1/31/08
'Consistently Dangerous'
5’11”, 160 lb. RC Michael Montagna, one of the top ’92 forwards in the U.S., has committed to the University of Vermont for the fall of ’10.Montagna, who started the season with the Syracuse Junior Stars of the Empire League, where he was coached by his father, Scott, was brought up to the Syracuse EJHL team in December. He’s on the shelf now with a shoulder injury.
With the Empire League team he played 21 games and had a 15-30-45 line with 14 penalty minutes.
We first saw him last summer at the Select 15 Festival and described him as “consistently dangerous.” He’s just a smart player who, if he’s not setting someone up for a scoring chance, is creating one for himself. He just thinks the game very well for his age.
Montagna means mountain in Italian, so it seems right that he’s going to the Green Mountain state to play his college hockey. A 7/11/92 birthdate, he’s from Fulton, NY, a suburb of Syracuse. Not surprisingly, he’s been getting a lot of attention from OHL teams.
1/29/08
Will Tabbed as Next Head Coach at Salisbury
Look for Upper Canada College head coach Andrew Will to be named the next head coach of the Salisbury School.
Will will take over for interim head coach Matt Corkery and will begin his tenure in the fall of ’08-09 season
The official announcement will come once Will, a native of North York, Ontario and a UCC alum, gets his green card.
Will’s name was in the mix last summer, when Salisbury was attempting to find a replacement for Dan Donato, now at the Dexter School in Brookline, Mass. Salisbury headmaster Chis Chandler instead asked Corkery, Donato’s predecessor as head coach and a man whose name is synonymous with Salisbury hockey (as well as an assistant on Donato’s staff), to take the job as a one-year interim head coach in order to buy some time, and Corkery agreed. Chandler said at the time that he was reluctant to take a coach from another school so late in the summer. It's also quite possible that Will, while he may have wanted to take the Salisbury job last summer, might have been conflicted about it, as leaving would have left his alma mater without a head coach -- and little time in which to find a suitable replacement.
Will, 33, is highly regarded in the college and prep fraternity. After graduating from UCC in 1993, he went on to Union College, where he was team captain as a senior and winner of the ECAC’s best defensive defenseman award. After his graduation in 1997 Will played for two years in the coast league with the Mobile Mystics, and then returned to Union in 1999,where he would spend the next four years as an assistant on the staff of Kevin Sneddon.
In the early summer of 2003, Sneddon was hired as head coach at Vermont, and Nate Leaman took over at Union. Leaman chose to bring on his own assistants, and Will headed to RPI, joining Dan Fridgen’s staff for the ’03-04 season.
In the summer of ’04, the job at Upper Canada College, a prestigious day/boarding school in Toronto job opened up, and Will won the position.
1/27/08
Reddin Finally Plays
Colin Reddin left the U.S. Under-18 Team on January 10th to sign with the Portland Winter Hawks (WHL). Problem was, he didn’t yet have his release from USA Hockey – and USA Hockey, which doesn’t like seeing kids fleeing the NTDP for major junior, wasn’t about to hand it over without a fight.
Reddin had signed a player agreement contract two years ago with Portland, so, had he chosen the college route, would have had to sit out a year.
Instead, Reddin did his sitting out this month, in Portland, Oregon. Late Thursday, two weeks after he’d arrived in the city, and after watching eight games from the stands, he finally got his release, and played his first games with the Winter Hawks on Friday (at Calgary) and Saturday (at Edmonton).
The deal struck between the Winter Hawks and USA Hockey – the negotiations also involved the WHL, the CHL, and Hockey Canada -- was described by Winter Hawks team owner Jack Donovan as “unprecedented.”
Sources have indicated to us that USA Hockey was originally asking for $75,000 from Portland.
However, we doubt Portland paid that much. Our best guess is that Portland paid somewhere in the middle of the $15,000-$50,000 range.
A 6/23/90 birthdate from Corona Del Mar, Calif., Reddin was a third round pick of Portland in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft. With the U.S. Under-18 Team he had a 2-7-9 line in 26 games played.
1/24/08
Atlantic All-Stars Face Off on Sunday
The Atlantic Junior Hockey League all-star game will take place this Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Freitas Ice Forum at the University of Connecticut. Game time is at 1:30 pm.
Going into the break, the top teams in the league’s North Division are the Portland Junior Pirates (.734) and the Northern Cyclones (.662). The top teams in the South Division are the NJ Rockets (.766) and the NY Bobcats (.742).
Here are the rosters for Sunday:
NORTH DIVISION
Goaltenders: Andrew Ross, ’87 (Bulldogs); Nick Broadwater, ’89 (Pirates); Seth McNary, ’87 (Express). Alternates: Colin Saltiel, ’89 (Bulldogs); Tyler Reid, ’90 (Wolfpack).
Defensemen: Pasha Kozhokin, ’87 (Bulldogs); Paul Arnott, ’87 (Cyclones); Ryan Boucher, ’90 (Pirates); Zach Carriveau, ’90 (Pirates); Jason Michaud, ’88 (Pirates); Chris La Bella, ’87 (Express); Kevin Miller, ’87 (Wolfpack); Jordan Cutler, ’87 (Cyclones). Alternate: Brendan Jamison, ’89 (Express).
Forwards: Mike Ashley, ’87 (Bulldogs); Andrew Strathman, ’87 (Cyclones); Tony Resendes, ’87 (Cyclones); Evan Carriere, ’88 (Cyclones); Corbin Rosemarin, ’88 (Cyclones); Tim Coffman, ’87 (Leafs); Bobby Hannah, ’88 (Pirates); Niko Uola, ’87 (Pirates); Cody Carlson, ’88 (Pirates); Andrew Wilcox, ’87 (Express); Steve Bussey, ’87 (Express); Steve Lucchetti, ’88 (Express). Alternate: Ian Flanagan, ’88 (Bulldogs).
Coaches: Jay Pecora (Portland); Chris Cerella (Walpole); Bill Flanagan (Northern).
SOUTH DIVISION
Goaltenders: Kevin Bendel, ’87 (Binghamton); Keith Kinkaid, ’89 (Bobcats); Erick Cinotti, ’90 (Rockets).
Defensemen: Herschell Emerson, ’88 (Binghamton); Mike Demayo, ’87 (Bobcats); Dan Scagnelli, ’89 (Bobcats; Wayne Sands, ’87 (Flyers); Taylor Morgan, ’90 (Flyers); Jack Callahan, ’90 (Rockets); JR Lafferty, ’91 (Rockets); Rich Ernyey, ’87 (Rockets). Alternate: Jarred Tinordi, ’92 (Nationals).
Forwards: Taylor Mansfield, ’89 (Binghamton); Thomas Galiani, ’87 (Bobcats); Matt Irving, ’90 (Bobcats); Anthony Fitti, ’87 (Flyers); Andrew Burke, ’87 (Flyers); John Parker, ’92 (Rockets); Dan Cassano, ’88 (Rockets); Pat McAuley, ’88 (Rockets); Matt Tinordi, ’89 (Nationals); Craig Kitto, ’90 (Nationals); Ryan Holley, ’89 (Nationals).
*Alternate: Kyle Mieczkowski, ’90 (Binghamton). Injured: Scott Birnstill, ’87 (Bobcats).
Coaches: Bob Thornton (New Jersey); Ed Galiani (New York); Mark Tinordi (Washington).
1/25/08
Robinson to Tech
Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) goaltender Josh Robinson has committed to Michigan Tech for the fall of 2008.
A 12/1/89 birthdate from Frankenmuth, Michigan, best known as the home of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, Robinson grew up playing AA hockey for the Northland Stars. However, in September 2006 -- just 16 months ago – he made the jump to the Soo Indians Midget AAA team. He was with the Indians for just one month, though, as he was drafted by the Musketeers in the first round of the October 2006 Futures Draft and brought in to help the USHL team immediately.
This, then, is his second season in the USHL. In 20 games, he has a 2.60 gaa and a .921 save percentage (third-best in the league).
Robinson, who is 6’0”, ,176 lbs., played on the US team that went to the World Hockey Challenge in Trail, BC this past November, and will also be playing in Tuesday’s USHL All-Star Game in Green Bay. He was also ranked #23 in NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Ranking of North American goaltenders last week.
"Josh is a very focused goalie, well beyond his years," said Musketeers assistant coach Bobby Kinsella. “His mental focus is what makes him the player that he is" His commitment to being a goalie is one of the best I have witnessed."
Other schools that were in the picture for Robinson included Clarkson, Quinnipiac, Miami-Ohio, and Notre Dame.
***
Cushing senior center Brian Maguire has committed to the University of Connecticut. Maguire, Cushing’s leading scorer, has a 15-20-35 line in 20 games played.
1/26/08
Four for U.S. Under-17s, Temporarily Anyway
The U.S. Under-17 Team is heading to Piestany, Slovakia in a week or so to take part in the Vladimir Dzurilla and have added four players for the tournament, which is technically an Under-18 event.Joining the team will be:
-- Forward Mark Goggin, a ’90 from Choate, and a Dartmouth recruit.
-- Forward Tyler Pitlick, a ’91 from Centennial HS (Minn.) and the nephew of Lance Pitlick.
-- Forward Derek Stepan, a ’90 from Shattuck and a University of Wisconsin recruit.
-- Defenseman John Ramage, a ’91 from the St. Louis Bandits (NAHL) and the son of former NHL defenseman Rob Ramage.
By the way, the tournament is named for the great Czech National Team goaltender of the 1960s and ‘70s. Dzurilla, a refrigerator repairman by day, shut out the Canadians in the round robin portion of the 1976 Canada Cup. Who was on that Canadians team? Try Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke, Marcel Dionne, Phil Esposito, Bob Gainey, Danny Gare, Bobby Hull, Guy Lafleur, Guy Lapointe, Reggie Leach, Richard Martin, Peter Mahovlich, Lanny McDonald, Bobby Orr, Gil Perreault, Denis Potvin, Larry Robinson, Serge Savard, Steve Shutt, Darryl Sittler, Carol Vadnais, and Jimmy Watson. Rogie Vachon was the goalie. Not a bad team. And that’s why he has a tournament named after him, and the rest of us don’t. Dzurilla went on to become a coach, and presumably kept pushing those refrigerators. I expect he autographed a few, particularly in ’76.
Holy Angels Hits the Road
1/18/08 Updated
The Academy of Holy Angels (Richfield, Minn.) is coming east this weekend to play a pair of games, one vs. Catholic Memorial and one against Mount St. Charles.
The game vs. Catholic Memorial is on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 and will be played at Harvard University.
The game vs. Mount St. Charles will be on Monday morning at 10:00 am at Adelard Arena, on the school’s campus in Woonsocket, RI.
Last season, Holy Angels was 26-1-1 but didn’t make it to the state tournament, getting upset in the sectional final by Burnsville. A couple of the stars from that team, defenseman Bryan Brutlag and forward Chase Polacek, are now freshmen at RPI, but they still have junior center and captain Danny Mattson, a University of North Dakota recruit for the fall of’09.
So far this season, Holy Angels is 9-4-0, but have won their last five in a row. On Tuesday, they upset #5-ranked Hill-Murray, 5-4.
Updates:
-- On Saturday at Harvard University, CM battled Holy Angels to a 2-2 tie. Mattson scored both Holy Angels goals, the first a shorthanded tally just 14 seconds into the game. Just six seconds after that, CM's Mike Collins tied things up with a power play goal. Shane Walsh would score CM's other goal. Tim Conlin had 19 saves for CM; Michael Webb had 25 for Holy Angels.
-- On Monday in Woonsocket, Mount St. Charles notched a goal five seconds into the third period to pull even with Holy Angels at 2-2. However, 30 seconds later, Holy Angels, a young but fast team, regained the lead, and control of the game, and skated off 5-3 winners. Mattson was the standout, finishing with two goals and two assists (his second goal was an empty-netter). Mattson had a hand in six of the seven goals Holy Angels scored in their two games in New England.
1/18/08
College Commitments
Denver has a commitment from Camrose Kodiaks (AJHL) forward Sean Ostrow for the fall of ’09 or ’10.
A 5’10”, 175 lb. right shot center, Ostrow is a 3/17/90 birthdate who played for the Calgary Flames Midget AAA squad last year. With Camrose, where he is a teammate -- though not linemate -- of fellow Denver recruit Joe Colborne, Ostrow has played 41 games and has a 20-28-48 line.
Ostrow has speed, and a good stick. His brother, Kyle Ostrow, a freshman forward, is already at Denver, so a lot of schools probably figured it was a foregone conclusion that he’d be an automatic at Denver. However, Michigan State and UNH gave it their best shot.
Ostrow has also been drafted by the USHL's Ohio Junior Blue Jackets.
***
Lawrence Academy junior forward Wayne Simpson has committed to Union College for the fall of ’09.
In 19 games at Lawrence so far this season, Simpson has a team-leading 15-19-34 line.
Simpson, a right-shot center and an 11/19/89 birthdate, is the brother of John Simpson, currently a freshman at Union. The two are slightly different players. The older brother’s biggest asset is his speed, while the younger brother is more the cerebral playmaker type.
Simpson, who is 5’11”, 180 lbs., is from Boxborough, Mass.
***
Holy Cross has a commitment for this coming fall from Salisbury School senior defenseman Matt Clune, a Toronto, Ont. native who, in 10 games, has a 1-2-3 line for Salisbury.
Clune, who played last season for St. Mike’s (OPJHL), is an ’89 and the younger brother of Dallas Stars prospect Richard Clune.
***
Yale has a commitment from former Jersey Hitmen (EJHL) and Choate forward Will Peltz for this coming fall. Peltz, a playmaker type with good hands and a knack around the net, spent one and a half years with the Jersey Hitmen (EJHL), posting a line of 21-33-53 in 65 games.
A native of Mt. Kisco, NY, Peltz graduated from Choate in ’05 and is a 5/30/86 birthdate. He’s not playing hockey this season, but will be ready to hit the ice in the fall.
1/18/08
Another Young Blue Chipper for CC
Super-talented ’92 forward Jaden Schwartz of the Notre Dame Hounds (Saskatchewan Midget AAA League) has made a verbal commitment to Colorado College for the fall of ’10. He’ll arrive in Colorado Springs along with ’91 forward Dakota Eveland (Omaha Lancers) and ’92 forward Colten St. Clair (P.F. Chang’s Midget AAA), giving CC a troika of high-end young forwards to start the next decade.
Schwartz is the younger brother of CC ’08 recruit Rylan Schwartz, a ’90 on Notre Dame’s junior team. His older sister, Mandi Schwartz, is a sophomore forward at Yale.
Schwartz is currently leading his league with a 27-41-68 line in 27 games played. The second place scorer, who is two years older, trails by 11 points.
A left-shot centerman, Schwartz stands 5’9”, 175 lbs. and is a 6/25/92 birthdate. He was drafted by the Tri-City Americans (WHL), as were his two linemates, 6’2” Jordan Messier and 5’9” Brooks Macek. Needless to say, Tri-City wants the whole group of them.
Schwartz’s coach, Dale Derkatch, a small forward who was drafted out of the WHL by Edmonton in the ‘80s, says Schwartz is a very intelligent hockey player. “His hockey sense is very, very good,” he said. “He’s on the small side, but he’s very strong in terms of balance. He has a quick release to his shot and he’s very unselfish. He’s a good playmaker. He’s not only quick, but he’s fast in a straight line. He has quick moves and quick hands.”
“He competes hard. Consistency is a factor as he’s still young. He never has a bad game. He just has good games, very good games, or excellent games. So you can’t complain there.”
“In my four years here (at Notre Dame) he’s the best player I’ve seen at his age.”
Derkatch, in describing Schwartz’s playing style, pointed to Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby. “I know it’s awful to say this, mainly because the guy who is best at 15 is not always the best at 18, but they are similar styled players – the strength, the quickness, the agility. Like Crosby, he’s not big but he’s strong in the legs and in the middle part of his body. Just very good balance, and he’s strong on the puck.”
1/16/08
EJHL All Stars: Team Rosters & Game Times
Here are the rosters for the EJHL All-Star games, which will be played at 1:30 and 3:30 pm Monday at the Tri-Town Arena in Hookset, NH.
The game will follow the Empire League All-Star game, which gets underway at 11:00 am.
It would be nice to see the EJHL follow the lead of the 19-member Empire League which, like most leagues, names two teams of all-stars. The EJHL, which consists of 14 teams, sends four teams to its all star tournament, which obviously devalues the honor. If the NHL followed this practice, the league would have to nominate eight all-star teams!
Northern Division
Southern Division
1/15/08
Empire Junior Hockey League All-Stars Announced
The Empire Junior Hockey League will be hosting its annual All Star game at the Tri-Town Arena in Hooksett, NH on Mon. Jan. 21 at 11:00 am, immediately preceding the Eastern Junior Hockey League All Star games that same day.
The American Conference All Stars will be coached by Pittsburgh’s Dan Serakowski. His assistants will be Maksymum’s Tony Maksymiu and AppleCore’s Chris Cosentino.
The National Conference will be coached by the Junior Bruins’ Chris Masters, who will have New Hampshire’s Ryan Frew and Bay State’s Kyle Robertson assisting him.
The top four teams in the league are the Junior Bruins, with a 20-2-0-2 record and an .875 winning percentage. The New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, Maksymum, and Pittsburgh all follow with an identical .806 winning percentage.
The five leading scorers in the league are Greg Jensen (Jersey, ’88 birthdate, 58 pts.), Joe Wilson (Syracuse, ’92 birthdate, 55 pts.), John Hero (Jersey, ’89 birthdate, 48 pts.), Ryan Farman (Cap District, ’90 birthdate, 46 pts.), and Dan Monahan (Brewster, ’90 birthdate, 46 pts.).
The leading scoring defenseman is listed as Jeff Lace (Bridgewater, '89 birthdate), but he's played about half his game at forward. Tommy Monteiro (Junior Bruins, '89 birthdate), Pat Williams (Bay State, '87), Nick Jones (Pittsburgh, no birthdate), Sean Wallace (Maksymum, '90 birthdate), and Josh McGilvroy (Cap District, no birthdate) are the legit top scoring d-men, each with 22 points.
The top five goalies are Eddie Thomas (Bay State, ’88 birthdate, .932), John Cullen (Maksymum, ’91 birthdate, .931), Daniel Sullivan (Apple Core, no birthdate given, .930), Connor Shannon (New Hampshire, ’90 birthdate, .923), and Nick Therrien, New Hampshire, ’90 birthdate, .916).
American Conference All Stars:
Goaltenders: John Cullen (Maksymum); Shane Talarico (Pittsburgh)
Defensemen: Matt Markowski (Maksymum); Andrew Balzafiore (AppleCore); Sean Wallace (Maksymum); Matt Krug (Buffalo); Dan Honovic (AppleCore); Nick Jones (Pittsburgh).
Forwards: Mike Montagna (Syracuse); Bill Sullivan (Pittsburgh); Kyle Richards (Pittsburgh); Frank Posillico (AppleCore); Nick Winebrenner (Pittsburgh); Tyler Wynn (Tri-State): Bill Lemen (Maksymum); John Hero (Jersey); Shane Prince (Maksymum); Dan Monahan (Brewster); Ryan Cunningham (Buffalo); Greg Jensen (Jersey); Joe Wilson (Syracuse).
National Conference All Stars:
Goaltenders: Connor Shannon (New Hampshire); Clay Witt (Junior Bruins).
Defensemen: Bryan Soderberg (South Shore); Brian Salicco (Salem); Josh McGilvroy (CD Selects); Andrew Parent (Bay State Breakers); Josh Reagan (Green Mountain); Nate Linard (Bay State Breakers); Tommy Monteiro (Junior Bruins); Brice O’Connor (New Hampshire).
Forwards: Joe Rackett (New Hampshire); Max Barron (Junior Bruins); Jordan Messier ( New Hampshire); Aaron Ward (Valley); Devon Shippee (South Shore); Max Capuano (Bridgewater Bandits); Jeff Croak (Bay State Breakers); Joseph Pendenza (Junior Bruins); Steve Scott (New Hampshire); Justin Mansfield (Junior Bruins); Trevor Peltak (Fitchburg); Joe Budnick (New England). Injured: Nick Foy (Junior Bruins).
1/11/08
Reddin Leaves NTDP
5’10”, 180 lb. U.S. Under-18 Team forward Colin Reddin has left the NTDP and has signed with the Portland Winter Hawks (WHL).
Reddin arrived in Portland last night and will be in the lineup tonight as the Winter Hawks host Spokane. Portland, which numbers forward Tyler Swystun, who played one year for the University of Michigan, among its players currently holds the worst record (8-31-0) in the WHL.
A 6/23/90 birthdate from Corona Del Mar, Calif., Reddin was a third round pick of Portland in the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft. With the U.S. Under-18 Team he had a 2-7-9 line in 26 games played.
Reddin had signed a player agreement contract two years ago with Portland, so he was tainted and, had he chosen the college route, would have had to sit out a year. His situation was the same as that of Garry Nunn, the Mankato State recruit from the Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) who, in November, went major junior, joining the Vancouver Giants (WHL).
1/10/08
Northwest Giants in Town
The Northwest Giants are in the Boston area today through Saturday for three games.Ten days ago, in Calgary, Alberta, the Northwest Giants became the first British Columbia team to win a medal in the 30-year history of the prestigious MAC’s Midget AAA hockey tournament, taking the silver after falling to a powerhouse team from Russia (Severstal) in the championship game. ’90 goaltender Peter Alexander was named the top goaltender at the tournament, and ’91 D Cole Gelley and small ’91 forward Garrett Milan were named to the all-tournament team.
Right now, the Northwest Giants are 25-0-1 in the BC Major Midget League. A lot of their players have been drafted by WHL teams and one, ’92 center Jordan Weal, has appeared in major junior games (three of them, for Regina). Their coach, Jon Calvano, a former WHL scout, wants his players to look at all their options. They have five or six players who could play for top Div. I programs. They also have some good students who would make excellent Div. III players. Prep school is a possibility for some.
Here’s the schedule:
Today, 1:00 pm, vs. Boston Advantage Midget AAA (at Cushing Academy)
Friday, 2:00 pm, vs. Boston Jr. Bruins Empire Team (at Harvard University)
Saturday, 1:00 pm, vs. South Shore Kings Empire Team (at UNH)
Update: Results:
Thurs. Jan. 10, 2008 -- Northwest Giants 1, Boston Advantage Midget AAA 0
Fri. Jan. 11, 2008 -- Northwest Giants 4, Boston Jr. Bruins (Empire) 4 -- NW Giants win shootout
Sat. Jan. 12, 2008 -- Northwest Giants 4, South Shore Kings (Empire) 1
Our picks for top players on the squad -- and we're going to go with four -- were:
-- Jordan Weal, a 5'8", 148 lb. RC with a great stick ('92 birthdate).
-- Garrett Milan, a 5'7", 140 lb. LC with a quick stick. Similiar to Weal in that he's a high-skill, nifty forward ('91 birthdate).
-- Joey Laleggia, a 5'8", 140 lb. LD along the lines of BU recruit Dave Warsofsky ('92 birthdate)
-- Max Reinhart, a 6'0", 160 lb. LC who has size, once he fills out, and has hands. Made sharp, short passes. Son of former NHL defenseman Paul Reinhart ('92 birthdate).
All four are really good Div. I prospects. However, Weal, as we mentioned above, has played three games in the Dub, so he'd have to sit a year plus three games.
1/9/08
Hayes Leaves BC
5’9”, 189 lb. Boston College freshman forward Ryan Hayes has left school to sign with the Plymouth Whalers (OHL).Hayes, who has played six games and has a 2-1-3 line and was likely one injured player away from getting into the lineup regularly, met with BC head coach Jerry York before this morning’s skate (the Eagles are at home tonight vs. Vermont). York tried to talk Hayes out of his decision, but the Syracuse native had apparently already made up his mind to leave.
Hayes was drafted by Plymouth in 2005 (sixth round, #109 overall). That fall, while an 11th grader in Ann Arbor with the U.S. Under-17 Team, Hayes was a regular at Whalers games and many assumed that after the season ended he’d sign with Plymouth. Instead, that January, he committed to Boston College.
Hayes, a June ’89 birthdate from Syracuse, NY, has excellent hands and a scorer’s instinct for getting open. He moves well in small areas, but is small and not a burner. He still has a lot to learn about play away from the puck. He could have become a very good, productive college player, and received a degree. In 34 games last year with the US Under-18 Team, he had a 27-18-45 line.
The Omaha Lancers (USHL) added Hayes to their protected list a couple of days ago, hoping that if he left Boston College he’d take that route and leave his options open. Lancers head coach Mike Hastings said last night he had a gut feeling that Hayes was going to opt for Plymouth over the USHL. And he was right.
1/8/08
Schmidt to Gophers
6’0”, St. Cloud Cathedral sophomore defenseman Nate Schmidt has committed to the University of Minnesota for the fall of ’10. 7/16/91 birthdate from St. Cloud, Schmidt made his final choice from between St. Cloud State, North Dakota, Colorado College, and the Gophers.
Schmidt, who has played varsity since the 8th grade, has a 6-8-14 line in 11 games, and was the #1 overall pick for the expansion Fargo Force, the USHL team that, under head coach/GM Dean Blais, will enter the league this fall.
Schmidt was invited to the NTDP tryout camp last March, but was limited in what he could do because of a broken wrist suffered in high school play. He skates well, has good puck skills, and has a strong shot. He’s physical and works hard, too.
1/8/08
Maley to Huskies
5’10”, 180 lb. Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) defenseman J.P. Maley has committed to Northeastern for either the fall of ’08 or ’09.A mobile puck-moving defenseman who can skate but is also strong in his own end, Maley had knee surgery at the end of last season, spent with the St. Louis Bandits (NAHL), and was on injured reserve as his recuperation continued into this season. He played his first game this season on Nov. 22. Since then, in 15 games, he has a 1-4-5 line.
Maley, a 5/18/89 birthdate from Austin, Texas, played in the Texas Alliance Bulldogs Midget Major team before going to the NAHL last season.
In addition to Northeastern, Yale and Union were in the picture.
01/9/08
NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings Released
The Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings have been released.
Here's the link:
January 9, 2008: NHL Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings
1/4/08
U.S. Under-17s Fall to Ontario in Final
London, Ont. – The U.S. Under-17 Team was defeated tonight by Team Ontario in the championship game of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge here tonight.Team Ontario finishes the tournament with a perfect 6-0-0 mark. The U.S. finishes 4-2-0.
Taylor Hall (Windsor – OHL) scored an unassisted goal to put Ontario up 1-0 in the first period.
In the second, a US neutral zone turnover allowed Hall and Peter Holland (Guelph – OHL) to break in alone on a 2-on-0. Holland tapped Hall’s pass home at the 7:24 mark, giving Team Ontario a 2-0 lead.
Less than two minutes later Matthew Duchene (Brampton – OHL) snapped a wrist shot from the left face off circle, beating U.S. goaltender Brandon Maxwell five-hole to make it 3-0 Team Ontario.
There was no scoring in the third period.
The U.S. outshot Team Ontario 28-19. Bryce O’Hagen (Soo Greyhounds – OHL) kicked out all 28 shots to earn the shutout. Maxwell stopped 16 of 19 for the U.S.
"I was certainly proud of our effort during this tournament," said Ron Rolston, U.S. head coach. "We put ourselves in a position to play for a championship, but Team Ontario was the better team tonight. They were more committed to doing what they needed to do to win, and that was the difference in the game."
Notes:
The game, which was broadcast across Canada on TSN, drew a crowd of 8,889 to the John Labatt Centre.
U.S. defenseman Cam Fowler, a Notre Dame recruit, was named to the tournament all-star team. Leading scorer for the U.S. here was Jeremy Morin, who finished with a 6-2-8 line. Morin finished 11th overall. The top two scorers at the tournament were Brayden Schenn (6-7-13) and Jimmy Bubnick (6-6-12), both of Team West.
All except two players on Team Ontario play in the OHL. The exceptions were D Brett Cook (Huntsville – OPJHL) and Ethan Werek (Stouffville – OPJHL).
Scoring By Period:
USA 0-0-0=0
ONT 1-2-0=3
First Period - Scoring: ONT, Hall (unassisted) 12:56. /// Penalties: USA, Ryan (slashing), 3:16.
Second Period - Scoring: ONT, Holland (Hall) 7:24; ONT, Duchene (Hermenegildo) 9:23. /// Penalties: USA, Valek (interference) 2:17; ONT, Kassian (goaltender interference) 2:43; ONT, Agozzino (roughing) 10:57; USA, Golembiewski (roughing) 10:57; ONT, Hermenegildo (slashing) 12:58.
Third Period - No Scoring. /// Penalties: USA, Amburgey (holding) 1:09; ONT, Hermenegildo (roughing) 10:18.
Shots by Period:
USA 5-14-9=28
ONT 7-5-7=19
Goaltenders:
USA, Maxwell 19/16
ONT, O’Hagen 28/28
1/5/08 Update: Canada edges Sweden, 3-2 in OT, for fourth straight world junior championship. No Medal for the U.S.
Pardubice, Czech Republic – The Russian National Junior Team busted out to a 3-0 first period lead, added another early in the second to go up 4-0 and held on for a 4-2 win over the U.S. here to take the bronze medal this afternoon at the 2008 World Junior Championship.
"It was disappointing to finish the way we did after such a good start in this tournament," said U.S. head coach John Hynes. "We lacked the intensity we needed today."
In the first period, the U.S. had four power plays but nothing to show for it, while Russia struck for three goals – two even strength, and one with the man advantage -- against Jeremy Smith.
At the start of the second, Joe Palmer replaced Smith in the U.S. net. Russia scored a rebound goal 1:30 into the period to go up 4-0.
The U.S. played much better from that point onward, but couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole they had created.
At 10:47 of the second, the U.S. got on the board when Rhett Rakhshani deked Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovsky high glove side to reduce Russia’s lead to 4-1.
In the third, the U.S. scored on a 5x3 power play when Jordan Schroeder scored his first goal of the tournament, letting one go from the top of the face off circle to make it a 4-2 game. Defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti picked up an assist on the goal, which came with 6:21 left to play.
The U.S. could get no closer, but didn’t help their chances by taking two penalties over the game’s final four minutes – and Russia skated off with a 4-2 win, and the bronze medal. As for the U.S. they impressed in the preliminary round, but wilted at all the key moments of the medal round, and only intermittently showed the form that got them into the medal round in the first place.
The big Russian producers were Nikita Filatov (2g,1a) and Alexei Cherepanov (1g,2a). The former, a ’90, raised his stock for this June’s draft. The latter, “The Siberian Express,” was the New York Rangers first round pick last June.
Bobby Sanguinetti was named the U.S. Player of the game. Filatov received the Russian honors.
The top three U.S. players for the whole tournament -- as chosen by the tournament committee -- were James van Riemsdyk, Chris Summers, and Colin Wilson.
Canada-Sweden play for the Gold at 2:00 pm EST (8:00 pm in the Czech Republic.)
Notes:
Final shots were Russia 25, US 21.
Russia’s Bobrovsky kicked out 19 of 21 shots to get the win. In the U.S. net, Smith stopped five of eight shots in 20 minutes of play; Palmer kicked out 16 of 17 in 40 minutes.
Next season's World Junior Championship will be held in Ottawa, Ontario, and will run from Dec. 26, 2008 to Jan. 5, 2009.
Game Summary
Scoring By Period:
| RUS | 3 | 1 | 0 = | 4 |
| USA | 0 | 1 | 1 = | 2 |
First Period - Scoring: RUS Cherepanov (Filatov, Mamin) 3:59; RUS Kurbatov (Tikhonov) 11:04 (pp); RUS Filatov (Cherepanov), 16:57. /// Penalties: RUS, Kalimulin (hooking)5:48; USA, Rust (2-slashing) 8:09; USA, Flynn (checking from behind) 10:43; USA, Flynn (misconduct) 10:43; RUS, Gordeyev (tripping) 12:44; RUS, Kalimulin (tripping) 14:42; RUS, Sayustov (delaying the game) 17:18; USA, Montgomery (hooking) 19:58.
Second Period - Scoring: RUS Filatov (Mamin, Cherepanov) 1:30 (pp); 5, USA Rakhshani (Okposo) 10:47. /// Penalties: USA, Schroeder (holding), 12:26; USA, Ruegsegger (tripping), 16:34.
Third Period - Scoring: USA Schroeder (Sanguinetti) 13:39 (pp). /// Penalties: RUS, Bench (too many players), 12:30; RUS, Tikhonov (hooking), 13:11; USA, Fairchild (tripping), 16:07; USA, Wilson (hooking), 18:38.
|
Shots by Period |
1 |
2 |
3 |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RUS | 8 | 11 | 6 | 25 | |
| USA | 9 | 3 | 9 | 21 | |
| Goaltenders (SH/SV) | 1 | 2 | 3 | Total | |
| RUS, Bobrovsky, 60:00 | 9-9 | 3-2 | 9-8 | 21-19 | |
| USA, Smith, 20:00 | 8-5 | x-x | x-x | 8-5 | |
| USA, Palmer, 40:00 | x-x | 11-10 | 6-6 | 17-16 |
Power Play: RUS 2-7; USA 1-6
Penalties: RUS 6-12, USA 8-24
Officials: Referees - Danny Kurmann (Switzerland), Jyri Petteri Ronn (Finland); Linesmen - Jeff Jobson (Canada), Felix Winnekens (Germany)
Attendance: 5,468
US Results
2008 IIHF World Junior Championship Schedule
Dec. 26-Jan. 5 -- Liberec & Pardubice, Czech Republic
Wed. Dec. 26 – US 5, Kazakhstan 1
Fri. Dec. 28 – US 4, Switzerland 2
Sat. Dec. 29 – US 3, Russia 2
Mon. Dec. 31 –U.S. 5, Finland 3
Wed. Jan. 2 -- Quarterfinals – US gets a bye
Fri. Jan. 4 -- Semifinals – Canada 4, US 1
Sat. Jan. 5 -- Bronze Medal Game -- Russia 4, US 2
1/4/08
Pre-Game Reading
In preparation for today’s US-Canada semifinal (2:00 pm EST) from Pardubice, Czech Republic, we’ve been working our way through all news stories and columns we could find. From them, we’ve picked out a handful that we thought illuminating in one way or another. All will distract you from your work, and put a charge into your level of anticipation.
Before we get to the articles, we should direct you to TSN’s World Junior Page, which will have constant updates, and has links to all sorts of stuff.
Here are some articles we enjoyed reading:
Dave Feschuk, Toronto Star
National Post, Mark Spector column
SI.com, Allan Muir column
James Duthie, The Ottawa Citizen
1/4/08
U.S. Bows to Canada, 4-1, in WJC Semis
Pardubice, Czech Republic – The U.S. lost to Canada 4-1 in semifinal action here tonight, and will meet Russia, a 2-1 loser to Sweden in OT, in the bronze medal game tomorrow (10 am EST).Canada advances to the championship game against Sweden (2:00 pm).
The U.S. and Canada both played strong first periods, and it was anybody’s game going into the second, but Canada got on the board at the 2:46 when Shawn Matthias cut across the top of the crease, outworking U.S. defenseman Jonathan Blum and finding room to beat U.S. goaltender Jeremy Smith as well.
A turning point came at 9:34, when the U.S. took a too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty and, just 36 seconds into the power play, Kyle Turris fed Canadian defenseman Karl Alzner at the right point. Alzner had all the time and space he needed -- Blake Geoffrion had sagged down -- and teed one up on a helpless Smith, who had gotten the knob of his goalie stick caught in the twine on the outside of the net. Suddenly, it was 2-0 Canada and, given the solid play of Alzner, Drew Doughty, and the entire Canadian defensive corps – plus goaltender Steve Mason – the U.S. was looking up a mighty steep hill.
Things looked even worse with about five minutes left in the period when Rust and then Geoffrion were in the box, giving Canada 41 seconds of a 5-on-3. The U.S. held the fort on that one, and, down two goals, was presented with a good chance to get back in the game when they went on a power play of their own for the final 1:51. They came up empty, though.
Early in the third, the wheels came off the bus for the U.S. as Ian Cole took a delay of game penalty just 23 seconds in and then, at 3:53, the U.S. was called for their second too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty. To put it simply, they weren’t giving themselves any chances to get back in the game.
Two quick strikes by Canada, 20 seconds apart and both off U.S. turnovers, put the game out of reach for the U.S. Down 4-0 and in dire straits, the U.S. finally began to play with desperation, but it was a case of too little too late as only one goal came out of it, with James vanRiemsdyk banging home a rebound at the 13:26 mark.
Canadian goaltender Steve Mason, called on for the start over Jonathan Bernier in a move a lot of Canadian fans were second guessing, kicked out 33 of 34 shots for the win.
That said, Mason didn’t have to stand on his head to get this one. Although the final shots were US 34, Canada 24 those numbers don’t actually indicate much beyond than number of shots. Canada had the edge territorially and in terms of Grade A scoring chances. In the second period, for example, the U.S. outshot Canada 13-6, but Canada scored the only two goals of the period.
”Canada played a great game,” said U.S. head coach John Hynes. “Our guys will re-focus and be ready to play tomorrow. We have a chance to win back-to-back medals in this tournament for the first time in the history of our country.”
Scoring By Period
CAN 0-2-2=4
USA 0-0-1=1
First Period - Scoring: None. /// Penalties: CAN, Tavares (kneeing) 3:47.
Second Period - Scoring: CAN, Matthias (Halischuk) 2:46; CAN, Alzner (Turris, Marchand) 10:00 (pp)./// Penalties: CAN, Simmonds (interference) 5:49; USA, Bench (too many players) 9:34; USA, Pacioretty (roughing) 11:14; CAN, Godfrey (roughing) 11:14; USA, Rust (interference) 14:12; USA, Geoffrion (high-sticking) 15:31; CAN, Gillies (hooking) 18:09.
Third Period - Scoring: CAN, Gillies (Sutter) 7:04; CAN, Marchand (Giroux) 7:24; USA, vanRiemsdyk (Carman) 13:26. /// Penalties: USA, Cole (delay of game) :23; USA, Bench (too many players) 3:53; CAN, Schenn (hooking) 18:33; CAN, Pyett (tripping) 19:21.
Shots by period:
CAN 11-6-7=24
USA 10-13-11=34
Goaltenders:
CAN, Mason 34/33
USA, Smith 24/20
Power Play: CAN 1-5; USA 0-5
Penalties: CAN 6-12, USA 6-12
Officials: Referees - Christer Larking (Sweden), Jyri Petteri Ronn (Finland); Linesmen - Konstantin Gordenko (Russia), Mikko Kekalainen (Finland)
Attendance: 5,621
1/3/08
U.S. Under-17s Advance to Gold Medal Game
London, Ontario – The U.S. Under-17 Team edged Team Pacific, 3-2, in the semifinals of the 2008 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge here at the John Labatt Centre tonight.
The U.S. (4-1-0) will meet Team Ontario (5-0-0) in the championship game Friday night at 7:30 pm. The game will be televised live in Canada on TSN.
Tonight, the U.S. broke out to a 2-0 lead after one, on goals by Zach Golembiewski and Drew Shore. On the first goal, U.S. team captain Ryan Bourque, from the neutral zone, made a tape-to-tape pass to A.J. Treais at the blue line. Treais' shot was knocked home by Golembiewski at the 11:31 mark.
With 51 seconds left in the period, Jeremy Morin left the puck in the right faceoff circle for Drew Shore, who put a backhander by Team Pacific goalie Nathan Lieuwen high to the stick side to give the U.S. a 2-0 lead after one.
The only goal of the second period came off the stick of Pacific's Chase Schaber. With his team on the power play, Schaber's shot deflected off a U.S. defender and past goaltender Brandon Maxwell at 17:14.
Just 1:03 into the third period, the U.S. went up 3-1 when Kevin Lynch redirected a Tyler Amburgey shot from the right point high to Lieuwen's glove side.
With 25 seconds left in regulation, and the U.S. already down by a man, Lieuwen was pulled for an extra attacker, giving Team Pacific a two-man advantage. Pacific cashed in, as Ryan Howse wristed a shot past Maxwell, top shelf, from the bottom of the left face off circle. That cut the U.S. lead to one goal, but that was also as close as Team Pacific would come. They will be facing Team West for the bronze today, at 1:00 pm.
"We had a good jump out of the gate, and that was important to have against a strong team like Pacific," said U.S. head coach Ron Rolston. "We were fortunate to have had a day off yesterday, as they had played three games in three days. That's why they call it a tournament though, because you have to play your best hockey after playing a lot of games in a short period of time."
Notes:
The U.S. will be looking for its third title at this event, having won it back-to-back in 2001 (New Glasgow/Truro, Nova Scotia) and 2002 (Selkirk/Stonewall, Manitoba).
Team Ontario will attempt to become the first team to go undefeated at the tournament since the U.S. did it in 2001 in Nova Scotia.
Morin is leading U.S. scorers here with a 6-2-8 line. Defenseman Cam Fowler was named U.S. Player of the Game for the second time in the tournament.
Scoring By Period:
PAC 0-1-1=2
USA 2-0-1=3
First Period - Scoring: USA, Golembiewski (Treais, Bourque), 11:31; USA, Shore (Morin), 19:09. /// Penalties: USA, Morin (high sticking), 1:12: USA, Brown (delay of game), 2:32; PAC, Maylan (hooking), 4:01; USA, Treais (hooking), 9:00; USA, Treais (interference), 14:53; USA, Brown (hooking), 16:35.
Second Period - Scoring: PAC, Schaber (Maylan, Kane), 17:14 (pp). /// Penalties: PAC, Kane (boarding), 2:06; USA, (high sticking), 6:03; PAC, Oursov (tripping), 9:18; USA, Schmitz (interference), 16:23.
Third Period - Scoring: 3, USA, Lynch (Amburgey), 1:03; 2, PAC, Howse (unassisted), 19:35 (pp/ea). /// Penalties: PAC, Schaber (interference), 14:17; USA, Palmieri (tripping), 17:43.
SOG:
PAC 10-8-8=26
USA 12-11-9=32
Goaltenders:
PAC Lieuwen 32/29
USA Maxwell 26/24
Power Play:
PAC 2-8
USA 0-4
Att.: 2,492
US Schedule
World Under-17 Challenge
Fri. Dec. 28 – Team Pacific 5, US 4 – shootout (exhib.)
Sat. Dec. 29 – US 8, Team Atlantic 0
Sun. Dec. 30 – US 6, Russia 2
Mon. Dec. 31 – US 7, Team West 4
Tues. Jan. 1 -- Germany 4, US 2
Thurs. Jan. 3 -- US 3, Team Pacific 2
Fri. Jan. 4 – vs. Team Ontario, 7:30 pm
1/1/08
Eastern Hockey Showcase Final Schedule
A total of 64 teams will be on hand, and each will play three games.
-- All EJHL teams will be on hand except for Capital District. Reportedly, Cap District GM/Coach Jim Salfi refuses to break bread with the AJHL…
… and every AJHL team will be on hand.
-- All Empire League teams that share EJHL ownership will be on hand – a total of 11 teams.
-- All 14 MET League Teams (The MET league is the AJHL’s Jr. B league, much as the Empire is to the EJHL) will be arriving.
-- 7 teams from the Continental Hockey League will be coming to town.
-- Ditto for five independents: San Diego (WSHL), Wheatfield (Golden Horseshoe), Hampton Roads Whalers (Independent), Florida Golden Wolves Midget AAA, Bridgton Academy.
Eastern Winter Showcase Final Revised Schedule
1/1/08
Germany Upsets U.S. Under-17s
London, Ontario – Philipp Grubauer’s 42 saves led Germany to a 4-2 upset of the U.S. in the World Under-17 Challenge here today.
It was the first win of the tournament for Germany, who were outshot 44-24, and the first loss for the U.S., who nonetheless move on to the medal round where they will face either Finland or Team Pacific in a semifinal matchup on Thursday at 7:30 pm.
First Period:
Scoring: GER -- Kuhnhackl (Hauner) SHG 15:05; USA -- Morin (Mattson) 16:22.
Penalties: GER, Bogner (roughing), 1:02; GER, Hufner (tripping), 3:42; USA, Wrenn (hooking), 12:02; GER, Steinhauer (holding), 12:30; USA, Palmieri (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:30.
Second Period:
Scoring: USA -- Brown (Valek, Crowley) 9:02.
Penalties: USA, Lynch (interference), 3:59; USA, Shore (elbowing), 10:53; GER, Bogner (boarding), 15:02; USA, Schmitz (holding), 19:40.
Third Period:
Scoring: GER -- Habermann (Keil) 3:22; GER -- Hauner (Kuhnhackl, Eichinger) 13:34; GER -- Kuhnhackl (Braun) ENG 19:12 .
Penalties: USA, Wrenn (cross checking), 8:29; USA, Schmitz (delay of game), 9:06; GER, Plachta (hooking), 12:32; USA, (roughing), 19:34.
Goaltenders:
USA -- Murray (23/20)
GER – Grubauer (44/42)
1/1/08
A Zajac for Union
Salmon Arm Silverbacks (BCHL) forward Kelly Zajac has committed to Union for this fall.
Zajac, the younger brother of North Dakota sophomore forward Darcy Zajac and New Jersey Devils forward Travis Zajac, is a 5’11”, 185 lb. left-shot center who, in 39 games, has a 14-34-48 line, which makes him the second-leading scorer for Salmon Arm, trailing Derek Lee by eight points.
A 6/6/88 birthdate from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Zajac is a playmaking center who plays a good two-way game and is strong on the draws.
Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, and Quinnipiac were also in the hunt for Zajac.
