Sun. 3/20/11
Monarchs Win Dineen Cup Again
Wayne, NJ -- Cody Sharib scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, to lift the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs to a 3-2 win on Sunday and a sweep of the EJHL championship series over the host Jersey Hitmen.
The Monarchs had won game #1 on Saturday by an identical 3-2 score. In Saturday’s game the game-tying and game-winning goal were scored by Connor Toomey.
The win gave Sean Tremblay’s Monarchs their second straight Dineen Cup, emblematic of EJHL supremacy. Last year they beat the South Shore Kings. It also gave the Monarchs their sixth EJHL crown in the last ten years.
The Hitmen won the EJHL regular-season championship with a league all-time best record of 40-2-2-1, which earned them home ice throughout the playoffs. But it didn’t help them this weekend, the first year the EJHL deviated from using Holy Cross as a neutral site venue for the title game.
Sun. 3/20/11
Minnesota State Tournament Standouts
-- March 9-12; Excel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.
The Seniors We Liked:
Kyle Rau, 5-9/160, senior forward, Eden Prairie High SchoolNamed to the “AA” All Tournament Team…Productive as hell: 74 points in 28 regular season games… Committed to the University of Minnesota… Joining Sioux Falls (USHL) for the duration of the season… Named Minnesota Mr. Hockey…A sniper, hangs around the net; is extremely quick to react to the puck…Not the biggest player, but that doesn’t deter his physical play… Stick handles well in traffic with breakaway speed…Good puck movement and play selection.
Nick Seeler, 5-11/170, senior defenseman, Eden Prairie High School
Named to the “AA” All Tournament Team… Notched 37 points in 28 regular season games… Skilled at shooting off the pass… Excellent wrist shot with quick release from blue-line…Demonstrates ability to step up into the offensive rush.
Brandon Wahlin, 5-9/165, senior forward, White Bear Lake High SchoolNamed to the “AA” All Tournament Team… 57 points in 28 regular season games… End-to-End rushes…Quick with secondary shot off rebounds… Size does not cause him to shy away from physical play… Strong, accurate wrist shot.
Steven Fogarty, 6-3/200, senior forward, Edina High SchoolNamed to the “AA” All Tournament Team…47 points in 27 regular season games,,, the whole package: has size, skill, is physical and productive…Patient with the puck… Good play selection…Quick, accurate wrist shot.
Max Everson, 6-1/190, senior defenseman, Edina High School
23 points in 25 regular season games…Quick to break out the puck… Steps up into the offensive flow… Excellent corner man; works the boards…Recovers quickly when puck is turned over.
Zach Schroeder, 5-10/165, senior forward, St. Thomas High School
Named to the Class “A” All Tournament Team…58 points in 27 regular season games …With speed and quickness can control play…Effective give-and-go player with quick release… Not deterred by physical play… Creative with the puck; excellent stick handler in traffic.
A. J. Reid, 5-10/180, senior forward, St. Thomas High School
Named to the “A” All Tournament Team… 55 points in 27 regular season games … Excellent playmaker… Effective at digging out the puck along the boards and corners… Demonstrates outside speed and quickness… Skilled stick; controls puck in traffic.
Garrett Skrbich, 6-0/190, senior forward, Hermantown High School
Named to the “A” All Tournament Team… 71 points in 28 regular season games… Effective at following up the shot and playing off the rebounds… Quick release with good puck control in traffic… Creativity with the puck improves scoring opportunities.
Nick DeCenzo, senior forward, Hibbing/Chisholm High School
Named to the “A” All Tournament Team… 78 points in 28 regular season games… 55 assists during regular season speaks to play-making ability… Works the corners; very successful at digging out the puck… Effortless skating stride with excellent puck control.
***
Underclassmen We Liked:
Wyatt Schmidt, 6-3/190, sophomore defenseman, St. Thomas AcademyA defensive defenseman whose position play is excellent… Long, smooth skating strideVery patient with the puck; excellent control… Quick release… Could be the complete package next year.
Eric Schurhamer, 5-11/175, sophomore defenseman, St. Thomas Academy
29 points in 28 regular season games…Excellent skater…Good lateral movement…Excellent offensive upside… Capable of taking it end-to-end.
Jared Kolquist, 5-10/185, junior defenseman, Hermantown High School
Named to the “A” All Tournament Team… 24 points in 28 regular season games played…Quick short bursts of speed (gets up into the offensive flow)… Effective at breaking out the puck… Offensive weapon from the point-- strong shot, on-net and low… Shoots off the pass.
Jared Thomas, 6-1/185, junior forward, Hermantown High School
Named to the “A” All Tournament Team… 61 points in 28 regular season games played… Physical brand of play… Good hands / shows patience with the puck… Outside speed with quick break to the net… Supports the puck and play.
Adam Johnson, sophomore forward, Hibbing/Chisholm High School
Named to the “A” All Tournament Team… 80 points in 28 regular season games… Complete offensive package -- fast, quick, skilled and productive… fun to watch … offensive-minded and creates opportunities… Shows patience with the puck… Will challenge the defense every time he touches the puck… Not a big player, but doesn’t shy from physical play… Quick to react to rebounds and bury the puck.
Note:
We mentioned above that Rau won the Mr. Hockey Award. If you missed it, here are the other nine finalists: Josh Archibald, F, Brainerd/Pillager/Pierz; Ben Bahe, F, Hill-Murray; Jonny Brodzinski, F, Blaine; Tony Cameranesi, F, Wayzata; Patrick Daly, D, Benilde-St. Margaret's; Max Everson, D, Edina; Steven Fogarty, F, Edina; Garrett Hendrickson, F, Virginia/Mountain Iron-Buhl; Joseph LaBate, F, Academy of Holy Angels. The Frankie Brimsek Award, which goes to the top senior goaltender in the state, was won by Alex Lyon of Lake of the Woods High School (Baudette, Minn.). Lyon’s numbers were 1.60 gaa, with a .945 save percentage and six shutouts.
***
State Tournament Scoreboard:
Wed. March 9 (Class A Quarterfinals)
Thief River Falls 7, Breck 5
St. Thomas Academy 13, New Ulm 2
Hibbing 4, Rochester Lourdes 0
Hermantown 5, Alexandria 1
Thurs. March 10 (Class AA Quarterfinals)
Edina 3, Blaine 2
Duluth East 4, White Bear Lake 3
Eden Prairie 5, Lakeville North 0
Eagan 4, Moorhead 0
Fri. March 11
(Class A Semifinals)
St. Thomas Academy 5, Thief River Falls 0
Hermantown 6, Hibbing 4
(Class AA Semifinals)
Duluth East 2, Edina 1
Eden Prairie 5, Eagan 1
Sat. March 12
(Class A Championship Game)
St. Thomas Academy 5, Hermantown 4 (OT)
(Class AA Championship Game)
Eden Prairie 3, Duluth East 2 (3-OT)
-- T.H.
Sun. 3/20/11
Malden Catholic Wins Super 8 in OT
A goal by sophomore Brendan Collier midway through the first OT period lifted Malden Catholic to its first Super 8 title at the TD Garden tonight.
This was somewhat of a strange game. There was no scoring in the first period, and none in the third either. However, in the second there was a grand total of six goals scored, but none bigger than a Mike Vecchione goal with 6.6 seconds left in the period, which tied it up at 3-3 shortly after St. John’s Prep had taken the lead.
And then -- after a long stretch between goals -- Collier struck in OT.
For Malden Catholic and head coach Chris Serino this is the championship that has been on the horizon for a couple of years now, but winning when everyone is expecting it is sometimes the hardest thing to do on the big stage. And the Lancers, who finish the season 17-2-2, certainly had the bullseye that comes with a #1 ranking all season long. And in St. John’s Prep, which finishes 14-6-1, they were matched up with a team which was peaking in the Super 8 -- and had several dangerous players of their own, including senior Colin Blackwell who showed in the postseason that he can win games single-handedly. Malden Catholic, though, didn't back down, but they had to work for it all.
Fri. 3/18/11
Blais Chosen to Coach National Junior Team
Dean Blais was named head coach of the 2012 U.S. National Junior Team today.
For Blais, the head coach at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, it will be his third stint as the team’s head coach. In his most recent turn, 2010, the U.S. won gold with a 5-1-1-0 record. Blais also coached the squad to a sixth place finish in 1994 with a 1-5-1 record.
In other important news for the National Junior Team, Tim Taylor will return as director of player personnel for the third straight year. Taylor has done great work criss-crossing North America to put together a team that isn’t necessarily an all-star team, but, rather, a team of players with complementary skills -- and one designed to win the tournament. Taylor, for years the head coach at Yale, deserves a lot of credit for the team’s recent success.
Blais will be naming his assistants before camp at Lake Placid.
Sat. 3/19/11
NTDP Announces First Seven Commitments
The NTDP has officially named the first seven ‘95s to next year’s US Under-17 Team.
They are:
F -- Connor Chatham (Shiloh, Ill.) -- St. Louis Blues Midget Minor
F -- J.T. Compher (Northbrook, Ill.) – Team Illinois Midget Minor
F -- Hudson Fasching (Apple Valley, Minn.) – Apple Valley HS
F -- Brandon Shea (Marshfield, Mass.) – Noble & Greenough
D -- Will Butcher (Sun Prairie, Wisc.) – Madison Capitols
D -- Steve Santini (Mahopac, NJ) – NY Apple Core (EJHL)
D -- Scott Savage (San Clemente, Calif.) – LA Selects Midget Minor
These seven players are the largest number of players ever invited to the Under-17 Team in advance of the 45-player evaluation camp, which begins this year on Monday March 21. The Under-17 Team will eventually number 23 players -- two goalies, eight defensemen, and 13 forwards. That means, with the already-committed players factored into the mix, there remain nine forward spots, five spots for defensemen, and two spots for goalies.
Thurs. 3/17/11
Mass High School All-Star Classic
The Mass. High School All-Star Classic will take place this year on Sun. March 27 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass.
The game, a senior-only affair, will face off at 12:00 pm and be followed by an AHL game between the Worcester Sharks and the Adirondack Phantoms, which will face off at 3:00 pm. Tickets are $11 in advance and $15 at the door, and include admission to both games.
The Mass high school coaches hope to see a good contingent of college, prep, and junior coaches on hand. Coaches will be added to the guest list by emailing Jason Jones at jjones@sharksahl.com
Numerical rosters will be available at the door.
North:
Goaltenders:
Kyle Berthiaume – Andover High
Patrick Young - Malden Catholic
Zach Rondeau – Springfield Catholic
Defensemen:
Chris Milne – Danvers High
Josh Gallagher – Central Cathollic
Jake Kulevich – Marblehead High
Joe Nardella – St. John’s Shrewsbury
John Sartell – Wakefield High
Nico DiSalvo – Peabody High
Sean Kavanaugh – Springfield Cathedral
Terry Murphy – Waltham High
Bill Boudreau – Newburyport (injured)
Forwards:
Alex Holland – Woburn
Chris Surrette – St. Mary’s Lynn
Colin Blackwell – St. John’s Prep
Daniel Graham – Arlington Catholic
Devin Smith – St. John’s Shrewsbury
Kevin Peduto – Acton-Boxboro
Matthew Swett – Andover High
Michael Vecchione – Malden Catholic
Nick Leonard – Central Catholic
Patrick Crosby – Masconomet High
Ryan Doherty – Tewksbury High
Tom Crowley – Reading High
Coach:
Paul Yameen, Newburyport High
South:
Goaltenders:
Kyle Jacobs – Pembroke High
Patrick Farrington – Sandwich High
Chris Treon – Westwood High
Defensemen:
Alex Pompeo – Hingham High
Alex Tadeo – Franklin High
Chris Joyce – Needham High
Mark Hetnik – Catholic Memorial
Mike Thiesing – Archbishop Williams
Pat Cull – Marshfield High
Steven Bristol – Weymouth High
TJ Ryan – Newton North
Forwards:
Anthony Hardy – Bridgewater-Raynham
Garrett Allen – Dartmouth High
Haydon Voss – Marlboro High
Jared Rizo – Braintree High
Jim Magrath – Medfield High
Mike Cashman – BC High
Ryan Connors – Marshfield High
Sean Parker – Hudson High
Tim Driscoll – Hingham High
Tom Coleman – Needham High
Tommy Jenkins – Xaverian
Tyler Piacenti – Weymouth High
Coaches:
Brian Schuman – Canton
Associate Head Coach – John Butler, Marlboro
Mon. 3/14/11
Tryout Time for the Fall Prep League
The fall seems like a long way away, and it is. But tryout time for the New England Fall Prep Hockey League is right here, starting this coming Sunday at the Icenter in Salem, NH.
Here are the dates:
Sun. March 20, 2:10-3:30 pm, A-L by last name
3:40-5:00 pm, M-Z by last name
Sun. April 3, 9:30-11:00 pm, All
Here are some things the league wants you to keep in mind:
Players are only required to attend one of these dates. The NEFPHL is not restricted to prep school players. All prep, public, and Catholic school players are encouraged to try out. Final team selections will take place after April 3rd, thereby giving newly admitted student athletes the opportunity to participate.
NEFPHL teams are comprised primarily of front line prep players. Since the league cannot fully evaluate the pool of players under consideration, it will seek input from the players’ prep and high school coaches. As far as high school, this year, for the first time, the league will include a team consisting exclusively of MIAA players, to be coached by Paul Vincent and John MacLean.
The nine-team NEFPHL will consist of six league-managed teams, one MIAA team, Rice Memorial High School (S. Burlington, Vt.) and Ulysse Prep (Montreal, Que.).
In addition, there will be a freshman/sophomore division consisting of four teams.
The league’s schedule is structured to complement the school schedule of the players, with non-league games or practices on Saturday evening and league games on Sunday afternoons.
The season will begin with the Labor Day Showcase at the Icenter and, after taking the following week off, will resume with eight consecutive weeks of Saturday/Sunday action.
For more information as well as on-line registration go to nefphl.org
As for players from Connecticut, we’ll have information on your league’s tryouts as soon as it is ready.
Sun. 3/13/11
Hitmen, Monarchs Advance to EJ Finals
-- A Patrick Doherty goal at 11:32 of the third period lifted the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs to a 3-2 win over the Junior Bruins this afternoon, giving then a 2-0 weekend sweep and slot in next weekend’s championship series.
However, it wasn’t a cakewalk for the Monarchs, who had to work to get past the banged-up Junior Bruins, both games being decided by one goal. Yesterday, in game 1 at Hookset, the Monarchs, although outshooting the Junior Bruins 43-27 couldn’t put it away until Jacob Rutt beat Kenneth MacLean 41 seconds into OT, giving the hosts a 4-3 win. Aaron Kesselman and Cam Brown each had a pair of assists for the Monarchs. MacLean, who stopped 39 shots, gave the Junior Bruins a chance.
-- The Hitmen, 40-2-2-1 in the regular season, have been stretched in the playoffs, both last weekend against Apple Core, and this weekend against Bay State.
The story for Bay State was 6’3” goaltender Blake Dougherty, who, over the weekend, kicked out 107 of the 115 shots the Hitmen pumped on him. On Saturday, the Hitmen’s Ian Coleman scored at 3:09 of OT to put his team up, 1-0. Today, Bay State evened the series up, briefly, when, despite being outshot 50-22, still managed to pull out a 5-3 win and send the series to a 20-minute mini-game. In the mini-game, Connor Leen put the Hitmen up 1-0 with a short-handed goal and then scored on the power play to put them up 2-0. The Hitmen would go on to take the mini-game ,4-2, with Leen assisting on the two goals he didn’t score himself.
EJHL Championship Series:
-- at the Ice Vault; Wayne, NJ
Sat. 3/19 – NH Jr. Monarchs @ Jersey Hitmen, 12:45 pm
Sun. 3/20 – NH Jr. Monarchs @ Jersey Hitmen, 1:15 pm
Fri. 3/11/10
Beantown Classic Faces Off Next Week
This year’s Beantown Spring Classic runs from Wed.-Fri. March 16-18 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass. Three games will be held on Wednesday and Friday. The day in the middle – Thursday – is the biggie, with eight games.
Practically all the kids from the Northeast U.S. on Central Scouting’s Mid-Term Rankings will be at the tournament. This group includes:
#31 Philippe Hudon (Choate), #77 Matt Killian (Delbarton), #84 Jimmy Vesey (Belmont Hill), #95 Rob O’Gara (Milton), #101 Matt Harlow (Nobles), #113 Mike McKee (Kent), #120 Charles Orzetti (Jersey Hitmen), #123 Nick Bligh (Dexter), #136 Ryan Rosenthal (Kent), #141 Craig Wyszomirski (Gunnery), #144 Peter McMullen (Delbarton), #177 Denton King (Avon), #196 Tommy Davis (Delbarton), #203 Joe Carrabino (Springfield – EJHL), #210 Mike Seward (Jr. Bruins – EJHL); and goaltenders #6 Steve Michalek and #31 Colin Stevens (Jr. Bruins – EJHL). Stevens, by the way, is a question mark for the tournament due to a concussion.
Conspicuous by his absence will be big Hotchkiss forward Petr Placek, a Harvard recruit, who is #54 on the list. Placek is recovering from the same injury that wiped out the second half of his senior year with the Bearcats.
As usual, there will be four teams in the draft division (’91, ’92. ’93 birthdates), and four teams in the pre-draft division (’94, ’95 birthdates). Games will consist of two 25-min halves.
The rosters for the tournament will be posted on the tournaments website when they are ready.
Schedule
Fri. 3/11/11
A Home for Doane
5’10”, 185 lb. Noble & Greenough junior RW Andrew Doane has committed to Brown for either ’12 or ’13.
A 1/13/94 birthdate from Holliston, Mass., Doane, with a 9-32-41 line in 27 games this season, was the second-leading scorer at Nobles, trailing only Matt Harlow.
Doane is a gritty player who can make plays and finish, goes to the tough scoring areas, and plays in all three zones.
Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, and Union were among the other schools interested in Doane.
Fri. 3/11/11
Sade to Join Big Red
6’0”, 168 lb. RD Eric Sade of the DC Capitals Under-18 AAA squad has committed to Cornell for 2013.
A 5/25/94 from Washington, DC, Sade is a quick, strong, physical, defensive-minded defenseman. A natural athlete, he was a promising linebacker in football before focusing on hockey. Last spring, he was part of a 4 x 100 relay team that set a record at the St. Albans School (Washington, DC). Currently a junior in high school, Sade will likely play two seasons in the USHL (Des Moines owns his rights) before heading to Ithaca in 2013.
“He’s a tough stay-at-home defenseman who’s an excellent shot blocker,” says his coach Jason Kersner. “He’s hard to play against, has a good stick, and finishes all his checks. He’s a good, hard-nosed stay-at-home D. When he hits, it hurts.”
In 59 games with the DC Capitals this season, Sade has a 3-27-30 line with 26 pims.
Other schools in the mix included UNH and Princeton.
Sade joins a growing list of players from the DC Caps (formerly Team Maryland; now in its fifth year since its founding) to head to a Div. I school. He’s the third member of this year’s squad, joining Dylan Maller (UNH) and Sam Anas (Quinnipiac). Kersner is demonstrating a knack for turning good athletes from a non-traditional hockey area into good hockey players.
Thurs. 3/10/11
Roster for NTDP Camp
Here is the 45-man roster for the National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp (’95 birthdates), which will be held March 21-24 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The players – four goaltenders, 16 defensemen, and 25 forwards – will be split into two teams. They will meet in four games, Monday the 21st at 5:00 pm; Tues. the 22nd at 3:00 pm; Wednesday the 23rd at 4:30 pm; and Thursday the 24th at 10:00 am. All games will take place at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube.
Six players, defensemen Will Butcher, Steven Santini, and Scott Savage; and forwards J.T. Compher, Hudson Fasching, and Brandon Shea had already been invited into the program.
Roster
Thurs. 3/10/11-- Update: Tim Army has stepped down at Providence, according to a press release issued by the school last night. A search for a successor, the release indicated, "will begin immediately."
MacDonald Reported Out at Lowell
UMass-Lowell head coach Blaise MacDonald reportedly emailed his players yesterday, notifying them that he was out as head coach.
We have no word on the fate of his coaching staff yet. Most likely that will be left to whomever Lowell AD Dana Skinner hires.
It’s obviously early to be talking about successors, but we have heard the names of former Edmonton Oilers head coach Craig MacTavish and current Hamilton College head coach Norm Bazin being bandied about. Both are Lowell alums.
A Billerica, Mass. native, MacDonald was 150-178-42 in his ten years at Lowell, coming over from Niagara University. His last job as an assistant was at BU in the early ‘90s, a run which culminated in an NCAA crown for the Terriers.
MacDonald, who got through a patch of trouble in the summer of 2007 – specifically, a DUI arrest – just couldn’t get past this year’s 5-25-4 record (4-21-2 in HE play). He had one year remaining on his contract.
***
Rumors indicate that Tim Army will be let go by Providence College, his alma mater. This talk picked up steam late in the season, so we’re betting it happens sooner rather than later.
Like MacDonald, Army has one year left on his contract.
Army is 66-116-28 in six seasons. His Friars were 8-18-8 this season; and 4-16-7 in Hockey East, ahead of only UMass-Lowell.
Mon. 3/7/11
Cerretani to Maine
5’11”, 188 lb. Lawrence Academy leading scorer Andrew Cerretani will be heading to the University of Maine this fall.
Cerretani, a 7/8/92 birthdate from Pelham, NH, is a right-shot center who just finished his second season at Lawrence after coming over from Malden Catholic as a repeat junior in ’09-10.
This season, Cerretani had a 21-29-50 line in 31 games played, and helped Lawrence reach the prep semifinals this past weekend in Salem, NH.
Mon. 3/7/11
Gozzo to Harvard
6’0”, 195 lb. Avon Old Farms senior forward Greg Gozzo has committed to Harvard for the fall of ’12.
A 7/13/92 birthdate from Jupiter, Florida, Gozzo was Avon’s leading goal scorer this season. A competitive, high-energy type, Gozzo is also an excellent finisher with a nice touch around the net. In 27 games, Gozzo had a 26-20-46 line for the Winged Beavers this season, just two points behind his center, Brown recruit Mark Naclerio.
Gozzo will play a year in the USHL before matriculating at Harvard.
Mon. 3/7/11
Torch Passed at Kimball Union, Culver
Ryan Miller, who in four years turned Kimball Union’s program around, will be returning to the Midwest to take over the hockey program at Culver Military Academy, his alma mater.
For Miller, it was an offer too good to turn down. Not only is Culver a powerful brand name in hockey circles, but when it’s your alma mater and you are being called on to take over for 32-year head coach Al Clark, whom you played for, and who founded the school’s hockey program back in the ‘70s… well, it’s an offer you grab.
Kimball Union, meanwhile, will be in excellent hands. They’ve made the transition smoothly, and have hired Mike Levine to take over the Wildcats program. Prep fans know Levine as the boy wonder who took over a moribund New Hampton program just a few months after graduating from Utica College in 2005. By Levine’s third year, New Hampton made it to Salem for the NEPSIHA Div. II playoffs, only to lose by a goal to Kents Hill. The following year, New Hampton, where Levine had once PGed, returned to Salem and won it all, upsetting a powerful Hebron squad, 3-2, in the championship game.
Then, just weeks later, Levine, who grew up in Canton, Mass., announced he was leaving New Hampton to return to Utica, his alma mater, to get his graduate degree and work as an assistant under head coach Gary Heenan. When he left New Hampton, he said he hoped to soon be back coaching in prep school soon. And he’s doing exactly that.
“My prep school experience as a student was a great experience for me,” says Levine. “It’s a great age, I like the feeling of community, and I like the combination of athletics with education.”
“I am very excited to join the Kimball Union community. Ryan, Rich, and Gino have done a great job building the program and instilling a winning attitude. I hope that I can continue the success and tradition that Ryan has worked hard to build.”
“Ryan and I are very similar,” Levine adds, “and we’ve developed a good friendship over the past couple years.”
One similarity this observer has noticed is that both coaches know they are only as good as the players they bring in. Levine, like Miller, has a really strong sense of where the players are, and has an ability to get the most out of them. Both are young, and passionate about the game.
Kimball Union is losing some key seniors, and Dennis Kravchenko will be moving on to the USHL, so there are good opportunities for top players coming to KUA in the years to come. Miller is still at KUA until the end of the spring semester, and remains invested in the program. He and Levine have been out together, watching games, making the transition go as smoothly as possible.
***
Miller, now 31, took over the Kimball Union program as someone who was not very well known in New England circles. From Gilbert, Arizona, Miller’s main tie to the area was primarily the fact that he had played four years (’99-03) for coach Mike Gilligan at the University of Vermont, where he was captain his senior year.
After graduating from UVM, Miller returned to the Midwest, to Miami of Ohio, where he ran the club program, was a volunteer assistant with the varsity, and earned his graduate degree. Right after getting that graduate degree, he came to Kimball Union, where the Wildcats were coming off a five-win season. In his first year behind the bench, the Wildcats were 6-23-1. In ’08-09, they improved to 20-15-1. In ’09-10, they jumped up another notch, to 24-8-2. This year the Wildcats made it to the Elite 8, only to bow to Kent, 3-2, in OT on Wednesday.
Now Miller is going back to his roots at Culver, with the opportunity to work with his former coach – Clark will stay on during the transition – and bring to Culver the success he had at Kimball Union.
Mon. 3/7/11
Peter Doherty, Longtime Reading Coach, at 72
Former Reading High School head coach Peter Doherty died yesterday at the age of 72 as a result of complications suffered in a Dec. 27th auto accident.
Doherty, who coached for 29 seasons at Reading before handing the reins to his son, Mark, two years ago, amassed a career record of 451-123-65.
The high point came in 2008 when Reading blanked Malden Catholic, 3-0, in the Mass Super 8 final, becoming the first public high school to win the tournament.
In 1984 Doherty opened Dynamik Sports, a Reading sporting goods store. It’s still a going concern, and is now operated by Mark.
Doherty played basketball, not hockey, in high school, but made his mark in hockey. He was always quick to credit his players, and direct attention away from himself. He could be a little gruff at times, but he was extremely loyal to his players, and they were equally loyal in return. His circle of friends was huge, and he was a fixture in the Eastern Mass hockey community.
The wake is tomorrow from 2-8 pm at St. Athanasius in Reading. The funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
