Battle of Boston: Ranking the talent, from collegians to uncommitted prospects

Harvard commit Alex Laferriere, shown with Des Moines, played for Roc City 01 in the Battle of Boston. (Dan Hickling/Hickling Images)

CROMWELL, Conn. — Many good prospects came through the greater Hartford area for four days July 23-26 to showcase their skill and compete against peers at the Battle of Boston.

The tournament, originally slated to be played in Walpole, Mass., had to be moved to Connecticut due to Massachusetts’ rules prohibiting games. The Battle of Boston utilized several different rinks, but the majority of the top games were played at Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, Conn. Sunday’s playoff action moved to Northford Ice Pavilion in Northford, Conn. Roc City Elite ’01s ended up winning the championship.

There was a wide array of talent at the Battle of Boston. There certainly were several teams that didn’t belong, but tournament organizers Mark Lotito and Todd Stirling did a good job of pulling it all together in a relatively short time.