WELLESLEY, Mass. — There are very few fall hockey games you remember years later.
It's not that the games aren't good — this region hosts numerous great matchups each weekend. But there are so many showcases and so many tournaments and so many weekends full of games that it's easy for them to blend.
But for the select few who were at Boston Sports Institute on Saturday afternoon to watch Mount St. Charles' 15O team take down the Boston Jr. Eagles, 5-3, in a thriller, it's one they will likely recall when watching U.S. National Team Development Program, college and NHL games one, two or seven years from now.
Not so much because of what happened — although it was a fantastic show — but because of the names on the back of the sweaters.
Before we get to the prospect breakdowns, the game itself was worth the hype.
Mount St. Charles forward Stephen Cover potted the eventual game-winning goal with 1:20 left in the third period off a terrific pass from center Paulo Gualberto Jr. (Barnstable, Mass.), making it 4-3. Mount St. Charles put the game away when Rocco Pelosi scored an empty-net tally from center ice with seconds left on the clock.
The scoring started in the first half when Brody Berard (Cumberland, R.I.) joined the rush and fired a shot that was tipped past Jr. Eagles goalie Justin Lee (Newton, Mass.). Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) responded for the Jr. Eagles, scoring on a one-timer moments later.
On a 5-on-3 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half, Cover notched his first of the game off a mad scramble in front of the Jr. Eagles net, giving Mount St. Charles a 2-1 lead.
Liam Guilderson (Belmont, Mass.) knotted the score, 2-2, with 4:28 left in the half, getting the puck in the slot and ripping it through a defender's legs and into the top corner over Mount St. Charles goalie Nathaniel Chizik.
When the second half commenced, Jr. Eagles forward Ryan Elrick (Canton, Mass.) gave his team its first lead, sniping a goal off an offensive zone face-off.
Mount St. Charles defenseman Christian Semetsis tied the game, 3-3, just over two minutes later on the play of the game (which we'll get to in a bit).
One of the most interesting things about the game was the number of NTDP Evaluation Camp prospects. The region sent seven players to the camp in March (plus Luke Schairer, who played at Mount St. Charles but is from North Carolina).
There were seven prospects in Saturday's game alone who have legitimate cases for an invite. That doesn't even include players from other teams around the region who will be in the running come next March.
Let's dive into those with NTDP potential, as well as overall standouts.
USNTDP prospects
Rocco Pelosi
Mount St. Charles, 1/28/2009, C, left shot, 5-10/165
Hometown: Sewell, N.J.Â
Pelosi is incredibly dynamic. He can generate speed with a strong first three steps. Even at 5-foot-10, he plays sturdy, proving to be difficult for defenders to knock off the puck due to a strong center of gravity. He hit the post twice on shots off the rush because of how quick, accurate and deadly his release is. Once he was able to gain a step on defenders to the outside, it was over — he was getting to the net. Pelosi is undoubtedly a top '09 prospect in the United States.
Carter Meyer
Boston Jr. Eagles, 4/10/2009, C, left shot, 6-0/160
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Meyer registered a secondary assist on Sears' goal in the first half. His play with the puck on his stick is elite, as he's often able to slow the game down to a halt. His hands are fantastic and he knows how to use them to get out of danger, which was evident on one play when he had no options left but to flip the puck over a defenseman's stick to get to space, causing the defender to trip him. As much skill as he has with the puck on his stick, don't underestimate his play on the backcheck and in his own zone.
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Finn Sears
Boston Jr. Eagles, 5/4/2009, RW, left shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: Medford, Mass.Â
Sears played with intensity. He scored his goal on Saturday by trailing the play as the third forward and finding space in the slot to get off a one-timer. He can drive play from the wing and navigates through opposing players well, using shiftiness and being a bit unpredictable to get around them. Sears is known to play on the edge, as was the case Saturday. He drew a penalty after jousting with Mount St. Charles forward Cameron Omicioli (New Haven, Conn.) when Omicioli got the last shot in, hooking Sears' stick out of his hands.
Braiden Scuderi
Mount St. Charles, 3/31/2009, RW, right shot, 5-7/155
Hometown: Medford, N.J.Â
Scuderi was far from the biggest guy on the ice Saturday, but he's able to use his body so well shield pucks and get to high-danger areas. He was also never in a rush to get rid of the puck. There was a great example of this in the second half when he had the puck at the opposing blue line and had Jr. Eagles players preventing his zone entry. He went east to west, shifting around defenders until he found an opening. He showcased great hands, dangling to scoring areas.
Brody Berard
Mount St. Charles, 9/2/2009, D, right shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Cumberland, R.I.Â
Berard's ceiling is that of a hard-nosed, shutdown defenseman, but he opened the scoring with a smart decision to join the rush, which led to a goal. He also has a quick, hard shot, which he gets off with ease from the point. That stems from his strength, which is a defining factor in every part of his game. He has no problem laying clean hits, such as when he laid a great one on Sam Pandolfo coming down the boards and into the Mount St. Charles zone.
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Christian Semetsis
Mount St. Charles, 10/14/2009, D, left shot, 5-10/156
Hometown: Smithtown, N.Y.Â
I'd never seen Semetsis prior to Saturday. He came to Mount St. Charles via the Long Island Royals...and boy, what a pick-up. His goal was one of the nicest goals I've ever seen at this level. It started at his own blue line when he corralled the puck and had his back to the play. He used his good skating and edges to get away from the first forechecker. When he turned up ice, he didn't look to pass — he just went for it, skating through and around the Jr. Eagles. The play ended when he scored on a great finish, tying the game. He's an intriguing prospect to track through his 15O season.
Sam Pandolfo
Boston Jr. Eagles, 7/2/2009, LW, left shot, 6-2/180
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Pandolfo set up Sears' goal on a really nice play. It started along the wall when Pandolfo gathered the puck, took it along the goal line and feathered a perfect pass to Sears. What excites people the most about Pandolfo is the raw abilities. His size is already there. Of these seven, Pandolfo might be the most fascinating because of what he could be and how much untapped potential there is. The next seven months should provide a glimpse.
Other standouts
Paulo Gualberto Jr.
Mount St. Charles, 4/9/2009, C, left shot, 5-9/170
Hometown: Barnstable, Mass.Â
Gualberto's most impactful moment came on Cover's winner. Gualberto started the play in his own zone, picking up the puck and making a smart pass to a defenseman to start the breakout. Gualberto followed the play up ice and regained possession in the neutral zone. He got the offensive zone entry and after playing with it for a bit, found the perfect lane to get the puck to Cover for the goal.
Stephen Cover
Mount St. Charles, 4/19/2009, LW, right shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Harrisburg, Penn.Â
Cover was always in the right spot on Saturday, as was evident in his two goals. The first came on a two-man advantage power play and he successfully read the play to go where the puck was going to, knocking in the rebound. The second was driving the net hard for a nice finish.
Ryan Elrick
Boston Jr. Eagles, 5/31/2009, F, right shot, 5-10/160
Hometown: Canton, Mass.Â
Elrick's big highlight came on his goal, showcasing a great, quick shot from the face-off dot. But he also made a number of other effective plays. Early in the first half, he hustled back to negate a breakaway for Mount St. Charles. He had a great stick, taking away passing lanes and being hard to play against. Elrick will be back at Canton High this winter.
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Max Yakub
Mount St. Charles, 7/16/2009, D, left shot, 5-10/180
Hometown: Manalapan, N.J.Â
Yakub had a scary moment in the second half when he got hit from behind and wasn't putting weight on his right leg, but he came back and appeared to skate just fine. Prior to the hit, Yakub showcased great abilities in the defensive zone with a good stick and using his physicality to separate opponents from the puck. He also showed nice poise with the puck when faced with pressure.
