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Sun. 3/1/15

NEPSIHA Playoff Brackets

The prep playoffs start Wednesday. Pack your bags. Here are the brackets for all three divisions:

2015 NEPSIHA Playoff Brackets

Mon. 3/30/15

Beantown Spring Classic: Pre-Draft Division

Here are the players who stood out to us in the Pre-Draft Division at the Beantown Spring Classic Thurs-Fri March 12-13 at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.

Pre-Draft Division:

TEAM 1: (BLUE)

Dennis Cesana, ’98 RD, 5-8/165, #3 Blue – Here, Cesana, an offensive-minded puck mover was the best we’ve seen him in a while. Played a good, all-round, take-charge game. Will be a senior at KUA.

Patrick Dawson, ’99 LD, 5-11/180, #4 Blue – Has size, skates well, and played a smart game. Moved the puck well. He’s a ’99, will be a sophomore at Westminster, and will likely get more ice time next season.

*Colin McCabe, ’98 RD, 5-10/175, #7 Blue – Best D on his team. More than that, he was one of the better D in the pre-draft division. His skating is good, he has very good hands, he’s smooth, and he showed toughness. Has played three years at Thayer, with one to go.  

*Ethan DeStefani, ‘99 RF, 6-3/187, #11 Blue – From New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs U18. Tall, thin, raw. Long stride. Still finding his step. Has skill and high ceiling. Right shot. A David Cotton type.

* Matt Gosiewski, ’98 LF, 6-4/200, #14 Blue – Very much a project, Gosiewski has undeniable tools, with great size and good hands. Shoots the puck well. A little in-and-out here. Had 36 points in 33 games as a sophomore at Millbrook this season. A Harvard commit.

*Jack Hoey, late ’98 RF, 6-0/190, #15 Blue – Good size, good feet, and strong on puck. Made a statement here. Consistently noticeable. Will be a sophomore at Choate.

Christian LeSueur, ’99 RF, 5-10/160, #18 Blue – Smart player with good hands. Skating is OK. In this, his second year at Brunswick, LeSueur averaged nearly a point per game. Will be a junior.

* UPSIDE – John Copeland, ’99 RF, 6-5/165 #19 Blue – Very athletic for being so tall and thin. An extremely smooth skater once he gets going and finds open ice. In tight areas he can be awkward and all over the place. Has good hands. Will be a sophomore at Belmont Hill. Extremely high ceiling.

*Kevin O’Neil, ’98 RF, 5-11/165, #20 Blue – The puck followed him all tournament. Very gifted player. Smart. Can score. Makes players around him better. As a true junior at Albany Academy, he posted a 20-35-55 line in 30 games. One of the better – if not the best -- uncommitted juniors out there.

Travis Schneider, ’98 LF, 5-10/168, #21 Blue – Had a solid weekend. Hustled and competed. Made plays from different areas of the ice. More of a DIII candidate, but he did a very good job making himself noticeable here. A centerman from Illinois, Schneider had a 10-11-27 line in 29 games played. Will be a senior at Canterbury.


TEAM 2 (GREEN):

* Filip Dusek, ’98 RD, 6-4/201, #4 Green – Another project. Very raw, but has size, and is strong on his skates. Never saw him get beat 1-on-1. Handled the puck well. Hasn’t put it all together yet, but there is a lot to work with here. Has upside, though. From Prague, Czech Republic, Dusek is a Stanstead College sophomore. 

Brian Matthews, ’98 RD, 6-0/187, #5 Green – Played his usual reliable game. Good skater. Stepped up on guys and made hits. Made plays. A young veteran – he’s played since his freshman year at Belmont Hill. Will be a senior.

Jake Gresh, ’98 RD, 5-10/180, #7 Green – Solid defensive player. Skates well. Makes good first pass out of the zone. Will be a senior at Avon.

* Joey Cippolone, ’99 RF, 5-10/150, #10 Green – Very smart, skilled, creative, and patient with the puck. UVM recruit played for Connecticut Wolfpack U16 this season.

* Jeremy Descheneaux, ’98 LF, 6-2/190, #14 Green – Physical. Skilled with the puck. Can shoot it. Can play power game or skill game. Has work to do on his stride. Always brought effort and energy, but was not always consistent. One game he was really good; the next, so-so. Has considerable upside, however.As a junior at Stanstead this season, Descheneaux posted a 10-10-20 line in 43 games played. Those numbers could shoot up next season.

Michael Fahie, ’98 RF, 5-10/155, #15 Green – Excellent burst of speed. Plays at a high pace, processes game quickly and, as a consequence, is tough to defend. Brown recruit had an 8-24-32 line in 26 games for Nobles. Will be a senior next season.

Chris Garbe, ’99 LF, 5-10/165, #16 Green – He’s been a good player for a long time, and plays with poise and purpose. He didn’t do as much here as we expected. Seemed a little passive. Still, a player to keep a close eye on. From Long Gulls U16.

Sam Hesler, ’98 LF, 5-9/160, #17 Green – Played well. Good wrist shot. A smart, heads-up player. Two-way guy. Skates well. Will be a junior at Belmont Hill.

Colin Slyne, ’98 LF, 5-11/170, #18 Green– Great shot. Had a lot of nice goals, perhaps three or four. Doesn’t have great speed, but is good on 1-on-1s. Has played three years at Brunswick. Will be a senior.


TEAM 3 (RED):

*Michael Callahan, late ’99 LD, 6-1/180, #2 Red – Best defenseman all weekend in this age group. Has size, is physical, wins battles, and can shoot the puck. Zinged a wrister that hit the crossbar before flying out of the rink. Good skater who’s likely to become an excellent skater once he his body catches up to his height. Has the bearing of a pro out there. Will be a sophomore at Roxbury Latin next season. Will also be high on the wish list of a lot of top college programs.

*Ben Mirageas, ’99 LD, 5-10/160, #3 Red – Has a quiet style. Not overly flashy. Some observers thought he was fighting the puck a bit here, but we didn’t really see that. That said, we have seen him play better. Was excellent in his own end, defends 1-on-1 well. When he gets the puck he makes plays. And he is a great skater – that’s the key to his game. Had seven points as a freshman at Avon this season.

Alex Sheehy, ’98 RD, 6-2/185, #4 Red – Had a good weekend, especially on the final day. He’s a shut-down versatile d-man with size. Stopped a lot of guys on the rush. Skates well forward and backward. Can’t beat him with your feet. Has size and uses it. Had an 0-8-8 line as a sophomore at Millbrook this season.

* Reilly Walsh, ’99 RD, 5-10/165, #7 Red – Was fighting a minor tailbone injury and it showed. Wasn’t particularly assertive offensively, i.e he didn’t take off on any rink-length rushes. He took care of business in his own end, though. As a sophomore this season at Proctor, Walsh had a 13-32-45 line in 35 games. Has a high ceiling.

*Cameron Hausinger, ’99 RF, 5-10/175, #10 Red – Had a very good weekend. Strong, fluid, smooth on his skates, and can score. Really asserted himself here. From Skipjacks U16.

*Logan Cockerill, ’99 LF, 5-9/155, #12 Red – Had a remarkable weekend. Belle Tire U16 forward came east to showcase himself – and did all of that. Has speed, quick hands, and hustles like mad. Just flies around – but with purpose. Made some really nice plays. A point producer. After the tournament, he committed to Boston University, for fall ’18. Appears it was worth the air fare. Brother Garret is a freshman defenseman at Northeastern.

Cam Donaldson, ’98 RF, 5-8/152, #14 Red – Makes outstanding plays. Excellent hands. Sees the game. Quick stick, quick feet. A little hot and cold here. 14-18-32 in 28 games as a true junior at the Gunnery.

* Chris Brown, ’99 RF, 6-0/165, #16 Red – Smart, has size. Tall and thin. Good frame. Makes a lot of plays. His skating is holding him back. If he can improve there, he’ll be a player to be reckoned with.13-23-36 in 24 games played as a freshman at Groton.


TEAM 4 (GREY):

Cooper Jones, ’98 RD, 5-7/160, #2 Grey – Small defenseman who skates well, is crafty and agile, and excellent on the breakout. Gritty, too, and consistently noticeable. From Boston Bandits U16.

Lucas Niezelski, ’98 RD, 6-0/185, #3 Grey – Plays a quiet, simple game and does it well. Made good decisions with the puck. Good size. From Junior Bruins U16.

* Jason Dobay, ’99 LD, 5-11/165, #4 Grey – Had an excellent weekend. Has size, is smooth on his skates, moves the puck well, is a gifted passer, and is athletic. Plays a smart game. When he fills out and adds strength, he’s going to blossom. Will be a sophomore at BC High next season.

* Jack Moran, ’98 LD, 6-4/210, #6 Grey – Maine Black Bears commit, who has played at Winchendon for the past two seasons, makes a ton of mistakes, the kind that at the next level – hell, even at this level – quickly wind up in the back of the net. Moran is frequently out of position, and his awareness and hockey sense are low. He’s also stiff and too hunched over. That’s his downside. His upside is that he’s huge, physical, competitive, and plays with confidence. He’s a bull out there. You can be sure that NHL scouts will be following his progress next season, as he’ll be playing for Sean Tremblay’s Islanders Hockey Club. Tremblay has done well smoothing out raw defensemen – and he has a challenge here. Moran was a forward before coming to Winchendon, so that’s something to take into account.

* Jack Bliss, ’98 LF, 6-0/165, #10 Grey – Centerman is a strong skater, agile, has good hands, and is strong on his feet. Is able to slow game down. Strong in transition. If he adds a little physicality and consistency to the mix, he’ll get considerable DI interest. Was 11-9-20 in 24 games played as a sophomore at Milton this season.

Logan Drevitch, ’98 LF, 5-9/158, #14 Grey  – Had a good weekend. Similar in style to the Esposito brothers at Loomis. Has that combination of grit and skill. Speed, too. Very competitive. A Merrimack commit. for the fall of ’17, Drevitch played for Boston Bandits U18 this past season. Brother, Tyler, currently in the USHL, is also a Merrimack recruit.

RJ Murphy, ’98 LF, 6-3/170, #17 Grey – Had a wrist injury so only played the first night. Good prospect.

Craig Needham, ’99 LF, 5-9/155, #18 Grey – Good, smart two-way player. Skates well and does all the little things. True sophomore was the leading scorer at Lawrence Academy this season with an 18-10-28 line in 25 games.

* Derek Osik, ’98 RF, 5-11/160, #18 Grey – Underrated player. Centerman has excellent hockey sense; sees the ice really well. Skates well, and can skate with the puck. Had several nice rushes. Sturdy on his feet. Plays a two-way game. Junior played a key role on his St. Mark’s small school championship team by anchoring the second line. Had a 10-15-25 line.

* Christian Thomas, ’99 RF, 5-9/155, #21 Grey – Equally good at making plays and finishing plays. Sees the ice extremely well. Quick hands. Plays with pace. Always around the puck. Does everything all-out. Played for the Northern Cyclones. Committed to UVM.

Ryan Ferland, ’98 southpaw G, 6-0/160, #1 Grey – Only goalie in this division who stood out for us. Not easy to do here, as things tend to get pretty wide open. Southpaw doesn’t lack for confidence. Always challenges when the situation calls for it. Has several years prep experience and it’s paying off. Helped lead St. Mark’s to small school title.

Mon. 3/30/15

Back at It!

This year we figured that, as long as prep school kids were getting a spring back, why not us? After all, we only got one day at Thanksgiving, one or two at Christmas, and that was it. Grownups need rest, too. More so, really.

At any rate, this afternoon we will be picking up where we left off a couple of weeks ago, with a look at the Beantown Spring Classic.

Fri. 3/13/15

All-New England Teams
Here are the 2014-15 New England Prep All-Star Teams, as voted on by the league coaches.

East All-Stars
F -- David Cotton, Jr., Cushing (BC)
F -- Ryan Donato, Sr., Dexter (Harvard)
F -- Teddy Hart, Sr., Exeter
D -- Liam Darcy, Sr., Berwick (UNH)
D -- Luke McInnis, Jr., Dexter (BC)
G -- Max Prawdzik, Sr., Brooks

West All-Stars
F -- Taggart Corriveau, Jr., Westminster (St. Lawrence)
F -- Alex Esposito, Sr., Loomis (Vermont)
F -- Vimal Sukumaran, Sr., Salisbury (Providence)
D -- Zach Giuttari, Sr., Loomis (Brown)
D -- James Gobetz, Sr., Salisbury
D -- Nick Quillan, Sr., Gunnery (Colgate)
G -- Sam Tucker, Sr., Choate (Yale)

Wed. 3/11/15

Beantown Rosters & Schedule

The Beantown Spring Classic gets underway tonight, but really kicks into gear on Thursday and Friday.

All games will be held at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Mass.

Here is a link to the website, which has the schedule and rosters:

2015 Beantown Spring Classic Schedule

Below is a link to a printable PDF file of the rosters. It's not a substitute for the program, but is useful to use as a checklist before going. Your printer should be set to landscape mode. 

2015 Beantown Spring Classic Rosters (printable PDF)

-- The USPHL best-of-three championship series is a part of the tournament. The Philadelphia Flyers will play the Jersey Hitmen on Wednesday (4:40 pm), Thursday (5:10 pm) and, if necessary Friday (1:50 pm).

The Elite and Empire divisions will also be holding their playoffs during the Beantown.

Sun. 3/8/15

2015 NEPSIHA Championship Games Results

Results -- 2015 NEPSIHA Championship Games
@ Sullivan Ice Arena, St. Anselm College; Manchester, NH 03102

-- Piatelli/Simmons Tournament (Small School)
    St. Mark's 3, Westminster 1

-- Martin/Earl Tournament (Large School)
    Brooks 4, Belmont Hill 2

-- Stuart/Corkery Tournament (Elite 8)
    Salisbury 3, Dexter 1

For game stories please go to USHR Prep News.

Sun. 3/1/15

 

Mass. Super 8

#7 Franklin Difficult for MC

Can't say that I knew much about Franklin High before tonight, but the school, in its second year playing in Mass. Div. I, made the Super 8, and, after edging Xaverian, 3-2 (OT) in a play-in game Tuesday night, faced off against #2 seed Malden Catholic in the last of today's four games. 

To be honest, this typist sort of expected a blowout. It was anything but. Franklin High, a team heavy with seniors, gave MC all they could handle, coming out hard right from the opening faceoff and putting the Lancers back on their heels. Franklin had a few quality scoring opportunities, mostly from around the crease, with dekes and rebounds and pucks rolling and bouncing tantalizingly -- just not their way. After the period was over and it was 0-0, the feeling was that Franklin probably wasn't going to get as many good chances for the rest of the night, and that Malden Catholic might take over in the second.

But Franklin's Alex Campbell scored on a wrist shot just a minute or so into the second, to the delight of the Franklin High student section, which was roughly twice as large and twice as loud as MC's. But the Lancers responded, playing with a bit more urgency.

By this point, a big part of the story was Franklin High goaltender Ryan Shea, who looked like he might be able to steal a win for his team. The senior made a number of excellent saves throughout the game, staying on his feet, challenging, moving well laterally. There were some scary moments, too, as MC's forwards can shoot it, and are opportunistic. Fairly early into the game, big junior Matt Filipe split the Franklin D and bore in on Shea, who stayed with Filipe, making the Northeastern recruit commit first. Shea stopped 39 of 41 shots on the night. Of the two goals he allowed, one came when his D had a hard time clearing out in front, and MC junior forward Nick Botticelli was able to just keep poking away at a rebound, and eventually get it past Shea. On the game-winner, Shea had no chance, as MC senior Austin Goldstein, from behind the net, put a hard pass right out front onto the stick of Filipe, who fired it home, making it 2-1 early in the third.

But Franklin kept at it. The final shots, 41-25, aren't indicative of that much because Franklin won a lot of puck battles throughout the night, and kept MC, except when they were on the PP, from setting up shop in the Franklin end. Even there MC had problems, as one of Franklin's forwards, Alec Borkowski, must have had three breakaway short-handed attempts in the third. Despite the win, it wasn't a game Malden Catholic coach John McLean could be too thrilled with. However, a lot of credit has to go to Franklin High. They forced the issue constantly -- and their goalie came up with some big saves.

I have no idea what Franklin's seniors have in the way of future hockey plans. By the time the game ended, the snow was coming down steadily, and this typist wasn't about to hang around and extend an already long day. It was just time to bug out of there.

Some enterprising prep coaches, however, should check them out. In addition to Shea, there were several skaters who would make for pretty useful PGs somewhere.

***
Here are the scores of all today's Super 8 games.

Austin Prep 3, Central Catholic 0
Springfield Cathedral 3, Woburn HS 2
St. John's Prep 2, BC High 1
Malden Catholic 2, Franklin HS 1

The best-of-three series continues on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Here's the schedule.

Wed. March 4 at Tsongas Arena:
Springfield Cathedral vs. Woburn HS, 6:00 pm
Malden Catholic vs. Franklin HS, 8:00 pm

Thurs. March 5 at Tsongas Arena:
Austin Prep vs. Central Catholic, 6:00 pm
BC High vs. St. John's Prep, 8:00 pm

Sun. 3/1/15

Mass. Super 8 Schedule

Here is a printable PDF for today's Mass. Super 8 games, which gets underway at Lowell's Tsongas Forum at noon, as well as dates for future rounds.

Mass. Super 8 Tournament