BEDFORD, Mass. — A Sunday in September can only mean one thing. There's plenty of fall hockey to catch, of course.
I made it out to the Edge Sports Center in Bedford, Mass., to catch a matchup between two of the top U14 teams in the NEGHL, the Boston Jr. Eagles and the East Coast Wizards — two teams that feature plenty of prospects who are either already playing prep hockey or could be soon.
The Jr. Eagles came away with a 3-0 win, thanks to a pair of second-period goals from Maggie Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.). Caroline Kreuz (Worcester, Mass.) got it all started when she scored four minutes into the first.
Let's dive into seven standouts from the game.
Maggie Chudzinski
Boston Jr. Eagles/Dexter Southfield, 4/3/2010, D, right shot, 5-8
Chudzinski was the best player on the ice Sunday morning. Defensively, she did a great job of using her size and stepping up at her blue line. She broke up a rush on one of her first shifts, thanks to a good gap and stick position. On the same shift, she recovered to get into a passing lane and stop a 2-on-1. She was at another level offensively, though. In the first, she shook a defender with a stop-and-start at the offensive blue line, which opened the shooting lane, leading to a redirect chance for Kreuz in tight and an offensive zone draw.
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Chudzinski took over in the second, leading the rush and generating some great chances. Her first goal came off a quick shot over the blocker from the right dot in transition, and her second came off a curl-and-drag shot around a stick at the right circle. She had another phenomenal chance in between the goals, too, slowing down to bait a defender before exploding around her and driving to the net. She nearly reached around the goalie to tuck in a backhander, but barely lost the handle.
Lydia Kealty
Boston Jr. Eagles/Thayer, 2010, F, left shot
Kealty (Norfolk, Mass.) was really explosive. A big, strong power forward, Kealty was a dynamic presence in transition and in the offensive zone. The Thayer forward was effective leading the rush and routinely put the defense on its heels, generating plenty of speed with her strong strides.
Stella Madaresse
Boston Jr. Eagles, 2010, G, catches left
Madaresse wasn't all that busy in the crease for the Jr. Eagles, but she was sharp when she needed to be. She made a big pad save sprawling to her right in the second period to rob a shot from the left circle as part of a multi-save sequence. In the third, she stoned Katherine Cooke's bid in the slot off a turnover with a good glove save, and she dropped into the splits to barely get her pad on a shot that changed directions right in front of her.
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Emery Deroeve
Boston Jr. Eagles/Thayer, 2010 D, left shot
Deroeve was one of several Jr. Eagles defenders, along with Chudzinski, to play a good, solid two-way game on the blue line on Sunday. She did a good job of using her long reach to shut down passing lanes and pressure puck carriers in transition, and she did a good job moving the puck quickly up the ice. She set up Kreuz's goal with a quick shot through traffic that resulted in a perfect rebound.
Cassie Ling
Boston Jr. Eagles/Needham, 2010, F, right shot
Ling played a really energetic game for the Jr. Eagles. Considering her smaller stature, she was physical and assertive along the boards and won plenty of battles, especially early on. She had an excellent scoring chance in the second period, finding soft space around the net and getting a pair of shots in tight in a bang-bang play off a rebound.
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Caroline Kreuz
Boston Jr. Eagles/St. Mark's, 2010 F, right shot
Kreuz opened the scoring early on, thanks to great awareness in the offensive zone. She made a beeline to the slot as Deroeve shot, putting herself in a perfect spot for the rebound before burying it with a good shot in tight. She nearly found the back of the net again shortly after, providing a screen in front and getting a stick on Chudzinski's shot from distance.
Katherine Cooke
East Coast Wizards, F, left shot
Cooke had arguably the Wizards' best chance of the game in the third period. She burst into a passing lane as the Eagles tried to go D-to-D, stole the puck and got a hard shot on net from the slot. It was a great read to step up and a good burst of speed into the zone.
