Salisbury took home the 2018 Flood-Marr Holiday Tournament in convincing fashion. Andrew Will’s team went undefeated with three consecutive three-goal victories in the round robin play followed by a 4-3 win over Phillips Andover in the championship game.
The Crimson Knights downed Kimball Union, 3-0, in Friday’s marque game that brought out the biggest crowd of scouts and college coaches. Later in the day, Salisbury took down Deerfield, 4-1, before capping off round robin play with a 3-0 victory over Nobles.
Leading the way for a deep and talented Salisbury squad was Vermont commit Lucas Mercuri, who had five goals in the tournament, including all four in the final on Sunday afternoon. The LaSalle, Quebec, native picked up tournament MVP honors.
After being upset, 3-1, by Phillips Andover in the team’s first game of the tournament, Westminster came back with a vengeance, winning their final three games by a combined score of 16-4. For their efforts, the Martlets returned to Simsbury, Conn., with third place.
Flood-Marr Holiday Tournament Results
Friday, Dec. 14, 2018
Nobles 4, Deerfield 1
Salisbury 3, Kimball Union 0
Hotchkiss 2, Milton 0
Phillips Andover 3, Westminster 1
Kimball Union 1, Nobles 0
Salisbury 4, Deerfield 1
Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018
Phillips Andover 5, Milton 2
Westminster 3, Hotchkiss 0
Salisbury 3, Nobles 0
Deerfield 3, Kimball Union 2 (OT)
Westminster 8, Milton 1
Phillips Andover 4, Hotchkiss 1
Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018
7th Place: Kimball Union 4, Milton 0
5th Place: Deerfield 6, Hotchkiss 2
3rd Place: Westminster 5, Nobles 3
Championship: Salisbury 4, Phillips Andover 3
Salisbury Team Notes
After a rocky start to the season that included unexpected losses to Millbrook and Hotchkiss, the Crimson Knights bounced back in a big way at the Flood-Marr Holiday Tournament. Making matters worse, Salisbury gave up 15 goals in those two losses.
Will’s team allowed only four goals in four games here. The goaltending that had been somewhat shaky previously was stellar. Some prep newcomers seem to be finding their stride and hitting on all cylinders.
This team has probably 15 NCAA Division I players on it when it’s all said and done. If the goaltending holds up, Salisbury might run the table. That’s no exaggeration. The team is just that good.
Salisbury Prospect Notes
Mercuri, an ’02, is a big power forward who excels below the dot. He’s really good at using his size and strength to get to the net front. He has a good release and fairly good hands for a big guy. His skating is one area of his game that could use some improvement before getting to the collegiate level.
Michael Cameron ('02) was a standout here, notching three goals — one in each of the round robin games. Formerly committed to Rensselaer, the Berwyn, Pa., native is back on the open market and garnering significant interest. He’ll land at a Hockey East, Big Ten or NCHC school. He’s a good skater with terrific vision and hockey sense in the attacking zone.
He was quiet on the score sheet here, but ’02 Matt Coronato (New York, N.Y.), a Harvard commit, looked good. He entered the tournament scoring at a pace of almost two points per game. He is an elite playmaker who facilitates offense.
Late ’00 defenseman Luke Krys, a Brown commit from Ridgefield, Conn., is getting some draft attention. He plays a much different game than his older brother, Boston University junior Chad Krys. However, he’s a little bigger and plays better in his own end. He made a couple of really solid plays one-on-one against KUA.
Late ’01 goaltender Nicholas Haas blanked both KUA and Nobles in round robin play before being the goaltender of record in the championship win over Phillips Andover. The Williamsville, N.Y., native has good size and was a sponge in the big opening round win over KUA.
Salisbury Lines
19 J. Hryckowian - 7 L. Mercuri - 17 N. Capone
20 I. Usov - 16 M. Cameron - 9 M. DeBoer
11 M. Fairfax - 28 J. Quillan - 27 M. Coronato
12 D. Bauchiero - 22 B. Kennedy - 10 C. Henn
5 L. Krys - 6 B. Hall
18 C. Korpi - 4 J. Crespo
8 B. Metz - 3 A. Casperson
30 N. Haas
1 J. Levine
Phillips Andover Team Notes
Paul Tortorella’s team continued its strong start to the season with three consecutive wins in round robin play. After falling behind, 3-0, to Salisbury in the final, the Big Blue showed resiliency as they made it a game late into the third period.
Perhaps more impressively, Andover did all that without the services of their star player, ’00 forward Christian Powers, who is committed to Amherst College.
Phillips Andover Prospect Notes
The team’s best prospect is ’04 right wing William Hughes, who had a goal in the team’s win over Milton. However, Andover has a few PGs and seniors who stood out throughout the tournament. ’99 Mac Carso had three goals and four assists and had the quickness to create chances on the rush. ’00 Thomas Manty lit the lamp twice, including a breakaway goal against Westy, and had five helpers.
’01 goaltender Charles Archer, ’02 defenseman Charlie Spencer, ’02 left wing Chris Hocever and ’00 left wing Jonathan Assayag also had good performances here.
Phillips Andover Lines
8 J. Assayag - 11 S. O’Connell - 9 W. Hughes
16 T. Manty - 22 T. Little - 12 M. Carso
21 C. Hocevar - 17 D. Arkell - 18 P. McDonald
27 M. Gallagher - 10 C. Spence
2 C. Giampietro - 25 R. Galasso
41 C. Archer
Westminster Team Notes
The Martlets didn’t look good in a loss to Phillips Andover in the opening round game, but Tim Joncas’ team did bounce back for three straight wins. Westminster has solid goaltending and two good lines and defensive pairings, but lacks the depth of many of the other top teams in the Founder’s League.
Westminster Prospect Notes
Westy has the two Division I commits in left wing Ignat Belov and defenseman Malik Alishlalov, both slated for nearby UConn. Alishlalov has the skills and tools to garner some NHL Draft attention, but his hockey sense needs work. He too often tries for the home run pass and appears disinterested at times. When he’s on his game, he can be very effective.
Right wing Jacob Monroe ('00) would be a great pickup for a NESCAC program while ’00 centers Sean Clarke and Jordan McKenna are also solid prospects for that level. Monroe made more plays than any other forward on the team while Clarke showed off some good speed.
On the defensive side of the puck, outside of Alishlalov, there are three players who should be garnering interest from college recruiters. Ned Blanchard ('00) and ’01 Will Gilson have skill and can move the puck while ’01 Ryan Pineault brought it physically here and can also play the role of an offensive defenseman. All three are sure-fire candidates to be Division III players, but have an outside chance of playing at an Atlantic Hockey or lower level ECAC Hockey school.
Westminster Lines
11 N. Pane - 15 J. McKenna - 19 J. Monroe
91 I. Belov - 13 S. Clarke - 17 W. Pastor
16 J. Nelson - 9 Q. Armstrong - 10 M. Kramlich
20 C. Flam - 14 T. Kinney - 23 D. Benchich
4 M. Alishlalov - 5 N. Blanchard
8 W. Gilson - 7 R. Pineault
3 B. Huisman - 24 W. Stevens
30 I. Shane
Nobles Team Notes
After an opening round win over Deerfield, Brian Day’s team hit the skids with three losses to Kimball Union, Salisbury and Westminster. It’s certainly not the results the team was looking for, but those are three very tough opponents.
Nobles has two decent lines and defensive pairings along with an above average goaltender. They should win a lot of games around Boston against teams that don’t have the depth and talent of many of the top Connecticut prep schools.
Nobles Prospect Notes
The team was without ’00 Ryan Stevens, the Duxbury, Mass., native who was the team’s leading scorer heading into the tournament.
The team’s top prospect is ’03 Aidan Lyons, who is a puck-moving defenseman. He has a good stick and plays with a lot of poise for such a young blue liner at this level. There is significant interest from ECAC Hockey and Hockey East schools.
’01 Casey Severo, a Merrimack commit, is the team’s best forward. He plays to spots, has good hockey IQ, and makes a lot of plays with his passing and skating ability.
’01 right wing Jack Cronin showed off his good shot with a goal in the team’s win over Deerfield. It was a pretty goal as he showed patience to wait for the goalie to go down and deke to the other side. He also has a good stick to fight for loose pucks.
’01 goaltender Marc Smith, ’01 defenseman Colby Bailey and late ’00 Will Zink also had notable performances here.
Nobles Lines
12 D. Jacobs - 19 C. Severo - 9 J. Cronin
14 J. O’Connor - 11 W. Zink - 7 R. Lapsley
16 C. DiPietrantonio - 15 O. O’Connor - 18 C. Pickreign
3 J. Murray - 23 P. Kenney
10 A. Lyons - 27 C. Bailey
1 M. Smith
Deerfield Team Notes
The Big Green lost their first two games before bouncing with two wins to close out the tournament. Deerfield, 6-2 at the break, will win its fair share of games this season due to having an older roster with a cadre of good NESCAC players and a solid goaltender in ’00 Thomas Gale, a Dartmouth commit.
Deerfield Prospect Notes
The team’s only other legit Division I prospect is ’01 junior defenseman Eamon Doheny. He’s solid and really strong on his skates and tough to knock off pucks. He plays well in his own zone, can skate well, and he showed an effort to jump into the rush here.
Defenseman Noah de la Durantaye ('00) could garner some Division III interest. There are a slew of Division III prospects up front including ‘00 Sean McAvoy, who has already committed to the application process at a NESCAC school, ‘99 Michael Holland and ’99 Sasha Shogren.
Deerfield Lines
23 M. Holland - 5 S. McAvoy - 27 T. Zourikian
9 S. Shogren - 14 A. Robert - 7 J. Jarosz
12 K. Davenport - 21 C. Guest - 19 M. Miron
17 T. Mudd - 10 J. Harrington - 22 A. Machen
20 E. Doheny - 4 Z. Milton
8 N. De la Durantaye - 6 P. Patterson
33 T. Gale
Hotchkiss Team Notes
Heading into the tournament, the Bearcats had a lot of buzz with an undefeated record that included wins over Salisbury and Gunnery. After a 2-0 win over Milton in the opening game, things began to unravel and Hotchkiss lost three straight to finish the tournament in sixth place.
Mike Traggio’s team will struggle on most nights unless star ’01 goaltender Henry Wilder can stand on his head as he did in those early seasons wins.
Hotchkiss Prospect Notes
’00 Jordan Ehrensperger scored a nice shorthanded goal against Milton and was one of the team’s better forwards in this tournament. Another ’00, Walker Reiersgaard, had some moments here. ’00 Alex Mozian has some skill and jam as an older player in prep and could be a decent player at the Division III level.
The team’s best offensive prospect is ’01 Gavin Puskar, who made some plays and showed off some skill. He’s solid when he’s getting to pucks and playing a simple, north-south game. He is strong on his skates and is really the team’s only chance at a Division I prospect up front.
On the blue line, ’01 Nick Traggio, the coach’s son, plays with a physical edge. The team’s best defensive prospect is late ’01 Jack Kane. He skates well and has some tools. He should be a Division I player down the road or a very good NESCAC defenseman.
Wilder was the talk of the opening day following the 2-0 shutout win he posted against Milton. It was his third shutout in four games to open the season. He has decent size, a strong technique, and he moves well. He’s receiving a ton of interest from Hockey East, ECAC Hockey and Big Ten schools.
Hotchkiss Lines
6 J. Thomas - 10 Q. Carlisle - 19 A. Mozian
17 G. Puskar - 8 J. Ehrensperger - 16 W. Reiersgaard
3 M. Von Jess - 7 J. Abraham - 22 M. Tullo
21 G. Antonacci - 15 C. Kerrigan - 23 M. Noll
27 N. Traggio - 2 J. Ferguson
4 J. Kane - 9 J. Leonhardt
31 M. Wilder
Kimball Union Team Notes
There’s no getting around the fact that this was a disappointing seventh place finish for the two-time defending prep school hockey champion. The Wildcats just seemed to be in somewhat of an early season funk.
It’s a tall order replacing the likes of Jordan Harris and Bryce Dolan, who are now freshmen at Northeastern and Holy Cross, respectively. Add to that losing a leader like UMass Lowell commit Andranik Armstrong, who is now in the AJHL, and a reliable veteran goaltender in Sean Dynan.
This team will get better. There is still plenty of talent in the cupboard, but there might be some bumps in the road this season unless the goaltending plays better on a more consistent basis.
Kimball Union Prospect Notes
’00 right wing Zach Taylor continues to be a pleasant surprise early in the season, playing alongside center Drew Bennett and Ohio State commit Arlo Merritt on the team’s top line. A PG from Hanover High School, Taylor plays hard. He made a huge hit on the forecheck in the left wing corner to set the tone early in the game against Salisbury. He also made a really nice pass on a two-on-one to set up a golden chance for Merritt.
Late ’00 Tomas Mazura is also starting to pick up some college interest as he gets more ice time in his third season as a Wildcat. From Czech Republic, he has good size and has been a solid offensive producer early in the season. He was held off the score sheet here, sans for a lone assist in Saturday’s win against Deerfield.
Kimball Union Lines
20 A. Merritt - 22 D. Bennett - 21 Z. Taylor
26 P. Dore - 11 T. Mazura 18 B. Carrabes
15 Z. Whitehead - 9 S. Stadheim - 8 S. Mack
5 T. Griffin - 4 D. Newhook
17 K. Penney -24 C. Felton
3 A. Noel - 23 J. Clarner
31 Z. Paputsakis
Milton Academy Team and Prospect Notes
This could be a long year for the Mustangs, who have won just once, a 3-0 decision over Governor’s, on the young season. Paul Cannata’s team was the only one here to go winless.
Milton lacks depth and doesn’t have much in the way of scoring options outside of ’00 Quinton Fox and ’01 Tyler Crist. There should be serious interest among NESCAC schools and stronger academic schools such as Holy Cross for Fox, who hails from Fonthill, Ontario.
Late ’01 defenseman Will Van Der Veen, from Duxbury, Mass., is a prospect to keep an eye on. He has the size and some tools to be of interest. ’00 Emmett Powell is a defenseman that a few NESCAC schools should be eyeing.
Credit goes out to goaltender Erik Voloshin, who is solid between the pipes, despite a lack of support from those in front of him.
Milton Academy Lines
23 Q. Fox - 7 J. Lee - 22 T.. Crist
26 M. Andrade - 6 S. O’Sullivan - 11 M. Cassella
25 B. Goddard - 18 B. Tang - 9 H. Keohan
4 W. Van der Veen - 8 E. Powell
5 M. Cassella
1 E. Voloshin
