4/30/02

The Best of New England 

Here's a list of the top New England college-eligible players. We're doing things a little differently this year, creating more of a finder's list than a ranking. After a while, we'll lop off the kids who've moved on to college and use the rest of the list as a starting point for next year.

Anyway, what we try to keep foremost in our minds here is potential. Specifically, what is our assessment of each of the following players possible contribution to a Div. I college program over a full four years? Some players, of course, will be able to step in right away and contribute at the Div. I level, while others may have to play a year or two of juniors. 

This list only includes players on teams based in New England and Eastern New York. There are some tiny bits of info missing on a few of the players. If you have any of those missing pieces please drop an e-mail to info@ushr.com. 

You will note that some players below have a red asterisk * next to their name. These are the 11th and 10th graders -- a total of 32 -- that we think will be the most sought-after by Div. I schools. Though we do have some on the list, we didn't rank 8th and 9th graders. We don't want to see kids get a big head before their body is large enough to carry the weight. Suffice to say, any 8th or 9th grader on the list is a pretty fair player.  

We didn't place asterisks next to the the seniors who are going off to college, mainly because everyone pretty much knows who the top players there are. But, anyway, just for fun, if we were building a team from scratch we'd start with the following twelve: goaltenders Jeff Pietrasiak and Travis Russell; and defensemen Jekabs Redlihs, Jay Pemberton, Ben Lovejoy, Marvin Degon, Danny Spang, and Peter Hafner. Up front, we'd go with Mike Morris, Hugh Jessiman, John LaLiberte, Brian Horan... and then we'd call a time-out. There are simply too many question marks. Look for the class of '03 to be stronger up front. 

Note: A bunch of underclassmen on this list are moving on to different schools/teams in the fall. Look for Lawrence D Chris Murray and Thayer F Jimmy Russo at Cushing. Matt Burto and Casey Russell, the Avon brothers, will be at Des Moines (USHL). Lawrence D Jacob Schuster will be with Cedar Rapids (USHL). St. Seb's F Joe Rooney, in order to accelerate and get to BC in the fall of '03, will be going to Canton HS and playing for the Walpole Stars (EJHL). Avon freshman D Matt Lashoff will be at the NTDP. 

Please note also that the list below reflects only the views of this publication. The only exception, and it rarely comes up, is this: if a New England senior has already been recruited to a Div. I school, yet we don't think he's a legit Div. I prospect, we put him on the list anyway. Why? Simply because we have no desire to embarrass a player over what is essentially a fait accompli.  

School	Player	Pos.	Sh.	H/W	Birthdate	Grade	Hometown
Arlington HS	Pat Gannon	F	R	5-6/148	6/13/84	11	Arlington, MA
Arlington HS	Ryan Maguire	F	R	5-10/170	8/13/86	9	Arlington, MA
Austin Prep	Chris Capraro	F	R	5-8/175	12/20/83	12	Medford, MA
Austin Prep	Jason Lawrence	F	L	5-9/180	2/2/87	9	Saugus, MA
Avon Old Farms	Matt Lashoff *	D	L	6-0/175	9/29/86	10	E. Greenbush, NY
Avon Old Farms	Chris Hussey	C	R	5-10/180	6/10/83	12	Plymouth, MN
Avon Old Farms	Mark Noble	F	R	5-10/185	5/21/82	12	Hanover, MA
Avon Old Farms	Casey Russell	D	R	6-1/195	11/25/84	11	Orange, CT
Avon Old Farms	Mike Arciero	F	R	6-1/200	11/1/85	10	Avon, CT
Avon Old Farms	Adam Blanchette	D	R	6-1/180	2/21/86	9	Berlin, CT
Avon Old Farms	A.J Bucchino	G	C: L	5-10/160	5/8/84	11	Bow, NH
Avon Old Farms	Matt Burto *	F	L	5-10/185	7/29/84	11	Branford, CT
Belmont Hill	Christopher Mannix	G	C:L	5-10/190	2/12/86	10	Acton, MA
Belmont Hill	Brian McCafferty	D	L	6-0/185	6/20/86	9	Lexington, MA
Berkshire	Jeff Pietrasiak	G	C:L	6-1/180	4/5/83	12	Shrewsbury, MA
Berkshire	Ryan Klein	D	R	6-1/185	1/31/85	10	Verbank, NY
Billerica High School	Brendan Ronayne	F	R	6-0/170	4/18/87	9	Billerica, MA
BC High	Frank Curreri	D	L	6-3/205	n/a	12	n/a
BC High	Matt Greene	F	L	5-8/170	5/12/85	10	n/a
Brunswick	Garrett Overlock	D	R	6-0/180	4/17/84	12	Greenwich, CT
Brunswick	Hugh Jessiman	F	R	6-4/190	3/28/84	12	Darien, CT
Capital District	Greg Kemp	F	L	5-11/190	12/22/83	12	Loudonville, NY
Capital  District	Peter Alden	W	L	6-2/210	1/14/82	PG	Branford, CT
Capital District	Bill West	D	R	6-3/180	11/18/83	12	Ballston Lake, NY
Capital District	J.R. Bria	D	R	6-0/200	10/30/82	PG	Monroe, CT
Capital District	Garrett Summerfield	F	L	6-0/175	5/5/84	12	Endicott, NY
Catholic Memorial	Steve McClellan	D	L	n/a	4/22/85	10	Milton, MA
Catholic Memorial	Ed Nehiley	G	C:L	6-1/200	5/9/84	11	Holbrook, MA
Catholic Memorial	Billy Ryan	LW	L	5-11/155	10/23/85	9	Milton, MA
Catholic Memorial	Chris Meyers	RW	R	6-0/175	9/21/85	12	S. Boston, MA
Catholic Memorial	Kyle Sibley	D	R	5-8/175	5/21/84	12	Hanson, MA
Choate	Dimitri Papaevagalou	G	C:L	5-11/185	1/18/85	11	Windham, NH
Cushing Academy	Michael Boudreau	G	C:L	6-3/191	3/18/83	12	Weymouth, MA
Cushing Academy	Phil Youngclaus	D	R	6-0/215	6/29/83	12	Newburyport, MA
Cushing Academy	Brian Yandle	D	R	5-11/175	5/83	12	Milton, MA
Cushing Academy	James Solon	F	R	5-10/180	3/11/83	12	Acton, MA
Cushing Academy	Kevin Coughlin*	F	R	6-2/208	4/23/85	11	South Boston, MA
Cushing Academy	Sam D'Agostino	F	L	5-11/181	7/15/86	9	Medford, MA
Cushing Academy	Dan Murphy	F	L	6-0/185	4/26/83	12	N. Andover, MA
Cushing Academy	Steve Jacobs	F	R	6-3/211	2/16/83	12	Westminster, MA
Cushing Academy	Chris Bourque	F	L	5-8/155	1/29/86	9	Topsfield, MA
Cushing Academy	Mark Yurkewecz	F	R	6-0/178	10/15/83	12	Troy, NY
Cushing Academy	Kyle Koziara	D	R	6-4/204	6/86	10	Springfield, MA
Cushing Academy	Steve Sanders	F	L	5-11/194	11/4/82	12	Glenview, IL
Cushing Academy	Marvin Degon	D	R	6-0/180	7/20/83	12	Millbury, MA
Deerfield	Matt Hedrick	D	R	6-1/200	11/26/83	12	Orono, ME
Deerfield	Dan Travis *	F	R	6-3/200	11/26/83	11	Wilton, NH
Deerfield	Joe Norman	F	R	5-9/165	5/22/85	11	Plainsboro, NJ
Deerfield	Brian Ciborowski	F	R	6-0/175	5/4/84	11	Springfield, MA
Deerfield	Joe Zappala	F	L	6-0/200	5/7/83	12	Medford, MA
Deerfield	Tom Walsh	D	L	6-0/190	4/22/83	12	Arlington, MA
Deerfield	John Sales	F	R	6-0/175	7/25/84	11	Chatham, IL
Deerfield	Ben Lovejoy	D	R	6-1/200	2/20/84	12	Canaan, NH
Deerfield	Darwin Hunt	F	L	5-10/175	5/8/84	11	Winnetka, IL
Deerfield	Dan Shribman	F	R	5-9/175	2/21/84	11	Swampscott, MA
Deerfield	B.J. Mackasey	D	L	n/a	n/a	11	Montreal, Que.
Deerfield	Chris Kelley *	D	L	6-2/195	4/4/84	11	Winston-Salem, NC
Deerfield	Chad Kolarik	C	R	5-10/160	1/26/84	9	Abingdon, PA
Deerfield	Matt Hanson	G	C:L	5-10/180	5/24/82	12	Peabody, MA
Essex HS	Travis Russell	G	C:L	5-11/160	3/12/84	12	Essex Junction, VT
Gov. Dummer	Brian McGuirk *	F	L	6-0/185	7/11/85	10	Danvers, MA
Gov. Dummer	Benn Ferriero	F	--	5-8/150	/87	9	Essex, MA
Gov. Dummer	Gabe Winer	G	C:R	5-10/180	5/1/84	12	Stoughton, MA
Hingham HS	Jed McDonald	D	R	6-2/185	10/21/84	11	Hingham, MA
Holderness	Phillip Farrow	F	L	5-9/165	5/30/85	10	Amherst, NS, CAN
Holderness	Alan Thompson	F	n/a	5-10/175	9/28/84	12	Gilford, NH
Holderness	Nathan Smith	F	n/a	5-10/180	8/5/85	10	Madrid, NY
Holderness	Dami Amurawaiye	D	L	6-1/185	1/31/83	12	Whitby, Ont.
Holderness	David LaPointe	D	R	6-1/190	5/9/83	11	Canton, NY
Hotchkiss	Joe Gardner	F	R	5-9/155	4/15/85	10	Buffalo, NY
Hotchkiss	Jocko DeCarolis	D	L	6-0/190	8/14/84	11	Taberg, NY
Hotchkiss	Sam Bowles	F	R	5-10/180	1/25/85	11	Davidsonville, MD
Hotchkiss	Zane Kalemba	G	C:L	5-10/170	12/19/85	9	Saddlebrook, NJ
Junior Bruins	Nevin Hamilton	G	C:L	6-1/175	5/29/85	11	Ashland, MA
Junior Bruins	Chad Pillsbury	F	L	5-10/170	12/12/81	12	Groton, MA
Junior Bruins	Bret Tyler *	D	L	5-9/185	6/28/85	10	Maynard, MA
Junior Bruins	Mickey Dudley	D	L	5-9/185	4/2/87	8	Douglas, MA
Junior Bruins	Jarrett Souza *	D	L	5-11/180	2/24/85	11	E. Providence, RI
Junior Bruins	Adam Staniech	D	R	5-11/185	2/8/84	12	Stoneham, MA
Junior Bruins	Bob Gates	D	L	6-0/175	1/16/84	12	Cranston, RI
Junior Bruins	Kyle McNulty	G	C:L	5-11/172	5/9/82	PG	Wakefield, RI
Kent	Brian Liamero	F	L	5-11/210	4/15/84	11	New York, NY
Kimball Union	Herb Hollins	G	C:L	6-2/180	11/7/83	11	Glencoe, IL
LaSalle HS	Garrett Peters	RW	R	5-11/180	1/12/87	9	Riverside, RI
LaSalle HS	James Guay	C	R	5-10/183	5/9/85	11	N. Scituate, RI
Lawrence	Jacob Schuster *	D	R	6-2/190	2/5/85	10	Hopkinton, MA
Lawrence	Topher Bevis	D	L	6-0/185	4/2/86	9	Harvard, MA
Lawrence	Chris Murray *	D	R	6-1/175	12/26/84	11	Dover, MA
Lawrence	Adam Geragosian	G	C:L	5-11/170	5/22/84	12	N. Andover, MA
Milton	Brendan Byrne	F	L	5-8/170	11/22/83	11	Milton, MA
Milton	Seth Seidman *	F	R	6-1/180	7/5/86	10	Milton, MA
Milton	David Scardella	G	C:L	5-10/165	10/14/83	11	Princeton, NJ
Mount St. Charles	Nicholas Jillson	D	L	5-11/190	12/25/85	10	N. Smithfield, RI
Mount St. Charles	Corey Goglia	C	L	5-9/160	4/4/84	11	Warren, RI
NSA	Reese Wisnowski	C	R	5-10/160	10/30/84	12	E. Middlebury, VT
New England Jr. Coyotes	Matt Anderson	F	R	6-0/195	10/30/82	PG	W. Islip, NY
New England Jr. Coyotes	Bryan Cirullo *	D	L	6-0/185	2/19/85	11	Farmington, CT
New England Jr. Coyotes	Keith Johnson *	F	R	5-11/175	10/21/84	11	Windsor, CT
New England Jr. Coyotes	Colin McDonald *	F	R	6-2/175	9/30/84	11	Wethersfield, CT
New England Jr. Coyotes	Bryan Horan	F	R	6-1/185	2/12/84	12	Farmington, CT
New England Jr. Coyotes	Jay Pemberton	D	R	6-3/200	10/2/83	12	Cumberland, RI
New England Jr. Coyotes	Mark McCutcheon *	F	R	6-0/175	5/21/84	12	Rochester, NY
New England Jr. Coyotes	Torry Gadja	F	L	5-9/180	5/31/83	PG	Westfield, MA
New England Jr. Coyotes Midget AAA	Rory Farrell	D	L	6-3/190	6/6/86	9	Westfield, MA
NY Apple Core	Brad Roberts	G	C:L	5-11/185	7/31/82	12	Cassville, NY
NY Apple Core	Steve Birnstill	D	L	6-1/165	11/6/85	11	Commack, NY
NY Apple Core	Mike Brennan *	D	R	5-9/165	1/24/86	10	Smithtown, NY
NY Apple Core	Jekabs Redlihs	D	L	6-1/190	3/29/82	12	Latvia
NY Apple Core	Kevin Schaeffer	D	R	6-1/180	10/16/84	12	S. Huntington, NY
NY Apple Core	A.J. Palkovich	F	L	5-11/170	2/11/83	12	Bellmore, NY
NY Apple Core	Ryan Cruthers	F	--	6-0/180	7/4/84	11	Farmingdale, NY
NY Apple Core	Ryan Hodkinson	F	--	5-11/185	6/5/84	12	Mt. Sinai, NY
Northwood	Sean Ferguson	F	R	6-2/205	5/4/83	12	Lynn, MA
Northwood	Peter MacArthur	F	L	5-10/171	6/20/85	10	Clifton Park, NY
Northwood	Chris Greene	F	R	6-2/171	9/24/85	10	Lake Placid, NY
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	John LaLiberte	F	L	6-1/185	8/5/83	12	Saco, ME
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Morgan Ward	F	R	6-3/200	2/23/82	12	West Redding, CT
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Jonathan Poirier	F	L	5-9/180	2/23/82	12	Duluth, GA
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Zach Mayer	C	L	5-9/170	10/14/82	12	Providence, RI
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Jason Ortolano	D	R	6-1/205	3/14/83	PG	Carteret, NJ
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Bobby McCabe	D	L	5-11/185	12/12/81	12	Somersworth, NH
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Andrew Thomas *	D	R	6-1/185	11/14/85	10	Bow, NH
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Joe Pearce *	G	L	6-5/215	6/29/82	12	Brick, NJ
N.H. Jr. Monarchs	Brian Pouliat	F	R	5-6/165	9/7/84	11	Hookset, NH
Nobles	Dan McGoff *	D	R	5-8/170	3/12/86	10	Charlestown, MA
Nobles	Chris Poli	F	L	5-11/175	8/1/85	10	Medfield, MA
Nobles	Rory Walsh	G	C:L	5-9/175	11/2/82	12	Milton, MA
Nobles	Pat Noonan	F	R	6-1/200	5/9/83	12	Norfolk, MA
Nobles	Phil McDavitt *	D	R	5-10/185	2/1/85	10	Duxbury, MA
NMH	Sean Hurley *	D	L	6-2/185	7/25/83	11	Rutland, VT
NMH	Brian Bova	F	L	6-1/190	3/12/82	12	N. Andover, MA
NMH	James Kalec	G	C:L	6-0/160	5/21/85	11	East Amherst, NY
N. Yarmouth Academy	Matt Smith	F	R	5-11/175	6/10/85	11	Yarmouth, ME
Phillips Andover	John Doherty *	D	R	6-3/200	3/25/84	11	Lynnfield, MA
Phillips Andover	Cory Schneider *	G	R	6-1/175	3/18/86	10	Marblehead, MA
Exeter	Andrew Edge	G	C:L	5-10/172	1/25/85	11	Katonah, NY
Exeter	Eric Yeager	D	L	6-0/176	12/6/84	11	Essex, VT
Exeter	Rugo Santini	F	L	6-0/184	1/12/83	12	Winchester, MA
Exeter	Nate Jackson	F	R	5-9/160	8/19/83	12	Newport, RI
Exeter	Andy Gale *	D	R	6-4/190	11/28/85	10	Durham, NH
Pomfret	Russell Smith	D	L	6-4/215	8/22/83	12	Annapolis, MD
Salisbury	Michael Gershon	D	L	5-9/180	10/6/84	10	Sparta, NJ
Salisbury	Michael Atkinson	F	L	5-7/135	8/13/85	9	Sparta, NJ
Salisbury	T.J Fox *	W	L	6-0/185	6/11/84	11	Oswego, NY
Salisbury	Greg Cassista	D	L	6-2/185	4/9/83	12	Stamford, CT
Salisbury	Paul Barnett	G	C:L	5-11/170	9/13/84	11	Canton, MI
St. George's	Paul Baier	D	--	6-3/185	/84	11	N. Kingstown, RI
St. John's  (Shrewsbury)	Matt Vokes	F	R	6-0/175	/85	11	Auburn, MA
St. Paul's	Bill Leclerc *	D	L	6-0/185	4/26/84	11	Acton, MA
St. Paul's	Colin Koch	F	L	6-3/195	12/30/82	12	Charlotte, VT
St. Paul's	Nick Jones	D	L	6-2/190	/84	10	Melrose, MA
St. Paul's	Brad Shirley	G	n/a	5-10/150	n/a	11	Hanover, NH
St. Sebastian's	Seamus Young	D	L	6-1/210	8/16/83	12	Dedham, MA
St. Sebastian's	Brian Boyle *	C	L	6-6/212	12/18/84	11	Hingham, MA
St. Sebastian's	Sean Sullivan *	D	L	5-11/170	3/29/84	11	Braintree, MA
St. Sebastian's	Arthur Fritch	D	R	6-2/195	4/20/85	10	S. Boston, MA
St. Sebastian's	Ken Roche *	F	L	6-0/180	1/2/84	11	S. Boston, MA
St. Sebastian's	Nick Coskren	C	R	5-10/170	2/25/86	9	Walpole, MA
St. Sebastian's	Mike Morris	F	R	6-0/180	7/14/83	12	Braintree, MA
St. Sebastian's	Joe Rooney *	F	L	5-9/165	9/15/85	10	Canton, MA
St. Sebastian's	Kevin Regan	G		6-1/190	7/25/84	11	S. Boston, MA
Springfield Cathedral	P.J. Fenton	C	L	5-11/155	8/26/85	10	Springfield, MA
Tabor	Andrew Andricopoulos	D	R	6-0/165	4/1/87	9	Groveland, MA
Tabor	Derek Kilduff	F/D	L	5-10/175	8/12/82	12	Marion, MA
Tabor	Brian Swiniarski	F	L	5-11/190	6/7/82	PG	Newburyport, MA
Tabor	William Petrucci	G	C:L	6-0/168	8/16/82	12	E. Bridgewater, MA
Taft	Peter Hafner	D	R	6-4/190	7/26/83	12	Gaithersburg, MD
Taft	Scott Seney	C	R	6-2/205	6/10/83	12	Silver Spring, MD
Taft	Casey Ftorek	F	L	5-8/155	n/a	11	Essex Fells, NJ
Taft	Ben Driver	W	R	6-0/190	8/4/82	12	St. Albans, VT
Taft	Thomas Maldonado	D	R	5-7/165	2/24/85	10	Bronx, NY
Taft	J.D. McCabe *	D	R	6-2/175	4/21/85	10	Jamison, PA
Taft	Jaime Sifers	D	R	5-11/200	1/18/83	12	Stratford, CT
Taft JV	Brendan Milnamow	D	L	6-2/175	11/17/86	9	Wilton, CT
Thayer	Anthony Aiello	D	L	6-1/175	5/19/86	9	Braintree, MA
Thayer	Greg Goldman	D	R	5-11/190	2/2/85	11	Westwood, MA
Thayer	Jimmy Russo *	F	R	5-11/160	1/18/85	10	Weymouth, MA
Tilton	Mike Mullen	F	R	5-11/165	7/16/83	PG	Pittsburgh, PA
Valley Jr. Warriors	Drew Madeiros	F	R	6-0/190	6/19/82	PG	Tewksbury, MA
Valley Jr. Warriors	Mark Pandolfo	F	L	5-11/180	6/5/83	12	N. Andover, MA
Valley Jr. Warriors	Joe Ryan	D	R	6-2/180	10/19/87	8	Malden, MA
Walpole Jr. Stars	Jordan LaVallee *	F	L	6-1/185	5/11/86	10	Westborough, MA
Walpole Jr. Stars	Joe Santilli	F	R	5-10/180	7/9/82	12	Westwood, MA
Walpole Jr. Stars	Obiajulu Aduba	F/D	L	6-1/190	3/20/84	11	Medfield, MA
Walpole Jr. Stars	Jay Bletzer	D	R	6-1/190	3/11/85	11	Medfield, MA
Westminster	Phil Lauderdale	G	R	6-0/200	5/29/83	12	Greenwich, CT
Winchester	Jake Henry	D	L	6-0/185	8/5/84	11	Winchester, MA
Winchester	Danny Spang	D	L	6-0/195	8/16/83	12	Winchester, MA

4/29/02

Jensen a Hit in Sweden

In the USHR News of September 19th, we wrote of Yale recruit Christian Jensen who, in August, had decided that instead of jumping from the Taft School to Yale, he'd defer for a year and hone his game in Sweden, playing with the AIK Under-20 team.

Well, it's late April now and Jensen is unwinding by backpacking around southern Europe after a very successful season. A 5'10", 178 lb. left shot RW, Jensen was third on his team in scoring with a 19-20-39 line in 35 games. In addition, he was a +23, also good for third best on his team, which finished the regular season in first place with a 23-7-7 record. 

We didn't get all those numbers from Jensen, who also put up excellent numbers at Taft as a member of the Chris Collins-Ryan Shannon-Jensen line, but rather from the league's web site. However, before Jensen left on his trip, we asked him, via e-mail, if he could answer a few of our questions.  

For starters, we wanted to know what the New Canaan, Conn. native got out of the AIK experience that will most help his game when he suits up for Yale this fall. 

"Physical improvement," he wrote.  

"I have never trained like I did over here and I feel great about what my condition will be when I start college hockey. The training was primarily based on gaining explosiveness in your legs, and strengthening -- in addition to the legs -- the trunk.

On-ice, Jensen says that his stick skills and the puck-carrying part of his game have improved. "In the U.S.," he says, "I never really learned how to protect the puck. I had always just tried to use my speed to get around people. The problem with that was that if I was unable to clearly beat a defenseman I was often unable to keep the puck. Over here there's a much greater emphasis on puck control as opposed to dumping and chasing, and the coaches care a lot about teaching players how to use their bodies to protect the puck and maintain possession even with an opponent right on you."

We asked Jensen if he ever got homesick. "At times," he wrote. "February was a tough month (on one road trip we arrived in the northern city of Lulea at about 1 pm -- dusk -- and that was very strange) and I think it effected my play on the ice. But, in the long run, the pain of being completely independent and so far away from family and friends was good for me. I think it toughened me up a little bit. It makes it so that it isn't so nerve-wracking  to do certain things on and off the ice that used to make me anxious. For example, if we were playing in front of a large crowd, I wouldn't get nervous at all -- and I used to get awful butterflys."

We also asked Jensen if he had trouble getting accepted by the team. "No trouble at all," he replied. "Sweden is sort of known around Europe as "Little America." The culture is very similar and most of the guys thought it was kind of cool that an American was around. The team was great about it. The whole country speaks English (it's a required course from the third grade on). Being an American was even a bit of a help with the girls :)."

We asked Jensen if a year in Sweden was a good alternative to North American junior A leagues -- and got two thumbs up.  

"I think it's a great idea for NCAA recruits," he said, "but especially for the guys who are trying to get the job done with speed and skill, because that is what they spend all their time trying to develop over here. It's a great chance to get better, grow a year older, grow a year more mature (mentally and emotionally), and also a great chance to make some contacts with pro teams over here. The Swedish Elieserien is the second best pro league in the world and it's nice to get a foot in the door for a possible option after college."

We also asked Jensen if there were any NCAA prospects on his squad. Jensen said that the two kids on AIK most seriously thinking about college are goalie Henrik Tojkander and forward Robert Gyllenson. Both are '82s. Tojkander, the goalie, talked to CC, BU, and Cornell. Gyllenson has been contacted by UMass-Lowell and Maine, but might be looking to play a year of U.S. juniors in order to get better at English and and the North American style of play. 

Jensen says that teammate Pelle Andersson, a forward, was offered a ride from Denver but turned it down, mainly because he's disinclined toward the classroom. But overall, Jensen said he thought colleges are starting to scout Sweden more. The country, he noted, "has talented players who can speak English. The only problem is that many of them don't want to go to college."

Jensen said there were only two kids on AIK who are continuing their education beyond high school. "I just think it's a cultural difference. Some of the best kids get agents pretty early or opt into the draft before they even think about the college route." 

In other words, Jensen is not coming back to America with a boatload of swift, high-scoring Swedes to plug into Yale coach Tim Taylor's lineup. But you can look for Jensen to be faster, stronger, and ready to help the Eli from the first drop of the puck. 

4/29/02

CC's Swedish Goaltending Recruit

Last week Colorado College received a commitment from Kjell Bennemark, a goaltender playing for Nittorp in Sweden's Div. I league. Bennemark, 6'0" and 175 lbs., is a hybrid type of goalie.   With Jeff Sanger graduating next month, Bennemark, who's a late '81 birthdate and will be coming in as a freshman, will compete for playing time with Curtis McIlhinney, an '83 who'll be a sophomore.

The CC staff is already high on the 6'2" McIlhinney, who played in seven games this past season, going 6-0-1, and posting a 2.04 gaa and .918 save percentage. McIlhinney came to CC via the Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL), the Canadian boarding school where CuJo, Rod Brind'Amour and 1992 Hobey Baker winner Scott Pellerin all cut their teeth. In case you're wondering, it's outside the lonesome prairie town of Wilcox, Saskatchewan, south of Regina. 

4/25/02

Whitney Top Yank in Central Scouting Final Rankings 

If the above sounds familiar it should. Preliminary Ranking. Mid-term Ranking. Final Ranking. Ryan Whitney has been the top Yank all along. 

With today's release of the NHL's Central Scouting Service rankings, Boston University's 6'3½" left-shot D sits at the #3 spot, behind #1 Jay Bouwmeester of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), also a 6'3½" LD; and #2 Rick Nash, a 6'3" LW from the London Knights (OHL). 

In addition to Whitney, other Americans ranked among the top 30 North American skaters were: 5'11" Yale LC Chris Higgins (#9); 6'0" Michigan State LC Jimmy Slater (#11); 6'1" Michigan LW Eric Nystrom (#13); 6'2" Notre Dame RC Rob Globke (#14); 6'4" Minnesota RW Barry Tallackson (#17); 5'11" Minnesota LD Keith Ballard (#19); 6'0" North Dakota LD Matt Jones (#25); and 6'2" Erie Otters LD Brian Lee (#30). 

Of American-born goalies, the top five were: Marty Magers, Omaha (#9); Dov Grumet-Morris (#12); Bobby Goepfert, Cedar Rapids (#13); Joe Pearce, NH Jr. Monarchs (#15); and Mike McKenna, St. Lawrence (#17). 

Some of the biggest gainers among U.S. players in the rankings -- and remember that the higher-up a player is ranked the more mathematically significant the gain -- would certainly include Higgins, who moved up eight slots, from #17 in the mid-terms to #9. 

After him, we'd go with: 

1. Taft RC Scott Seney -- up 139 slots to #90

2. Des Moines LC Jeff Genovy -- up 55 slots to #38

3. St. Sebastian's RW Mike Morris -- up 44 slots to #57

4. Yale RD Joe Callahan -- up 42 slots to #69

5. Boston College LD John Adams -- up 36 slots to #63

6. Green Bay RD Nate Guenin -- up 44 to #73

7. N.H. Jr. Monarchs RW John LaLiberte -- unranked to #105

7. Green Bay RW Adam Burish -- up 88 to #119

8. Sioux City RW John Zeiler -- up 79 to #115

 

Among goalies, we'll go with:

 

1. N.H. Jr. Monarchs' Joe Pearce -- unranked to #15

2. Harvard's Dov Grumet-Morris -- up 12 to #12

Here are the full rankings, from the Central Scouting List. We're plenty pleased they have a site these days, because for most of the last five or so years, we were cutting and pasting and scanning these things. Damn boring work -- and that's understating the case.

When you get to the site, click on "Rankings" in the left-hand column.

Central Scouting Service Final Rankings, April 2002 

4/25/02

Coleman Leaves NTDP for Major Junior

Right now, U.S. NTDP head coach Moe Mantha has no '85 goalies. First, Alvaro Montoya accelerated his studies, which puts him at the University of Michigan this fall. Then, while this year's Under-18 team was overseas winning a gold medal in a stirring performance, it was learned that 6'4," 181 lb. Gerald Coleman had gone major junior, signing last Thursday with the London Knights (OHL), the team that had picked him in the second round of last spring's draft. 

There was talk last summer about Coleman signing with London, but wiser minds prevailed. This time, though, the Knights got their man. Coleman, who's from Evanston, Ill., played in the Chicago Young Americans organization before coming to the NTDP two years ago, joining center Patrick O'Sullivan, as the only 15 year olds on the Under-17 Team. This season, Coleman played 26 games with the Under-17 Team (3.59/.899) and moved up for 11 games with the Under-18 Team (3.26/.872).

Coleman has a great combination of size and athleticism, and the NTDP staff has worked hard with him on the positional and mental aspects of his game. If he can keep up that improvement in London, he should be a high pick in the 2003 NHL draft. 

Who'll fill the vacant spots? 

Well, with Montoya headed off to Michigan, the NTDP has offered a spot to Joe Fallon, who played this season with the now-defunct Rochester Mustangs (USHL), and was claimed by Cedar Rapids in last week's dispersal draft. In that draft, kids who played for the Mustangs and the Tulsa Crude, the two teams recently disbanded by the league because neither drew enough fans to meet Tier I criteria, were doled out to the league's remaining teams. 

Fallon, who's 6'3" and 175 lbs, is a 2/1/85 birthdate who played for Bemidji (Minn.) HS as a 10th grader before going to the USHL last season. In 27 games at Rochester, Fallon posted a 3.95 gaa and .887 save percentage along with zero shutouts. Not exactly eye-popping numbers, but bear in mind that he played with the second-worse team in the league. Fallon has tremendous high-end potential. It would be very surprising if he didn't take advantage of the NTDP offer.  

Another battle-tested '85 is 5'8", 170 lb. Eric Pfligler, who last night kicked out 38 of 39 shots as Green Bay topped Sioux City 4-1 to take Game #1 of that semifinal series. Pfligler, a Chicago native, has been the man for the Green Bay Gamblers all season, playing in 56 games with a 2.54 gaa and a .910 save percentage and six shutouts. It's worth mentioning that Pfligler has 11 players in front of him going Div. I this fall, while Fallon has none. We're not trying to take anything away from Pfligler. We're just saying that numbers tell some of the story, but not always the whole story.  

If Fallon's strong suit is his upside, Pfligler, in his second USHL season, offers experience. And that counts for a lot, particularly as next year's World Under-18's get underway in just 11-plus months, and the NTDP can't exactly bring a new goalie along slowly. They did that with Coleman -- and were left holding the bag. 

4/24/02

Sawatske To Badgers

6'0", 188 lb. U.S. Under-18 Team RD Tom Sawatske will be following current coach Mike Eaves to the University of Wisconsin this fall. 

Sawatske, part of the gold-medal winning U.S. squad that knocked off a powerful Russian team, 3-1, on Sunday in Piestany, Slovakia, is an excellent skater who moves the puck quickly and decisively. Including the World Championships, Sawatske played 57 games with a line of 4-12-16 with 22 penalty minutes.

Prior to going to the National Program, Sawatske, a 1/12/84 birthdate, played for Duluth East High School with teammate-to-be Nick Licari.  

The previous regime at Wisconsin had made a verbal commitment to Sawatske last October but inexplicably backed off. Other schools stepped up with offers, but Sawatske waited and here he is -- back where he started, just with a different coaching staff than the one that had originally recruited him. 

Notes: On Sunday, Sawatske and his teammates became the first U.S. National team in 69 years to win a gold medal outside of the United States. The last time it happened was in Prague in 1933, when the U.S. beat Canada (represented by the Toronto Nationals), 2-1 on a John Garrison OT goal. That U.S. team, coached by Walter Brown, was dubbed the "Massachusetts Rangers," as nine of its 11 players were Bay Staters playing for the Boston Olympics, also coached by Brown, who go on to become president of the Boston Bruins, Celtics, and Boston Garden (yes, he was versatile). The star of the team, then sponsored by the AAU,  was Garrison, a 1931 Harvard grad who played on both '32 and '36 Olympic teams and coached the '48 squad. This typist got to know Garrison, who turned down offers to turn pro in favor of a career as a Boston businessman (far more remunerative back then), and found him to be as kind and as gentle a person as you could hope to meet. Garrison's low-key approach and unwillingness to ring his own bell has perhaps kept his name from being wider known, though he is in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Another top player on the squad was Stew Iglehart of Yale, a Chilean born but Boston-raised defenseman who was also one of the great international polo stars of the '30s. Iglehart, who was selected to both the '32 and '36 Olympic squads but couldn't partake because of family responsibilities -- these were different times, my friends -- could, according to Garrison, have made it in the NHL of that era. Another excellent player on that squad was Winthrop "Ding" Palmer, a Yale forward and Connecticut native who scored 52 goals for Yale in the 1927-28 season (including seven in one game vs. UNH). Palmer, who also played on the '32 Olympic team, is, like, Garrison and Iglehart, also in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. Another player on that squad, less talented perhaps, but famous in his own right, was Gerry Cosby, who would go on to start the sporting goods store of the same name. Anyway, we're digressing. Suffice to say, the U.S. Under-18 Team did something that only one US team has ever done, win the gold overseas, on enemy ice.  

4/23/02

Two Apple Core D for the Terriers

6'2", 190 lb. N.Y. Apple Core LD Jekabs Redlihs, who we earlier reported as heading to Boston University  if and when he passed his SATs, has indeed passed them and will be heading for Babcock Street on a full scholarship this fall.

Redlihs, who turned 20 in March, is a rangy offensive defenseman with good puck skills and, for a big guy, quick feet. A native of Latvia, Redlihs played 41 games for Henry Lazar's squad and posted a 3-18-21 line with 24 pims.  

There's a good chance Redlihs will get drafted in this summer's NHL draft, probably in the late rounds.

Also committing to BU is 6'1", 185 lb. RD Kevin Schaeffer, who was also being recruited by Yale and Princeton.

Schaeffer, a 10/16/84 birthdate from Huntington, NY who won't turn 18 until the fall, will spend another year playing for Apple Core and then join BU in the fall of '03. This year, Schaeffer played 41 games for Apple Core, posting a 6-23-29 line with 18 pims. 

Schaeffer is a defense-minded blueliner with a head for the game. He's a good outlet passer and a strong 1-on-1 player. 

4/21/02

U.S. Tops Russia; Wins Gold at World Under-18s 

Piestany, Slovakia -- The U.S., led by a pair of first period David  Booth goals, a gold-medal-clinching Zach Parisé goal with 58 seconds left in the game, and the goaltending of James Howard, knocked off Russia 3-1 and won the gold at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship before 3,800 fans here today. 

For the U.S., it is the first time they have ever medalled at the tournament. It was a nail-biter, too, as they knew in advance that they needed to win by two or more goals in order to take the tournament from Russia, the defending champions and the only team heading into today's action with a perfect record. 

The Booth-Nate Raduns-Ray Ortiz line went to work in the first, scoring two goals. The first came just 2:43 in, as Booth scored, with an assist going to Raduns. On the second goal Booth picked off a pass in front of the Russian net and beat goaltender Denis Khudiakov for an unassisted tally at the 17:17 mark. 

It would be 37 minutes, 29 seconds until the next goal was scored -- and that was a powerplay tally off the stick of Russian wing Nikolai Zherdev who, with Ryan Suter in the box for holding, deflected home a point shot by defenseman Denis Ezhov to cut the U.S. lead to one at the 14:46 mark. Of course, in the larger context, it gave Russia its first lead of the game -- if they could only hold it for the next 5:14.

They couldn't.

With Russian defenseman Denis Grot serving the waning seconds of an interference penalty, Suter carried the puck along the wall into the Russian zone, and fed Parisé. The Shattuck-St. Mary's senior broke in on Russian goaltender Khudiakov and wristed it by him to restore the two-goal margin.

The U.S. kept the Russians off the board for the final 58 seconds -- and then the celebrating began.  

The Russians finished second, and the Czech Republic finished third. All went 4-1-0 in the medal round and finished with eight points. The U.S. took the gold based on goals for/against the Czechs as well as the Russians. 

In other games today, the Czech Republic beat Finland, 4-2; and Belarus topped Canada, 5-3. 

Here's are the final medal round standings: 

1. USA (4-1-0) 8 pts.

2. Russia (4-1-0) 8 pts. 

3. Czech Republic (4-1-0) 8 pts. 

4. Finland (2-3-0) 4 pts.

5. Belarus (1-4-0) 2 pts.

6. Canada (0-5-0) 0 pts.

The remaining six played in the relegation round, and this is how that shook out: 

7. Switzerland

8. Sweden

9. Slovakia

10. Germany

11. Norway

12. Ukraine

Russian wing Alexander Ovechkin won the overall tournament scoring title -- all eight games played by each team are figured here -- with a 14-4-18 line. Second place turned out to be a tie between Alexander Semin, another Russian wing, and Patrick O'Sullivan of the U.S., both of whom finished with 15 points. Brett Sterling and Patrick Eaves, each with 12 points, finished tied for sixth. Parisé finished in a tie for 14th, and Greg Moore finished in a tie for 20th. 

The U.S. plus/minus leaders were Suter, with a +13; and Eaves, with a +10. 

Tied with two others as the leading faceoff guy in the whole tournament was Parisé (.666). 

Howard was the leading goaltender in terms of both GAA (1.33) and save percentage (.954). The University of Maine recruit appeared in six of the eight U.S. games and played in all of the medal round games. 

This gold medal is a testament to the hard work of the players and the coaching staff. Few who saw the Under-18 team in the fall thought they had any chance at medalling here, but the kids worked, kept improving -- and now they can crow. Sure, the reinforcements from outside the program -- Parisé, Hirsch, and former NTDPer O'Sullivan -- helped in a big way. But the kids based in Ann Arbor came far under head coach Mike Eaves this season, and deserve a ton of credit. As for Eaves, he'll be heading to his new posting at the University of Wisconsin any day. He will certainly be missed. 

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/20/02

Czech Republic Edges Under 18s, 1-0 

Piestany, Slovakia -- The U.S. Under-18 Team suffered its first loss in the World Championship here today, getting blanked 1-0 by the Czech Republic.

The U.S. outshot the Czechs in the first two periods, but not after their opponent scored the only goal of the game, a blueline blast by defenseman Michal Barinka late in the second period. 

Lukas Mensator kicked out 32 shots for the shutout win. James Howard stopped 24 of 25 in the U.S. net. 

Even though it was not recorded anywhere in the box score USA Hockey sent out, there were over 200 minutes in penalties called after time expired in the third period, with 112 being assessed to the Czech Republic and 100 to the U.S. The U.S. players penalized were Mark Stuart, Patrick Eaves, Corey Potter, and Patrick O'Sullivan. All received roughing majors and game misconducts.

In the other medal round games today, Finland beat Canada, 3-1; and Russia beat Belarus, 11-0. 

Here are the standings going into the final day of action:

1. Russia (4-0-0) 8 pts.

2. Czech Republic (3-1-0) 6 pts.

3. USA (3-1-0) 6 pts. 

4. Finland (2-2-0) 4 pts.

5. Canada (0-4-0) 0 pts.

6. Belarus (0-4-0) 0 pts.

 

Sunday's schedule: 

Czech Republic vs. Finland

Canada vs. Belarus

Russia vs. U.S.

The hopes the U.S. holds for winning a world championship here are not dead. By beating Russia tomorrow, the U.S. could move into at least a tie for first place, which would be broken first by head-to-head results and then goals for/goals against for the teams involved in the tie. That, however, will all sort itself out soon enough. For now, it's guaranteed that the U.S. will come home with some kind of medal, which will be a first for the U.S. in this event. 

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/20/02

Magers, Gartman Commit

Omaha Lancers goaltender Marty Magers is headed to Michigan Tech. Magers, however, is not yet officially eligible, needing to first pass his spring courses at the community college in Omaha. The Michigan Tech coaching staff believes he'll be able to do this. 

Other colleges talked to Magers, but the academic issues scared them off. 

Magers, who plays the puck well and has size -- he's 6'1", 180 lbs. -- played 30 regular season games at Omaha this year, posting a 1.62 gaa and .927 save percentage, first and second-best in the league, respectively. 

Magers, a 1/7/83 birthdate from Plainfield, Ill., was in the Team Illinois organization as a bantam, but when he didn't make the midget team -- Eric Marvin and Dov Grumet-Morris got picked ahead of him -- he headed north of the border, playing a year of Tier II in the Golden Horseshoe League before winning a job with the Lancers. 

At Michigan Tech, look for Magers and sophomore-to-be Cam Ellsworth to split time 50-50 at the start of the season. Historically, Tech coach Mike Sertich has tended to give the bulk of the playing time to one goalie.  

Speaking of the Lancers, Mike Hastings' club beat the Chicago Steel 3-0 last night to win that best-of-five series, 3-1, thus bringing to a close a first round in which not a single series went the distance. The semis get underway this week with #1 Omaha hosting #6 Cedar Rapids, and #2 Green Bay getting a visit from #4 Sioux City. 

Chris Gartman, a former NTDP netminder who went to Cornell for two years (and played in a total of five games) before leaving to join the Des Moines Buccaneers this season, has committed to the University of Michigan. 

Gartman, a 5'10", 165 lb. native of Baldwin, NY who played for N.Y. Applecore before going to the NTDP, will enter Michigan as a junior. A 9/23/81 birthdate, he'll play next season as a 21 year old. 

This year at Des Moines, Gartman played 49 regular season games, posting a 3.02 GAA (10th in league) and a .900 save percentage (tied for 14th). Last week, in Des Moines' playoff sweep at the hands of Green Bay, Gartman struggled, posting a 5.18 gaa and an .855 save percentage.

Michigan, of course, earlier recruited 6'2" '85-born goaltender Alvaro Montoya from the NTDP. Montoya is one of the prizes of the current recruiting season. 

4/17/02

Sterling, U.S. Under-18s Thump Canada

Piestany, Slovakia -- The U.S. Under-18 Team opened medal round competition with a 10-3 win over Canada here today.

The line of Brett Sterling (3g,2a), Ryan Kesler (2g,1a), Timmy Wallace (1g,3a) led the point parade. Zach Parisé (1g,2a) also had a three-point day. Tyler Hirsch (2g), Greg Moore (1g,1a), Stephen Werner (2a), and Patrick O'Sullivan (2a) had two-point outings. Patrick Eaves and Ryan Suter each chipped in with an assist.  

The U.S. outshot Canada 48-27. James Howard had 24 saves for the U.S. Meanwhile, Canada used two goalies, twice substituting them for each other in the second  period.

This is Canada's first year in the World Under 18s and, with most of the country's top players in the playoffs with their respective major junior teams, the squad is very thin. In the preliminary round, Canada beat Germany, Slovakia, and Norway, but lost to Russia and the Czech Republic. 

This tournament, by the way, does not feature a gold medal game -- or any medal game, for that matter. It's a total points tournament. 

The setup is such that teams carry points gained in preliminary round action into the medal round. However, only points against teams that actually advance to the medal round count. 

For example, the six-team pool the U.S. was in also included Belarus, the Ukraine, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden. The U.S. beat them all. However, only the top three finishers in the pool -- the U.S., Finland, and Belarus advance. The points the U.S. gained by beating the three teams that failed to advance are discarded, while the four points picked up by defeating Finland and Belarus are carried forward. 

In other medal round games today, the Czech Republic beat Belarus, 5-1, and the Russia edged Finland, 4-3. Here are how the point totals look going into the final two games of the tournament. 

1. United States -- 6 pts. 

2. Russia -- 6 pts.

3. Czech Republic -- 4 pts.

4. Finland -- 2 pts.

5. Canada -- 0 pts.

6. Belarus -- 0 pts.

The U.S., and all teams, have tomorrow off. On Saturday, the U.S. faces the Czech Republic. On Sunday, they go up against Russia in the tournament finale, a game which could be, in effect, the gold medal game. 

Note: U.S. defenseman James Wisniewski, who injured his knee in the Finland game, returned home to Michigan a few days ago to have surgery. The loss of Wisniewski, who plays for the Plymouth Whalers (OHL) and was teamed with Mark Stuart on the top defense pairing, leaves the U.S. thin on D as they go up against the iron. 

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/18/02

College Coaching Vet Moves to the Prep Ranks 

Joe Mallen, who was Toot Cahoon's predecessor at UMass, will, this fall, take over the boy's varsity hockey program at the Middlesex School, a Div. II program in Concord, Mass. 

Mallen will also work in admissions, and live on campus. 

Mallen takes over for Peter Masters, who was coaching Middlesex in addition to the Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL). Middlesex wanted Masters to take a job in the admissions department, but he declined the offer, preferring to concentrate on his Junior Bruins work. The organization is currently putting together a full-season midget program that will begin play in the fall.   

Mallen is well known in Massachusetts hockey circles as the man who was at the helm when UMass-Amherst, after going 14 years without a varsity hockey program, took up the sport again in 1993-94 as a Div. I independent, then was incorporated into Hockey East the following year. Mallen coached at UMass for seven seasons, through the end of the 1999-00 season. 

Before going to UMass, Mallen was an assistant at Boston College for seven years. Prior to that, he was an assistant on Brad Buetow's staff at U.S. International University (remember them?), a San Diego, California school that was a Div. I independent in the 1980s. 

Mallen started his college coaching career ushering UMass-Boston from club to varsity status in the early '80s, then returned there after being fired at UMass-Amherst. The Beacons were 4-18-3 this season, which couldn't have been much fun. 

4/17/02

U.S. Under-18s Perfect in Preliminary Round; Canada on Deck 

Trnava, Slovakia -- The U.S. Under-18 Team defeated Sweden 6-2 today, finishing up preliminary round play with a perfect 5-0-0 record.

Now, things get interesting. For its first medal round game, Team Yanqui will face off tomorrow (Thurs.) against Canada, the third seed in Group A. In subsequent medal round games, the U.S. will face the Czech Republic and Russia. 

Today, the U.S. outshot Sweden 38-23. Patrick Eaves (2g,1a) led the way with a three-point game. Patrick O'Sullivan (1g,1a) had a two-point outing. Other goals were scored by Brett Sterling, Zach Parisé, and Timmy Wallace (an empty-netter). Corey Potter, Mark Stuart, Matt Carle, and Ryan Kesler all chipped in with an assist apiece.

Tim Roth had 21 saves on 23 shots in the U.S. net.

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/17/02

What's Next for Caron?

By now, many -- if not most -- of you have heard that 6'3", 215 lb. UNH freshman wing Ed Caron notified UNH head coach Dick Umile on Monday that will be leaving the school at the end of the academic year. 

Naturally, there's some intense speculation going on right now in the college hockey community, primarily because Caron, a second round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in last summer's NHL draft, hasn't yet stepped forward to offer a detailed explanation to anyone. "It's been difficult," Ed Caron, young Ed's father, said. "He just needs a few days to let the dust settle."

What can we expect? Well, from talking to people close to the situation, reading between the lines, studying the tea leaves, etc. we have some ideas. Put in question form, they look like this.

Will he turn pro, or go to the QMJHL?

No.

Will he sit out a year and transfer?

You can bet on it. 

Where will he go?

That's the million dollar question With a grade point average in the 3.8-4.0 range, he can go wherever he wants.  

A few years ago, Caron didn't want to leave Exeter for the NTDP simply because of how much he was enjoying the prep school life. That, of course, was on the heels of Exeter winning the prep title, and before he ran into some bad luck with injuries and sickness. Anyway, before Caron was really getting recruited in earnest, this typist figured there was a reasonable chance he'd wind up at an Ivy -- the Omnivision versions of Exeter. But he's a son of the Granite State, and playing in front of the home folks in an intense hockey atmosphere proved too alluring. However, you can bet that Caron noticed former teammate Tommy Cavanagh's 25-point season for Harvard. We're not saying that we think he'll wind up at either of the above-mentioned schools -- or any of the other Ivies, for that matter -- but it's certainly a possibility. Academics are important to him, as they should be.

Will having to sit out a year hurt Caron's development? 

Different people will have different takes on this. We think it really comes down to how he uses that year. If he works hard on getting both lighter and stronger -- and hence a little quicker -- he could come back in the fall of '03 a very much improved player. Colin Shields had to sit out his first year at Maine. It didn't hurt him at all, and many believe it helped him. At any rate, Shields finished with 46 points -- not too shabby.        

Has Caron already made up his mind where he'd like to go, but isn't saying anything. 

We think not. However, it is possible. 

How much did Caron's lack of a bigger role on the team play into his decision to leave?

Probably a lot. Caron came to UNH carrying a cargo ship of expectation, but wasn't able to crack the top two lines. This shouldn't have been terribly surprising. UNH had a deep and talented offensive machine. They finished the season the top-ranked team in the country. In other years, Caron may well have cracked the top two lines, and things might have been very different. But it seemed that Caron's lack of ice time -- and powerplay time and points -- became a huge issue, much more so than it needed to be. And it wasn't coming from the UNH coaching staff, you can be sure of that. It was coming from everyone else. Whenever the subject of UNH hockey came up, so did the question of Caron's ice time, or lack thereof. Somehow, all that just had to rebound onto the 19-year-old Caron, doubling the pressure and bringing on even more frustration, like the ever-widening circles of a pebble thrown into a pond. Everyone seemed to forget that he was a freshman who, because of  injuries and a bad bout of mono, had played a very small number of games in his final two years of prep school. Basically, he played about as many as a USHL kid plays by Christmas. Still, many expected him to be a big-time contributor right away. It takes time, though. As a 19-year-old freshman at BU, Mike Pandolfo had 17 points (Caron had 13 this season). In subsequent seasons, Pandolfo went to 23, 29, and then a team-leading 40 as a senior this year. Caron's college career could wind up looking like that.   

Will the UNH coaching staff miss him? 

Last night, assistant coach Dave Lassonde said, "No matter what Eddie does, we're going to miss him. He's an incredible kid, a breath of fresh air." 

Note: There may well be more, but we can name at least two other cases of players transferring into or out of UNH. Old timers may recall Mike Golden. He played just seven games as a freshman at UNH in the early eighties, then transferred to Maine, where he was a Hobey Baker finalist his senior year. Coincidentally, Golden, like Caron, was a second round pick of the Edmonton Oilers. He never made it to the NHL, though. More recently, in the early nineties, Todd Hall transferred from BC to UNH and saw his point production go up. Hall, a third round NHL pick, also never reached the big show. 

The bottom line? If, say, Golden had stayed at UNH he may well have been a Hobey finalist there, too. Players gain experience, maturity, and the results show on the ice. It's part of the beauty of the game. 

4/16/02

U.S. Under-18s Clinch Top Seed for Medal Round

Trnava, Slovakia -- The U.S. Under-18 Team knocked off Switzerland last night, clinching 1st place in the B group and the top seed in the medal round, which begins Thursday.

The U.S., currently 4-0-0, has, like all teams here, an off-day today. Tomorrow, the U.S. plays its last preliminary round game, facing Sweden. 

Last night, the U.S. got a pair of goals -- the game's first and last -- from Patrick O'Sullivan, the team's leading scorer here. Zach Parisé (1g,1a) and Patrick Eaves (2a) also had two-point games. Tom Sawatske and Brett Sterling had a goal apiece; while Stephen Werner, Greg Moore, Matt Carle, and Ryan Kesler each added an assist. 

The U.S. outshot Switzerland 35-32. James Howard, named U.S. Player-of-the-Game, was in net for the U.S. and was tested, kicking out 31 of 32 shots.

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/14/02

U.S. Under-18s Get a Tough One; and Come up Big 

Trnava, Slovakia -- The U.S. National Under-18 Team rode a pair of third-period goals by Patrick O'Sullivan to a 3-2 win over Finland today at the 2002 IIHF World Under-18 Championship here. 

The U.S., outshot by 32-26, got a big game from goaltender James Howard, who kicked out 30 shots. 

The U.S. is now 3-0-0 here, and O'Sullivan, an '85 birthdate from Sterling Heights, Michigan who plays for the Mississauga IceDogs (OHL), was, as he has been in every game here, the leading scorer for the U.S. 

In addition to O'Sullivan's pair, the U.S. got a goal from Brett Sterling, and assists from Patrick Eaves, Ryan Suter, Matt Carle, and Greg Moore. 

The U.S. is now in first place in Group B, and meet Switzerland tomorrow. 

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/14/02

BGSU Names Paluch

According to impeccable sources, Bowling Green has named Scott Paluch as its new head coach.

Look for Falcons AD Paul Krebs to make it official at a news conference tomorrow (Monday) around mid-afternoon. 

Paluch, 36, is a Chicago native and 6'2" defenseman who played four years for Jerry York's Bowling Green teams. As a senior in '87-88, he captained the team, then spent a couple of years in the IHL before hanging them up and returning to Bowling Green as York's assistant. Paluch has 10 years experience as a full-time assistant, two at BGSU and the last eight at BC, where he helped put together the teams that brought Boston College four consecutive Frozen Four appearances -- and a national title in 2001. 

4/12/02

The Waiting Game

Boston College associate head coach Scott Paluch and Ohio State assistant Casey Jones, the two finalists for the Bowling Green head coach position, should be hearing this weekend who gets the position. 

Both interviewed earlier this week for the job, which became vacant when Buddy Powers was fired last month after eight years behind the Falcons bench. 

The Vegas odds favor Paluch, the all-time leading scorer among Bowling Green defensemen who, in his years at BC, helped turn that program around, leading to four straight final four appearances -- and a national championship in 2001. 

4/12/02

They Won't All Be Like This 

Trnava, Slovakia -- The U.S. Under-18 Team had its second straight romp this afternoon, topping the Ukraine 10-0 at the 2002 IIHF World Under-18 Championship.

Tim Roth had 12 saves for the shutout. The U.S. unloaded 62 shots at a pair of Ukraine goalies -- and, no, only one was in the net at a time. 

Leading the attack with his second straight four-point game was Mississauga IceDogs center Patrick O'Sullivan, who notched a goal and three assists. Stephen Werner (2g,1a), Tyler Hirsch (3a), and Patrick Eaves (2g,1a) each had three-point games. Zach Parisé (2g), Brett Sterling (1g,1a), Greg Moore (1g,1a), and Ryan Kesler (2a) had two-point games. James Wisniewski added a goal while Mark Stuart, Ryan Suter, and David Booth added assists.        

All 12 teams at the tournament have an off day tomorrow. On Sunday, the U.S. will meet Finland, the bronze medal winner at last year's World Under-18s.

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/12/02

New England Select Teams Named

The New England Select 15, 16, & 17 teams have been announced. Players who stood out at the Yankee Festival, held Easter weekend in Burlington, Vt. -- and from which these teams were selected -- included: 

15s: Tim Geverd, a tough 6'0" defenseman, and a 9th grader at Cardigan Mountain last season; and forward John Cavanagh, a smart, smallish 9th grader at Tollgate (RI) HS. Cavanagh is the nephew of Joe Cavanagh, the former Harvard All-America, and the cousin of Tom Cavanagh, who notched 25 points in his freshman season at Harvard. 

16s: Brendan Milnamow, who played forward with the Conn. Yankees 86 team last year, and then moved to defense for the Taft JVs this season, stood out. Milnamow is well over six feet, with the reach and lankiness to go with it. 6'1" Adam Blanchette, a 9th grade RD at Avon Old Farms, stood out, too. Blanchette is a rugged D with good skills in the mold of a Jaime Sifers. A standout up front was Mark Rogers of Mt. Ararat HS outside of Portland, Maine. A 6'2", 195 lb. smooth skater with finesse, Rogers sees the ice well. He's reported to be a strong baseball prospect, too. 

17s: Boston Junior Bruins defenseman Jarrett Souza, whose game is skating, stood out.  New England Jr. Coyote LD Bryan Cirullo, an 11th grader, also had a strong weekend, as did New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs RD Andrew Thomas, a steady, tough, solid player who just keeps getting better. Up front, Matt Smith of North Yarmouth Academy, who's likely going to Taft, Deerfield, or GDA, played well. So, too, did Mike Arciero, a 6'1" power forward type who's a 10th grader at Avon Old Farms. 

If any other districts have their select rosters ready, please send them along to info@ushr.com. Thanks.

***

New England Select 15 Team ('87s)

Goaltenders: Alexander Kremer (Darien, CT); Jared Rushlow (Attleboro, MA).

Defensemen: Jack Christian (Wilton, CT); Tim Geverd (Hooksett, NH); Tyler Zara (New Canaan, CT); Cody Wild (N. Providence, RI); John Doble (Essex, VT); Ross James (Orono, ME).

Forwards: Ben Ketchum (Greenwich, CT); John Cavanagh (Warwick, RI); Cooper MacDonne (Darien, CT); Woody Redpath (Norwich, VT); Kyle Taylor (St. Albans, VT); Ryan Robertson (Northfield, VT); Kenneth Martone (Lincoln, RI); Will Hutchinson (Wilton, CT); Alan Dionne, Jr. (N. Scituate, RI); James Pouliot (Hookset, NH); Trevor Dodds (Hanover, NH); Mike Onofrio (Hamden, CT); Joey Gaudet (Etna, NH).

Head Coach: Peter Kravchuk (Governor Dummer Academy). Assistant Coach: Pat Norton (UVM). 

***

New England Select 16 Team ('86s)

Goaltenders: Chris Rossi (Barrington, RI); Jonathan Quick (Hamden, CT).

Defensemen: Adam Blanchette (Berlin, CT); Brendan Milnamow (Wilton, CT); Chris Talbert (Hinesburg, VT); David Sprague (Cranston, RI); James Lang (Warwick, RI); Bryan Dodge (Goffstown, NH).

Forwards: Chris Davis (W. Simsbury, CT); Chris MacPhee (Windham, NH); Jon Rheault (Hillsboro, NH); Dave Christie (New Canaan, CT); Sean Backman (Greenwich, CT); Ryan Paradias (Rochester, NH); Mike Luzzi (Hamden, CT); Mark Rogers (Orrs Island, ME); John Mori (Westport, CT); Kyle Tyll (Sandy Hook, CT); Patrick Collins (Rutland, VT); Ryan Blossom (Concord, NH). 

Head Coach: Kevin Potter (North Yarmouth Acad.). Assistant Coaches: David Berard (Providence College) and Brendan Whittet (Dartmouth College).

***

New England Select 17 Team ('85s)

Goaltenders: Peter Vetri, Jr. (Windham, NH); Dimitri Papaevagelou (Windham, NH).

Defensemen: Jarrett Souza (E. Providence, RI); Bryan Cirullo (Farmington, CT); Andrew Thomas (Bow, NH); Paul Forselius (Madison, CT); Chris Kane (Lincoln, RI); Nick Jillson (N. Smithfield, RI). 

Forwards: Matt Smith (Yarmouth, ME); Patrick Haley (Shelburne, VT); Todd Johnson (Riverside, CT); Alex Meintel (Yarmouth, ME); Mike Arciero (Avon, CT); Scott Crowder (Nashua, NH); James Guay (N. Scituate, RI); T.J. Kelley (Ridgefield, CT); Ross Grubin (Newington, CT); Mike Mallette (Chepachet, RI); Jay Anctil (Wolfeboro, NH); Brett Kapteina (Stamford, CT). 

Head Coach: Chris Potter (Brown University). Assistant Coaches: David Lassonde (UNH) and C.J. Marottolo (Yale University). 

4/11/02

U.S. Under-18s Whack Belarus

Trnava, Slovakia -- The U.S. Under-18 Team scored six goals in the third period and coasted to an easy 9-0 win over Belarus in opening day action at the 2002 IIHF World Under-18 Championship this afternoon.

James Howard kicked out 16 shots for the shutout.

The nine U.S. goals -- five of which were power play tallies -- came off the sticks of seven different players. Leading the attack was Patrick O'Sullivan with a four-point day (1g,3a); and '86 d-man Ryan Suter with a three-point game (1g,2a). Six players notched two points: Greg Moore (2g), Brett Sterling (2g), Timmy Wallace (2a), James Wisniewski (2a), Patrick Eaves (2a), and Tyler Hirsch (2a). Zach Parise, Stephen Werner, and Mark Stuart added single goals for the U.S., while Ryan Kesler and Corey Potter each chipped in with an assist.    

The U.S. had 8 minors in the game. Belarus had 10 minors (including three checking from behind calls), and three misconducts. 

The U.S. meets the Ukraine tomorrow at 2 pm EST.

Box Score

U.S. Roster

4/7/02

USHL Playoffs Matchups Set

The 2001-02 USHL regular season ends this afternoon with the Tri-City Storm visiting the Rochester Mustangs (3:05 pm) in what will likely be the last-ever game for the hosts. 

The Mustangs have drawn an average of 482 fans per home game this season, less than one-sixth of the league average, and also sold ten of their home games, thus leaving their players 21 games in Rochester, and 40 on the road. The Mustangs are owned by the same ownership group that owns the Lincoln Stars. Lincoln had 35 home dates this season (avg. attendance: 5,000) and 26 road games. Rochester and Lincoln met four times this season: four games were played at Lincoln, and zero at Rochester. All four of Rochester's games vs. Topeka were played on the road, too. Of course, the USHL should not permit such violations to the integrity of its schedule. But with just a handful of owners and 13 teams, it was bound to happen. It's all about money, my friends. 

The Tulsa Crude, in its first year in oil country after moving south from Dubuque, struggled at the gate, too, averaging under 1,000, and drawing a mere 259 to Friday night's game and 344 last night. 

So much for the bad news. 

Now, the good: Playoffs start this week. 

Here are the first-round matchups -- it's best of five.  

#1 Omaha vs. #8 Chicago

#2 Green Bay vs. #7 Des Moines

#3 Lincoln vs. #6 Cedar Rapids

#4 Sioux City vs. #5 Sioux Falls

Five teams finished out of the playoffs: Tulsa, Rochester, Waterloo, Tri-City, and Topeka. 

4/7/02

Magers, Vicari History-Making Tandem  

Hats off to Omaha Lancers goaltenders Marty Magers and Dominic Vicari who, while splitting games 50-50 this season, came up with the best combined goaltending numbers in USHL regular-season history. 

Magers posted a 1.62 gaa, .927 save percentage, and 10 shutouts. Vicari posted a 1.78 gaa, .926 save percentage, and seven shutouts. 

For goaltenders to post strong numbers in both goals against and save percentage, they need strong team defense in front of them. Omaha allowed just 111 goals this season, which is an all-time league record, unmatched even in all those years when the schedule was just 48 games long. Omaha's closest competitor this season, Lincoln (which scored 25 more goals than the Lancers), allowed 157 -- that's a considerable gap. 

Magers, who turned 19 in January, is an '83. Academic issues are holding him back from a college slot right now. Vicari, a late '84, is only 17 and in the 11th grade. Needless to say, Div. I recruiters will be closely watching both goaltenders in the postseason. 

Notes: As for comparable seasons between the pipes, we looked though the USHL record books. The most recent season in which two goalies posted such noteworthy numbers was 1996-97 when Karl Goehring (Fargo-Moorhead) posted a 2.48 gaa and a .924 save % in 32 games while Jayme Platt (Des Moines) posted a 2.50 gaa and a .925 save % in 22 games. Numerically speaking, there was not much separating them -- besides the fact that they were on different teams.  

Other noteworthy goaltending numbers were posted in 1997-98 by Bob Revermann of Des Moines, who finished with a line of 1.62 and .938, the latter making him the all-time USHL single season save percentage leader. However, Revermann only played twenty games. The following year, Revermann, an Alaskan, played in the WCHL but failed to post such numbers, and disappeared from view. 

In 1984-85, Jeff Meis posted a 2.51 gaa and .938 save percentage for the Minneapolis Stars. He, too, disappeared from view. 

4/7/02

Don't Worry, Gopher Fans, Help is Coming 

Sioux Falls wing -- and Gopher recruit -- Thomas Vanek, who notched two goals and two assists Saturday night, finished the season as the USHL leading scorer and, despite missing eight games while playing for Austria in the B pool of the World Junior Championship in December, still managed to outstrip his closest competitor, Topeka's Vince Bellissimo, by 15 points. 

Vanek, a Gopher recruit, finished the season with a 46-45-91 line in 53 games. That's 1.72 points per game. Here are the points-per-game leaders:

1. Thomas Vanek, Sioux Falls/UofMinn., 1.72

2. Brad Zancanaro, Sioux City/BU, 1.42

3. Matt Ciancio, Sioux City/Northern Michigan, 1.29

4. Vince Bellisimo, Topeka/Western Michigan, 1.25

5. Aaron Slattengren, Omaha/CC, 1.17

6. Eric Przepiorka, Sioux Falls/Dartmouth, 1.18

7. Brandon Schwartz, Sioux City/Michigan Tech, 1.14

8. Gino Guyer, Lincoln/UofMinn., 1.13 (played 15 games after HS) 

9T. Chris Collins, Des Moines/BC, 1.07

9T. Alex Matieroukine, Des Moines/no college, 1.07

9T. Quinn Fylling, Sioux Falls/UND, 1.07

12. Brett Skinner, Des Moines/Denver, 1.02

Notes: Skinner led all defensemen in ppg, but Chicago's Danny Richmond (.95) was right behind him. Richmond, who's going to Michigan in the fall, played in ten more games than Skinner and led all defensemen in total points with 53. 

The USHR Dan Fridgen Award goes to Cedar Rapids forward Nate Meyers, who finished in the top 20 in scoring while leading the USHL in penalty minutes, outpacing Sioux City D Art Femenella by 16 points.

Meyers played 58 games and posted a 27-25-52 scoring line with 231 penalty minutes.

We don't actually have any award, but if Meyers, a Maple Grove, Penn. native who'll be mixing it up for Providence College in the fall, e-mails us with his address, we'll send him something lying around the office, e.g. pens, pencils, magazines, books -- that sort of thing. We also have a nearly 20-year-old hockey stick (Christian, L5) over in the corner that he can have. It's no Synergy, but all working parts are in order. 

The Fridgen Award could be a one-time thing, an occasional thing, or an every-year thing. It honors the current RPI coach's junior year at Colgate ('80-81) when he scored 68 points in 33 games -- and spent 164 minutes in the sinbin. 

4/5/02

On Their Way

The U.S. National Under-18 Team takes off from Detroit tonight, en route to Slovakia and the World Under-18 Championship, which gets under way Thurs. April 11. 

First stop on the trip will be Fussen, Germany, for a short training camp that includes an exhibition game against Germany. 

Tournament play begins on Thursday April 11 (7:00 am EST) against Belarus.  

The 22-man roster consists of 18 players from the Under-18 Team and four outside players: LC Zach Parisé of Shattuck-St.Mary's and his linemate, RW Tyler Hirsch; LC Patrick O'Sullivan of the Mississauga Ice Dogs (OHL); and RD James Wisniewski of the Plymouth Whalers (OHL). 

Parisé and Hirsch are currently in Colorado Springs competing in the Midget Nationals. So far, Shattuck is 3-0-0 (surprise!). The tournament ends Sunday and the two forwards will immediately head overseas to meet up with the team. 

O'Sullivan became available when Mississauga was eliminated from the OHL playoffs -- probably sometime in October. 

Wisniewski, who, along with O'Sullivan, was a key to the U.S. win in the World Under-17 challenge in Nova Scotia 15 months ago, became available to coach Mike Eaves' team when Plymouth was upset by the London Knights in the first round of the OHL playoffs, which ended Sunday. In addition to freeing up Wisniewski, London's win helps the U.S., among others, in another way. Canada, as you may or may not know, is making its first-ever appearance in the World Under-18s, and expected to have 6'2" London LW Rick Nash, projected to go high in the first round of June's NHL draft, on hand. But London won, and Nash stays home. 

'84s who played for the NTDP during the regular season, but didn't make the  final cut were: forwards Taylor Hustead, Mark Schwamberger, and Tom Dickhudt; and defensemen Mike Nesdill and Michael Grenzy. 

Twenty of the 22 players on the U.S. roster are '84s. Two, LD Ryan Suter and O'Sullivan, are '85s. 

The U.S, will play in the B group, along with Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Belarus, and the Ukraine. The A group consists of Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Slovakia, Norway, and Canada. 

The top three finishers in each group move on to the medal round, while the bottom three play in the relegation round. 

U.S. Under-18 Schedule:

Thurs. 4/11 -- vs. Belarus, 7:00 am EST

Fri. 4/12 -- vs. Ukraine, 2:00 pm EST

Sun. 4/14 -- vs. Finland, 2:00 pm  EST

Mon. 4/15 -- vs. Switzerland, 2:00 pm EST

Wed. 4/17 -- vs. Sweden, 7:30 am EST

Thurs. 4/18 to Sun. 4/21 -- Playoff Rounds

U.S. Roster

4/5/02

Better Late than Never 

"This," it says at the top of USA Hockey's 2002 Nationals home page, "is the only place on the web where you can get updated scores, standings, schedules, and stats for all of the National Tournaments." 

Updated? As of Friday afternoon, there hadn't been a single score posted, and the same went for standings and stats. Over the past few hours, with day #3 in Colorado Springs coming to a close, game results and box scores have started appearing. 

Check them out at:  2002 Nationals

If USA Hockey's site falls behind again, the web site of the Pike's Peak Amateur Hockey Association, the tournament's host organization, is posting the scores on its web site. 

Pike's Peak Web Site

4/3/02

Newton, Paluch Top Candidates for Bowling Green

In recent days, no new names have come up in connection with the head coaching position at Bowling Green, which looks like it could be a drawn-out process. Here's who we have so far.

The consensus top two candidates are Boston College assistant Scott Paluch and Michigan State assistant Tom Newton. 

Both are Bowling Green alums who hearken back to better days at BGSU.  

Paluch, 32, a Chicago native and 6'2" defenseman who played four years for Jerry York's Bowling Green teams and captained the Falcons in '87-88, spent a couple of years in the IHL before hanging them up and going into coaching. He has 10 years experience as a full-time assistant, two at BGSU and the last eight at BC, where he helped put together the teams that brought Boston College four consecutive Frozen Four appearances -- and a national title in 2001. 

Newton, a forward from Uxbridge, Ont., played under Ron Mason at Bowling Green during the late '70s, and was a head coach for the Div. I Kent State Golden Flashes (remember them?) in 1981-82 before moving on to Western Michigan as an assistant the next year. Newton, 45, has 22 years of coaching experience. He's been at Michigan State since 1990, and in that time the Spartans have posted 11 straight winning seasons and reached the Frozen Four twice. 

While Paluch and Newton look to be the top candidates, there are others. 

 -- Casey Jones, assistant at Ohio State....While not a Bowling Green alum, Jones, 33, is known to BGSU athletic director Paul Krebs, who was at Ohio State before coming over to Bowling Green a few years back. Jones, a forward at Cornell in the late '80s, grew up on the Ontario/Quebec border and speaks both French and English, which enabled him to land top Quebec players -- Hugo Boisvert, et al --  for the Buckeyes. Jones was an assistant at Clarkson and Cornell before coming to Ohio State.

-- Guy Gadowsky, Alaska-Fairbanks head coach... Gadowsky, 34, who just wrapped up his third season coaching the Nanooks, is a hot property now. The former Colorado College forward took the Nanooks, which in his first two season had won six and then nine games, into a squad that went 22-12-3 this season and reached the CCHA semis. People have noticed, and Gadowsky is a definite dark horse candidate. 

-- Mark Johnson, University of Wisconsin assistant... Johnson, 44, is a former Wisconsin All-American who went on to capture the gold at Lake Placid in 1980 before embarking on an 11-year NHL career. A native of Madison, Johnson has spent the last six years as an assistant to Jeff Sauer at Wisconsin. Sauer, of course, took over at the school for Johnson's father 20 years ago. 

-- Ted Sator, New Orleans Brass (ECHL) head coach... The former Bowling Green right wing (class of '72) spent four years ('85-89) as a head coach with the Buffalo Sabres and NY Rangers. Right now, he's finishing up his fifth season as a head coach in the Coast League. New Orleans has no big league affiliate, disappointing attendance, and a high arena lease, so some have speculated he might be interested in the Bowling Green job. Sounds like a real long shot to us. 

-- Don Vaughan, Colgate head coach.... Vaughan, 41, has just finished his 10th season as head man at Colgate, and is well-respected by his peers. Maybe Vaughan, whose record behind the Red Raiders bench is 162-153-29 with one NCAA tournament appearance, would like to try coaching at a scholarship school. We think this is a long shot, but we have heard his name mentioned a number of times. 

-- Another name being mentioned a bit is George Roll, an Illinois native who was a forward on the Bowling Green team that beat Minnesota-Duluth in 4 OTs to take the 1984 NCAA title. The following season, Roll, a forward, was the Falcons captain. Roll is currently head coach at Div. III Oswego State, where he guided the Great Lakers to a 17-9-4 record this season. 

4/3/02

Brennan to NTDP

5'9", 165 lb. RD Mike Brennan, who split his time between the Apple Core Midgets and Henry Lazar's junior team this season, has accepted an offer to join the National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor this fall.

Brennan, a Long Island native (Smithtown, NY) is a 1/24/86 birthdate and will be playing for Under-17 team. He's a smallish defenseman, quick on his feet -- and with a quick stick, too.

4/3/02

For Raduns, the Best of Both Worlds

6'2, 190 lb. U.S. NTDP center Nate Raduns, a junior attending high school in Ann Arbor, will, along with a couple of his teammates, age out, thus becoming ineligible to play in next year's international under-18 tournaments.

So he's come up with a novel arrangement for his senior year. Raduns will return home to his high school in Sauk Rapids, Minn. (across the river from St. Cloud), play football and then report to the Omaha Lancers (USHL) as soon as the season ends in November.

For Raduns, it's kind of the best of both worlds. Lancers head coach Mike Hastings likes Raduns enough to wait until November, knowing he'll have him right through to the end of the playoffs. Also flexible is Sauk Rapids High School, which is allowing Raduns, a strong student, to graduate along with his high school class.

Raduns was a starting outside linebacker and kicker as a sophomore and, after a year off, is aiming at a last run at the state playoffs. .

Raduns joined the NTDP last fall, getting deposited on the roster of the Under-18 team, comprised mainly of players who'd already been with the program for a year. Coming out of  Class A high school hockey, he had only played weak competition. It was a legitimate question as to whether Raduns' raw potential could be developed quickly enough to help the team.

The gamble paid off. Raduns is kind of a poster boy for the NTDP, coming out of a Class A program, learning and adjusting to the big jump in competition day-by-day. Raduns, big and durable, has appeared in every single game this season. He finished with a 9-18-27 line in 53 games played, good for sixth on the team in scoring.  

4/1/02

Proctor Makes a Statement 

Tilton School head coach Mike Walsh, whose team won its third straight New England Div. II Prep School title last month, will be leaving for Proctor Academy this fall. 

Under Walsh, Tilton reached the prep tournament in five of his eight years. His overall record there was 152-87-10.

Proctor, which is about 20 miles west of Tilton, is building a four million dollar arena. It will be ready for the '02-03 season, with the second phase -- locker rooms, weight training, and athletic center -- ready the following year. 

Proctor will still be Div. II next season, but signing on a proven winning coach in Walsh and building a four million dollar arena indicates Proctor is bound for the Div. I level. 

Walsh wouldn't directly address this, other than to say, "the program upside is huge."

Tilton does not have a replacement for Walsh. Look for the administration to be hiring from outside.