ASHBURNHAM, Mass. – After capturing the trophy at the Edwin G. Watkins Invitational Tournament, Cushing is now two-for-two in winning in-season tournaments so far in this campaign.
Outside of a three-minute stretch of play in the third period against Lawrence in the semifinal, Cushing utterly dominated its three opponents at the tournament. Junior center Landan Resendes (Marlboro, Mass.), an assistant captain and Boston College commit, earned MVP honors, thanks to his four goals and four assists.
A number of NHL scouts and college coaches took in the action over the course of the three days at the Iorio Arena on Cushing’s campus.
Based on my observations from Friday’s four games, here are notes on 16 uncommitted players who stood out.
Cam Caron
New Hampton, 6/21/07, C, left shot, 6-2/185
Caron has scored a goal in four straight games, including in this one against Canterbury. The Dracut, Mass., native tallied a shorthanded marker on Friday. He’s big, strong and plays a mature game. Despite his skating sometimes holding him back, he’s adjusted quickly to the prep school level. He’s a repeat freshman, or he’d have been getting plenty of calls on Jan. 1.
Sam Ciappa
Canterbury, 12/9/05, RW, right shot, 5-8/140
Ciappa had a hat trick in this game against New Hampton. He sees the ice well and has some offensive creativity. From Baldwinsville, N.Y., he’s a little on the smaller side, but he’s one of a handful of first and second-year players who should return and help Canterbury be even better in 2023-24.
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Linas Dedinas
Cushing, 10/11/04, LW, left shot, 6-1/190
Dedinas had an assist on Cushing’s first goal Friday. He jump-started the transition play. From Vilnius, Lithuania, Dedinas has good size. His compete level, desire to be persistent on puck pursuit, and ability to be heavy on pucks were all noteworthy on this day. He made a couple of nifty plays and his production will come.
Nicholas DiPaolo
Stanstead, 8/15/06, C, right shot, 5-7/139
DiPaolo had the first goal of the game for Stanstead. He centered the second, but played the wall on the first power play unit. He’s quick, shifty and smart. He was often the third man high and made a couple of plays to show off his vision.
Jack Farrell
Governor’s, 6/10/04, D, left shot, 6-1/185
Farrell, from Wilmington, Mass., has found more of an offensive touch as a senior. He made a great stretch pass from deep in his own zone in the first period against Thayer. Farrell skates well and is one of the top five Division 1 prospects among uncommitted seniors in prep school hockey.
Spencer Hughes
Stanstead, 6/25/05, RW, left shot, 5-10/169
Hughes played his off wing on the first line. He picked up a goal and two assists. The goal was a quick and nifty move after getting a great pass from Providence commit Logan Sawyer. Hughes is a winger with a good stick and brain. Getting back to Sawyer, he was really good. In addition to his slick pass after coming off the left wing wall on Hughes’ goal, he had two more helpers. He’s a good skater and is a nice chip in the future stable for the Friars.
Joe Hurton
Dexter Southfield, 3/23/05, RW, right shot, 6-4/205
Hurton sometimes leaves you wanting more. With his size, there’s been a lot of intrigue when watching the Quincy, Mass., resident ever since he was a bantam. He scored a couple of goals on Friday, including one snipe that beat the goaltender high on the glove side. The other goal was a hard, low wrist shot that beat the goaltender between the legs.
Beau Lane
Thayer, 6/16/04, G, catches left, 6-3/165
Lane, from Pembroke, Mass., allowed just five goals in three starts at this tournament. He was a big reason the Tigers defeated Dexter Southfield and were in a position to play in the second semifinal against Governor’s Academy on Friday. He was peppered with shots, but stood tall. He needs to be even quieter and be more square to shooters at times, but that’s nitpicking. He certainly proved once again he’s one of the top five goaltenders in prep hockey.
Owen Leahy
Lawrence, 2/11/05, LW, left shot, 5-8/160
Leahy, from Providence, R.I., centered the top line for the Spartans. He was a little quiet on the score sheet against Cushing, just tallying one helper. However, he made a couple of plays in small areas. He’s crafty and has consistently been the most productive forward for Lawrence going on two seasons now.
Logan Martel
Canterbury, 11/20/06, D, left shot, 6-2/170
Martel had an assist on the first Canterbury goal, but what earned him a spot on this list was the potential he showed on the defensive side of the puck. A late '06, he has size and plays with a physical edge. He’ll likely become even more of a force defensively once he gets more and more comfortable playing the body.
Michael Ranaldi
Governor’s, 8/2/05, LW, left shot, 6-0/190
Ranaldi entered the tournament in somewhat of a slump but left it on fire. He had a hand in both goals against Thayer, scoring once and dishing out an assist on the other. The Newburyport, Mass., native has good size, is strong, and plays a solid, north-south game as a power forward. He has a hard shot and is heavy on pucks. He gets the most out of his ability.
Zach Rizzo
Cushing, 8/7/04, D, right shot, 5-10/165
Rizzo, from Atlanta, Ga., didn’t have his best game on the defensive side, but he made some plays with the puck on his stick. One play that stood out was in the third period when he hit a wing for a golden opportunity on the weak side from his position atop the right point. Rizzo was solid on retrievals and made some plays on the breakout. Another positive was the jam he played with in this game.
Tyler Russo
Cushing, 3/19/07, D, left shot, 5-11/161
Russo, from Hamilton, Mass., is a great skater and showed again here why he’s one of the best '07 defensemen in the region. His defensive positioning and ability to take away time and space from opposing forwards is uncanny for his age. He can play in all situations and was relied upon heavily down the stretch. Credit to him for playing and pushing through an illness.
Marco Senerchia
New Hampton, 7/4/07, D, left shot, 5-5/125
Senerchia had an assist in his team’s 6-3 loss on Friday. The undersized, puck-moving defenseman from Greenville, R.I., has taken no time to adjust to the prep school level. Despite being younger and smaller than most of his opponents, he’s confident with the puck on his stick and consistently makes plays.
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Connor Sutherland
Dexter Southfield, 1/19/04, LW, left shot, 5-11/170
Sutherland scored a power play goal in the second period by tipping a point shot past the Stanstead goaltender. While his skating might preclude him from Division 1, he’s the type of player you want on your team. It’s clear when watching him play. The West Roxbury, Mass., native goes to the net, plays to his identity, and competes hard throughout the game.
Ty Wood
Lawrence, 11/3/05, LW, left shot, 5-11/180
Wood, from Gloucester, Mass., had his first two-point game of the season on Friday. He assisted on two of Lawrence’s goals. His perseverance on the Spartans’ first goal helped propel the comeback. He drove down the left wing and despite getting pulled down, he slid a puck to the middle for a goal for Spencer Hirsch. Wood’s skating and hockey sense need to continue getting better, but he gets a lot out of his ability with his net drive, compete and shot.
Cushing lines
Marshall - Resendes - Gardula
Dedinas - Green - Quinn
Sacco - Markevych - Favreau
Bennett - Agnew - Wallace
xx - Costanzo - Belik
Philbrick - Rizzo
Maldonado - Ross
Marcoux - Russo
Bacchus - Tatro
Rautenstrauch
Lawrence lines
B. Hirsch - Leahy - Erickson
Wood - Nigro - Beltz
S. Hirsch - Leonov - Lewis
xx - xx - Giamartino
Thompson - Leary
Marchionni - Pack
MacIsaac - Vettese
Gagnon
Governor’s lines
Ranaldi - Brooks - Russo
Scanlon - Babineau - Marchese
Sullivan - Huard - Kadlec
Smyrnois - xx - Larson
Farrell - Vieira
Crowley - Sturm
Collina - Schuhwerk
Lacroix
Thayer lines
Mottau - Lally - Shea
Delay - Anderson - Taddia
Kudrick - Richard - Halliday
Erickson - MacDonald
Stuzynski - Bradley
Lane
Dexter Southfield lines
Sutherland - Emery - Minchello
Condon - Porter - Morgan
Butte - Assad - Hurton
Naumann - Dwan - Leetch
Keohane - Lanza
Frechette - Cahill
Albrecht - Nickulas
Gatti
Stanstead lines
Tellier - Sawyer - Hughes
MacDonald - DiPaolo - Pierce
Remillard - Pokora - LeClerc
Treacy - Rosen - Soiffer
Virtanen - Wilson
LaPointe - Palin
Cregan - Krats
Kakela - Carroll
Seagrave
Canterbury lines
Brazo - Kloss - Ciappa
Stratton - Watson - Lucarelli
Heslin - Bagg - Devillers
DiBlasi - LaRusso - Moreau
Stevens - Ruzzi
Fisher - Goodman
Dickson - Martel
Stenger
New Hampton lines
Moalusi - McDougall - Day
Podergois - Caron - Lagos
Brandon - Babineau - Pierson
Gingras - Hauck - Chadwick
Senerchia - McNamara
Novitsky - Sacco
Weglarz - Helledy
Knox Schremp
