FOXBORO, Mass. — Wednesday night marked the eighth straight week of action at the Foxboro Prep League at the Foxboro Sports Center.
The final two games of the night had a ton of action. The theme of both games was strong goaltending, especially for summer hockey.
The moment of the night came in the Team Moran-Team Walsh game when Jack Harney (Needham, Mass.), easily the tallest player on the ice, broke out the hands and scored on a one-handed deke to win the game.
It's been a big week for a handful of players in the Foxboro Prep League. Kolin Sisson (Lincoln, R.I.), Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.), Dylan Hunt (Marlborough, Mass.), Cam Caron (Dracut, Mass.) and Everett Baldwin (Rumford, R.I.) have all committed to colleges since becoming eligible on Aug. 1.
Here are seven standouts from the final two games Wednesday night.
Matt Cataldo
St. Sebastian's, 5/19/2005, F, left shot, 5-11/194Â
Hometown: Norfolk, Mass.
NCAA: Brown
The C in Cataldo might as well stand for compete, and that was the case again Wednesday night. He scored a goal off a 2-on-1 early in the second half and then followed it up by doing all the work on a Joe Feinberg goal. The St. Sebastian's product maneuvered around defenders and through the slot, finding Feinberg in front for a lamplighter. As usual, he drove play and showed good speed coming through the neutral zone. He will be massive for head coach Sean McCann's Arrows this winter.
Brady Flynn
Shattuck St. Mary's 16U, 4/12/2006, D, left shot, 6-1/174
Hometown: Milton, Mass.Â
I thought Flynn was the most noticeable player in the Team Moran vs. Team Walsh game. Flynn opened the matchup with a nice rush into the offensive zone where he streaked down the left side and banked one in off an opposing defender. With the puck on his stick, he had some really nice breakouts, avoiding pressure and leaving the zone. He added a shootout goal, too.
Jacob Kulas
Rivers, 4/25/06, F, left shot, 5-10/174
Hometown: Stow, Mass.Â
Kulas was strong in the offensive zone, especially when coming off the half-wall. On more than one occasion, he was able to cut to the middle of the ice and make a play happen. His frame makes him hard to knock off the puck. In the first half, he made a nice play in the corner, fending off defenders and hitting a teammate in the slot for a high-danger chance. Kulas was tied for second in points for Rivers last year with 15. Rivers will be young again, so Kulas will be counted on to shoulder more of the offensive load.
CRIMSON COMBINE '08s: 10 standout forwards | 5 standout defensemen and goalies
Peter Luecke
Thayer, 1/10/2006, D, right shot, 5-11/161
Hometown: South Boston, Mass.Â
Luecke had a goal on Wednesday when he fired a laser from the point that went under the goalie's blocker. I liked his abilities at defending the rush with one play in particular standing out. In the first half, he was facing an odd-man rush and picked up the player driving to the net in time to negate the scoring chance, letting the goalie cover the puck since Luecke broke up the play. Luecke played at BC High the past two seasons and is slated to join Thayer this fall.
Joe Marchi
Dexter Southfield, 10/30/2007, RW, right shot, 5-7/154
Hometown: Foxboro, Mass.Â
Maybe it was because it was his hometown rink, but Marchi was the best player in the two games I watched. His ability to stick handle in tight and around defenders while moving fast was impressive and it was on display on multiple occasions. I counted two times in which he danced around a defender and fed a team either down low near the net or in the slot for a scoring chance. He notched an assist when he went through his legs and around a defender and hit the post, but then fed Luecke, who scored. Marchi finally scored a goal late in the second half when he fired home a rebound.
Brendan Nee
Rivers, 6/4/2005, G, catches left, 5-11/165
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.Â
Nee only played a half Wednesday night, but in that half, he made some strong saves. Late in his half, he made two really nice saves in a row and then sprawled across to get one with the glove. He split time in net last winter with Jason Delehoy (Brockton, Mass.) and both netminders had strong numbers. Both will be seniors in 2023-24.
FOXBORO PREP LEAGUE: Standouts from Week 6 | Standouts from Week 7Â
Pelle Russo
St. Sebastian's, 3/9/2005, G, catches left, 6-0/176
Hometown: West Newton, Mass.Â
Russo played the entire game for Team Omicioli and gave up six goals in the loss to Team Cox. However, Team Cox would've had a lot more goals had Russo not made some big stops. Late in the first half, he went post-to-post and made an outstanding blocker save. He followed that up with a breakaway stop on Michael Federico (Hanover, Mass.), staying composed in the net and making a nice save. Russo also made a sprawling pad save in the second half. Like Cataldo, the West Newton, Mass., netminder will be key for St. Sebastian's this winter.
COLLEGE HOCKEY RECRUITMENT READING:
