MARLBORO, Mass. — The Boston Jr. Eagles took down the Neponset Valley River Rats, 2-0, for the 16U Massachusetts state championship.
The Eagles benefited from a shutout performance for JJ Thibodeau (Waltham, Mass.) and goals from Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) and Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.).
Mutryn opened the scoring less than five minutes into the game, with a wrist shot in transition after Thibodeau made a big save at the other end. MacAusland doubled the lead less than two minutes into the third period with a deflection in the high slot off a face-off play for the Jr. Eagles, giving them insurance.
We'll dive into some standouts for the 16U Tier I tournament as a whole later this week. For now, here are five standouts from the game.
Teddy Mutryn
Boston Jr. Eagles 16U, 2/16/2007, F, right shot, 6-1/190
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.
Mutryn missed the Eagles' semifinal win over American Hockey Academy Sunday morning after flying back from the World U17 Hockey Challenge in Prince Edward Island, Canada, where he earned silver with Team USA. It was no matter for Mutryn, who was one of the best players on the ice for the Eagles in the state final. His first-period goal was an effortless release to pick the short-side corner from the right dot on a counter rush. Mutryn drove play and created a number of chances throughout the rest of the game. He had a strong outing at the face-off dot, too.
Myles Brosnan
Boston Jr. Eagles 16U, 10/19/2007, D, right shot, 5-11, 185
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Brosnan was nails for the Jr. Eagles in the semifinals and it bled over into the title game. In the first period, he sprung Mutryn for the counter rush that led to the game's first goal. Later in the first, he made an excellent shorthanded backcheck to track down a River Rats skater and strip the puck to deny what would have been a breakaway. He, along with other Eagles blue liners like Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.), displayed strong patience and poise with the puck at the offensive blue line on Sunday, both at even strength and on the power play. Pucks weren't on his stick very long at the point as he quickly filtered them toward the net for chances.
Anthony Palmer
Neponset Valley River Rats 16U, 10/28/2007, G, catches left, 5-8/150
Hometown: Lynnfield, Mass.
Palmer was outstanding for the River Rats in net. It took a perfect shot by Mutryn and a deflection for the Eagles to beat him. Palmer was especially strong in the second period, when he made a number of big saves on high-danger chances as the Eagles pushed to add insurance. He came up with a glove save on a breakaway before another big stop on a 2-on-1 shortly after.
Rian Chudzinski
Boston Jr. Eagles 16U, 12/30/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Chudzinski's energy was high all game for the Eagles. He was a difference-maker and tone-setter for the Eagles with his physicality in the defensive zone, landing a couple of punishing hits. Offensively, he displayed excellent separation speed throughout the night to create chances. There were a few instances in the second period where he used his strong strides to power around defenders 1-on-1 and create shooting and passing opportunities for himself, but couldn't convert.
ELSEWHERE AT MASS. STATES: 5 standouts from Jr. Eagles' 18U win | 7 standouts from River Rats' 15O win
Joe Marchi
Neponset Valley River Rats 16U, 10/30/2007, F, right shot, 5-8/170
Hometown: Foxboro, Mass.
Coming off two goals in a semifinal win over the Milita 16U squad, Marchi was again one of the River Rats' offensive drivers. In the third period, he corralled the puck at the right circle and fired a quick, hard shot labeled for the top-left corner. It was one of the River Rats' best chances of the game, forcing Thibodeau to make a reactionary stick save. Later in the third, Marchi had an impressive one-man effort on the penalty kill. He won a footrace for the puck, won multiple battles and bled time on the penalty.
