The juxtaposition was stunning when Rivers took the ice against St. Sebastian’s for opening night.
On one side of the ice: a St. Sebastian’s squad with 16 seniors and college commits galore. They weren’t lacking in size either. On the other, however, was a Rivers team so young it sported four eighth-graders.
After trailing 3-2 entering the third period, Rivers fell, 7-3, come the final horn. But then Rivers went to the Exeter Invitational and stunned Kimball Union — another big, veteran team — and beat the Wildcats, 4-2.
That started a stretch of the Red Wings winning seven of their next 10 games, asserting themselves as one of the better teams in prep hockey. They've taken some lumps of late but still sit at 9-6-1.
And at the heart of that success: the eighth-graders. Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.), Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) and Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.), all 2009-born standouts, form one of Rivers’ top forward lines, while Eben Alden (Dover, Mass.), also an '09, plays impactful minutes on defense.
“They’ve all adjusted awesome,” Rivers head coach Freddy Meyer said. “They’ve been a big piece of our team, and as they get more and more comfortable, I expect them to continue to grow as players.”
Just how “awesome” have they been? Though 16 games, Carter Meyer leads the team in goals (12) and points (24). Sears sits right behind him with 21 points, while Pandolfo has two goals and 11 points.
The trio of Carter Meyer, Sears and Pandolfo didn’t start out playing together. But going into the second period of an early December game against Groton, Freddy Meyer wanted to shake things up. He put the three '09s on a line.
“I see the excitement in their eyes on the bench or on the ice when they’re playing together and connecting,” Freddy Meyer said. “The end goal is to score goals when they’re on the ice, and they’ve had some early success, which has kind of fueled that relationship.”
It’s one thing to rely on extremely young players to provide offense, but it’s another to put Alden on the ice for difficult minutes in back. In that early season win over Kimball Union, Alden successfully patrolled the front of his own net on penalty kills. It wasn’t the only time he was put in that spot.
“He’s done great all the way through,” the coach said. “He’s shown confidence in situations. I know he’s going to make mistakes. I think as long as I see that he’s trying to make the right play, I trust that process that he’s going to make it, and I think with that grows confidence, because he’s not getting shifts taken away from him.”
Freddy Meyer was a defenseman in the NHL, playing close to 300 games over nine seasons. Before that, he was a defenseman at Boston University after playing two seasons with the U.S. National Development Program.
That journey has turned him into a coach open to playing younger players even when they’re inevitably going to have some hiccups.
“My one year in Philadelphia, I had a coach that every time I got back to the bench, something was wrong,” Meyer said. “And I know from a mental side, how it can crush you that you almost don’t want to be back on the ice. So I’ve taken guys I’ve either been on the bench with or guys I’ve been coached by and tried to formulate what I think is best.
“I have a very long leash with guys if I feel like they’re trying to make the right play. If you’re a defenseman and you’re trying to hit the center through the middle of the ice on breakouts and that’s the right play and it’s turned over and ends up in the back of our net, I’m probably not going to yell at you. If you’re trying to toe-drag a defenseman at the offensive blue line and it’s turned over and goes the other way, then I might yell at you.”
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That long leash has gone a long way for Alden.
“A lot of trusting in me, putting me on the ice for penalty kill or special moments like the last couple of minutes in the game,” Alden said. “It really boosts my confidence knowing that people trust me on the ice.”
All four of Carter Meyer, Sears, Pandolfo and Alden have something in common: They all grew up playing for Meyer’s Boston Junior Eagles teams, which have helped them adjust to playing for the same coach at Rivers.
“A lot of the terminology, a lot of the practice plans, a lot of the structure that we have in place they’ve seen before,” Freddy Meyer said. “At the Eagles, we’re not strict structure-wise. It’s more about playing the game the right way and more about the details of the game. And obviously having Jay Pandolfo on the ice with us over the years helping out and emphasizing details on puck protection, stick position, where to go on the ice and how to get the puck back.”
What Meyer hit on is the other X-factor as to why these four are finding success so quickly. The NHL minds around them — whether it be Freddy Meyer or current BU coach Jay Pandolfo — have given them a leg up on everyone else.
“It definitely helped a lot,” Carter Meyer said. “You can see what they had to do to get to that point. You see what you need to do to be successful like they were, and obviously everyone wants to play in the NHL, but you’ve got to put in the hours. Being able to hear from them and get taught from them is helpful because it sets you up for success. They were in that spot at one time and they know what to do to help you.
“They might not have had it when they were kids, but now they’re giving it to us.”
While coaching the boys through youth hockey, Freddy Meyer always kept his eyes and lesson plans on building for the future — even beyond Rivers.
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“It’s not about today’s practice or today’s game,” the Rivers head coach said. “It’s moments that are going to help you become a better high school player two years down the road or a better college player when you get to that level. A lot of it for me is yes, holding guys accountable, but also giving them the flexibility to make plays and understanding the time and place to make those plays.”
Along with playing together at Rivers and with the Junior Eagles, all four have legitimate college aspirations. They’re on track to be strong Division 1 commits when their recruiting year comes along.
“I’ve kind of always wanted to play for Boston University because my dad went there and I’ve just been around it,” Carter Meyer said.
The trio of Carter Meyer, Sam Pandolfo and Sears have aspirations to play for the NTDP, too, and it’s not crazy. Meyer and Sears can wow onlookers with their skill and scoring touch, while Pandolfo’s size (he’s 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds) makes him a force along the walls and in the cycle game. All three possess high hockey IQs.
As all four continue to progress against older players, their aspirations will become a reality. And Rivers will keep winning a whole lot of games, too.
