3/19/04

Brown's Danis Signs with Canadiens

Brown senior goaltender Yann Danis signed a free agent contract with the Montreal Canadiens this morning.

Danis, the ECAC Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist, finished the season with a .942 save percentage and a 1.81 gaa. He played 30 games.

Bidding on Danis was between Philadelphia, the NY Rangers, and the Canadiens. We don't have a dollar figure on what he signed for. 

Danis will joining the Canadiens' AHL team in Hamilton on Sunday.

Also signing a free agent contract with Montreal is senior forward Brent Robinson. He will also join Hamilton on Sunday. Robinson, who played prep hockey at Hotchkiss, was Brown's leading scorer this season with a 13-81-31 line in 31 games.

Both Danis and Hamilton are Montreal area residents.  

Look for 6'3", 225 lb. Brown senior defenseman Scott Ford, voted the ECAC's top defensive defenseman, to sign a free agent contract as well.

Update: 6’3, 219 lb. Yale junior defenseman Joe Callahan will be forgoing his final year of college eligibility to turn pro with the Phoenix Coyotes organization.

Callahan, who was drafted by Phoenix in the third round of the 2002 draft, will join Springfield (AHL) immediately, and play his first pro game tonight.

In 31 games for Yale this season, Callahan posted a 6-14-20 line with 38 pims.

A 12/20/82 birthdate, Callahan, from Abington, Mass., played his high school hockey at BC High.

3/18/04

Long Island Top Prospects Game Rosters

Next Tuesday, March 23^rd, the New York Islanders will be sponsoring a top prospects game at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY at 12:30 pm.The two teams, whose rosters are below, are made up of players either from Long Island or playing on Long Island-based teams. Following the game, the Islanders will host a symposium on the college recruiting process at the Uniondale Marriott Conference Center from 4:30-6:00 pm. The speakers at the symposium will include Bruce Crowder (Northeastern), Scott Borek (UNH), Mark Dennehy (UMass), Jim Ward (Connecticut College), and Bruce Wolanin (Yale).

Later, on Mon. April 19, there will be a “Young Guns” All-Star Game for ’87-88 birth year players. The game, a 7:00 pm start, will be held at the Iceworks, the Islanders’ practice facility in Syosset, NY. The players for the ’87-88 game haven’t been selected yet. When they are, we will have them for you. 

WHITE TEAM:

3/18/04

A Big, Two-Way Forward for Clarkson

6’2”, 215 lb. Avon Old Farms RC Mike Arciero, a senior captain for Avon Old Farms, the 2004 New England prep champions, has committed to Clarkson for this fall.

Arciero, who, in 28 games for Avon this season, had a 12-25-37 line, is a big, strong solid player whose work in all three zones is very strong. A center for most of the season, he projects more as a wing for Div. I play.

Other schools involved in recruiting Arciero were Holy Cross, Yale, UConn, and Army. He actually grew up on the grounds of West Point.

3/18/04

Blais to Lead 2005 U.S. National Junior Team

The next IIHF World Junior Championship will have the University of North Dakota stamped all over it.

The tournament, as you certainly know by now, will be held at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, ND (with some non-marquee games to be held in Thief River Falls, Minn.) from Dec. 25, 2004-Jan. 4, 2005.

The August evaluation camp will be shifted from Lake Placid to Grand Forks. The dates for that will be Aug. 8-15.

Today, Fighting Sioux head coach Dean Blais was, as expected, named head coach of the team. One of his assistants will be Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin, a former Fighting Sioux defenseman and, later, assistant coach there under Blais. The other assistant will be NTDP Under-17 head coach David Quinn, who has no connection to Grand Forks or the University of North Dakota.

This will be the second time around for Blais, as the then-International Falls High School head coach coached the 1994 squad to a sixth place finish (1-5-1). He was also an assistant on Terry Christensen’s staff with the 1988 team, which came in sixth; and an assistant on Steve Cedorchuk’s staff when the U.S. finished fifth in 1989.

Blais will be following in the footsteps of University of Wisconsin head coach Mike Eaves, who coached the U.S. to its first-ever gold medal in Finland over the holidays.

On Sun. Dec. 19^th, 2004 Blais will take his first turn on the visitor’s bench at Engelstad Arena when the Fighting Sioux play host to the U.S. National Junior team in a pre-tournament exhibition game.

There are eight incumbents from this winter’s gold-medal winning squad, one of whom is North Dakota freshman forward Drew Stafford. The others are goaltender Alvaro Montoya; defensemen Ryan Suter, Jeff Likens, and Matt Hunwick; and, in addition to Stafford, forwards Patrick O’Sullivan, Jake Dowell, and Danny Fritsche.

3/17/04

Rosters for QMJHL Showcase in New Hampshire

The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League managed to woo some of our better young players north last summer. Buoyed by that success, the Q’s Central Scouting is readying their first-ever local showcase of New England prospects they want to get a look at in advance of the QMJHL draft in Baie Comeau, Quebec on June 5^th.

The games will be this Sat.-Sun. March 20-21 in the Rinks at Exeter, New Hampshire.

There will be two games, one onSaturday at 7 :30 pm and one on Sunday at 1:15 pm. Both games are open to the public, and are free of charge.

The arena is located at 40 Industrial Drive, Exeter, NH. The phone number is (603) 775-0601.

Here are the rosters:

Blanc/White

1- Ryan Burke, Haverhill HS
30- Ryan Simpson, St. Paul's School
2- Pat Cullity, Berkshire School
3- Mike Ivanov, Austin Prep
4- Sean Coughlin, Cushing Academy
5- Wes Stephanian, Belmont Hill
6- Mickey Dudley, Governor Dummer Academy
7- Tim Geverd,  NH Monarchs
8- Josh Burrows, Nobles
9- Garrett Peters, Jr. Bruins
10- Dan Rossman, Cushing Academy
11- Ross Gaudet, Austin Prep
12- Nick Payson, Bangor HS
14- Trevor Dodd, Hanover HS
15- John Jamieson, Austin Prep
16- Cody Carlson, Jr. Bruins Midget AAA
17- Paul Carey, Thayer Academy
18- Nikita Mikhno, St. Mary's HS

Coach: Andy Heinze, Valley Warriors

Bleu/Blue

1- Seth McNary, Matignon HS
30- Wes Vesperini, Belmont Hill
2- Ross James, Kent’s Hill School
3- Mark Fayne, Nobles
4 – Lance Herrington, Bishop Brady HS
5- Brian Strait, Northfield-Mount Hermon
6- Ryan Pezzulo, Valley Warriors
7- Chris Huxley, Nobles
8- Matt Kronk, Jr. Bruins Midget AAA
9- Sam Johnson, Cheverus HS
10- Jack Clayman, Governor Dummer Academy
11- Matt Gordon, Belmont Hill
12- Jonathan Maniff, Tilton School
14- Ian O’Connor, NH Monarchs
15- Stephen Bergin, Jr. Bruins Midget AAA
16- Mark Dube, Belmont Hill
17- Peter Massar, Champlain Valley Union HS
18- Max Gratchev, Thayer Academy
19- Yuri Cheremetiev, Bridgewater Bandits

Coach: Paul Jenkins, Lowell Lock Monsters

3/17/86

A Greybeard for the Cats

Soo Indians (NAHL) 6’1”, 185 lbs. defenseman Mark Lutz has committed to the University of Vermont.

Lutz, a 9/13/83 birthdate, will turn 21 before he plays his first game for the Cats, so he has some game experience under his belt.

A former Wisconsin-Stevens Point HS standout, where he played both forward and D, Lutz has also played in the AWHL. He currently leads NAHL defenseman in scoring with a 12-32-44 line in 50 games played.

3/17/04

Another Top D for the Gophers

R.J. Anderson, a junior RD who helped lead Centennial to a 30-1 record and the Minnesota State Class AA championship Saturday at the Xcel Center, has committed to the Gophers.

Anderson, who is 5’11½”, 180 lbs., put up some rather mind-boggling numbers for a blue liner, though it should be said that Centennial won some games by extremely lopsided scores, e.g. 17-0, 16-0, 18-0, 20-0, 15-0, 13-0, 17-1, 13-0. At any rate, Anderson finished the season with a 29-56-85 line. That placed him third in the state, behind Breck RW Blake Wheeler (100 pts.) and center – and teammate -- Tom Gorowsky (93 pts.).

Anderson was named to the All-Tournament team and was a first team all-state player as well. A 7/16/86 birthdate, Anderson was ranked in the fourth round of North American skaters in Central’s mid-term rankings.

Anderson is a smooth skater who can headman the puck nicely or jump up into the play. He’s not shy about leading the rush. He has an excellent shot, keeping it low and on net. Despite Centennial’s offensive prowess, Anderson and his teammates minded business in their end, too. In 28 of their 31 games, Centennial held opponents to two or fewer goals.

Note: The 6’4” Wheeler, who, along with perhaps Andover goaltender Cory Schneider, is the top-ranked draft-eligible prospect currently playing high school, prep, or junior hockey in the U.S., will be making his visit to the U next week. Like Wheeler, Anderson is in the 11^th grade.

3/15/04

Monarchs Wear EJHL Crown

Worcester, Mass. -- The New Hampshire Junior Monarchs broke open a 2-2 game with three straight second-period goals, finishing up with a 6-3 win over the Boston Junior Bruins and the organization’s second EJHL title in three years.

The game, played before a large crowd at the College of the Holy Cross, had a good tempo and quality scoring chances at both ends.

The big gun for the Monarchs was Yale recruit Dave Germain, who scored two first-period goals to give his team the lead after 20 minutes of play. The Bruins, though, came out hard in the second and, at the 4:42 mark, Ryan Ginand deflected home a Jim Driscoll shot from the left point to make it 2-2.

After that, the Monarchs took the lead for good when center Reese Wisnowski, a UVM recruit, put a tough-angle shot on net and linemate Chris O’Brien was able to put it past Junior Bruins goaltender Nevin Hamilton at the 5:36 mark.

At that point, the Monarchs began to seize the momentum. While taking fewer shots than the Junior Bruins, the Monarchs, the older of the two teams, showed more patience in setting up plays and were able to hold the puck in the Bruins end for longer stretches.

However, it would be over ten minutes before they actually scored their next goal, and once again it was Wisnowski, who this time put home the rebound of a shot off the crossbar at 16:50.

Twenty-seven seconds later, Providence recruit Jon Rheault came down the right wing and fired one from the top of the face-off circle to put the Monarchs up 5-2.That’s where it held going into the second intermission.

In the third period, the Bruins came out and put pressure on the Monarchs early, finally cashing in when, on the powerplay, Ryan Ginand walked in from the point, put a move on a Monarchs D, and snapped it past Dimitri Papaevagelou to cut the Monarchs lead to 5-3.

That, though, was as close as the Bruins would get. An empty-net goal off the stick of Josh Coyle with 1:24 remaining sealed the win for the Monarchs.

For the Monarchs’ Papaevagelou there was a measure of redemption. Papaevagelou was pulled after giving up five first period goals in the Saturday night semis, though his teammates roared back withfour straight goals to take a 6-5 win over the Cap District Selects.

After the game, Tremblay said, “I just told him ‘You’re our guy.’ And he was there when we needed it, as he has been all season.” Papaevagelou finished with 37 saves on 40 shots.

“Both teams,” said Tremblay, “are so evenly matched. We just stuck to our game play, a more pro style, which helps cut down mistakes. “

Tremblay cited the play of Dave Germain, who got things going with the two first-period goals. "He makes things happen out there. He has that hard shot, foot speed and he played with pizzaz.”

Outside the Junior Bruins dressing room, Junior Bruins head coach Peter Masters said it was a great game but added that his guys “made a few mistakes in the D zone and they killed us.”

“But,” he added, “that’s a great team. In a one-game series anything can happen. They finished when they had their chances.”

“I was impressed with our team this year. We had a bunch of warriors,” Masters added.

Chief among those warriors was bulldog defenseman Bret Tyler, who finished his five-year Junior Bruins career with 308 points.

First Period:

B – Tyler (Ginand, Jones) PPG6:00
NH – Germain (Adams) 7:44
NH – Germain (Duffy)PPG 19:52

Second Period:
B – Ginand (Driscoll) 4:42

NH – O’Brien (Marchesi, Wisnowski) 5:36
NH – Wisnowksi (Duffy, Coyle) 16:50
NH – Acropolis (Rheault, Germain) 17:17

Third Period:
B – Ginand (Tyler, Brady) PPG2:18
NH – Coyle (unn.) ENG 18:36

Penalties: New Hamphire 12, Junior Bruins 7.

Shots on Goal:
NH 13-12-10 = 35

B’s9-21-10 = 40

Goaltenders:

Jr. Bruins: Nevin Hamilton (34/29)

Monarchs: Dimitri Papaevagelou (40/37)

Note:

The dates of the Beantown Spring Classic, an invitation-only tournament run by the Masters and the Junior Bruins organization, are still Tues-Wed.-Thurs March 23-24-25, but there are time changes as well as one change of venue.

Both the BC men’s and women’s basketball teams are going to the NCAA tournament, and they may need Conte Forum, necessitating the Beantown tournament moving two of its three dates to the Worcester Centrum, with only one day being held at BC.

Here’s the schedule.

Tues. March 23 at the Centrum (Worcester): 5:00, 6:45, and 8:30.

Wed. March 24 at Conte Forum (BC): 5:30, 7:15, and 9:00 pm.

Thurs. March 25 at Centrum (Worcester): 5:00, 6:45, and 8:30.

The pre-draft division will play the middle game each day. There are three teams in the younger age group, which means that on each day two out of the three teams will be in action, and one will have the day off.

We’ll have rosters for you when they are available, probably at some point toward the end of the upcoming weekend.

3/15/04

NMH’s Monaghan to BU

6’4”, 210 lb. Northfield-Mt. Hermon forward Ryan Monaghan has committed to Boston University for the fall.

Monaghan is a recruited walk-on. Most all of the NESCAC schools wanted him, and he got some looks from UVM and RPI. His situation is analogous to former Taft and BU forward Ryan Priem, a recruited walk-on who played for the Terriers from ’99-03.We suspect Monaghan will play in spots for a year or two, then maybe hold down a fourth line spot as an upperclassman. A winger, he likes to bang, doesn’t mind using his size, and is good along the wall in the corner. His shot is good. His skating and agility need work. His size, of course, is exceptional.

Monaghan can also pitch in at defense if the need arises. He played most of last season on the blue line.

Monaghan, a 5/30/85 birthdate, is from Wilmette, Ill. and is in his second year at NMH.

3/15/04

Not All is Gloomy at the Heights

Up until a couple of weeks ago, BC’s longest losing streak of the season was one, and it looked like the Eagles had what it takes to cruise into the Frozen Four. Now, after losing five of their last six games and being KO’d from a trip to the Fleet Center by #8 seed BU, the Eagles and their fans need good news.

There is some, because over the last week, the Eagles came up big in the recruiting wars again.

Over the weekend, BC landed 6’0½”, 175 lb. New England Jr. Coyotes LD Tim Kunes for the fall of ’05. Last week, they landed LD Brett Motherwell of the River City Lancers (USHL), also for the fall of ’05. And, six days removed from his last prep school game for Phillips Andover, goalie-of-the-future Cory Schneider joined the U.S. Under-18 Team and began preparing for the IIHF World Under-18 Championships in Belarus (April 8-18) with a strong weekend showing in three games vs. NAHL teams in Montana.

Let’s take them in order.

Kunes, a 2/12/87 birthdate from Long Island who played for the LI Gulls Midgets before joining the Coyotes this season, is a big-time prospect, a terrific skater with excellent agility, hands, and hockey intelligence. 

Gary Dineen, who, in over a quarter century of running the Coyotes organization, has coached four first round draft picks (Bill Guerin, Scott LaChance, Ron Hainsey, and Mike Komisarek) thinks Kunes could be the fifth. “He has the north-south-east-west agility of a Phil Housley and the vision and explosiveness of a Brian Leetch. This kid could be exceptional,” Dineen said.

“Kids have a tendency to try to do more than they should,” Dineen added. “Kunes is the 1-in-100 kid who will make the short pass, the unflashy play, and understand the significance of it. He just gets it. Plus he has a passion for the game”

Kunes, who’s an 11^th grader, just turned 17 last month and will be working this summer on building himself up physically before returning to the Coyotes for his final season in juniors.  

Boston College beat out UMass and Boston University in the battle for Kunes. Before deciding on Hockey East, Kunes, a strong student, considered Harvard and Yale.

Motherwell, who played for the HoneyBaked Midgets before moving on to the USHL this year, is a little small at 5’11”, 187 lbs. so won’t get heavy attention from NHL scouts, but he’s a very good get for BC, a strong-skating, highly mobile type of defenseman who can contribute offensively. We project him to be among BC’s top fourD, and perhaps the #2 guy QB’ing the powerplay. The other notable thing about Motherwell is his competitiveness. He’s a warrior who plays hard and aggressively every game.

Michigan State was on him early, but reportedly wanted him to commit by a deadline, which Motherwell let pass. In addition to BC, Michigan and Notre Dame were recruiting him. There may have been others, but those are the ones we know about.

Motherwell was out early in the season after dropping a trunk on his foot unloading the team bus at the Buc Bowl and, more recently, suffered a season-ending knee injury when he caught his skate in a rut.

A 9/11/86 birthdate from Novi, Michigan, Motherwell had a 6-21-27 line in 38 games for River City this season.

Schneider, coming off a tremendous season at Andover, looked strong in his first weekend of action with the U.S. Under-18 Team, which played three non-league games this weekend, two against the Bozeman Ice Dogs and one against the Helena Bighorns.

In Friday night's 3-1 win, the 6'2" Schneider kicked out 24 of 25. Saturday, in a 9-1 win, he stopped 17 of 18. Last night against Helena, the 6'2" Schneider kicked out 42 of 44, for a .952 save percentage for the three games. Bighorns coach Brent Agrusa described Schneider’s play as excellent. “He was particularly great in the third period. We just peppered him. He made some great stops. I thought he was the best goalie we’ve run into all year.”

If it provides any solace, both the BC men's and women's basketball teams will be competing in the first round of the NCAA tournament later this week. 

3/13/04

CM Wins Super 8 -- Again

Catholic Memorial beat BC High, 3-1, tonight at the Fleet Center to take the Mass. Super 8 title. Brian Rosata, Ryan Mascucci, and Cory Quirk scored for CM, while goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson was excellent, getting beat just once, when the Eagles’ Steve Smolinsky carried the puck down the left side, put a nice move on the D and drilled a low shot far corner to make it 1-1 early in the second.

Less than three minutes later CM went up 2-1 on Masucci’s goal.

In the third period, Quirk provided an insurance goal, taking a nice pass from linemate Vic Pacella and blasting it from the left face-off circle for the final 3-1 margin of victory.

BC High junior forward D.J. Fimiani had a chance to cut CM’s lead to 3-2, but his backhander with 7:19 remaining hit the post.

Catholic Memorial, which outshot their opponents 31-15, had far more quality scoring chances than BC High, but Eagles’ senior goaltender Joe Grossman did a good job keeping the score respectable. In addition, CM’s defensemen did a better job protecting their goalie, and a far better job moving the puck up to their forwards. Both teams committed more turnovers than you would expect this time of year, and the game lacked excitement.

This was the sixth straight year CM and BC High met in the Super 8 title game.

CM, which has won five of the last six titles, and 11 in the 14-year history of the tournament, went 3-0 vs. BC High this season. CM finished the season 22-2 and BC High finished 21-3-1.

3/13/04

Breck Takes Minnesota Class A Title

Breck junior Blake Wheeler had a hat trick and an assist to lead the Mustangs to a 7-2 trouncing of Orono in the Minnesota Class A championship game before 6, 569 at the Xcel Center this afternoon.

Breck blew the game open with five goals in the second period. In addition to Wheeler, other big scorers for Breck were Dustin Fulton (1g,3a), Robbie Dee (1g,1a), Brent Broderson (1g,1a), and Brent Kettelkamp (2a).

Wheeler, a junior who’s deciding between BC and the Gophers, led the tournament in scoring with a 6-5-11 line in the three games.

Orono actually outshot Breck today, 26-24. Breck’s Alec Richards kicked out 24 of 26 shots while Orono’s Anders Peterson stopped only 17 of 24.

The Class A All-Tournament Team consists of :

G – Alex Stalock, South St. Paul
G – Anders Peterson, Orono
D – Andrew Hasbargen, Warroad
D – Eric Olimb, Warroad
D – Peter Engebretson, Orono
D – Marcus Bellows, Breck
F -- Drew Walters, Hibbing
F – Shea Walters, Hibbing
F – Glenn Ylitalo, Orono
F – Pat Dynan, Orono
F – Jordan Fulton, Breck

F – Blake Wheeler, Breck

3/13/04

Centennial Class AA Champs; Stutz Sets Record

Centennial, on a Mike Montgomery goal at 4:04 of the second, topped the Moorhead Spuds, 1-0, before 17,356 tonight at the Xcel Center. The win gave the school a state title in their first-ever state tournament appearance.

Senior goaltender Greg Stutz picked up his third consecutive shutout for Centennial, setting a record by finishing the tournament without allowing a single goal. In the quarters, the Cougars blanked Holy Angels, 2-0, and in the semis blanked Wayzata, 3-0. Over the three games, Stutz had 53 saves (22 vs. Holy Angels, 16 vs. Wayzata, and 15 today.)

Centennial poured 29 shots on Moorhead goalie Derek Hittle, who kicked out 28 of them.

Centennial (30-1) finished the regular season ranked #1 in Class AA, while Moorhead (26-3) finished #2, so the tournament went true to form.

The Class AA All-Tournament team consists of:

G- Greg Stutz, Centennial

G – B.J. O’Brien, Lakeville
D – Chris Johnson, Duluth East
D – Jon Ammerman, Moorhead
D – Brian Lee, Moorhead
D – R.J. Anderson, Centennial
F – Mike Carman, Holy Angels
F – Joey Miller, Wayzata
F – Rob Johnson, Duluth East
F – Cory Loos, Moorhead
F -- Tom Gorowsky, Centennial
F -- Tim Ornell, Centennial

3/13/04

Monday’s EJHL Title Tilt: Jr. B’s vs. Monarchs

In the first EJHL semi tonight at Holy Cross, the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs, down 5-2, pulled goalie Dimitri Papaevagelou, replaced him with Brian Foster, and battled back to take a 6-5 decision over the Capital District Selects. Dave Germain scored the game-winner for the Monarchs and Josh Coyle finished with four points. Dave Leggio had 50 saves for Cap District, who were outshot 56-32.

In the second semifinal, the Boston Junior Bruins edged the New England Junior Coyotes, 3-2. P.J. Fenton and Tyler Fernandez scored for the Coyotes. Ryan Ginand, Luke Jones, and Garrett Peters scored for the Junior Bruins. Collin Chase kicked out 40 of 43 for the Coyotes. Nevin Hamilton stopped 27 of 29 for the Junior Bruins.

The Junior Bruins and the Monarchs will meet Monday night (3/15) for all the marbles. The game will be held at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass. Game time is 7 pm.

The Junior Bruins and the Monarchs finished the regular season #1-2. The Jr. B’s posted a 32-4-2 record (66 points), and the Monarchs finished 31-4-2-1 (65 points). Not much separates the two teams.

3/14/04

Gorowsky Named Mr. Hockey

Centennial center Tom Gorowsky has been named winner of Minnesota’s Mr. Hockey award, given annually to the top high school hockey player currently in the 12th grade in the state.

Gorowsky, who led Centennial (30-1) to the Class AA title with a 1-0 victory over Moorhead at the Xcel Center last night, finished the season as the state’s leading scorer with a 40-54-94 line.

After playing next season at Waterloo (USHL), Gorowsky will go on to the University of Wisconsin in the fall of ’05.

Gorowsky is the first player in ten years to win both the Mr. Hockey award and the state championship since Bloomington Jefferson’s Mike Crowley did it in 1994.

The other finalists were: Will Engasser, F, Blake; Blake Friesen, D, Benilde-St. Margaret’s; Brian Gifford, F, Moorhead; Alex Goligoski, D, Grand Rapids; Jack Hillen, D, Holy Angels; Sam Kelly, F, Hill Murray; Rob Page, D, Blake; Mike Taylor, F, Holy Angels; J.T. Wyman, F, Blake.

Engasser has committed to Yale, Friesen to Mankato State, Goligoski to the University of Minnesota, Hillen to CC, Page to Yale, Taylor to Harvard, and Wyman to Dartmouth.

On Feb. 20^th, before sectional play began, Matt Lundin of Apple Valley won the Frank Brimsek Award, given annually to the state’s top senior goaltender.

For what it's worth, we’ll never understand why voting for the top goaltender is done prior to postseason play, but the voting for Mr. Hockey – closed to goaltenders -- is done afterward. It just seems more logical to pick one method or the other.

3/12/04

Friday’s Minnesota Semifinal Roundup

Breck 3, South St. Paul 2: After two scoreless -- and penalty-free -- periods, Breck scored two goals in the third period, a shorthanded tally by Jordan Fulton and an even-strength goal by Dustin Fulton, to take a 2-0 lead. South St. Paul got on the board with just 3:49 left to play on a Jeff Miller goal, then tied it up on a Nick Stalock powerplay goal with 1:55 left on the clock. With fans thinking OT, Breck’s Robbie Dee, with 1:12 remaining in regulation, scored the game winner. South St. Paul junior goalie Alex Stalock was outstanding, making 38 saves as his team was outshot 41-26. Alec Richards had 24 saves for Breck. Blake Wheeler assisted on all three Breck goals.

Orono 5, Hibbing 2: Orono bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit with five unanswered goals. It looked bad for Orono early on, when Hibbing’s Graham Parson scored on the first shot of the game. Hibbing made it 2-0 early in the second, but after that it was all Orono. Pat Dynan led the Orono attack with a four-point game (3g,1a). Glenn Ylitalo (1g,2a) and Will Smith (3a) each had three points.

Centennial 3, Wayzata 0: Tim Ornell had two goals and an assist, Tom Gorowsky had three assists, R.J. Anderson two assists, and Ben Ollila a single goal to lead Centennial past Wayzata. Centennial goalie Greg Stutz posted a 16-save-shutout. Wayzata goalie Jason Krueger kicked out 35 of 38 shots in a losing effort. No offense for Wayzata. Dull game.

Moorhead 6, Duluth East 3:  Moorhead scored three goals in a 42-second span in the second period to take a 5-0 lead after two. Duluth East battled back in the third, but it was a case of too little too late for the Greyhounds. Leading the Spuds’ attack was Cory Loos (2g), Nick Deutz (1g,1a), Cory Johnson (1g,1a),and Brian Gifford (3a). Leading the Duluth East attack was Rob Johnson (2g,1a), Phil Johnson (2a), and Chris Johnson (2a). Moorhead outshot Duluth East, 29-17. Moorhead goalie Spencer Deutz kicked out 14 of the 17 shots for the win. Duluth East starting goalie Jake Maida was pulled at 5:15 of the second, right after Moorhead went up 5-0. Brent Mathison took over and stopped all 11 shots he faced the rest of the way. Moorhead’s last goal of the night was an empty-netter off the stick of Chris Henry. 

 

Saturday’s Schedule

Saturday’s Schedule at the Xcel Energy Center:

Noon: Class A Final: Breck vs. Orono

7 pm: Class AA Final: Centennial vs. Moorhead

3/12/04

Thursday’s Minnesota Class AA Quarterfinal Roundup

Centennial 2, Holy Angels 0: Tom Gorowsky scored at 2:37 of the third to send Centennial on to a 2-0 win. Gorowsky’s goal came 1:01 after Holy Angels forward Mike Taylor, at the right post, one-timed a shot that Centennial goalie Greg Stutz made a great pad save on. TV replays showed Stutz’s pad was behind the goal line, but the goal light never went on and play continued. Centennial’s Ryan Flynn added an empty-netter for the final margin of victory.

Wayzata 6, Tartan 0: Five first-period goals made the difference. Afterward, Tartan coach John Humphrey told reporters, “We more or less laid an egg in the first period.”

Moorhead 4, Elk River 3 (OT): Cory Loos put home the rebound of Jon Ammerman’s shot from the point 1:47 into OT. Earlier, a Joe Long power play goal put Elk River up, 3-2, with 7:25 left in regulation. Three minutes later, a shot from the point by Moorhead’s Brian Lee tied the game at 3-3, where it held until overtime. On the game, Moorhead outshot Elk River, 29-7, but Elks goalie Sam Warhol came up big, keeping his team in the game and coming close to pulling off the upset.

Duluth East 2, Lakeville 0: The Greyhounds got goals from Mark Hennessy and Brian Lasky and a 21-save shutout effort by Jake Maida. Lakeville goalie B.J. O’Brien kicked out 34 of 36 in a losing cause.


3/12/04

Friday’s Schedule (at the Xcel Energy Center)

Class A:
Noon: Breck vs. South St. Paul
2 pm: Orono vs. Hibbing

Class AA:
7 pm: Centennial vs. Wayzata
9 pm: Moorhead vs. Duluth East

Saturday’s Schedule (at the Xcel Energy Center):

Noon: Class A Final

7 pm: Class AA Final

3/10/04

’88 Defenseman Dead; Cause Unknown

Fifteen-year-old defenseman Ryan Cozzone of the Valley Forge Minutemen ’88 team was found dead early yesterday morning.

Responding to a call, Amity Township, PA police found Cozzone having difficulty breathing. He was immediately rushed to Reading Hospital but was dead on arrival. An autopsy failed to reveal the cause of death. The investigation continues with toxicology tests.

Cozzone was the leading scorer among defensemen on his team. 

He would have turned 16 next month. 

3/10/04

Two Big Defenseman Commit

J.D. McCabe of Taft has committed to Harvard and Andrew Thomas of the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) has committed to Denver.

-- McCabe, a 6’3”, 200 lb. right-shot from Jamison, PA is a solid stay-at-home D who is coming to Harvard in the fall, though a year playing juniors would probably be beneficial

A 4/21/85 birthdate, McCabe missed his whole junior year as the result of an August 2002 auto accident that resulted in a fractured L5 vertebrae. He worked hard to get back last year but was unable to do so. He played all of this season, and was very effective, helping lead Taft to the prep school final four..

-- Thomas, a 6’2, 202 lb. right-shot from Bow, NH played the last couple of years for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) before heading west to join Waterloo. Early in the season, he didn’t look that good and the stock he’d built up in the EJHL began to dwindle. After Christmas, though, his game began to really pick up, Denver, looking for a defenseman ever since Scott Drewicki left school in December, jumped on him. Thomas is a big kid who skates well, and is physical. His on-ice presence is good, and he plays with an edge. An 11/14/85 birthdate, he’s a defensive defenseman. At Waterloo he has a 1-4-5 line, and 84 pims, in 51 games.

3/10/04

Bringing it all Back Home

This afternoon, the Minnesota State Boy’s Hockey Tournament gets away with four Class A games at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

They are:

• Breck vs. Albert Lea, noon. (Final: Breck 10, Albert Lea 1).
• Wadena-Deer Creek vs. South St. Paul, 2:00 pm (Final: South St. Paul 6, Wadena 1)
• Warroad vs. Orono, 7:00 pm (Final: Orono 2, Warroad 1 in OT)
• St. Cloud Cathedral vs. Hibbing, 9:00 pm (Final: Hibbing 5, St. Cloud Cathedral 1)

We have our money on Breck, South St. Paul, Warroad, and St. Cloud Cathedral.

If there’s an upset, we think it will be in the final game. That is, if Hibbing’s brother duo of Drew and Shea Walters have it going the way they did in Wednesday’s Section 7A championship game win over Hermantown.

However, Hibbing (11-14-1) is the only tournament team carrying a losing record into the Xcel Center.

For help they could turn to Bob Dylan. Coincidentally, Mr. Dylan, a 1959 graduate of Hibbing High School, is playing a concert tonight at the 73-year-old Roy Wilkins Auditorium, which is right next door to the Xcel Center. As a matter of fact, up until 1969, the state high school tournament took place in the old St. Paul Auditorium, which was chopped in half, with one half becoming the Roy Wilkins Auditorium. When Dylan, now 62, takes the stage tonight it will be at roughly the same moment his alma mater hits the ice next door.

Hibbing won the first of its two state championships in 1952, when Dylan was 10. We don’t know if the singer cared. We suspect not.     

Hibbing, a town of about 18,000 which lies about 80 miles northwest of Duluth in the middle of the Mesabi Iron Range, is the site of the world’s largest open pit iron ore mine – the Hull Rust Mahoning Mine. It’s an ugly gash in the earth, recalling a drab, scaled-down version of the Grand Canyon.

In the 1920s, when Hibbing High was built, the town was in its boom years, and it shows in the high school, which looks like a castle and boasts a remarkable auditorium, complete with chandeliers and a very rare pipe organ.

Hibbing was also home to a number of famous people and enterprises. The Greyhound Bus Company was founded in Hibbing, starting with one measly Humpmobile, which as far as we know was not a bus, but a car. And a small car at that; open to the elements.

Kevin McHale, the best basketball player to ever come out of the state of Minnesota, was a ’76 grad of Hibbing High. Roger Maris lived in Hibbing as a child but moved to North Dakota long before his high school years. Jeno Paulucci of Jeno’s Food (bad frozen pizza) was from Hibbing.

Hockey players? Well, there was All-American Gary Gambucci, who went on to play for the Gophers, and Bob Collyard, also an All-American, who went on to play for Colorado College. Later came the Micheletti brothers – Joe (’73). Donny (’75), and Pat (’82). If you live in metropolitan New York you probably know Joe as the New York Islanders TV color commentator. In Hibbing he's remembered for scoring a hat trick in the 1973 title game, a 6-3 win over Alexander Ramsey.

Anyway, forgive this digression. For this easterner, the Iron Range has always held a fascination. It’s totally unlike the rest of Minnesota. Plus there’s nothing really like it in New England, or anywhere else in the country – all those towns and ethnic groups all strung together and enough bars and taverns for a good-sized city.

Now, if Hibbing can win the Class A state championship despite coming in with a losing record, it will add another distinctive wrinkle to the town.

Unfortunately for Hibbing, if they win today, they have a big test Friday, facing the winner of today’s Warroad-Orono game. The smart money is on Warroad HS, which boasts a 26-2 record and is the #1-ranked team in Class A.

Notes: The All-Metro team this year consists of Centennial senior forward Tom Gorowsky, a Wisconsin recruit who leads the state in scoring with 89 points; 6’3” Breck junior forward Blake Wheeler, who has narrowed his college choices to the Gophers and BC; Eden Prairie junior forward Chad Rau, who’s been offered by Denver; Centennial junior defenseman R.J. Anderson, who’s excellent running a power play; Holy Angels senior defenseman Jack Hillen, who’s committed to Colorado College; and Apple Valley senior goalie Matt Lundin, who may be following his older brother to Maine.

Gorowsky was named the Metro Player of the Year.

3/10/04

Maniscalco Era Ends at Choate

Bill Maniscalco, who has coached at Choate for the last ten years, is being replaced, as the Wallingford, Conn. boarding school has decided to go with a full-time faculty member as hockey coach.

In addition to coaching the Wild Boars, who were 3-17-1 this season, Maniscalco managed the Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, Conn.

Choate’s release on the subject says that the school “is initiating a nationwide search for candidates with strong ice hockey credentials to assume the position of head coach of its boys ice hockey program. The school is interested in hiring a coach who will work full-time in a teaching or administrative capacity and reside on campus.”

“The motivation for a transition springs from a rare hiring window: Right now, we have a handful of faculty positions that need to be filled in the coming weeks.”

Andy Noel is the current assistant at Choate, but from the sound of the release, he’s no shoo-in to take over the head job.

Assistant Headmaster Don Firke and Director of Athletics Ned Gallagher will head up a search committee to fill the position and expect to begin interviewing candidates by the last two weeks of March.

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume ASAP to Don Firke, Assistant Headmaster, Choate Rosemary Hall, 333 Christian Street, Wallingford, CT 06494 or dfirke@choate.edu

3/9/04

NTDP Camp Invite List

Here are the players who have been invited to, and will be participating in, the NTDP tryout camp, which starts this Sat. March 13th and runs through the 16^th.

As is customary, players will be split into two teams, red and blue, for four scrimmages over three days. Observers will see a group very strong on the blue line, but thinner than usual up front.

USA NATIONAL TEAM DEVELOPMENT CAMP SCHEDULE

Sunday, March 14, 2004                                                                Monday, March 15, 2004

11:30am – 12:35 pm       Red Team Practice              8:00am        Goaltender Practice

12:45pm – 1:50 pm         Blue Team Practice             9:00am – 10:50am      Scrimmage

8:00pm – 9:50pm            Scrimmage                          2:30pm – 3:50pm      Red practice w/ U17

                                                                                  2:30pm – 3:50pm      Blue practice w/ U17

Tuesday, March 16, 2004

9:00am                                    Goaltender Practice

10:00am – 11:50am                 Scrimmage

2:30pm – 3:50pm                   Scrimmage

Note/Editorial Opinion: If you are a non-participant and wish to attend any of the sessions you’ll have to fork over, get this, $75. Most of those attending the tryouts will be agents, college, and junior recruiters so they can write it off, but what if a kid from the Ann Arbor/Detroit area wants to go? His or her parents, like thousands across the country, already support the NTDP through annual dues. Now they, and regular fans, are being asked to fork over $75? If we’re trying to grow hockey in this country, this is not the way to do it. Let’s hope USA Hockey, a not-for-profit organization, doesn’t start charging the public that kind of money to attend various select festivals. 

3/8/04

Go Cats, Go

Peter Lenes of Tabor Academy and Mike Arcieri of the Boston Bulldogs have committed to the University of Vermont.

-- Lenes, who’s 5’5” and about 150 lbs., is a left-shot RW and the catalyst for the Tabor team that lost a 3-2 OT decision to Avon Old Farms in the championship game of yesterday’s New England prep school tournament. Lenes, Tabor’s leading scorer, scored a goal in yesterday’s game, scored the game winner vs. Taft on Saturday, and in the prep quarterfinals on Wednesday he burned Cushing for five points (3g,2a) in an 8-7 Tabor win.

Lenes, a junior at Tabor, will arrive in Burlington in the fall of ’05. A native of Shelburne, Vermont, just south of Burlington, Lenes played for the Champlain Valley Union HS team that took the 2002 Vermont State Hockey Championship with a 3-2 OT win over Rice Memorial HS.

That summer, Lenes stood out at the Select 16 Festival in Rochester, NY and was named to the U.S. Under-17 Select team that competed in the Five Nations Tournament that August in the Czech Republic.

Lenes, a 4/3/86 birthday who reportedly may be playing juniors with the New Hampshire Monarchs (EJHL) next season, is a gas to watch. He can fly and handle the puck at top speed. He gives opposing teams fits. If he gets knocked down, which happens a bit, he pops up like a jack-in-the-box. He’s certain to be a crowd favorite in Gutterson.

-- Arcieri, who’ll be arriving in Burlington this fall, is a distinctly different kind of player than Lenes. Currently with the Boston Bulldogs, an independent junior team coached by former RPI coach Mike Addesa, Arcieri played center for most of the season, though he's recently been moved to wing, which is where his future would appear to lie. A right shot, Arcieri is a 6’1”, 190 lb. native of Northpoint, Long Island. He’s a scorer more than a playmaker, and has a very good, heavy shot. His first three steps are excellent, and he plays with an edge. He's very good along the boards. 

A 2/21/85 birthdate, he’s eligible for June’s NHL draft and could go around the fifth round or so. Among the other schools interested in Arcieri were Ohio State, BU, UMass, and RPI.

Last season, Arcieri played for New York Apple Core (EJHL). The year before that he played with the New York Bobcats Jr. B.

3/8/04

Princeton Fires Quesnelle

Len Quesnelle, who played four years as a Princeton defenseman, then served as a Tigers assistant coach for 11 years, and head coach for the last four, was fired today.

Quesnelle's record was 29-84-11. This season, the Tigers were winless over their last 17 games (0-15-2). Their last win came on Dec. 16, a 3-2 decision over Harvard, another ECAC team that has had its struggles this season.

Princeton will begin searching for a successor immediately.

3/7/04

Avon, South Kent New Prep Champs

Salem, NH – Avon Old Farms won the Div. I championship for the fourth time in the school’s history when junior forward Augie DiMarzo capitalized on a turnover and scored at 1:43 of OT to give the Winged Beavers a 3-2 win over Tabor Academy here today.

In Div. II, South Kent shut down their opponent’s star – yesterday it was Josh Robertson and today Shea Guthrie – for the second straight game en route to the school’s first and last Div. II title. In the fall they’ll be moving up to Div. I.

For much more on both these games, please visit the Prep Page.

3/5/04

Former NMU Wildcat LeMarque Loses Legs

Former Northern Michigan University forward Eric LeMarque, born in France but raised in Southern California, almost died last month in the Sierra Nevada Mountains after straying off a mountain trail and becoming lost while snowboarding alone on Feb. 6.

LeMarque, a Boston Bruins 1987 draft pick who also played on the 1994 French Olympic team in Lillehammer, Norway, built himself a makeshift igloo and survived on pine nuts and needles. When he was found by a rescue crew a week later, on Feb. 13, he was conscious though barely moving.

Since we wrote of LeMarque’s ordeal on Feb. 20, he has been recovering in an LA hospital. This week both his legs were amputated, but his spirit appears strong according to a story that appeared in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times.

Written by reporters Hector Becerra and Steve Hymon, the story is a gripping tale of survival. The link below is courtesy of the LA Times.

LA Times Story on Eric LeMarque, 3/3/04

3/3/04

Avon, Andover, Taft, Tabor Advance

In today’s Div. I prep quarterfinal action, Tabor upset Cushing, 8-7; Taft edged Salisbury, 3-2; Avon just got past Pomfret, 5-4 (2 OT); and Andover topped Thayer, 4-1.

For accounts and box scores please go to the USHR Prep Page.

In Div. II, Proctor topped Kent’s Hill, 6-2; Pingree beat Brunswick, 5-3; St. George’s defeated Brooks, 6-1; and South Kent beat Brewster, 6-2.

Here are the matchups for the semis on Saturday March 6 at the Icenter in Salem, NH. The finals will take place on Sun. March 7, also at Salem. Here are the schedules for those days.

Sat. March 6 (Icenter; Salem, NH)
11:00 am -- DII Semi: Proctor vs. South Kent
1:15 pm -- DII Semi: Pingree vs. St. George’s
3:30 pm -- DI Semi: Tabor vs. Taft
6:00 pm -- DI Semi: Avon vs. Andover

Sun. March 7 (Icenter; Salem, NH)
10:30 am -- East-West Senior Game (rosters to be announced later in the week)
12:30 pm -- DII Final
3:00 pm -- DI Final

Driving Directions to the Icenter: From Boston, Take Route 93 North. Right after crossing the Mass/New Hampshire border, take Exit 1 (Rockingham Park Boulevard). After exiting, you will see a sign for Mall Road, which will take you up on an overpass. When you come to a traffic light, take a right. This is Mall Road (you will see the race track on your right). Very shortly thereafter, it comes to a T, take a left there (Rt. 38 South), go straight through two sets of lights, and you'll see the Icenter about a half-mile down on your right.

3/4/04

Boardman, Brookwell Commit

6’3”, 191 lb. Deerfield Academy RD Will Boardman has committed to Dartmouth College.

Boardman, a 2/13/85 birthdate from Brattleboro, Vt., will arrive in Hanover this fall.

A tall, lanky D, Boardman needs to get physically stronger for the next level of play. A smooth skater and passer, he does a good job in his end using his wingspan to close offpassing lanes.

Dartmouth was the only Div. I school Boardman was seriously dealing with.

Also heading to Dartmouth this fall is 5’11”, 180 lb. Buffalo Lightning (OPJHL) goalie Mike Devine.A 12/24/84 birthdate from Buffalo, Devine’s team is one of the Provincial League’s bottom dwellers, so he’s faced a ton of shots, and his numbers aren’t great. However, he’s a hard worker, athletic, and plays his angles well. He’ll start out as the Big Green’s #3 goalie.

-- 6’3, 190 lb. Calgary Flames Midget AAA defenseman Cody Brookwell has committed to Denver for either the fall of ’05 or ’06, to be determined later.

While a number of WHL teams are after him – he was never taken in the Dub’s bantam draft, hence he’s a free agent – he will be playing next year for the Vernon Vipers (BCHL).

Brookwell, who played in the all-star game at the MAC’s Tournament in Calgary, is noteworthy for his strength. He’s very tough out in front of the net and in the corners. He makes good breakout plays, has a bomb of a shot, and a good head for the game. He’s a deceptive skater, with a long stride.

Denver was onto him early and had no competition.

3/4/04

Young UNH Recruit Shines in Hamilton City Championship

UNH fall ’06 recruit Peter LeBlanc, the ’88-born LC playing for the Hamilton Reps Midget Minor squad we wrote about yesterday, also suits up for his high school team in Hamilton. Yesterday, a retired OHL scout we know watched him lead his team to a 10-9 win to take the Hamilton Catholic City championship, and sent in this report:

“(LeBlanc) has speed and skill. He has a solid build and he gets involved physically. With about three minutes left in regulation and his team two men short, he scored a highlight film goal to tie it at 9-9. With one hand he slid the puck under a sliding defenceman and then jumped over him, regained control of the puck, then patiently walked around the sprawling goalie for an easy empty-net goal.

“He is a dangerous scorer as he never gives up on the play. When he shoots, he continues to drive the net with the hunger of a true goal scorer. On another goal, while driving into the slot, he snapped a shot low through a defender’s legs, and then quickly blew around the defenceman to corral the rebound and snap it home – all in a split second.”

LeBlanc finished the game with two goals and at least four assists.

We also talked to LeBlanc’s coach with the Reps, George Parker, who said that because of his speed, his protégé will love the big sheet at UNH. “It will make him even better,” said Parker. “There isn’t a D he can’t go around – either to the outside or inside. He’s a powerful skater who comes down the ice as fast as you think then, when he reaches his opponent, he just puts it into an extra gear. He’s very hard to bring down -- short of tackling him, that is. Hooking and tripping won’t get the job done. He’s just very strong on his skates.”

“He’s extremely coachable,” Parker added. “He comes from a great family, and has a great attitude. He has terrific hands and is a terrific goal scorer. He has everything you look for in a young player.”

LeBlanc was projected to go in the first round ofMay’s OHL draft, but will certainly drop now that he’s committed to UNH.

3/3/04

UNH Jumps Into Youth Derby

UNH, following the lead of the University of Minnesota (Mueller) and UMass (Marcou, Grasso), has received a verbal commitment from an ’88.

In the fall of '06, left-shot center Peter LeBlanc, a Hamilton, Ontario native playing for the Hamilton Reps Midget Minor squad, will be suiting up for the Wildcats.

A 5’11”, 180 lb. 2/16/88 birthdate, LeBlanc was expected to be a high first round pick in May’s OHL draft.

LeBlanc, whose father Jim was an official in the old WHA, has played 58 games this season and has a 70-47-117 line. We haven’t seen him, but we’re told that the numbers don’t lie, that he can pass the puck like a pro, and that he has an extra gear and a great work ethic.

LeBlanc is a strong candidate to play on the Ontario Under-17 team in next winter’s World Under-17 Challenge, much as Michigan recruit Andrew Cogliano did this winter.

3/2/04

EJHL Approves Expansion into New Jersey

In a meeting at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass. yesterday, EJHL teams, by a three-quarters majority, voted the New Jersey Hitmen into the league for next season.

There were actually two separate ownership groups bidding to put an EJHL expansion team into New Jersey and last Thursday, EJHL owners listened to proposals from both of them.

-- One proposed franchise was from the New Jersey Rockets, one of the premier youth organizations in New Jersey, with top-shelf pee-wee and bantam programs. The Rockets play out of the Bridgewater Ice Arena in Bridgewater, NJ, which is owned by John Sabo, Sr. The Rockets didn’t step into the EJHL expansion process until December.

-- The other group, the New Jersey Hitmen, are a proposed expansion franchise owned and operated by the Masters family, owner of the Boston Jr. Bruins (EJHL).

When the vote was taken yesterday, the Hitmen came out on top. The new franchise will be coached by Toby Harris, who played at GDA and Northwood, and was a teammate and roommate at Boston College with Junior Bruins coach/GM Peter Masters. The team will play out of the Rock Ice Pavilion in Dunellen, NJ, which, like the Rockets’ home, is in central New Jersey, about halfway between Trenton and Manhattan, and reachable from the Philadelphia area. Harris currently manages the arena.

With the Junior Bruins and the Hitmen, the Masters now own two franchises in the EJHL. While owning multiple franchises has been commonplace in the USHL for years, this is a first for the EJHL.

Other EJHL owners were, justifiably, concerned about the possibility of one or the other of the Masters’ franchises gaining an unfair competitive advantage, so the league will be following the USHL guidelines that prohibit trading between the two teams and that limit votes to one per ownership group regardless of how many teams they own. A few other smaller guidelines were also reported to be enacted.

EJHL owners, going into this whole process, felt New England to be oversaturated, and would only consider expansion outside the region. New Jersey was considered a choice target because of the fact that there is a player pool in the area that has only been superficially scratched by the league. Every year, 10-12 new Div. I players a year come out of the area stretching from New Jersey south through Washington, DC. That’s the talent pool the Hitmen will be targeting. Right now, in the vast majority of cases, the top New Jersey players generally head for prep school in New England.

3/2/04

Bandits Pick McLaughlin as New Head Coach

The new head coach of the Bridgewater Bandits (EJHL) is Mike McLaughlin, 33, an assistant on Jack Arena’s staff at Amherst College for the last couple of years. McLaughlin, an experienced businessman who owns a couple of bars in the Springfield, Mass. area, will also be the general manager of Hub City Hockey.

McLaughlin, described as a teacher/motivator type, played in prep school at Choate and for the Junior Pics (EJHL), then played four years at the University of Vermont. A left wing, he played on the Catamounts with John LeClair and Aaron Miller, and was drafted by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 1988 NHL draft. After his college career, McLaughlin played for Rochester and Binghamton in the AHL, and for several ECHL and German pro teams before hanging them up in 1997.

The Bridgewater franchise, which has won only four games this season, can only improve under McLaughlin.

Bandits owner Scott Harlow picked McLaughlin from a group of about twenty candidates.

3/2/04

Proctor #1 in Final Div. II Prep Poll

Head coach Mike Walsh has Proctor healthy, on a roll, and peaking at the right time. And for the first time since the beginning of the season, Proctor is #1 in the USHR Div. II prep poll.

Walsh, who has four consecutive Div. II titles (three with Tilton, and one with Proctor) will be aiming for #5 as Proctor begins quarterfinal play Wed. with a tilt against #8 Kent’s Hill.

Pingree, 6-1 losers to Hebron in Saturday action, drop out of the top spot they’d held in their grip since January.

USHR Div. II Prep Poll: March 2, 2004

3/2/04

Beantown Spring Classic Taking Shape

The dates of the Beantown Spring Classic, an invitation-only tournament run by the Masters and the Junior Bruins organization, have been changed to Tues-Wed.-Thurs March 23-24-25 with games each day at 4:00, 6:15, and 8:15 pm.

The tournament site is expected to be Boston College’s Conte Forum. However, if the Boston College men’s basketball team fails to make the NCAA tournament, they will be hosting NIT preliminary round games at the Conte Forum – and the Beantown Classic will have to pack up and move to the Worcester Centrum.

In either case, the dates and times will remain the same.

There will be seven teams in the tournament – four teams of draft-eligible players (‘84s, ‘85s, and ‘86s) and a three-team pre-draft division (‘87s, ‘88s).

The draft division will play at 4:00 and 8:15 each day. All four teams, to be coached by NHL scouts, will play a game every day.

Invited players for the draft division players include Chris Bourque, Boomer Ewing, Torrey Mitchell, Chris Davis, Mike Atkinson, Jean-Francois Boucher, Josh Robertson, Chris Mueller, Alex Berry, Matt Connors, Matt Burto, Kevin Karwoski, Jon Rheault, Dave Germain, Ben Camper, Jon Pelle, Matt Duffy, Kevin Kielt, Bret Tyler, Kyle Koziara, Keith Yandle, Steve McClellan, Keith Longo, Cory Schneider, Jon Quick, Zane Kalemba, Nevin Hamilton, Jeff Mansfield, Jake Thaler, Dimitri Papaevagelou, and Nevin Hamilton.

The pre-draft division will play at 6:15 pm each day. There are three teams, which means that on each day two out of the three teams will be in action, and one will have the day off.

Invited players for the pre-draft division include Ben Smith, Doug Rogers, Joe Whitney, Chris Atkinson, Nick Grasso, James Marcou, Jeremy Stocker, Tony Romano, Ty Fernandez, Max Gratchev, Tommy Schmicker, Danny Rossman, Garrett Peters, Vladimir Nikiforov, Bobby Butler, Benn Ferriero, Luke Popko, Ben Ketchum, Kyle Kucharski, Brian Strait, Matt Kronk, Corey Toy, Tim Kunes, Bobby Sanguinetti, Kevin Montgomery, Tommy Dignard, Cody Wild, Wes Vesperini, Brian Foster, Justin Gates, Nathan Kudla, and Ryan Simpson.  

The above are partial lists of players invited. We'll print the full rosters when they are finalized.  

3/1/04

Northwood’s Fleming to Retire

Northwood head coach Tom Fleming has announced his retirement, effective at the end of the season.

Fleming will stay on at Northwood as AD and teacher.

Fleming, a top forward at Dartmouth College in the early ‘70s, has coached hockey for 26 years, starting out at Acton-Boxboro (Mass.) HS, where, with teams featuring the likes of future first round NHL draft pick Tom Barrasso and future Harvard star and US Olympian Alan Bourbeau, he posted a 103-6-5 record in five years, At Northwood, where Fleming’s 21-year record is 510-148-29, he coached a slew of top players and great teams, the best being the 1986-87 team, which went 21-1-1 and included 15 players who went on to play Div. I. Among the kids Fleming coached at Northwood were three-time Olympian and future Hall of Famer Mike Richter, Olympians Tony Granato and Jim Campbell, plus others who went on to the NHL like Chris Winnes (UNH), Mike Hurlbut (St. Lawrence), and Scott Morrow (UNH). Current NHLers who played at Northwood include Craig Conroy (Calgary Flames) and Chris Therien (Philadelphia Flyers). Those are just some of the more recognizable names – there have also been dozens of top-notch college players who never made the pros -- guys like Clarkson D Dave Tretowicz -- who also went through the Northwood program.

In recent years, Northwood hasn’t had it rolling like they did in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, as junior hockey has made inroads on their program.

We do not know yet who the candidates are for the Northwood job, or what the school’s hiring timeline is.

Northwood's last game of the season is on March 18.

3/1/04

Taft Tabs Murphy

Avon Old Farms assistant coach Dan Murphy will be taking over as the next head coach at the Taft School.

Murphy replaces Mike Maher, the Rhinos coach for the last 17 years. Maher was recently hired as the headmaster of the Berkshire School.

Murphy, 33, is a Hamden, Conn. native who went on to star at the Gunnery. After his junior year there, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fifth round of the 1988 draft. As a senior at Gunnery he was captain of the ’88-89 team.

After prep school, Murphy played four years for Shawn Walsh at the University of Maine, and was an assistant captain on the ’92-93 NCAA championship team that went 42-1-2. (Murphy’s teammates that year included Garth Snow and Mike Dunham, Chris Imes, Jim Montgomery, Cal Ingraham, Matt Martin, Paul Kariya, and the Ferraro twins – not a bad bunch.)

After graduating from Maine, Murphy played for three years in the East Coast League, with Charlotte, Raleigh, and Roanoke.

In 1996, he returned to the Gunnery, where he worked in admissions for two years and was an assistant hockey coach under Matt Holloway.

In the fall of 1998, Murphy moved over to Avon, where he’s worked on John Gardner’s staff for the past six years.

Now, he’s moving on to Taft where he’ll teach history as well as coach.

“It’s a tremendous opportunity,” he said. “Being a head coach has long been a goal of mine. I’m really thrilled.”

“It’s a great place, and I’m up for the challenge.”