MARLBORO, Mass. — The Boston Junior Eagles came oh-so-close to doing it. But in the end, the Little Bruins came away with a 5-4 win in the 16U Tier 1 2022 National Bound State Championship.
While the No. 2 seed Junior Eagles scored the first goal early in the first period, the No. 1 Little Bruins roared back with three of their own before the nine-minute mark of the first frame. The Little Bruins notched two more goals in the second period to go up 5-1.
The Little Bruins spent the first two periods controlling the game and playing at a place that the Junior Eagles struggled to match.
But the Eagles didn’t quit. The third period was all about the Eagles, as they scored three to cut the score to a one-goal deficit.
Here are the standout players from the championship game. Hockey East schools were in attendance.
Ethan Cox
Little Bruins, 1/25/2006, FWD, left-shot, 6-1/155
Hometown: Westborough, Mass.
Cox registered the first goal of the game for the Little Bruins when he tipped a pass past Junior Eagles goalie Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) to tie the game, 1-1. Cox looked to be giving the Junior Eagles fits all day, especially on the forecheck. He’s a really strong skater and was a big reason why the Little Bruins were so good in the offensive zone.
Theodore MacAusland
Little Bruins, 1/13/2006, FWD, right-shot, 5-8/170
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
I can only guess that the Junior Eagles found MacAusland extremely annoying to play against. He can straight-up fly. He never quit on plays, was relentless on the forecheck and played in every situation. In the first period, he blocked a shot while shorthanded and took off for a breakaway. His good hands were on display when he sifted a pass to Nobles teammate Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) for a goal.
Teddy Mutryn
Junior Eagles, 2/16/2007, FWD, right-shot, 6-1/195
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.
It was impossible not to notice Mutryn in the third period. The Junior Eagles looked defeated at the start of the frame, but there was Mutryn scoring a power play goal on his backhand early in the frame to cut the Little Bruins’ lead to 5-2. Less than two minutes later, Mutryn took the puck from low to high in the Little Bruins’ zone, turned and sniped a perfectly placed wrist shot over Ryder Shea’s (Framingham, Mass.) glove to make it 5-3. There’s a reason Mutryn was so lethal for St. Sebastian’s last season.
Jackson Delleo
Little Bruins, 1/13/2006, FWD, right-shot, 5-11/175
Hometown: Franklin, Mass.
Delleo scored the Little Bruins’ fifth goal of the game and assisted on Troy Haynes’ (Windham, N.H.) goal. Both came in the second period. His most important sequence may have actually come in the third period. With the Little Bruins clinging to a one-goal lead in the final two minutes, Delleo was a key part of the offensive trio that hemmed the Junior Eagles in their own end, preventing them from getting up ice and setting anything up in the Little Bruins’ zone.
Tyler Hamilton
Junior Eagles, 12/7/2006, FWD, right-shot, 5-11/160
Hometown: Framingham, Mass.
Hamilton opened the scoring in the game when he received a pass from Mutryn and fired a shot through the legs of Shea. On Mutryn’s snipe from the point, Hamilton was in front of the net providing a screen. I’ve seen Hamilton play a handful of times this fall and I really like his game. He’s not afraid of the dirty areas and has an edge to his game. He’s been an impactful player on a talented 16U Junior Eagles team. I’m really intrigued to watch how he grows as a player at Catholic Memorial this winter.
