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* * 🏒  HOLIDAY TOURNAMENT GUIDE  🏒 * *

Wed. 12/9/15

Cushing Tops Williston, 4-1

Easthampton, Mass. – Cushing Academy got goals from four different scorers and a 28-save effort from junior Joey Hallstrom in a 4-1 win at Williston today.

The game-winning goal came when sophomore Vilho Saariluoma tipped home Matt Dillon’s shot from the left point to make it 2-1 at the 6:41 mark of the second period.

Cushing’s Marc McLaughlin would add an insurance goal when, while killing a 5x3, his shot, which was initially stopped but subsequently boxed around by Williston goalie Donnie Battimelli, landed in the back of the net. Cushing made it 4-1 in the third when junior Alec Andreucci’s pass from the corner found senior Brent Hill in front to make it a 4-1 final.

Earlier, in the first period, Cushing opened the scoring when Ashton Fry’s behind-the-back pass found senior Jeffrey Morgan in the slot, and Morgan’s wrister found the back of the net. However, with 1:08 left in the period, Williston got it back, taking advantage of a Cushing defensive breakdown to spring junior Nick Schofield for a breakaway goal. The first period ended 1-1.

Williston, however, would not score again, and that was the story. Cushing made more plays, and has more firepower. Williston, however, is a gritty team and skated with Cushing until the final buzzer. They don’t have starpower but they are well-coached and work hard. They will create difficulties for opponents that aren’t ready to play.

Notes:

Williston is 0-3 but the losses have come vs. KUA, Salisbury, and now Cushing. Not an easy row to hoe.

Cushing junior Marc McLaughlin was the best player on the ice, hands-down. The right-shot center, who has reportedly decommitted from St. Lawrence, is noticeable every time he’s on the ice. He has a great long stride and covers all three zones extremely well. In addition, he makes plays, and he competes. Look for McLaughlin to get a lot of attention from Hockey East schools.

6’3”, 200 lb. sophomore forward Vilho Saariluoma is interesting. The ’99 from Finland skates well for his size and can make some good plays. But he also makes some not-so-good plays. He seems a little in-and-out in terms of his involvement and ability to impact the game. But he’s young and is adjusting to a new style.

6’3” new senior Jacob Kamps, a UVM recruit, was effective using his size and strength. Not a lot of finesse, but he can take it to the net and create space for his teammates. He injured his knee late in the third period. No word yet on whether he will miss any future game action.

Cushing has several young defensemen who caught our attention:

Thurs. 12/31/15

Thurs. Dec. 31st Tournament Results

 E.G. Watkins New Year's Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
Lawrence 4, NMH 1
Cushing 6, Canterbury 1
Culver 3, Dexter 1
Gunnery 6, Thayer 5
Canterbury 5, NMH 2
Cushing 6, Lawrence 2

BB&N New Year's Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Buckingham Browne & Nichols; Cambridge, Mass.
Roxbury Latin 9, Moses Brown 1
BB&N 5, Pingree 0

BB&N New Year's Showcase All-Tournament Team:

MVP:
Andy Song, Jr. F, Roxbury Latin

F: Connor Sweeney, Fr., Pingree
F: Jimmy Duffy, Soph., Roxbury Latin
F: Jack Studley, Soph., BB&N
F: Andy Song, Jr., Roxbury Latin

D: Mike Callahan, Soph.,
D: Joey Gilbert, Jr., BB&N
D: Corey Herron, Soph., BB&N

G: Bryan McGrath, Jr., Roxbury Latin
G: Brandon Sherman, 8th Gr., Moses Brown

Wed. 12/30/15

Wed. Dec. 30th Tournament Results
Belmont Hill-Nichols Holiday Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.
Semifinal #1: Brunswick 4, Rivers 0
Semifinal #2: Belmont Hill 3, Millbrook 2 (SO)
4th Place Game: St. Francis 1, Upper Canada College 1
3rd Place Game: Nichols 4, Hebron 2
Championship Game: Brunswick 2, Belmont Hill 1 (OT)

BB&N New Year's Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At Buckingham Browne & Nichols School; Cambridge, Mass.
Roxbury Latin 3, BB&N 2 (OT)
Moses Brown 5, Pingree 2
BB&N 5, Moses Brown 2
Roxbury Latin 2, Pingree 1

St. John's Prep 7, Bergen Catholic 1
Loomis-Chaffee 5, Freiburg (Suisse) Jr. A 3

Tues. 12/29/15

Tues. Dec 29th Tournament Results

 Belmont Hill-Nichols Holiday Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.
 9:00 am -- Nichols 3, Upper Canada College 3
11:00 am -- Rivers 0, Millbrook 0
 1:00 pm -- Brunswick 3, Hebron 1
 3:00 pm -- Belmont Hill 6, St. Francis 1
 6:00 pm -- Rivers 4, Nichols 2
 8:00 pm -- Millbrook 3, Upper Canada College 0

Wed. Dec. 30th Playoffs:
9:00 am -- Semifinal #1: Brunswick vs. Rivers
11:00 am -- Semifinal #2: Millbrook vs. Belmont Hill
2:00 pm -- 4th Place Game: St. Francis vs. Upper Canada College
4:00 pm -- 3rd Place Game: Nichols vs. Hebron
6:30 pm -- Championship Game

Mon. 12/28/15

Mon. Dec. 28th Tournament Results

Chris Serino Christmas Classic (Day 2 of 2)
At Valley Forum II, Malden, Mass.
Consolation Game: St. Mary's-Lynn 2, Hingham 1
Championship Game: Malden Catholic 5, Austin Prep 1

Belmont Hill-Nichols Holiday Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.
Brunswick 2, Belmont Hill 0
Hebron 7, St. Francis 0
Millbrook 3, Nichols 1
Rivers 3, Upper Canada College 0
Belmont Hill 3, Hebron 1
Brunswick 3, St. Francis 0

Sun. 12/27/15

Sun. Dec. 27th Tournament Results

Pete Frates Winter Classic (Day 2 of 2)
At Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass.
Consolation game: BC High 8, Central Catholic 2
Championship game: St. John's Prep 2, Springfield Cathedral 1

Chris Serino Christmas Classic (Day 1 of 2)
At Valley Forum II, Malden, Mass.
Austin Prep 3, St. Mary's-Lynn 2 
Malden Catholic 2, Hingham 0

Sat. 12/26/15

Sat. Dec. 26th Tournament Results

 Pete Frates Winter Classic (Day 1 of 2)
At Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass.
St. John's Prep 2, BC High 1 (OT) 
Springfield Cathedral 4, Central Catholic 3 (OT)
 

Fri. 12/25/15

Prep Composite, Dec. 26th through Jan. 4th

Sat. Dec. 26

Pete Frates Winter Classic (Day 1 of 2)
At Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass.
St. John's Prep vs. BC High, 1:00 pm
Springfield Cathedral vs. Central Catholic, 3:00 pm


Sun. Dec. 27

Chris Serino Christmas Classic (Day 1 of 2)
At Valley Forum II, Malden, Mass.
Austin Prep vs. St. Mary's Lynn, 3:20 pm
Malden Catholic vs. Hingham, 5:40 pm

Pete Frates Winter Classic (Day 2 of 2)
At Merrimack College, North Andover, Mass.
Consolation game, 1:00 pm
Championship game, 3:00 pm


Mon. Dec. 28

Belmont Hill-Nichols Holiday Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.
  9:00 am -- Belmont Hill vs. Brunswick
11:00 am -- St. Francis vs. Hebron
 1:00 pm -- Nichols vs. Millbrook
 3:00 pm -- Upper Canada College vs. Rivers
 6:00 pm -- Hebron vs. Belmont Hill
 8:00 pm -- Brunswick vs. St. Francis

Chris Serino Christmas Classic (Day 1 of 2)
At Valley Forum II, Malden, Mass.
Consolation game, 3:20 pm
Championship game, 5:40 pm

Loomis-Chaffee @ Langau, Switzerland Junior A, 5:00 pm


Tues. Dec. 29

Belmont Hill-Nichols Holiday Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.
 9:00 am -- Nichols vs. Upper Canada College
11:00 am -- Rivers vs. Millbrook
 1:00 pm -- Brunswick vs. Hebron
 3:00 pm -- Belmont Hill vs. St. Francis
 6:00 pm -- Rivers vs. Nichols
 8:00 pm -- Millbrook vs. Upper Canada College

Loomis-Chaffee @ Biel, Switzerland Junior A, 5:00 pm


Wed. Dec. 30

Belmont Hill-Nichols Holiday Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At Belmont Hill School; Belmont, Mass.
 9:00 am -- Semifinal #1 -- 1st Place Blue vs. 2nd Place Green
11:00 am -- Semifinal #2 -- 1st Place Green vs. 2nd Place Blue
 2:00 pm -- 4th Place Teams
 4:00 pm -- 3rd Place Teams
 6:30 pm -- Championship Game

BB&N New Year's Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At Buckingham Browne & Nichols; Cambridge, Mass.
9:00 am -- BB&N vs. Roxbury Latin
11:15 am -- Pingree vs. Moses Brown
4:00 pm -- BB&N vs. Moses Brown
6:15 pm --  Roxbury Latin vs. Pingree

Bergen Catholic @ St. John's Prep, 12:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Freiburg, Switzerland Junior A, 12:00 pm


Thurs. Dec. 31

E.G. Watkins New Year's Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
 9:00 am -- NMH vs. Lawrence
11:10 am -- Cushing vs. Canterbury
 1:20 pm -- Dexter vs. Culver
 3:30 pm -- Thayer vs. Gunnery
 5:40 pm -- Canterbury vs. NMH
 7:50 pm -- Cushing vs. Lawrence

BB&N New Year's Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Buckingham Browne & Nichols; Cambridge, Mass.
10:30 am -- Moses Brown vs. Roxbury Latin
12:45 pm -- BB&N vs. Pingree

Austin Prep @ Matignon High School, 3:00 pm


Fri. Jan. 1, 2016

E.G. Watkins New Year's Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
 9:00 am -- Culver vs. Thayer
11:10 am -- Gunnery vs. Dexter
 1:20 pm -- Lawrence vs. Canterbury
 3:30 pm -- Cushing vs. NMH
 5:40 pm -- Gunnery vs. Culver
 7:50 pm -- Dexter vs. Thayer


Sat. Jan. 2

E.G. Watkins New Year's Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
9:00 am -- Fisher 4 vs. Iorio 4
11:10 am -- Fisher 3 vs. Iorio 3
 1:20 pm -- Fisher 2 vs. Iorio 2
 3:30- pm -- Fisher 1 vs. Iorio 1

Vermont Academy Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY
11:30 am --  Kingswood Oxford vs. Tilton
1:30 pm -- Wyoming Seminary vs. Brewster
3:30 pm -- Hoosac vs. Vermont
6:15 pm -- Kingswood Oxford vs. Brewster
8:15 pm -- Wyoming Seminary vs. Tilton

Nobles-St. Sebastian's New Year's Showcase (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Sebastian's (Sat.); at Nobles (Sun.)
12:45 pm -- Berkshire vs. St. Sebastian's
 3:00 pm -- Nobles vs. Williston

UNH Showcase (Day 1 of 3)
At UNH's Whittemore Center (Sat.-Sun. Jan. 2-3) & The Rinks at Exeter (Mon. Jan. 4).
Hosted by St. Andrew's College
8:15 am -- Seacoast Prep vs. Bishops College
10:45 am -- St. Andrew's College vs. New Hampton
1:15 pm -- Proctor vs. Bridgton
6:15 pm -- Northwood vs. New England Wolves

Bishop Hendricken @ Springfield Cathedral, 12:00 pm
Matignon High School @ St. John's Prep, 2:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Exeter, 4:30 pm
Austin Prep @ Central Catholic, 6:00 pm


Sun. Jan. 3

Nobles-St. Sebastian's New Year's Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At St. Sebastian's (Sat.); at Nobles (Sun.)
12:15 pm -- Berkshire vs. Nobles
2:45 pm -- St. Sebastian's vs. Williston

Vermont Academy Showcase (Day 2 of 2)
At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Troy, NY
11:15 am -- Hoosac vs. Brewster
1:15 pm -- Wyoming Seminary vs. Vermont
3:15 pm -- Hoosac vs. Tilton
6:00 pm -- Kingswood Oxford vs. Vermont

UNH Showcase (Day 2 of 3)
At UNH's Whittemore Center (Sat. & Sun. Jan. 2-3) and The Rinks at Exeter (Mon. Jan. 4).
Hosted by St. Andrew's College
11:00 am -- St. Andrew's College vs Northwood
1:30 pm -- Proctor vs. Bishops
4:00 pm -- NE Wolves vs. Seacoast Prep
6:30 pm -- Bridgton vs. New Hampton

Joshua H. Weeks New Years' Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At Tabor Academy; Marion, Mass.
9:00 am -- Tabor vs. Kents Hill
10:45 am -- KUA vs. Winchendon
12:30 pm -- Hill vs. Milton
3:00 pm -- Winchendon vs. Kents Hill
4:45 pm -- Tabor vs. Hill
6:30 pm -- Milton vs. KUA

Albany Academy @ North Yarmouth Academy, 9:00 am
Loomis-Chaffee @ Zurich, Switzerland Junior A, 12:00 pm
Saint Augustine @ Don Bosco Prep, 6:00 pm


Mon. Jan. 4

UNH Showcase (Day 3 of 3)
At UNH's Whittemore Center (Sat. & Sun. Jan. 2-3) and The Rinks at Exeter (Mon. Jan. 4).
Hosted by St. Andrew's College
10:00 am -- Bishops College vs. New Hampton (Rink 1)
11:50 am -- Bridgton vs. NE Wolves (Rink 2)
12:10 pm -- Proctor vs. Northwood (Rink 1)

Joshua H. Weeks New Years' Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At Tabor Academy; Marion, Mass.
 9:00 am -- Game 1
11:00 am -- Game 2
 1:00 pm -- Championship Game
(The top two teams are seeded after Day 1. The other two matchups are determined based on who has not yet played each other, travel, etc.)

St. Andrew's College @ Exeter, 11:30 am
Groton @ Moses Brown, 4:00 pm 

Sun. 12/20/15

Schuhlen Lifts Westminster to Flood-Marr Title
Milton, Mass. – A J.P. Schuhlen goal with 26.4 seconds remaining in regulation lifted Westminster to a 2-1 win in the championship game of the 2015 Flood-Marr Tournament here this afternoon.

The winning goal came off the forecheck, as Westminster senior center Johnny McDermott pressured the KUA defense in the corner. When the puck came loose, McDermott’s linemate, senior Taggart Corriveau pounced on it and got it out front to fellow senior J.P. Schuhlen, who was wide open and alone – no defenders within yards. The Colby recruit’s wrister didn’t miss. Schuhlen, who also had a big game vs. Hotchkiss Friday afternoon (3g,2a), was named the tournament MVP.

For Westminster, which had been in three of the Flood-Marr’s last four title games, today’s win gave the school its first championship in five years, and fifth overall. In 2010, Westminster won the title by edging, coincidentally enough, Kimball Union, 3-2, in double OT. PG Luke Laskiewicz had the hot hand for the Martlets that day, scoring all three goals. Goaltender Patrick Spano, now at Yale, was named tournament MVP. Westy also won titles in 1988, 1996, and 2000.

Today, Westminster was held scoreless until there was 5:38 remaining in regulation. Kimball Union had scored the game’s only goal when sophomore forward Andranik Armstrong, with a strong second effort, was able to bang the rebound of his own shot past Westminster goaltender Stephen Gasior to put the Wildcats up 1-0 in the second period.

A key moment of the game came when Westminster senior goaltender Stephen Gasior, playing the puck, rushed out to the top of the right faceoff circle and collided with a KUA forward. As the play was developing, it looked a little like the unfortunate Joe Exter-Patrick Eaves collision in the 2003 Hockey East playoffs, but Gasior was fine, and stayed in the game.

There was no ill intent on the play, but Westminster, which had played even with KUA in the second period, didn’t take kindly to it, and got off their game a bit, running around looking to retaliate. 

After the second period, which was even, Westminster began to play their game more in the third. They eventually got a break, a lucky one at that, when a KUA defenseman attempting to wrap it around and up the far boards didn’t get good wood on it and it  wound up in the slot -- a flukey play that Westminster took advantage of, quickly banging it home past a surprised Elijah Harris, making it a 1-1 game and setting the stage for Schuhlen’s late heroics.

“I thought that we were nervous in the first period,” said Westminster coach Tim Joncas, “but we balanced things off in the second.”

Joncas felt his team overreacted to Gasior’s collision, which was a clean hockey play.

“Our guys got too fired up after that. But our captains, Johnny McDermott and Taggart Corriveau, refocused the guys between periods. We kept pressing and skating, got the tying goal, and then (Corriveau) makes the nice play off the wall to get it to Schuhlen.”

This was a tough loss for KUA. They could easily have won this game, a one-goal affair against a team that never quit. Wildcats’ coach Tim Whitehead said, “This was a game that could have gone either way. I thought we did a lot of things right, and that we played an honest game. On that tying goal, the puck was on edge – and it just hooked on him.”

2015 Flood-Marr All-Tournament Team

Most Valuable Player:
Westminster senior F J.P. Schuhlen.

Westminster:
Kevin O’Leary, Sr. D
Johnny McDermott, Sr. F
Taggart Corriveau, Sr. F

Kimball Union:
Ben Finkelstein, Sr. D
Jack Griffin, Sr. F
Elijah Harris, Sr. G

Hotchkiss:
Will Somers, Sr. F
Chris Theodore, Sr. F

Milton:
Ethan Domokos, Jr. G
Trevor Turnbull, Sr. F

Deerfield:
Francois Laflamme, Sr. D

Nobles:
Michael Fahie, Sr. F

Andover:
Matt Schoen, PG G

Salisbury:
Anthony Vincent, Sr. F

Sun. 12/20/15

Sun. Dec. 20th Tournament Results
51st Annual Flood-Marr Tournament -- Playoffs
All games at Milton Academy; Milton, Mass.
8:00 am -- 7th Place -- Salisbury 6, Andover 0
10:00 am -- 5th Place -- Deerfield 4, Nobles 2
12:00 pm -- 3rd Place -- Milton 4, Hotchkiss 1
2:00 pm -- Championship Game -- Westminster 2, Kimball Union 1

68th Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament -- Playoffs
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ
 8:00 am -- 7th Place -- NMH 1, Lawrenceville 1
10:00 am -- 5th Place -- Choate 2, Nichols 1 (2 OT)
12:00 pm -- 3rd Place -- Belmont Hill 3, Upper Canada College 2
2:15 pm -- Championship Game -- Canterbury 5, Taft 3

St. Sebastian's Tournament -- Playoffs
At St. Sebastian's School; Needham, Mass.
9:00 am -- 7th Place -- Williston 5, Thayer 3
11:00 am -- 5th Place -- Rivers 3, Albany Academy 2
1:00 pm -- 3rd Place -- St. Sebastian's 3, St. Andrew's College 2 (SO)
3:00 pm -- Championship -- Northwood 7, Winchendon 1

Brooks-Pingree Tournament -- Playoffs
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)
9:00 am -- Tilton 2, Brooks 1
9:00 am -- Kingswood-Oxford 3, NYA 2 (OT)
11:30 am -- Hebron 3, Pingree 2 (OT)
11:30 am -- Championship -- New Hampton 3, Millbrook 2

 

Sat. 12/19/15

Sat. Dec. 19th Tournament Results
Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 3 of 3) -- Playoffs
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.
8:30 am -- 7th Place -- Loomis 3, St. Paul's 0
10:30 am -- 5th Place -- Gunnery 5, Trinity-Pawling 0
1:30 pm -- 3rd Place -- Tabor 2, Berkshire 1
3:30 pm -- Championship -- Avon 10, Kent 1

Groton-Lawrence Holiday Hockey Tournament (Day 3 of 3) -- Playoffs
At Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.) and the Groton School (Groton, Mass.)
9:30 am -- 7th Place -- Pomfret 5, Holderness 2
 9:30 am -- 5th Place -- Lawrence 6, Groton 2
10:00 am -- 3rd Place -- Cushing 6, Proctor 2   
11:30 am -- Championship -- Dexter 4, Culver 3

51st Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.
Hotchkiss 6, Nobles 4
Westminster 4, Andover 2
Milton 3, Salisbury 1
KUA 4, Deerfield 1
Westminster 3, Nobles 3
Hotchkiss 3, Andover 1

Sunday's Playoff Matchups at the Flood-Marr:
All Games at Milton Academy; Milton, Mass.
8:00 am -- 7th Place -- Andover vs. Salisbury
10:00 am -- 5th Place -- Nobles vs. Deerfield
12:00 pm -- 3rd Place -- Hotchkiss vs. Milton
2:00 pm -- Championship Game -- KUA vs. Westminster

68th Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ (except where noted).
 9:00 am -- Northfield-Mt. Hermon 2, Taft 1
 9:00 am -- Belmont Hill 6, Nichols 2
11:00 am --Lawrenceville 3, Canterbury 2 (OT) 
11:00 am -- Upper Canada College 4, Choate 0
 2:00 pm -- Belmont Hill 4, Northfield-Mt. Hermon 1
 4:00 pm -- Taft 3, Nichols 0
 6:30 pm -- Choate 3, Lawrenceville 0
 8:30 pm -- Canterbury 4, Upper Canada College 2

Sunday's Playoff Games at the Lawrenceville Tournament:
8:00 am -- NMH vs. Lawrenceville
10:00 am -- Nichols vs. Choate
12:00 pm -- Belmont Hill vs. Upper Canada College
2:15 pm -- Championship Game -- Taft vs. Canterbury

St. Sebastian's Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At St. Sebastian's School; Needham, Mass.
Game 5 -- Albany Academy 6, Thayer 1
Game 6 -- Rivers 3, Williston 1 
Game 7 -- Winchendon 4, St. Sebastian's 3 (SO)
Game 8 -- Northwood 6, St. Andrew's 3

Sunday Playoff Schedule at St. Sebastian's Tournament:
9:00 am -- 7th Place -- Thayer vs. Williston
11:00 am -- 5th Place -- Rivers vs. Albany Academy
1:00 pm -- 3rd Place -- St. Sebastian's vs. St. Andrew's College
3:00 pm -- Championship -- Winchendon vs. Northwood

Barber Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)
Game 5 -- Governor's 5, Worcester Academy 1
Game 6 -- Kents Hill 8, Portsmouth Abbey 0
Game 7 -- Middlesex 2, Stanstead 1   
Game 8 -- St. Mark's 3, Vermont Academy 0
Game 9 -- Worcester Academy 2, Portsmouth Abbey 1
Game 10 -- Consolation -- Governor's 3, Kents Hill 0
Game 11 -- Stanstead College 3, Vermont Academy 2 
Game 12 -- Championship -- St. Mark's 5, Middlesex 2  

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At the Brooks School (North Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (South Hamilton, Mass.)
Brooks School Schedule:
9:00 am -- New Hampton 6, Brooks 5
11:00 am -- Hebron 2, NYA 1
5:00 pm -- New Hampton 3, Hebron 2 (OT)
7:00 pm -- Brooks 3, NYA 1
Pingree School Schedule:
9:00 am -- Pingree 3, Kingswood 1
11:00 am -- Millbrook 3, Tilton 2
5:00 pm -- Millbrook 9, Kingswood 2 
7:00 pm -- Tilton 5, Pingree 1

Sunday Playoff Schedule at Brooks-Pingree Tournament:
9:00 am -- Brooks vs. Tilton (at Brooks)
9:00 am -- NYA vs. Kingswood-Oxford (at Pingree)
11:30 am -- Pingree vs. Hebron (at Pingree)
11:30 am -- Championship -- Millbrook vs. New Hampton

14th Annual Howard Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At St. George’s School; Middletown, RI
8:30 am – St. George’s 4, BB&N 2
12:45 pm – St. George’s 7, Hill 2  

Fri. 12/18/15

Fri. Dec. 18th Tournament Results

 51st Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Milton Academy (Milton, Mass.)
Milton 7, Deerfield 2
KUA 5, Salisbury 0
Nobles 3, Andover 2 (OT)
Westminster 6, Hotchkiss 1
Milton 2, KUA 2
Deerfield 1, Salisbury 0

Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 2 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms and, where noted, Trinity College.
Gunnery 2, Loomis 2 (@ Trinity College rink)
Kent 3, Berkshire 2 (OT)
Tabor 5, St. Paul's 4 (@ Trinity College rink)
Avon 5, Trinity-Pawling 2
Berkshire 2, Loomis 0
Kent 4, Gunnery 2
Trinity-Pawling 4, St. Paul's 0
Avon 1, Tabor 0

Saturday's Avon Old Farms Playoff Schedule:
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.
8:30 am -- 7th Place -- Loomis vs. St. Paul's
10:30 am -- 5th Place -- Gunnery vs. Trinity-Pawling
1:30 pm -- 3rd Place -- Berkshire vs. Tabor
3:30 pm -- Championship -- Kent vs. Avon

42nd Annual Groton-Lawrence Holiday Hockey Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.) and the Groton School (Groton, Mass.)
Dexter 3, Proctor 3 (@ Lawrence Academy)
Culver 11, Lawrence 0 (@ Lawrence Academy)
Cushing 8, Holderness 3 (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
Groton 4, Pomfret 2 (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
Holderness 1, Lawrence 1 (@ Lawrence Academy)
Cushing 2, Culver 2 (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
Proctor 4, Groton 3 (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
Dexter 3, Pomfret 2 (@ Lawrence Academy)

Saturday's Groton-Lawrence Playoff Schedule:
9:30 am -- Seventh Place Game -- Holderness vs. Pomfret (@ Lawrence Academy)
 9:30 am -- Fifth Place Game -- Groton vs. Lawrence (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
10:00 am -- Third Place Game -- Cushing vs. Proctor (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
11:30 am -- Championship Game -- Dexter vs. Culver (@ Lawrence Academy)

68th Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ
Nichols 5, Northfield-Mt. Hermon 3
Upper Canada College 2, Lawrenceville 1 (OT)
Taft 1, Belmont Hill 0
Canterbury 3, Choate 3

St. Sebastian's Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At St. Sebastian's School; Needham, Mass.
Game 1 -- Winchendon 3, Thayer 2 (shootout) 
Game 2 -- St. Sebastian's 2, Albany Academy 0
Game 3 -- St. Andrew's College 3, Rivers 2 (shootout)
Game 4 -- Northwood 9, Williston 1

Saturday's St. Sebastian's Schedule:
At St. Sebastian's School; Needham, Mass.
Game 5 -- Thayer vs. Albany Academy, 11:00 am
Game 6 -- Rivers vs. Williston, 1:00 pm
Game 7 -- Winchendon vs. St. Sebastian's, 3:00 pm
Game 8 -- St. Andrew's vs. Northwood, 5:00 pm

Barber Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)
Game 1 -- Middlesex 2, Worcester Academy 0
Game 2 -- St. Mark's 5, Portsmouth Abbey 1
Game 3 -- Stanstead College 2, Governor's 1
Game 4 -- Kents Hill 3, Vermont Academy 3 (not sure who advances)

Saturday's Barber Tournament Playoff Schedule:
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)
Game 5 -- Worcester Academy vs. Governor's (@ Middlesex), 8:30 am
Game 6 -- Portsmouth Abbey vs. Kents Hill (@ St. Mark's), 8:30 am 
Game 7 -- Middlesex vs. Stanstead (@ Middlesex), 10:30 am
Game 8 -- St. Mark's vs. Vermont Academy (@ St. Mark's), 10:30 am 
Game 9 -- Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 (@ St. Mark's), 1:30 pm 
Game 10 -- Consolation -- Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 (@ Middlesex), 1:30 pm
Game 11 -- Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 (@ St. Mark's), 3:30 pm 
Game 12 -- Championship -- Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (@ Middlesex) 3:30 pm

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)
Brooks School Schedule
Fri. 12/18, 4:00 pm -- Brooks 3, Hebron 1
Fri. 12/18, 6:00 pm -- NYA 5, New Hampton 3
Pingree School Schedule
Fri. 12/18, 4:00 pm -- Millbrook 9, Pingree 1
Fri. 12/18, 6:00 pm -- Tilton 3, Kingswood 2 (OT)

14th Annual Howard Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. George’s School; Middletown, RI
5:45 pm – Hill 4, BB&N 4

Thurs. 12/17/15

Thurs. Dec. 17th Tournament Results

Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 1)
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.
Loomis 3, Kent 2 (OT)
Avon 7, St. Paul's 1
Berkshire 4, Gunnery 2
Tabor 5, Trinity-Pawling 2

42nd Annual Groton-Lawrence Holiday Hockey Tournament (Day 1)
At Lawrence Academy and the Groton School; Groton, Mass.
Culver 8, Holderness 1
Dexter 5, Groton 3 vs. Groton
Proctor 4, Pomfret 3
Lawrence 6, Cushing 6 (Lawrence wins shootout)

Mon. 12/14/15- Updates: Saturday's Delbarton-Malden Catholic game -- formerly 3:00 pm at Harvard -- is now a 1:00 pm start at Merrimack College.

Prep Composite, Week of Dec. 14, 2015

Mon. Dec. 14
Harvey @ White Plains HS, 3:45 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Brunswick, 4:30 pm
Choate @ Loomis-Chaffee, 5:00 pm
Proctor @ Vermont Academy, 5:30 pm
St. Peter's Prep @ Portledge, 5:30 pm

Tues. Dec. 15
Andover @ Groton, 4:30 pm
Seton Hall Prep @ Delbarton, 4:45 pm

Wed. Dec. 16
St. Andrew's College vs. Ridley College, 2:00 pm (@ Whitby, Ontario)
Pomfret @ Worcester Academy, 2:30 pm
Tilton @ Exeter, 3:00 pm
Hill School @ Portledge, 3:45 pm
Salisbury @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm 5:00 pm
Pingree @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Harvey @ Hamden Hall , 4:00 pm
Brooks @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
Delbarton @ CBA, 5:00 pm
New Hampton @ Kents Hill, 5:00 pm
Moses Brown @ Portsmouth Abbey, 5:00 pm
Bishop's College School @ Brewster Academy, 5:00 pm
Bishop Fenwick @ Austin Prep, 6:00 pm
Central Catholic @ St John’s-Shrewsbury, 8:00 pm


Thurs. Dec. 17

Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 1 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.
3:00 pm -- Loomis vs. Kent
5:00 pm -- St. Paul's vs. Avon
7:00 pm -- Gunnery vs. Berkshire
9:00 pm -- Tabor vs. Trinity-Pawling

42nd Annual Groton-Lawrence Holiday Hockey Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.) and the Groton School (Groton, Mass.) 
 3:30 pm -- Culver vs. Holderness (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
 4:30 pm -- Dexter vs. Groton (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
 5:30 pm -- Proctor vs. Pomfret (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
 7:00 pm -- Cushing vs. Lawrence (@ Lawrence Academy)

Other Games:
St. Peter Marian HS @ Springfield Cathedral, 6:30 pm


Fri. Dec. 18

51st Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Milton Academy (Milton, Mass.)
 9:00 am -- Deerfield vs. Milton
11:00 am -- Salisbury vs. KUA
1:00 pm -- Nobles vs. Andover
 3:00 pm -- Westminster vs. Hotchkiss
 5:00 pm -- KUA vs. Milton
 7:00 pm -- Salisbury vs. Deerfield

Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 2 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms and, where noted, Trinity College.
9:00 am -- Gunnery vs. Loomis (@ Trinity College rink)
9:00 am -- Berkshire vs. Kent
11:00 am -- St. Paul's vs. Tabor (@ Trinity College rink)
11:00 am -- Trinity-Pawling vs. Avon
(Lunch!)
3:00 pm -- Berkshire vs. Loomis
5:00 pm -- Kent vs. Gunnery
7:00 pm -- Trinity-Pawling vs. St. Paul's
9:00 pm -- Tabor vs. Avon

42nd Annual Groton-Lawrence Holiday Hockey Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.) and the Groton School (Groton, Mass.)
 9:00 am -- Dexter vs. Proctor (@ Lawrence Academy)
11:00 am -- Culver vs. Lawrence (@ Lawrence Academy)
11:30 am -- Holderness vs. Cushing (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
12:30 pm -- Pomfret vs. Groton (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
(Break)
 5:00 pm --Holderness vs. Lawrence (@ Lawrence Academy)
 5:30 pm -- Cushing vs. Culver (@ Groton, Pratt Rink)
 6:00 pm -- Proctor vs. Groton (@ Groton, O'Brien Rink)
 8:00 pm -- Pomfret vs. Dexter (@ Lawrence Academy)

68th Lawrenceville Invitational Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Lawrenceville School; Lawrenceville, NJ
 9:00 am -- Nichols vs. Northfield-Mt. Hermon
11:00 am -- Lawrenceville vs. Upper Canada College
 2:00 pm -- Belmont Hill vs. Taft
 4:00 pm -- Canterbury vs. Choate

St. Sebastian's Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At St. Sebastian's School; Needham, Mass.
Game 1 -- Thayer vs. Winchendon, 2:00 pm
Game 2 -- St. Sebastian's vs. Albany Academy, 4:00 pm
Game 3 -- Rivers vs. St. Andrew's College, 6:00 pm
Game 4 -- Williston vs. Northwood, 8:00 pm

Barber Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Mark's School (Southborough, Mass.) and Middlesex School (Concord, Mass.)
Game 1 -- Middlesex vs. Worcester Academy, 5:00 pm (@ Middlesex)
Game 2 -- St. Mark's vs. Portsmouth Abbey, 5:00 pm (@ St. Mark's)
Game 3 -- Stanstead College vs. Governor's, 7:00 pm (@ Middlesex)
Game 4 -- Kents Hill vs. Vermont Academy, 7:00 pm (@ St. Mark's) 

Brooks-Pingree Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At the Brooks School (N. Andover, Mass.) and the Pingree School (S. Hamilton, Mass.)
Brooks School Schedule
Fri. 12/18, 4:00 pm -- Brooks vs. Hebron
Fri. 12/18, 6:00 pm -- New Hampton vs. NYA
Pingree School Schedule
Fri. 12/18, 4:00 pm -- Pingree vs. Millbrook
Fri. 12/18, 6:00 pm -- Kingswood vs. Tilton

14th Annual Howard Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. George’s School; Middletown, RI
5:45 pm – Hill vs. BB&N


Sat. Dec. 19

51st Annual Flood-Marr Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.
 9:00 am -- Hotchkiss vs. Nobles
11:00 am -- Andover vs. Westminster
1:00 pm -- Milton vs. Salisbury
 3:00 pm -- Deerfield vs. KUA
 5:00 pm -- Westminster vs. Nobles
 7:00 pm -- Hotchkiss vs. Andover

Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic (Day 3 of 3)
At Avon Old Farms; Avon, Conn.
8:30 am -- 4th Place Pierpont vs. 4th Place Trautman
10:30 am -- 3rd Place Pierpont vs. 3rd Place Trautman
1:30 pm -- 2nd Place Pierpont vs. 2nd Place Trautman
3:30 pm -- Championship -- 1st Place Pierpont vs. 1st Place Trautman

Fri. 12/11/15

Shea's Pair Leads Dexter Past Nobles

Dedham, Mass. -- A goal from junior Danny Shea -- his second of the game -- at the 3:20 mark of the third period broke a 2-2 tie and sent Dexter on to a 5-3 Friday night road win at Nobles.

On the winning goal, Shea tipped Jack Rathbone's shot from the left point.

Just minutes earlier -- at the 0:29 mark of the period -- Nobles had tied the game up on a rebound goal by freshman defenseman John Murray. Then Dexter just took over in the third. 

After a scoreless first period, Nobles sophomore Jerry Harding's wraparound goal at 1:48 of the second gave the home team a 1-0 lead. But Dexter came back late in the period with goals from Rathbone and Shea to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission.

The first of those goals -- Rathbone's shot from the point -- came during a full 5x3 power play opportunity after Nobles goalie Harry Sherman and defenseman Pat Murray were called for penalties. Not a good situation for Nobles -- they needed to be more disciplined there. Instead, Dexter took advantage, tying up the game at 1-1.

Dexter is without defenseman Sean Keohan, who broke his hand in the scrimmage vs. St. Andrew's College, and is out until February, so Dexter's d-men have to dig a little deeper, and tonight they did. The entire group of them played well in front of junior goaltender Aidan Murphy until the offense got in gear.

"I thought our goalie played well, just solid," said Dexter coach Dan Donato. "He really settled our team nice."

"I think we're benefitting now from playing the schedule we have. We were right there with Exeter and Cushing. So I'm really proud. It's a big win for us coming over here. It's exciting. There was a lot of great school spirit in the stands tonight."

Notes:

A key for Dexter, as mentioned above, was the play of the defensemen. Senior Ryan McDougall was really steady. Rathbone was right in the swing of things. Freshman Bobby Pearl, a late '99, looked right at home. 

Dexter's Shea was his team's key producer tonight, coming up with the timely strikes. Another key -- no big surprise -- was sophomore Jay O'Brien, who assisted on both of Dexter's first two goals. The first came on O'Brien's pass-out from the corner to Rathbone at the point.  On the next, O'Brien won the draw and got a shot on net; Shea banged home the rebound to put Dexter up 2-1

For Nobles, 6'0" sophomore wing Jerry Harding was their most productive forward, scoring the goal that put his team on the board. Harding skates hard, and he hits hard. There were a couple times when Harding hit Dexter players with really economical, well-executed checks. He's kind of old school that way. He's a good prospect -- uncommitted, too. 

We wrote about Nobles' freshman center Patrick Moynihan in the fall. The '01 birthdate, as everyone expected, is transitioning seamlessly to the next level. He didn't produce any more than any of his teammates, but he was skating hard, and playing with a well-focused physicality.

Nobles freshman D John Murray, a '00 and the younger brother of senior D Pat Murray, skated a regular turn, and shows a lot of poise both offensively and defensively. A Dorchester native, he's a player to follow.

Mon. 12/7/15

Prep Composite, Week of Dec. 7, 2015

Mon. Dec. 7
Berkshire @ Canterbury, 5:00 pm
St. Paul's @ Andover, 5:15 pm
Salisbury @ Millbrook, 5:30 pm

Tues. Dec. 8
St. Augustine @ Delbarton, 4:45 pm

Wed. Dec. 9
Taft @ Avon Old Farms, 2:30 pm
Gunnery @ Berkshire, 2:30 pm
Tilton @ New Hampton, 2:30 pm
Brooks @ Middlesex, 2:30 pm
Exeter @ Dexter, 3:00 pm
Proctor @ Kimball Union, 3:00 pm
Tabor @ Noble & Greenough, 3:15 pm
Westminster @ Choate, 3:15 pm
Cushing @ Williston-Northampton, 3:30 pm
Brunswick @ Kent, 3:30 pm
Bridgton Academy @ Kents Hill, 4:00 pm
Andover @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Trinity-Pawling, 4:00 pm
Hebron @ Vermont Academy, 4:00 pm -- at UMass-Lowell
Hoosac @ Portledge, 4:00 pm -- at Brewster (NY) Arena
St. Mark's @ St. Paul's, 4:00 pm
Hotchkiss @ Salisbury, 4:00 pm
Roxbury Latin @ Groton, 4:15 pm
Harvey @ South Kent Varsity, 4:15 pm
St. George's @ Rivers, 4:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Pomfret, 4:30 pm
Kingswood-Oxford @ Worcester Academy, 4:30 pm
Deerfield @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 4:30 pm
St. Sebastian's @ BB&N, 4:30 pm
Berwick @ North Yarmouth Academy, 4:45 pm
Brewster Academy @ Holderness, 5:00 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Milton, 5:00 pm
Governor's @ Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm
Moses Brown @ Pingree, 5:15 pm
Lawrenceville @ Hill School, 5:30 pm
St. Andrew's College @ Nichols, 5:30 pm
Austin Prep @ Braintree H.S., 6:00 pm (S) -- at Zapustas Arena; Randolph, Mass.
Northwood Junior vs. NJ Rockets AJHL , 7:00 pm -- at Union College
Central Catholic @ Tewksbury HS, 7:00 pm (S) -- at Breakaway Ice Center, Tewksbury, Mass. 

Fri. Dec. 11
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Rider Cup @ Albany Academy (Day 1 of 3)
Game 1, 6:00 pm -- Albany Academy vs. Rice Memorial
Game 2, 8:00 pm -- Gilmour Academy vs. Lawrenceville
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Portsmouth Abbey @ Roxbury Latin, 3:30 pm
Fieldston Prep @ Harvey, 4:30 pm
BB&N @ St. Mark's, 5:00 pm
Brewster Academy @ Kimball Union, 5:00 pm
New Hampton @ Andover, 5:15 pm
Berwick @ Tilton, 5:30 pm
Pingree @ St. George's, 5:30 pm
Vermont Academy @ Holderness, 6:00 pm
Dexter @ Noble & Greenough, 6:00 pm
Governor's @ Milton, 6:45 pm
Bridgton Academy @ Hebron, 7:00 pm
Nichols @ Ridley College, 7:00 pm
Academie Saint-Louis @ Williston-Northampton, 7:00 pm
Ridgefield (Conn.) HS @ St. John's Prep, 8:15 pm (S)

Sat. Dec. 12
------------------------------------------------------------------
Rider Cup @ Albany Academy (Day 2 of 3)
Game 3, 10:00 am -- Hill vs. Wyoming Seminary
Game 4, Noon -- Princeton Day vs. Hoosac
Game 5, 2:00 pm -- Losers Games 1&2
Game 6, 4:15 pm -- Semifinal -- Winners Games 1&2
Game 7, 6:15 pm -- Losers Games 3&4
Game 8, 8:15 pm -- Semifinal -- Winners Games 3&4
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Darien (Conn.) HS @ St. John's Prep, 2:00 pm (S)
Kents Hill @ Holderness, 2:00 pm
Academie Saint-Louis @ Canterbury School JV, 2:00 pm
Central Catholic @ Westford Academy, 3:10 pm -- at Skate 3, Tyngsboro, Mass.
Rivers @ Groton, 3:15 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ North Yarmouth Academy, 3:15 pm
Kimball Union @ Tilton, 3:30 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Trinity-Pawling, 3:30 pm
Berkshire @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 3:30 pm
Pomfret @ BB&N, 3:30 pm
Hebron @ Dexter, 3:30 pm
Milton @ Governor's, 3:30 pm
St. Paul's @ Tabor, 4:00 pm
Moses Brown @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ St. George's, 4:30 pm -- at Loomis Chaffee
Exeter @ Cushing, 4:30 pm
St. Mark's @ Brooks, 4:30 pm
Belmont Hill @ Lawrence Academy, 5:00 pm
New Hampton @ St. Sebastian's, 5:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Vermont Academy, 5:30 pm
Proctor @ Thayer, 5:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ Winchendon, 5:30 pm
Brunswick @ Westminster, 6:00 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Gunnery, 6:00 pm
Choate @ Deerfield, 6:00 pm
Kent @ Salisbury, 7:00 pm
Detroit Central Catholic @ St. Andrew's College, 7:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Canterbury, 7:00 pm
Northwood Junior vs. Seacoast College Prep, 8:00 pm -- at SUNY-Plattsburgh
Burlington HS @ Austin Prep, 8:00 pm (S) -- at Stoneham Arena

Sun. Dec. 13
--------------------------------------------------
Rider Cup @ Albany Academy (Final Day)
Game 9, 8:30 am -- Losers Games 5&7
Game 10, 10:30 am --  Winners Games 5&7
Game 11, 12:30 pm -- Losers Games 6&8
Game 12, 2:30 pm -- Championship Game -- Winners Games 6&8
---------------------------------------------------
Detroit Central Catholic @ St. Andrew's College, 11:00 am
Northwood Junior (neutral site) Seacoast College Prep, 1:00 pm -- at SUNY-Plattsburgh
Deerfield @ Avon Old Farms, 3:00 pm

Mon. Dec. 14
Harvey @ White Plains HS, 3:45 pm
Trinity-Pawling @ Brunswick, 4:30 pm
Choate @ Loomis-Chaffee, 5:00 pm
Proctor @ Vermont Academy, 5:30 pm 

Sun. 12/6/15

Sunday at the Exeter Invitational

Exeter, NH -- If today were a summer day, it would be, to paraphrase Ernie Banks, a great day to play two.

Which is exactly what they did at the Exeter Invitational. USHR, leaving the cerulean sky for others to enjoy, settled into the concrete bunker at Phillips Exeter -- and saw a couple of games with unexpected twists and turns, squanders, and a pair of valiant comeback efforts that fell a goal short.

In the high noon opener, Gunnery edged Tabor, 4-3, in a game that became unexpectedly tight down the stretch.

It certainly didn't look like it would be a close game at the start, as Gunnery came out with guns blazing, scoring once in the first, twice in the early minutes of the second, and again in the third, to take a commanding 4-0 lead. But Tabor, which had settled down after Gunnery forward Daniel Haider had scored to make it 3-0 at the 2:35 mark of the second, took all of 54 seconds to answer Chad Varney's top shelf snapshot power play goal that made it 4-0 at 6:34 of the third. First, Max Sauve, sprung on a breakaway by Ed Hannon, scored to cut the lead to 4-1, then, just 1:36 later, Patrick Daly cut Gunnery's lead to two, then, two minutes after that, Vermont recruit Jay Cote banged home a rebound to make it a one-goal game at 11:06 mark.

But Gunnery, which had lost a wild 7-6 decision to Exeter in Day 1 action, barred the door after that, and snuck out with the 4-3 win. Gunnery outshot Tabor, 36-22.

"We were really good in the first two periods," Gunnery coach Craig Badger said. "But in the third we got away from our game a bit and tried to make too many rinky-dink passes. Also, our D got caught up-ice too much. But credit to Tabor. They never gave up. We gave them time and space in the third and they took advantage. There's no way we should have let Sauve in on an unobstructed breakaway -- he's going to score. But I'm still pleased with the way we played in the first two periods, when we attacked and used our speed."

Tabor coach Gerry Dineen said, "We had some chances early in the game but the Gunnery goalie (Zak Kinard) made a couple of big saves and the momentum shifted to them. But our guys didn't quit."

Gunnery Standouts:

Top players for Gunnery included 6'0" junior LC Gustaf Westlund, a smooth-skating Swede. Westlund, who is uncommitted, is a pure athlete who wasn't seen much on ice this fall because he was also starring for Gunnery's soccer team. He's a prospect for June's NHL Draft. 5'8" RC Cam Donaldson, a Cornell recruit, appears to have taken a huge step this year. Last year, we felt he was dangerous some of the time; this year, he's dangerous most -- or even all -- of the time. He got Gunnery on the board early with a great wrist shot while cutting left to right about five feet from the crease. Senior Evan Johnson, Donaldson's linemate and a Williams recruit, was a constant factor today as well. 5'9" wing Daniel Haider, a late '97, has been consistently noticeable in both games we've seen him in this season -- very good speed. 5'7" junior RC Albert Washco, a '99, has a nifty stick -- very elusive. On the blue line, seniors Josh Gagne and Connor Dahlman each played strong games.

Tabor Standouts:

For Tabor, 5'7" sophomore RW Max Sauve was our top forward. His speed and quickness allow him to gain separation very quickly. Sauve's linemates -- 6'2" late '97 junior Ed Hannon and and 5'10" late '96 senior Nick Godin -- were both very effective. Ditto for 5'6" junior Jay Cote, a '99 from Quebec who scored the aforementiond late rebound goal that cut Gunnery's lead to one. For our money, Tabor's top defenseman today was 5'11" senior Brett Dineen, a Middlebury recruit.

Tabor played all weekend without Brown recruit Ben Taylor -- a sprained MCL suffered Monday against Loomis will keep him out of action for several weeks.

***
Game #2: Kent 4, Exeter 3 (OT)

Exeter put themselves in an early hole, spotting Kent an early 3-0 lead before pulling starting goalie Nick Moore and replacing him with Joey Lazzaro, who had given up six goals in a 7-6 win over Gunnery on Saturday. Lazzaro was better this time around, and held the fort as his teammates rallied with one goal late in the first, two in the second, and then a fourth in the third, when senior LD Trevor Cosgrove's shot from the point on a 4x3 power play sent the game to overtime. 

Once in OT, however, the lights went out fast on Exeter, as defenseman Greg Krisberg, pinching, drove home a rebound of a Satchel Clendenin shot just 44 seconds in.

All four teams this weekend went 1-1.

Kent coach Dale Reinhardt, who reports that Krisberg's OT winner was his third in two years, said, "He's everything to us." Reinhardt also pointed out that his team took 10 penalties to Exeter's seven, and that all of Exeter's goals came on the powerplay. "We had the same six or seven guys out there killing penalty after penalty. We knew coming in that we'd have to stay out of the box."

After the second period, when Exeter had cut the lead to 4-3, Reinhardt said he just reminded his guys "to take a deep breath and realize they were on the road, and they still had the lead."

Kent Standouts:

Kent's top defenseman today -- no surprise -- was Krisberg. The 5'10" senior, a '97, produces a lot of offense from the back end for his team, and we feel that eventually he'll be scooped up by a D-I school. Top forward was 6'1" senior Satchel Clendenin, a powerful skater with acceleration who figured in three of his team's goals, notching a pair in the first, and then assisting on the game winner in OT. Both of his goals came on the opening period, and neither was a cheapie. On the first Krisberg spotted him in front and Clendenin put it under the crossbar. Clendenin's second goal was a shorthanded tally that came about when he picked up a blocked shot and raced the length of the ice. We wrote about the Kent players six days ago at the Berkshire Jamboree, and the guys we wrote about then were also the guys we liked today. Rather than repeat ourselves, we'll just add one player that we didn't write about Monday. That would be senior forward Teddy Simson, who scored the goal that put his team up 3-0. Simson worked extremely hard -- and effectively -- in all three zones today.

Exeter coach Dana Barbin said, "We got down 3-0 early, but when we put Lazzaro in, he played well. We have a good club and we need him to play solid hockey. I was really pleased with the way we fought back."

Exeter Standouts:

This was also our second time seeing Exeter, as we saw them a couple of days before Thanksgiving. We felt senior forward Ben Solin was excellent that day and, facing a stronger team, he was even better today -- just lethal on the power play. Solin started the comeback by assisting on Exeter's first goal and then scoring the second, a beauty in which he cut hard across the top of the faceoff circle while firing one top shelf. Kent goalie Peter Negron had no chance. Solin loves to shoot it, and probably took a dozen or more shots. The former Connecticut Div. II High School Player of the Year does not shoot it just to simply get it on net. He has an idea, and is gunning for the corners. When he misses the net, it's not by much. Suffice to say, a ton of offense flows through him. So far this season, Solin is the top uncommitted player we've seen. However, we don't think he'll remain uncommitted for long. Harvard was on hand watching him today. And if the Crimson don't take him, someone else certainly will.

We felt, once again, that Colgate recruit Trevor Cosgrove was the top d-man for Exeter. He's been at the school four years and just keeps getting better. We felt 6'0" late '97 LD Peter Christie had a really strong game. Nothing flashy, just very steady.

We wrote about Solin, Cosgrove, Christie, Devin Moore, and others before Thanksgiving. One player we didn't mention was PG Ryan Petti, a 5'll" right shot wing who played for Tewskbury (Mass.) High School last year. Petti , a '97, played a smart, determined game, and notched a power play goal in the first period. We'll see how he progresses over the season, but he looks like he could be a solid D-III prospect.


A Fun Game We'll Never Forget

Over the weekend, Holy Cross honored the '05-06 team that stunned #1-seed University of Minnesota 4-3 (OT) in the West Regional semifinals in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

It was the first time the two teams had ever met, and for Holy Cross, coached by Holy Cross grad Paul Pearl, it was a "home game" as the 11,000 plus Fighting Sioux fans that packed the Ralph Englestad Arena loudly threw their support to the Crusaders.

The goal that put Holy Cross up 1-0 was scored by current Kent coach Dale Reinhardt, then a sophomore who had come directly to Holy Cross from Delbarton. The goalie that day was Tony Quesada, a senior who had played for current Choate coach Pat Dennehy at Holderness before arriving at Holy Cross. The OT goal was scored by Tyler McGregor, an Ontario native and senior captain. Current BB&N coach Terrence Butt, a Holy Cross grad and Pearl's assistant coach, helped recruit those players.

The game was on ESPNU, and it's fair to say that it was pretty big news in New England -- not as big as the Miracle on Ice, but the same idea, just on a smaller scale. Like the Miracle on Ice, not many who saw it will ever forget it. It's well remembered in Minnesota, too, of course.

Sat. 12/5/15

Albany Academy Comeback Falls Short

Avon, Conn. -- Avon Old Farms held a commanding 4-0 lead with a little over five minutes left to play, but the Albany Academy duo of senior Kevin O'Neil and PG Nick Boyagian teamed up for three late goals to make things uncomfortable for the Winged Beavers, who needed a late goal from senior Patrick Harper to seal an opening day win.

"We had 'em on the ropes but took some dumb penalties and it cost us," said Avon coach John Gardner. "We played well defensively in the first half but not in the second. We had some costly turnovers."

Avon got on the board quickly, as John Giatrelis found new junior Sam Timonen in front, and Timonen banged it past Albany junior goaltender Jacob Acton at the 2:29 mark. Sophomore John Madden also had an assist in the play.

In the second, Avon scored three straight goals, from Adam Karashik, Jake Witkowski, and Dan Winslow. The Jamie Armstrong-Harper-Witkowski line was on the ice for two of them. The top line was also on the ice for Harper's third-period goal that salted the game away.

In the third, O'Neil and Boyagian, who started the game on different lines, went to town. Avon played the role of friendly host, giving their guests power play opportunities and plenty of room to operate. And O'Neil and Boyagian, who had been relatively quiet for the first couple of periods, went to work. However, they ran out of time.

"We have to start scoring from the drop of the puck," said Albany Academy second-year head coach Brett Riley. "We have too much talent to not score right away. "

"I think we'll be really good by the end of the year," he added. "We're not there yet but we're going to be good."

Notes:

Avon started goaltender Brandon Schellin, who backed up Tucker Weppner last year. The Winged Beavers' new senior goaltender, Matt Ladd, who took the SATs in the morning, will get the start Sunday vs. Cushing (at Providence College, 1:00 pm). 

New forward Matt Barnaby, who is recovering from a broken hand, could be back in action as soon as Wednesday. That will change the lines around. Today's lines were:

Armstrong-Harper-Witkowski
Matt Allen-Tyler Carangelo-Dan Winslow
Timonen-Madden-Giatrelis
Josh Vertentes-Michael Perrone-Matt Horton

D pairings were Karashik and Brendan Killoy; Ryan Ashe and Jake Gresh; and Aaron Pinto and Cullen Young.

Avon's top defenseman, sophomore Ben Mirageas, was out with a groin pull, but, like Barnaby, could be back by Wednesday's game vs. Taft.

Top forwards for Avon today were Harper's line, along with second line center Tyler Carangelo. Timonen and Madden looked very good, particularly for their first prep game. At times they very noticeable, at others less so. But they will be key contributors this year, and moving forward.

Avon's top defenseman today was new senior Adam Karashik, a 6'0" right shot committed to UConn. Karashik has the tools. He is a strong skater, has size, plays hard, and plays with attitude. The '98 from Ridgefield, Conn., who also had a couple of breakaways, needs to add some poise, but he's right on the cusp of being one of the top D in prep hockey.

For Albany, O'Neil, a Yale recruit and a '98 birthdate, is one of the elite prep forwards. When he's on, he can take over a game. Earlier today, it seemed he was tense, gripping the stick a little hard. But he got over it. Boyagian, who is 6'2" and a '97 birthdate, is a bubble D-I candidate. He has a nice one-timer, and ripped off a great one from about five feet inside the right side half wall during Albany's third period surge.

Also good for Albany was 5'8" junior RW Brendan Schneider, who played last year for the Elmira Sugar Kings (GOJHL). He was a late round pick of the Barrie Colts in the 2014 OHL Draft.

Post-grad RC Jack Quinlivan, a Maine recruit, had a decent game. A 6'1" '96 birthdate, he was playing last year for Shrewsbury (Mass.) High School, so the pace today was not something he's accustomed to. He's a bull.

6'0" defenseman Egan Wolford, a '98 from the San Jose Sharks U16s, was perhaps Albany's steadiest blueliner today.

Fri. 12/4/15

Shea Goal Lifts Kimball Union

Concord, NH -- Kimball Union looks like a team that will contend for a berth in the Elite 8, but they had a hard time shaking host St. Paul's today before finally coming out on top, 3-2.

It wasn't until 4:28 of the third period that KUA got its first lead of the day, and once they had it, they didn't let it go. Senior center Patrick Shea scored the game-winner off a nice saucer pass from George Sennott, who deked a defender at the SPS blue line and put it right on the stick of the Maine recruit, who was barreling down the slot.

In the first period, SPS got on the board early, just 2:49 in, when senior Luther Vom Eigen -- great name, by the way -- ripped one from the top of the faceoff circle, beating 6'2" Kimball Union goalie Payton Porter. The Wildcats answered four minutes later when sophomore RW Chris Konin scored, with assists going to fellow soph Andranik Armstrong and freshman D Jordan Harris. That was it for scoring in the opening period. While the game had started out a little sloppily, the pace picked up about halfway through. SPS junior goaltender Leo Saraceno, who was the backup to Nathan Colannino last season, made some nice stops, particularly a couple of blocker saves, that kept his team in the game, and allowed them to escape the period with a 1-1 tie.

In the second, the teams again traded goals, as SPS junior Colin McCaughey's shot from the top of the faceoff circle beat Porter glove side in the opening minute. Again, KUA got it right back as senior center Nic Hamre beat Saraceno with a quick wrister to tie it up at 2-2.

And that's how things stood until Shea's game winner in the third.

KUA outshot St. Paul's, 38-27.

Notes:

While St. Paul's worked hard today, they lack the high-end talent of the Wildcats. It's worth noting that Connor Sodergren, Vincent Lima, and Austin Ricci, who combined for 51 tallies last season, have all graduated. The Pelicans' returning core consists of junior Colin McCaughey, their leading returning scorer, and veteran defensemen Giacomo Messina, Simon Loiselle, and Matt Zandi. Junior RC Karl Risley, also a returnee from last season, played well today, as did sophomore wing Daniel Reuben, who is a new sophomore from the St. Louis area. We didn't see Adam Winiecke, a new junior forward from Illinois, as he's out with a concussion. 

KUA -- no surprise -- has talent.

Top-line center Patrick Shea, a seventh round pick of the Florida Panthers, looks bigger and stronger. Shea plays a pro-style power game, just slicing through guys en route to the net. He plays with fellow senior George Sennott, who looks like he could have a big year. Sennott, the player of the game in both KUA games at the Stanstead Tournament the weekend before Thanksgiving, is stronger, has added a step, and his speed and quickness was a bit much for the St. Paul's defenders. 5'9" new sophomore Roope Hirvonen, a late '98 from Hikia, Finland, rounds out the top line. KUA coach Tim Whitehead likens Hirvonen to "a young Patrick Shea." 

Second-line center Nic Hamre was excellent today. The 5'9" senior from Ottawa was consistently noticeable from start to finish, blocking shots, killing penalties, scoring a goal and creating numerous opportunities. He, too, is a D-I candidate.

Senior RD Ben Finkelstein, a St. Lawrence recruit, is the top blueliner. The Vermont native simply sees the ice very well. He also looks sturdier than last year.

5'10" freshman LD Jordan Harris, the younger brother of KUA goaltender -- and Brown recruit -- Elijah Harris is one of the better '00 birthdates in the country. As he showed at the Select 15 camp in July, he's a terrific skater, highly mobile, and an excellent puck mover.

New sophs to keep an eye on are '99 RD Bryce Dolan, who was paired with Harris, '00 RW Chris Konin, and '99 Andranik Armstrong. The latter grew up in Germany before moving to the U.S. last year.

Quotes:

"St. Paul's competed hard and we had to fight through that," said KUA coach Tim Whitehead. "We had our chances, but their goalie was good. I also thought we were a bit sloppy. If we had finished some of our opportunities we could have had separation. We didn't play with as much poise as I would have liked."

St. Paul's coach Mark Bozek was pleased with his team's effort. "KUA took it to us," he said, "but we also took it to them. On the goals we allowed we made three bad mistakes where we lost shape in the neutral zone and they exposed us pretty good. We don't have the flash up front that they do. We need to work hard to be succesful. I thought our effort was good. But we are making early-season mistakes that we need to fix."

Wed. 12/2/15

Salisbury Edges Resurgent Rhinos

Watertown, Conn. – Salisbury, winner of the last three prep school championships, opened on the road today and emerged with a 5-3 win against a new-look – and much improved -- Taft squad.

After a feeling-out stretch at the start of the game, Salisbury began to control the play, scoring a pair of goals 2:02 apart midway through the opening period. The first came on a Luke Israel wrister from the right faceoff circle, and the second came when senior Edgars Treijs cut right to left across the top of the crease and jammed the puck past Taft junior goaltender Andrew Farrier.

Early in the second, the teams traded power play goals, with Taft senior d-man Noah Talhami scoring on a shot from the point, and Salisbury senior defenseman Dayne Finnson quickly answering to put the visitors up 3-1.

At that point, Salisbury went on a dominant six-minute stretch, and looked as if they were going to blow the game wide open.

But it didn't happen. Worse, at the end of that stretch of play, the Knights took a penalty while a man up and allowed Taft to score on the ensuing power play, with freshman Shea Courtemanche firing a low shot from the hash marks past Salisbury junior goaltender Nick Sorgio. 

Suddenly, it was a 3-2 game and Taft and their supporters were duly energized. But Salisbury center Tom Lee scored on the PP with 2:27 left in the period to make it a 4-2 game heading into the second intermission. By the way, all four goals in the second period came on the power play.

Three minutes into the third, Taft struck again, with junior Matteo Mangiardi scoring to cut Salisbury’s lead to 4-3. Taft fought hard the rest of the way, and had a couple of nice chances for the equalizer, but no dice. Salisbury senior center Anthony Vincent added an empty-netter with 13 seconds left, and that was the game.

Salisbury outshot Taft, 40-18, but the contest, particularly from the middle of the second period forward, didn’t look that one-sided. Both goalies allowed a couple of goals they would probably like to have back.

Notes:

Taft graduated a slew of players and has 15 new faces, and the net result is a significant  upgrade in skill.

Top returning players are crafty centerman Sam Nestor, a ’97 senior in his third year with the Rhinos, senior wing Mangiardi (also a Rhinos’ soccer star), senior RD Drew Hickey, and Farrier.

The newcomers to keep an eye on are:

-- Will Dittrich, 6’2” PG left-shot centerman from Orono (Minn.) High School. Dittrich, a 12/31/96 birthdate, has D-I size and speed. He notched over 30 points at Orono last season.

-- Jeremie Lavallée, a 6’2” ’98-born junior forward from Montréal. Taft coach Dan Murphy says Lavallée reminds him of former Deerfield and Yale center – and fellow Montréaler -- Antoine Laganiere.

Taft’s future looks promising, as they have five ’00 birthdates on the roster. The key ones are:

-- Freshman forward Jordan Tonelli from the Westchester Express. (Yes, he is the son of John Tonelli, the former New York Islanders star forward.)

-- Freshman forward Shea Courtmanche, from the Mid-Fairfield organization.

-- And freshman left shot D Billy Dobensky from the Connecticut Wolf Pack.

All three of those kids are future D-I prospects, and look to be at the heart of Taft teams present and future. 

Quotes:

After the game, Salisbury coach Andrew Will said, “This was a good first game. Taft is a good team and we learned a lot about ourselves.”

Asked for specifics, Will said, “We learned we have to play 54 minutes, we learned how careless penalties can end up hurting you, and we learned how when you get a lead you have to get the next goal. I give credit to Taft for not allowing us to do that – we just couldn’t get that separation.”

Will also felt that, after that dominant stretch in the middle of the second, his team “eased off the gas and left the door open.”

“Good teams,” Will added, “will take advantage of that. So that was a good lesson for our guys.”

Taft head coach Dan Murphy said, “Salisbury has a very good, very disciplined approach, and they have an attack that made it tough for us. But as we got deeper into the game we became much more comfortable. I was not happy with the loss, but I am happy with the way we came on as the game went along. I’m proud of the way the kids stayed with it and fought. For me, that was a treat to watch.”

Tues. 12/1/15-updated

Berkshire and Hotchkiss Jamborees

On Monday, we made our way down Route 41 to the Berkshire School, where this reporter was able to see each of the eight teams once (early games only) before moving south to Hotchkiss for the mini-jamboree there.

Berkshire first.

In the morning’s first game, Pomfret edged Brunswick, 3-2, on a late goal by 5’9” senior forward Andrew Shields, a ’97 who was noticeable throughout, playing with energy, and always finding himself around the puck. Shields, an Alaskan, is a good D-III prospect. A strength of Pomfret is 6’0” senior goaltender David Altman, also a ’97 and one of the top returning prep goaltenders. Altman, from Great Falls, Virginia, kept Brunswick, a better team, at bay. Those two – Shields and Altman -- are the keys for Pomfret.  |

Brunswick was flat. They lost ’99 defenseman Phil Kemp to the NTDP, but the cupboard is hardly bare. Junior RC Christian LeSueur (Dartmouth) is back and the top returning forward. Ditto for senior LW Colin Slyne. Senior LD Max Fuld, a ’97, is the top returning blueliner. And they have senior goaltender Brian Ketchabaw back. Of the younger players we noticed freshman RC Charles Shaffer, an ’00, probably around 5’9” or so. He’s a player to mark down for future looks. Brunswick, though, didn’t appear totally awake for the 9:30 am start. Even their better players didn’t jump out at us. They are better than they showed.

Kent, which edged Canterbury, 4-1, looks to be a better team than last year. The top new recruits are 5’8” sophomore Jeremy Routh, a late ’98 out of Hamden (Conn.) High School. Routh is on the small side but he can play. He has a knack for finding the seams, and is a smart clever player who will get D-I attention. A player we didn’t notice much last year, but who was consistently noticeable on Monday was 5’11” junior LC Tommy Tanner, a Montreal native who displayed speed and playmaking skills – he’s a much improved player. 6’1” senior RW Satchel Clendenin, who was effective last season, also looked much improved to us. We don’t remember him being particularly quick or agile last season, but on Monday he was in motion a lot. Scored a nice top-shelf goal, too. New junior LC Andrew Rinaldi, a ’98 from Montreal and the younger brother of former Kent forward Anthony Rinaldi (currently with the Kingston Voyageurs and leading the OJHL in scoring) scored a goal and was noticeable in flashes. The back end is led by 5’10” LD Greg Krisberg who, with Max Kaufman having graduated, is the team’s top returning scorer. Krisberg is highly mobile, and has an excellent stick. He isn’t particularly fast north-south, but is excellent laterally, and very tough to defend when he’s on the point on the power play. He’ll likely be picked up by a D-I school before long. Also back are Carter Dwyer and Kyle Delmaestro, both junior left shot defensemen, as are both goaltenders, junior Peter Negron and senior Jackson Norris. Kent will be tough to play against.

Canterbury is led by 5’11” senior LC Travis Schneider, the team’s leading scorer last year, and almost certain to do the same again this year. He’s a D-I prospect. His linemate, 6’2” RW Ryan Lynch was quite noticeable on Monday as well. The top blueliner is 6’0” junior LD Matt Cousino, who in recent years has played at Rice Prep and for the Connecticut Wolf Pack full-season U18 team.

Berkshire, despite having returning forwards Ryan Keelan and Jack Lloyd out with injuries, blanked Nichols, 5-0, and looked solid in doing so. 6’1” senior Sam Merrill was flawless in net and 5’10” Northeastern recruit Matt Koopman, a ’98 junior, and 5’10” senior Barclay Gammill (Trinity) were outstanding, just picking up where they left off last year. Those two, who together accounted for over half of their team’s goals last season, make up one of the top duos in prep hockey. Senior RD Dan Driscoll and junior LD Kyle Koopman anchored the d-corps.

Nichols is extremely young, with eleven ‘99s and an ’00. It showed, too. Up front we liked 6’1” junior RW Erik Urbank (Dartmouth) who was missing shots on net, but is consistently dangerous. 5’8” senior LC Alec Yerkovich is a smart player, a ’98 who made some things happen. He’s a good D-III prospect. 5’11” junior LC Connor Zak was another we would like to take another look at soon. Probably their two most consistent players in the game were the top D pairing of 6’0” senior Cody Fleckenstein, who ran their PP, and 5’11” junior RD Tom Elia, a ’99 who grew a bit in the off-season. It’s only Elia’s second year on the blue line – he’s a converted forward – and while he’s a little young and raw he’s also a skilled, smart defender who could at least become a solid D-III player.  

Northwood topped Gunnery, 3-1. Any discussion of Northwood starts with 6’3”, 195 lb. sophomore LD Mattias Samuelsson, an ’00 and a Michigan commit, who looks like a sure-fire high first rounder for the 2018 NHL draft. The son of former NHLer Kjell Samuelsson looks like he’s taken a leap from just a few months ago. He’s so much more agile and with that huge wingspan he’s murder to get around. Samuelsson mans the point on the PP. The scary thing is, he’s still going to fill out quite a bit. He lost a few battles along the boards, but that will happen less and less.

The most noticeable Northwood forward for us was RC Alec Beaudin-Touga. (Note: He was wearing #10 but was on the roster as #14.) Beaudin-Touga played a tough, gritty game, made plays in small areas, was good on the PP, and killed penalties. A late ’97 and a junior, he’s Northwood’s third line center. St. Lawrence recruit Kaden Pickering, a 5’8” junior RW and a late ’98, played a high-energy game and was also noticeable from shift to shift. A couple of other forwards who we liked were 5’8” junior LC Aleksi Peltonen, a ’98 from Finland, and senior LC Joey Moore. Peltonen gets the puck and moves it quickly. He’s crafty, sees the ice, and can shoot it. Peltonen is only 140 pounds now. He could become more dangerous as he fills out. Moore isn’t the greatest skater, but he’s been on a scoring tear.

Gunnery has lost forwards Noah Bauld, Shawn Knowlton, and Jake Marrello, and defenseman Nick Quillan to graduation. That’s a lot of offense. Gunnery also is known for starting weakly and then going on a tear a month into the season, once the team gels. Perhaps the same will happen this season. But on Monday they looked like they were searching for their game. They weren’t buzzing around, getting in fast on the forecheck, and moving the puck with those quick, short passes. There were glimpses of it, but it’s not there yet. To add to their problems, senior goaltender Trevin Kozlowski broke his thumb in tryouts and will be out 4-5 weeks. Fortunately for them, sophomore Zac Kinard is very capable, and has been playing well all fall. The best players for us on Monday were 5’8” senior right shot LW Cam Donaldson (Cornell) who is extremely clever, has a quick stick, and quick feet to match. He’s pretty hard to line up. New junior Gustaf Westlund is the key newcomer for Gunnery. Westlund, a 6’0”, 164 lb. late ’97 left wing from Djursholm, Sweden who was a soccer standout for Gunnery this fall, is athletic as all get-out, an excellent skater who played more physically than we expected but will still need a little time to adjust to the North American game. Westlund will be very interesting to watch over the course of the season. We also thought senior RW Evan Johnson, a Williams commit, played a strong game. On the blue line, 6’0” senior RD Josh Gagne was solid, playing physically and moving the puck efficiently.

***
Rather than stick around to see the eight above-mentioned teams play a second game this reporter headed 15 miles south to the Hotchkiss School to watch Salisbury, Millbrook, and Hotchkiss in a mini-jamboree consisting of three 25-minute running time mini-games, each followed by a series of special teams play.

Let’s start with Salisbury. They deserve the honor. They’ve won three straight Elite 8 prep titles, and four in seven years. And they’re our bet to win another title this season. We’ll see Salisbury on Wednesday in a real game at Taft, and will have a better feel then. For starters, we’ll give you their lines.

Jordan Kaplan-David Jankowski-Cole Poliziani
Luke Israel-Anthony Vincent-Nicholas Prestia
Edgars Treijs-Tom Lee-Tyce Thompson
Will Nearis-Jacques Bouquot-Jack DeBoer

There are kids on the third and fourth lines that would be on the top line at a lot of other prep schools. There’s balance and depth throughout the lines. When the teams went to special teams, Salisbury was pretty overwhelming. Jankowksi is a key to their power play, drifting down from the right point to the half wall. He’s a smart player who distributes the puck extremely well, and has a strong sense of where others are.

Salisbury dressed ten(!) defensemen.

Juniors Nick Sorgio and Jonah Capriotti, a late ’98 from Mount Hope, Ontario. This is the first time since the 2012-13 season, when Callum Booth was between the pipes, that Salisbury has not had a PG goalie.

Hotchkiss didn’t have rosters with numbers so there were some scouting challenges there, but Harvard recruit Marshall Rifai was pretty easy to recognize. Unfortunately, he was injured in the opening minutes of the second mini-game, getting tangled up with Salisbury’s Treijs and after a knee-on-knee collision went head over heels – a somersault or two, and hit his head on the ice. Initially, it looked like he hurt his knee, but that appeared OK as he was helped off the ice. However, Rifai had that concussed look. His eyes were rolling and his legs were rubbery. We don’t know the latest, but we don’t expect he’ll be playing for a week.

(Update, Wed. 12/2: Hotchkiss head coach Mike Traggio reports that Rifai passed all his tests, practiced Tuesday, and will be in the lineup for Wednesday's game vs. Gunnery.)

Millbrook has lost their star forward from last year, as 6’4”, 215 lb. Harvard recruit Matt Gosiewski, who would have been a junior this year, is now with Cedar Rapids (USHL). Millbrook’s top player on Monday was 6’2” junior RD Alex Sheehy, a legit D-I prospect. He has size, good feet, and moves well. There were a few forwards who we kept noticing, like RW Luka Piccolo, a senior from Montreal who was the team’s second-leading scorer last year. He could be a good pickup for a NESCAC school. Senior LW Massimo Luciani, another top scorer from last year, is back and made an impact. He, too, would make for a good D-III prospect. New players we liked included hard-working junior LC Simon Boisvert from the Lac St-Louis Lions, sophomore LC Patrick Major from Skaneateles (NY) High School, and a pair of brothers from New Jersey in sophomore Kevin Drevitch and junior Tim Drevitch. Millbrook has both of their goalies from last year in junior Cole Hayward and senior Owen Johansson. Even without Gosiewski, this team will be OK.

Tues. 12/1/15

St. Paul's Jamboree

On Sunday morning, we were at the morning games at the St. Paul’s Jamboree. In the first game, a scrimmage, Tabor topped host St. Paul’s, 3-1. In the second game, a league game, Loomis blanked Groton, 2-0.

We felt Tabor was the strongest team in the tournament and that the Adam McClay-Ben Taylor-Max Sauve line generated a lot of offense. Another line we really was the Groton trio of Mike Brown-Santeri Hartikainan-Chris Brown. They may not have been able to find the back of the net, but were a constant threat.