3/31/09
Here We Come, Heartland
Bennett, a 6’0”, 170 lb. LD, visited Cedar Rapids, Iowa over spring break. The Warwick, RI native, ranked #63 in Central’s Mid-Term Rankings of North American skaters, has his USHL rights owned by the RoughRiders.
Deblois, a 5’11”, 175 lb. forward, was Hotchkiss’ leading scorer this past winter with a 10-21-31 line in 23 games. The Narragansett, RI native was ranked #69 in Central’s Mid-Term Rankings. His USHL rights are held by the Tri-City Storm. However, he reportedly wants to play in Cedar Rapids, wtih Bennett.
3/31/09
Monarchs Even Score
With the win, the Monarchs take the National crown for the third straight year.
This game was a breakfast show – a 9:30 a.m. start – and the Monarchs were sleepy in the first, falling behind 2-0 before the game was ten minutes old. At 6:09 Hitmen winger Nick Geraci found UVM recruit Colin Markinson at the far post for a tap-in at 6:09. Less than two minutes later, Geraci dropped a pass to Andrew Kurlandski, who let one rip, beating Monarchs goalie Brian Billett top corner to make it 2-0.
The Monarchs came out hard in the second, and, at the 6:47 mark Adam Kaiser, a Wesleyan recruit, put them on the board, beating Jon Morrow with a turnaround shot from the left face-off circle to cut the Hitmen’s lead to 2-1. The Monarchs held a healthy shot advantage in the second.
In the third, the Monarchs tied the game up as Jeff Hannan finished off a really nice passing sequence with assists going to Maine recruit Matt Mangene and Kaiser at the 12:01 mark.
The winning goal was rather innocuous looking, as Patrick Kiley curled out from behind the net and backhanded a shot on Morrow that found its way through with 4:42 left on the clock.
Kaiser was called for a slash with 2:15 to go. Given the power play, the Hitmen just poured it, but couldn’t solve Billett as time ran out.
Final shots favored the Monarchs, 30-16.
”We didn’t do anything well in the first,” said Monarchs head coach Sean Tremblay. “They came out loose, and we came out tight. In the second we started to stretch on the weak side to open up the ice and create some offense. And Brian Billett held things down. You only remember the last game you play going into the summer so this was nice. But the Hitmen are a class organization. There is no loser in a game like this.
Hitmen head coach Toby Harris said “Sean did a good changing up the way he played us. They really shut down our power play. It was a really tight game. I tip my hat to them.”
3/31/09
McGuire Commits to Badgers
5’8”, 168 lb. Taft freshman forward Corbin McGuire has committed to the University of Wisconsin for the fall of ’12.
A 5/11/93 birthdate from Ridgefield, Conn., McGuire is a skilled scorer and playmaker who, if he returns to Taft, will be a key to next year’s team.
This season, in 24 games, he had a 7-3-10 line.
McGuire was out at the NTDP Development Camp at the end of last week. (To be precise, he was there for just one full day, as he, along with the other four New England district players on hand, had to fly out at 5:00 am Saturday in order to be in Portland, Maine on Saturday for Select tryouts. Another strange-but-true USA Hockey story.)
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6’3”, 200 lb. St. Paul’s School defenseman Scott Harff has committed to Brown for this fall.
Harff, a 12/30/89 birthdate from Watertown, NY, has played at St. Paul’s for the last three seasons. This year, in 26 games, he had a 4-11-15 line and captained the team.
4/25/09
Bourque Decommits
The University of New Hampshire has been dealt a major recruiting hit by the decision of U.S. Under-18 Team C/LW Ryan Bourque to forego his scholarship and turn major junior with the Québec Remparts (QMJHL) this coming fall.
Bourque, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, has been one of the top players on the U.S. Under-18 Team this season. In 47 games Bourque has a 19-24-43 line with 42 pims.
A native of Boxford, Mass., Bourque, who is 5’8” and 165 lbs., was drafted by the Québec Remparts in the seventh round (#117 overall) of last June’s QMJHL draft. As you likely know, the GM/head coach of the Remparts is Patrick Roy, a teammate of Bourque’s father for a year and a half with the Colorado Avalanche.
Bourque, who had played at Cushing Academy in the 9th and 10th grades, committed to UNH as he was about to begin his first season of play in the NTDP in early September of 2007. Bourque chose the Wildcats over BU and Harvard.
That was over a year and a half ago. At the time (9/4/07), we wrote, “Given the fact that he’s on the small side – he’s 5’7”, 160 lbs. -- he could well be at UNH for the full four years à la Ryan Shannon at Boston College.”
Well, we were certainly wrong about that. Now, given the late date, UNH will be very hard-pressed to find another quality forward for the class entering this fall – all the top players have long since been committed. The Wildcats may have to bring in someone originally pegged for the fall of ’10 – or hope they get lucky between now and September. No matter what, they won’t be getting a player of Bourque’s level. This really amplifies what we were writing about a couple of days ago. To wit, schools are becoming increasingly wary of committing kids from the NTDP. As recent events have shown, there's a real downside. Colleges might luck out, but it's a calculated risk, for they might also be left holding the bag, watching from the sidelines while major junior continues to skim top players from the program.
A 1/3/91 birthdate, Bourque was ranked 61st among North American skaters in January’s Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings.
3/24/09
Vermont Keeping it Rolling
The University of Vermont is stockpiling for the future, getting commitments within the past week from a pair of young New Jersey players in defenseman Ian Spencer and forward Colin Markison.
Spencer, who is just 14 and a freshman in high school, is a 4/94 birthdate who has been on the Catamounts’ radar screen since before he even set foot in high school. A native of Hawthorne, NJ, Spencer is similar to BU’s Kevin Shattenkirk at the same age. He sees the ice really well, and is an excellent skater – very, very good feet. He’ll probably top out at 5’11” or so. UNH and Michigan were interested as well, but Vermont was in there early and was the first and only school to offer him. Spencer will arrive at UVM in 2012. He played up this season for the Avalanche Under-16 Team, coached by J.J. Picinic, but returned to play for his own age group, coached by Dan May.
Markison, who was the MVP of the EJHL finals – the Hitmen edged the NH Jr. Monarchs in a best-of-three series – was a rookie in the EJHL this season. An August ’92 birthdate, and a sophomore in high school, Markison is noted for his speed. His coach on the Hitmen, Toby Harris, said “(Markison) has the best acceleration in the league, which allows him to create time and space for himself. He’ll be a Peter Lenes type up there on that big rink.” Markison is 5’9”, 174 lbs. and his USHL rights are owned by the Omaha Lancers. Cornell and Northeastern were the other two schools most notably involved.
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Miami-Ohio has a commitment from 5’8”, 175 lb. Governor’s Academy sophomore forward Alex Gacek, a ’93 from Dracut, Mass. Gacek, who has good wheels, sees the ice well, and has a nice release to his shot, recently visited Miami for the second time – he’d also been out there in November. Gacek, who also visited Cornell and Maine, will be in Ann Arbor this week at the ’93 NTDP tryout camp. Gacek, in 28 games for Governor’s, posted an 18-17-35 line.
3/22/09
Beantown Spring Classic
We got out to Marlborough, Mass. on Thursday – along with everyone else -- for the Beantown Spring Classic, and managed to get a good look at all eight teams. However, we focused in a bit more on the Pre-Draft Division, paying special attention to players we don’t see much during the regular season. So who jumped out at us? Well, let’s start with the two Comcast Under-16 kids going to UNH (in a couple years), 5’8” Jamie Hill and 6’0” Kyle Smith. It’s true that they play together all season, so they were in sync – and a lot of fun to watch, particularly Hill, who can scoot and move the puck. In the afternoon game Thursday, those two were going mano a mano with another couple of kids who play together all season, the Belmont Hill duo of 6’0” Brandon McNally and 6’0” Connor Brickley. They were excellent, too, controlling play up front for the Green team. Another player on that team who stood out for us was 6’0” St. Sebastian’s forward Tommy O’Regan. On Team Orange, the “loaded team,” the Nobles/Thayer group of Kevin Hayes, Billy Arnold, Matt Harlow, and Charlie Coyle had a major impact. A player up front who was hard to miss was 6’4” late ’92 Ali Thomas of the Jersey Hitmen. His skating is improving, plus he has size and looks like he’s learning to use it. We’ll see what happens. The blue line was strong on the Orange Team as well, with 6’4” Alex Lepkowksi (St. Francis HS), 5’8” Zach Shannon (Lawrence) and 6’1” Mike Reardon (Nobles). All stood out. On the other hand, the Light Blue team was a little thin. 5’8” Alex Gacek (Governor’s) was the top player up front – he jumped out at us, a not unexpected occurence. 5’11” Joey Yeadon, who helped get Burlington HS to the Mass State HS championship game, was on his game. Frankie Vatrano, a ’94 with the Junior Bruins Empire team, looked right at home. Getting back to Team White – the team with Hill and Smith – we also liked the play of 5’10” forward Jonathan Liau (St. Paul’s) and 5’11” defenseman Julian Ciocco (Cushing).
In the Draft Division, we thought Team Yellow’s Mac Bennett (Hotchkiss) was excellent on the blue line. He certainly didn’t hurt his draft prospects. Some of his teammates who stood out were a pair of 6’2” defensemen -- Billy Fitzgerald (Salisbury) and Roo Adams (Malden Catholic). Taft’s Steve Racine played well in net. Andover star – and first round prospect -- Chris Kreider was a little in and out. The skating was obviously there, but he was not accomplishing as much as we were expecting. Of course, everyone expects him to be The Show every night, and sometimes it just doesn’t happen. Another top prospect, 6’4” Brian Dumoulin (NH Jr. Monarchs), was in a similar position. To us, he was just OK. On Team Blue, we got to see 6’6” defenseman Eric Knodel (Philly Jr. Flyers) for the first time in a while – and his skating has gotten a lot better which bumps him up into the intriguing prospect category. 6’2” defenseman Colin Shea (Junior Bruins) played very well for us too. 6’0” forward Jeremy Langlois (Jersey Hitmen), who committed to Quinnipiac last week, was very good as well. We thought 6’4” Northwood forward Adam Berkle looked very strong. 6’1” goaltender Russ Stein (Junior Bruins), who committed to PC recently, looked very strong as well. Other goalies who looked good when we were watching including 6’2” Mike Condon (Belmont Hill), 6’1” Alex Vazzano (Gunnery), and 6’0” Jeff Wyer, who led Reading HS to the Super 8 Title a year ago, and committed to UNH last week. Wyer will be going to UNH in ’11, after a couple of years with the Valley Junior Warriors (EJHL).
Players don’t get invited to the Beantown unless they have shown something that put them a distinct notch above the average player. It’s also true that players arrive in different game shape. Some haven’t played a game in several weeks. Others, like the Monarchs and Hitmen, are still alive. It’s just something we try to keep in mind. The bottom line is this: we just watch, and let the players come to us. The above were those we noticed during the afternoon we were there. In the evening session, a whole different group might have stood out.
3/22/09
A Cloud Over U.S. NTDP Tryouts
Here’s the list of 46 players invited to the U.S. National Team Development Program tryout camp, which gets underway Thursday in Ann Arbor.It hasn’t been the greatest of months for the NTDP, with three players being asked to leave over the last month or so, and others suspended for varying numbers of games. NHL scouts who have watched the Under-18 Team recently report that head coach Ron Rolston, while still behind the bench in body, has totally checked out emotionally. “The players hate playing for him,” one said, “and it looks like he can’t stand them either.” None of this bodes well for the U.S. in the World Under-18’s, which gets underway in a few weeks in Fargo, ND. Rolston, under the current rotation at Ann Arbor, is scheduled to be the Under-17 coach next season.
The NTDP program is also under fire from prominent NCAA Div. I coaches who feel that the program has – through location and inattention -- turned into a one-stop shopping center for the OHL. “I’d rather have our (committed) kids playing in Waterloo or Omaha than in Ann Arbor,” said one Div. I coach. “I believe those teams would do a better job keeping the OHL at arm’s length.”
As you can tell, there’s a bit of resentment flying around between college hockey coaches and USA Hockey, all revolving around the issue of precisely how much the latter organization should be helping the former when it comes to battling the CHL. Right now, college hockey wants USA Hockey to help stem the flight of US kids to major junior (there are 107 Americans playing major junior this year). USA Hockey, though, doesn’t really feel that’s their job. Needless to say, it’s a subject that’s not going to go away any time soon.
What does this have to do with this week’s tryout camp? One thing, and one thing only. With the 2009 OHL draft five weeks away, the NTDP camp is a fantastic opportunity for OHL scouts to see most of the top U.S. kids under one roof.
Some observers feel that right now the NTDP tryout weekend is perhaps more helpful to major junior teams than anyone else. As for USA Hockey, it’s somewhat superfluous. After all, half a dozen or more kids have already been invited and accepted. So you can check them off. The next half dozen are also pretty easy to pick. Essentially, the camp becomes a battleground for third-fourth line players, who might well be better off somewhere other than Ann Arbor, where they can gain confidence playing in all key situations. Playing on an all-star team eight months of the year has its perils. Sometimes, there truly aren’t enough pucks to go around.
In our opinion, a good way for the program to save money and aggravation would be to drop the tryout camp and use some of the savings to give a full-time position to at least one scout. Then just pick the team quietly, out of the spotlight. Return some sanity to the whole thing.
There are those – a majority? – who insist that the truly sane approach would be to shelve the entire program. But that’s a topic for another day.
--- What about the players who will be in Ann Arbor starting Thursday? Where are they from? Well, we can tell you. Minnesota leads the way with 11 players. Michigan is next with seven. Connecticut – the Nutmeg State – checks in with five players. Ohio is sending four. New York is sending three. A bunch of states -- Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, and California -- are sending two players apiece. Florida, Arizona, Alaska, and Texas are each sending one player. And Canada is sending two players, one of whom happens to be the son of Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe. The above numbers should add up to 46 (two 23-man rosters).
--- We checked our notes from last summer’s Select 15 Festival in St. Cloud and we can safely report to you that any player harboring hopes of playing for the NTDP had better make his district’s Select 15 Team. Of the 46 players who will be in Ann Arbor this week, 39 were at the Select 15 Festival. Of the seven who weren’t there, two were dual citizens from Canada (Lowe, Worrad). Removing them from the equation leaves five. Of those, two are goalies (Gibson, Sparks). And three are from Minnesota (Welinksi, Carlson, Schutt).
-- Who will NOT be at the camp? Well, for starters three ultra high-profile ’93 forwards. Manhattan Beach, Calif. native Shane McColgan and Coppell, Texas native Colin Jacobs both played in the WHL this season, with Kelowna and Seattle, respectively. And then there is New Prague, Minn. native Seth Ambroz, who is playing for the Omaha Lancers (USHL).
-- The players we know have committed to the NTDP for ’09-10 are Russo, Paliotta, Van Voorhis, Grimaldi, Miller, and Larazza. We have a strong feeling on a few others, but we don’t want to say anything until we’ve confirmed it.
U.S. Under-17 Tryout Camp (’93s):
Goaltenders (6):
John Gibson -- Pittsburgh, Pa./Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Minor
Daniel Liesman -- Okemos, Mich./Capital Center Midget
Matt Mahalak -- Monroe, Mich./Culver Academy
Matt McNeely -- Burnsville, Minn./St. Thomas Academy
Garrett Sparks -- Elmhurst, Ill./Team Illinois Midget Minor
Kevin Venturoso -- Franklin, Mass./Bridgewater Bandits (Empire)
Defensemen (16):
J.D. Cotroneo -- Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray H.S.
Barrett Kaib -- Upper St. Clair, Pa/Culver Academy
Alex Lepkowski -- West Seneca, N.Y./St. Francis High School
Keegan Lowe -- Edmonton, Alberta/Shattuck-St. Mary's U16
Jacob MacDonald -- Brighton, Mich./Compuware Midget Minor
Dan Molenaar -- Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie H.S.
Michael Paliotta -- Westport, Conn./Choate Rosemary Hall
Alexx Privitera -- Old Tappan, N.J./New Jersey Avalanche Midget Minor
Robbie Russo -- Westmont, Ill./Chicago Mission Midget Major
Andy Ryan -- Brighton, Mich./Victory Honda Midget Major
Joakim Ryan -- Rumson, N.J /NJ Devils Midget Minor
Colin Suellentrop -- Plantation, Fla./Compuware Midget Minor
Colin Sullivan -- Milford, Conn./Fairfield Prep
Matt Van Voorhis -- Edina, Minn./Edina HS
Andy Welinski -- Duluth, Minn./Duluth East H.S
Jake Worrad -- London, Ontario/Elgin-Middlesex Midget
Forwards (24):
Cole Bardreau -- Fairport, N.Y./Rochester Midget Minor
Jack Barre -- Fairfield, Conn./Salisbury School
Tyler Biggs -- Loveland, Ohio/Toronto Jr. Canadiens Midget Minor
Max Birkinbine -- White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake H.S.
Reid Boucher -- Grand Ledge, Mich./Lansing Capitals Midget Major
Travis Boyd -- Hopkins, Minn./Hopkins H.S.
J.C. Campagna -- Dublin, Ohio /Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets
Dan Carlson -- Corcoran, Minn./Maple Grove H.S.
Danny Elser -- Hopewell Jct., N.Y./Shattuck-St. Mary's U16
Alex Gacek -- Dracut, Mass./Governor's Academy
Rocco Grimaldi -- Rossmor, Calif./Little Caesars Midget Major
Ryan Haggerty -- Stamford, Conn./Trinity Catholic
Cason Hohmann -- Arlington, Texas/Compuware Midget Minor
Christian Horn -- Plymouth, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's H.S.
Kevin Irwin -- Hinckley, Ohio/Cleveland Barons Midget Major
Zach Larazza -- Scottsdale, Ariz./P.F. Chang’s Midget Major
Corbin McGuire -- Ridgefield, Conn./Taft School
J.T. Miller -- Epalestine, Ohio/Pittsburgh Hornets Midget Major
Blake Pietila -- Milford, Mich./Compuware Midget Minor
Adam Reid -- China Hills, Calif./LA Selects
Thomas Schutt -- Chanhassen, Minn./Minnetonka H.S.
Michael Sit -- Edina, Minn./Edina H.S.
Tanner Sorenson -- Anchorage, Alaska/Shattuck-St. Mary's U16
Vince Trocheck -- Bingham Farms, Mich./Little Caesars Midget Major
3/17/09
Back at It
A little break from the rink routine was nice, but we’re back at it, which means we will have a lot of good stuff in the weeks ahead.
First up: The Beantown Classic. Rosters and schedules are now up at www.beantownclassic.com
3/9/08
Another Gone at NTDP
5’10”, 175 lb. RW Kyle Palmieri has reportedly been asked to leave the National Team Development Program for an unspecified violation.Palmieri, a Notre Dame recruit for this fall, did not appear in either of the Under-18 Team’s games this weekend.
In 33 games, Palmieri, a native of Montvale, NJ, has a 15-15-30 line. He last played in the Bemidji State games Feb. 27-28.
3/7/09 Updated
Bad Week at the NTDP
Trouble has found the National Team Development Program, where two players, Under-17 team goaltender Willie Yanakeff and forward Stu Higgins, have been kicked out of the program, allegedly for a drinking party incident.
Stephen Johns, a defenseman on the Under-17 Team, was also disciplined for the same incident. Johns, a Notre Dame recruit, will serve a suspension but will be allowed to stay in the program.
Yanakeff is a Michigan State recruit for ’10; Higgins is a Maine recruit for ’10. Look for them in the USHL next season.
The incident in Ann Arbor comes a month after an incident involving the Under-18 Team while at the Five Nations Tournament in Nykoping, Sweden. Apparently, a little movable party in which Under-18 players enjoyed the company of Swedish girls -- one a former exchange student who had been friends with Kyle Palmieri in Ann Arbor the previous year -- in their hotel rooms didn’t go over well with head coach Ron Rolston and his staff. The upshot: some players -- Brandon Maxwell, John Henrion, Jerry D'Amigo, Jeremy Morin -- sat, leaving the team that took the ice undermanned. It didn’t make a difference. They went 4-0-0 and took home the gold.
In additional craziness this week, tempestuous Under-18 Team goaltender Brandon Maxwell, the former Boston College recruit who will be headed to major junior next season, got into a shower room dispute with teammate David Valek who wound up – at the very least -- getting socked in the mouth by the goaltender. That’s fact. What happened after that is still a little bit of an open question. (Our initial reports indicated that Maxwell’s blow knocked Valek out cold, and that Maxwell kept swinging until cooler heads intervened.)
As a result of this fight, Maxwell was due to be sent down to the Under-17 Team, with Under-18 goaltender Jack Campbell moving up to take his place. But then Yanakeff got booted out of the program. So things are in a state of flux. We can tell you that Maxwell did not play in any games this weekend. Jack Campbell was in net for both Under-17 games, and Adam Murray was in net for both Under-18 games.
Goaltender Patrick Summers, the younger brother of former NTDP defenseman Chris Summers, has joined the NTDP on an emergency basis.
We have a feeling there’s going to be more coming out of all this.
3/6/09
Forwards for Vermont, UNH
Team Comcast 16-and-Under RC Jamie Hill will be joining teammate Kyle Smith at UNH in the fall of ’11. Hill, a 5’9”, 162 lb. high-skill playmaker, is the leading scorer in the AYHL with a 23-52-75 line in 30 games. (Smith, by the way, is the second-leading scorer in the league with 74 points.) Hill is a 2/13/92 birthdate from Glassboro, NJ.Vermont has a new recruit in Cumberland Grads (COJHL) RC David Pacan, a 6’2, 187 lb. ’91 ranked #60 among domestic skaters in January’s Central Scouting Mid-Term Rankings. Pacan, an Ottawa, Ont. native who played in the World Junior A Challenge in Camrose in November, has a 20-37-57 scoring line (and 78 pims) in 57 games for the Grads. Other schools involved with him were RPI, Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and St. Cloud State. Pacan will arrive at Gutterson either this fall or in ’10.
3/6/09
Just a-Lookin’ for a Home
The Lewiston Maineiacs (QMJHL) are having a hard time finding a new home north of the border. First, the franchise, which as been in Lewiston for six seasons, announced a move to the Montreal suburb of Boisbriand, but that died a quick death after Montreal Junior (QMJHL) owner Farrel Miller asserted his 50-mile territorial right that just happened to include Boisbriand. Doh! This, of course, all came to pass after Lewiston majority owner Mark Just had let Maineiacs fans in Lewiston know their support just wasn’t quite what had been hoped for. The upshot: it might be a long while before the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League tries the New England market again. For now, though, with little time to work with, the Lewiston ownership group has been scrambling. Right now, they are hoping to relocate to Fredericton, NB and share the 3,673 seat Aitken Centre with the University of New Brunswick, whose men’s team, the #1 ranked college program in Canada, draws an average of 2,495 fans. (Boston College, you may recall, split a pair of exhibition games up there Jan. 2-3). However, there are serious questions, on the part of the university, about the wisdom of sharing a building with a QMJHL franchise that could cut into the college’s attendance. However, there exists the possibility of some kind of profit-sharing arrangement between school and the major junior team -- assuming there is a profit, which there reportedly wasn’t in Lewiston. There are ties between the university/city and the Lewiston franchise which might smooth things out, as well. Don MacAdam, Lewiston’s head coach since January, is a former coach at the University of New Brunswick, and Lewiston’s head scout Roger Shannon (the father of Lawrence Academy sophomore defenseman Zack Shannon) has ties to the university program as well.
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3/6/09
Whitney Wastes No Time
Lawrence Academy forward Steven Whitney, wearing #23, made his USHL debut tonight and it didn’t take him long to feel at home. Whitney scored his first USHL goal at 16:52 of the second period, an unassisted tally that tied Omaha and Green Bay at 3-3. Whitney then assisted on Ben Arnt’s goal at 6:38 of the third period to put Omaha up 4-3. That turned out to be the game-winner as the Lancers added two more for a 6-3 win. Whitney was named the game’s #2 star. Harvard recruit Louis Leblanc, who had three goals – one even-strength, one on the power play, and an empty-netter – was named the #1 star.
Printable Playoff Bracket
3/4/09
Saturday Prep Semifinal Schedule
All games at the Icenter, Salem, NH.Div. I
#1W Salisbury vs. #3E Andover, 3:30 pm
#1E Exeter vs. #3W Gunnery, 6:00 pm
(Winners to meet in championship game, Sun. 3/8/09 at 3:00 pm)
Div. II
#2 Dexter vs. #3 New Hampton, 11:00 am
#1 Hebron vs. #4 NYA, 1:15 pm
(Winners to meet in championship game, Sun. 3/8/09 at 12:30 pm)
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 the right.
Tickets prices, per day, are $2 for students with school ID and $5 for adults.
3/3/09
UNH Finds a Forward Below the Mason-Dixon Line
UNH has a commitment from lanky 6’2”, 160 lb. Team Maryland 18-U left shot forward Nick Sorkin.A 6/3/91 birthdate currently in his senior year in high school in Maryland, Sorkin will come north to play for Sean Tremblay’s New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) next season and enter UNH in the fall of ’10 or possibly ’11.
We saw Sorkin, who plays the off wing, when Team Maryland (AYHL) came north for the Beantown Fall Classic, and he jumped out at us. He’s an excellent skater with a long, fluid stride and good hands. He can see the ice and make plays. While he’s a ’91, he’s still on the early curve of his development, so there’s a lot of upside. His natural athleticism will be a major plus, as well.
His coach, Jason Kersner, said that Sorkin has really worked hard this season and taken his game to another level.
“More important than how good he is right now is how good he can become,” Kersner said. “He’s really skinny but the potential is there to fill out and get really strong. He could top out around 6’3”/6’4” and 205 lbs. He could be pretty special.”
Sorkin, who also took an official visit to Maine and an unofficial visit to Northeastern, is unique in that, while he is by no means the first Div. I player to come out of Maryland, he is, as Kersner points out, the first to make it without having to leave for preps or juniors.
“Nick is the first to stay home and graduate from a local high school and get a commitment to play at a program like UNH,” said Kersner. “We’re never going to be like Massachusetts or Minnesota down here but we’re growing and if a kid wants to stay here now he has a lot of development opportunities while still in high school here. Nick is paving the way for other guys around here.”
Current UNH defenseman Jamie Fritsch, a senior, is also a Marylander. Fritsch, who is from Odenton, MD, left for the Canterbury School and then also moved on to the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) before matriculating at UNH.
Sorkin is from Rockville, between D.C. and Annapolis. In 50 games thus far this season, he has a 22-53-75 line.
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-- 5’11”, 170 lb. Boston Junior Bruins (EJHL) defenseman Patch Alber will be at Boston College in the fall. Alber, a recruited walk-on, was watched at least twice by BC head coach Jerry York recently – including the game vs. Northwood out at UMass in the snowstorm a couple of weeks ago.
Alber, who is also a very good student, is a strong skating break-it-out type of D-man, exactly what BC has been missing this season. While Alber is on the smallish side, he dos not back down.
Alber, who played at Northwood before joining the Junior Bruins, is a Clifton Park, NY native and a 3/11/89 birthdate.
In 44 games with the Junior Bruins this season, Alber had a 3-19-22 line with 37 pims.
-- A couple of other members of the Junior Bruins have committed to college. 5’10”, 175. lb. forward Jeff Ryan has committed to Brown for this coming fall. Ryan, a 12/27/89 birthdate from Media, PA, posted a 12-20-32 line in 45 games with the Junior Bruins this season. In ’07-08 he was the leading scorer at St. George’s, where he played for former Brown forward Ryan Mulhern.
-- 5’10”, 180 lb. Joe Pendenza has committed to UMass-Lowell for the fall of ’10. Pendenza, who played at Arlington Catholic as an 11th grader before coming over to the Junior Bruins organization after earning a spot in tryouts, is a strong skater who is solid in all three zones but really has a knack around the net for scoring. In 45 games this season, Pendenza had a 22-27-49 line with 12 pims.
-- 6’0”, 170 lb. New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) forward Kyle Beattie has committed to the University of Maine for the fall of ’10.
Beattie, an Avondale, AZ native and a 5/29/91 birthdate who came to the Monarchs after playing for the P.F. Chang’s midget AAA program in ’07-08, played 43 regular season games for the Monarchs and posted a 20-40-60 line, good for tops on the team and ninth in the league.
Beattie, you may recall, played on the U.S. Under-17 Select Team that went overseas a couple of summers ago.
-- Last but not least, and also from the Monarchs, 6’3”, 210 lb. forward Brooks Herrington has committed to Vermont for the fall of ’10.
Herrington really made some great strides this season with the Monarchs, particularly with his skating, and, on top of that, wound up leading the team with 23 goals (his final line was 23-22-45 in 41 regular season games). He was ranked 193rd in NHL Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings.
Herrington, a Bow, NH native, will get the opportunity to be teammates at Vermont with his older brother, Lance, a freshman defenseman for the Catamounts who also came up through the Monarchs program.
Herrington made his final decision from between BC, Northeastern and a handful of Ivies.
3/1/09
Prep Playoff Matchups
Here's what we have.Div. I
Quarterfinals:
4 W Berkshire @ 1 W Salisbury
3 E Andover @ 2 E Lawrence
(Winners to meet in first semi -- Sat. 3/7/09, 3:30 pm)
4 E Belmont Hill @ 1 E Exeter
3 W Gunnery @ 2 W Taft
(Winners to meet in second semi -- Sat. 3/7/09, 6:00 pm)
Div. II
Quarterfinals:
#8 Vermont Academy @ #1 Hebron
#7 St. George's @ #2 Dexter
#6 Worcester @ #3 New Hampton
#5 Groton @ #4 North Yarmouth
