked long hours with the top goalies coming out of the Atlantic District, like Brandon Snee (Union) and Michael Walsh (Clarkson). Given the importance of developing goaltenders, and the difficulty in evaluating them, guys like Mendelson are crucial. Pro franchises have already talked to him, but Mendelson is staying put until the end of the season.    

12/05/99

UCC Takes Ridley Tournament  

In the Ridley College Tournament in St. Catharine's, Ont., Upper Canada College knocked off Culver Military Academy, 4-1. Goal scorers were forwards Corey Ernst and Drew Morrison and defenseman Adam Tichauer. Sean Cromarty added an empty-netter with under a minute to go. In the semis, Upper Canada beat Ridley, 5-2, and Culver beat St. Andrew's College, 4-2. Falling short of the playoffs were the Nichols School, Wyoming Seminary, King's-Edgehill, and St. Thomas Aquinas. 

12/05/99

A Good Question 

A reader asked us why, when we printed Central Scouting's list the other day, we didn't include Americans playing major junior. Good question. Here they are -- and there's only two. Plymouth Whalers center Kris Vernarsky was ranked 7th on the OHL list, and his teammate, defenseman Jared Newman, was ranked 17th. By the way, Vernarsky is one of 15 players who've skated with the National Team Development Program to be ranked in CSB's preliminary list.

Errata: When we listed the standings of Mike Addesa's Northeast Hockey Showcase a week ago, we had the Tyngsboro Huskies (EJHL) finishing at the bottom with an 0-3 record. Actually, the Tyngsboro Huskies, an EJHL team coached by former Colgate forward Paul Jenkins, were not even in the tournament. The team that was in the tournament, and that finished 0-3, was the Northeast Huskies, an independent midget squad composed primarily of prep school players. As for Jenkins' Tyngsboro squad, they will be one of 16 teams in the Walpole Jr. Stars tournament which faces off this coming Friday, Dec. 10 at 9:30 a.m. In addiiion to 10 EJHL teams, Detroit Honeybaked, the Green Mt. Glades, Suffolk PAL, Northwood School, Little Caesar's, and the Richmond Hill (Ont.) Stars will be there.  

12/01/99

U.S. Junior Team Named 

Defensemen (8): Pat Aufiero (Winchester, Mass./Boston University); Ron Hainsey (Bolton, Conn./UMass-Lowell); Doug Janik (Agawam, Mass./University of Maine); Jeff Jillson (N. Smithfield, R.I./University of Michigan); Jordan Leopold (Golden Valley, Minn./University of Minnesota); John Michael Liles (Zionsville, Indiana/Michigan State); Brooks Orpik (East Amherst, N.Y./Boston College); Mike Stuart (Rochester, Minn./Colorado College). 

12/1/99

Hot Off The Press !!

Our newest creation -- the Northeastern U.S. Division I Prep Composite Schedule, 1999-2000 -- arrived from the printers two days ago and we still have some copies left. It's a beauty -- 64 pages of info that will wind up saving pro scouts, college recruiters, and hardcore prep fans not only time and headaches, but gasoline and tolls, too.   

And that's not all -- thanks to this book you will no longer have to comb through piles of schedules to put together  scouting itineraries. Everything you need is here. The centerpiece, of course, is the composite. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time a prep composite of such breadth has been compiled. Not only will you get all games for each day, but they're listed in order of starting times, so you can quickly analyze your options and retain flexibility when you're on the road.

In the book's other sections are each team's individual schedules, total Christmas and New Year's Tournament Schedules, telephone numbers, and other handy information. 

The book, printed on quality paper, is three-hole punched so you can snap it into your notebook, and it has a column along the right-hand side for annotations. 

We've put in late nights and long hours on this project. The time we spent will be time you save. Single copies are $29.95 plus $5 postage and handling. Drop us an e-mail with your credit card info and address and we'll send one out to you immediately. Receipts, of course, are available. Teams or schools buying two get 30% off the second copy. 

mailto:prepbook@ushr.com

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