The East Coast Classic Tournaments Labor Day Cup took place over Labor Day weekend at the ICenter in Salem, N.H., and several other area arenas.
The Red Division was the top division in all four age groups: 18U, 16U, 15U and 14U. Yale won the championship at the 18U and 16U levels, while North Jersey Avalanche and Neponset Valley River Rats took home top honors at 15U and 14U, respectively.
The 18U, 16U and 15U divisions were heavily scouted by area colleges and NHL and junior scouts. Many of the college coaches were keeping keen eyes on players without commitments in hand.
One player, Yale 16U’s Lucas Mercuri, committed to Vermont shortly after completion of the tournament. The LaSalle, Quebec, native is a big, right-shot forward who excels below the dots. He uses his size and reach to recover pucks below the goal line and along the wall. From there, Mercuri does a good job distributing the puck to open teammates. Catamounts associate head coach Kevin Patrick was in Salem, N.H., and was responsible for recruiting Mercuri.
