While most of the best players in the Massachusetts high school hockey circuit are underclassmen who haven’t left for prep, midget or junior hockey, seniors often times play a key role in teams winning state championships.
The undisputed top team in the state this season, BC High, is led by senior center Thomas Kramer, a four-year player who was also a key part of the Super 8 championship team last March.
While Kramer, his twin brothers, Peter and Joseph and defenseman Mikey Adamson were the most well known names on last year’s BC High squad, there were seniors who will go down in history as playing an integral role.
Defenseman Sean Healy is now playing college hockey at Saint Anselm and forward Maverick Woods recorded the game-winner on TD Garden ice before matriculating to Providence College as a student.
Each of the top contenders looking to dethrone BC High have a key senior leading the way. Here’s a look at the top seniors in the MIAA who will take center stage come state tournament time in late February and March.
Please note, the first 15 players are on Super 8 contenders while there are a few honorable mention players who have been viewed a handful of times, despite not playing on marque teams.
Massachusetts High School Hockey’s Top Seniors
Thomas Kramer
#27 BC High, 8/8/00, C, Left Shot
Kramer is a terrific two-way center at the high school level. He plays a well-rounded, mature game. He sees the ice well and backchecks consistently. His older brother, Patrick, is a forward for Scott Borek at Merrimack College. Kramer could make for a good NESCAC recruit and certainly has the chance to play Atlantic Hockey if he ages out of junior.
Makem Demers
#8 Pope Francis, 10/1/00, C, Left Shot
Demers has been a mainstay for Brian Foley’s team over the past couple of seasons. He’s a playmaker with good agility and skating which allows him to make plays in tight spaces at this level. He’s a good bet to make a solid PG, NCDC or Division III player in the future.
Mike Tersoni
#23 Framingham, 3/29/01, LW, Left Shot
Tersoni is a vastly underrated player due to competition for a lesser known public school team. However, he’d be a very solid addition as a PG for a strong prep team next fall. He’s a good skater who can make plays and he thinks the game fairly well. Don’t count him out as a possible Division I player down the line.
Max Pineo
#14 Austin Prep, 8/7/00, RW, Right Shot
Pineo isn’t the biggest player out there, but he plays a big game. He’s heavy on pucks, goes into the greasy areas, and has a hard shot. He and underclassman Joe Solimini are the straws that stir the drink for AP’s offense.
Josh Barton
#2 Xaverian, 10/3/00, C, Left Shot
Barton is a player who has improved over his years in a Hawks’ uniform. He’s a big, power forward who can manhandle many opposing players due to his size, strength and athleticism. He’s not a Division I collegiate player, but he’d be a good Division III or club player at the right school.
Jake Higgins
#4 Hingham, 6/9/01, D, Right Shot
Higgins has been a big time player for the Harbormen for a few years now. He has good size and can play a strong game at both ends of the ice for Tony Messina’s group. Higgins and his Hingham teammates are looking to make another run into the Super 8 this season.
Matt Lakus
#10 BC High, 9/28/00, C, Right Shot
Lakus jumps up onto the first power play unit with the Kramer brothers, but he centers one of the top second lines in all of Massachusetts high school hockey. Lakus has a good shot and he’s strong and athletic, overpowering many of the defensemen he goes up against on a nightly basis.
Robbie Farrell
Austin Prep, 3/20/01, G, Catches Left
In large part due to Farrell’s goaltending, Austin Prep has blanked opponents four times and held teams to just one goal in five other games this season. Farrell serves as his team’s captain and will need to play well in order for the Cougars to have a chance to knock off BC High or Pope Francis come time for the Super 8.
Matthew Schuwerk
Andover, 4/1/01, F/D, Left Shot
There might not be a better character player in the state. Schuwerk played forward during the first three seasons of his high school career, but has moved back to the blue line this season. He’s a good skater who can retrieve pucks and make good breakout passes. While he’s still learning the finer points of playing defense, he’s been a solid two-way defenseman for the Warriors who are battling for one of the final Super 8 spots. A great student-athlete, he’d be a great PG candidate for a strong academic prep school.
Jon Tavella
#5 Pope Francis, 11/17/00, RW, Shoots Right
Tavella was injured during the Pete Frates Winter Classic when this observer checked out the Cardinals, but he had a solid fall for the Springfield Rifles. He’s another small winger who can score.
Max Cocchi
#9 Pope Francis, 10/3/00, LW, Shoots Right
Cocchi came on strong last season and kept it going this fall at the split season level. He’s off to a hot start this winter for the Cardinals, the consensus second best team in the state.
Colin Reddy
#2 St. Mary’s, 5/13/01, RW, Right Shot
Reddy has stepped up in a major way for Mark Lee’s Spartans. The Lynn, Mass., native has 15 goals already this season and is a big reason the team looks to be locked into yet another Super 8 bid.
Jack Simon
Arlington, 12/7/00, D, Left Shot
Simon has been a top pairing defenseman for John Messuri’s Spy Ponders for three seasons now. He has decent size, makes good breakout passes, and can also defend. He’d be a nice add for a prep school looking for a bottom pairing ‘D’ for next season.
Dara Conneely
Arlington, 6/1/00, C/LW, Left Shot
Conneely is a smaller forward who can scoot. He’s able to contribute offensively and gives Arlington, the top public school team in the state, a boost of secondary scoring.
Chris Rooney
Catholic Memorial, 11/19/99, C, Left Shot
Rooney is the center on the team’s top line as the Knights look to return to post-season glory for the first time in many years. He’s a cerebral player at this level who could make a nice addition as a PG at a prep school next year.
Mike Tobin
Reading, 9/25/00, RW, Right Shot
Tobin is a terrific multi-sport athlete who is committed to playing college lacrosse for UMass. Tobin is a fiery competitor who hunts pucks and can make plays. The Rockets have fallen below the Super 8 threshold, but they will be a dangerous team in Division 1 North, thanks to Tobin and a cast of talented underclassmen.
Tim Farley
St. John’s Shrewsbury, 5/24/01, RW, Right Shot
Farley has benefited from playing alongside two of the best underclassmen in the state, left wing Dhillon Wilde and center Matt Myers. However, don’t undersell Farley’s significance. He’s a strong winger who goes to the net and grinds along the wall.
Conor Quinlan
Burlington, 1/9/01, C/RW, Right Shot
Quinlan has been a steady contributor for Bob Conceison’s Red Devils the past few seasons. He’s putting up big numbers as a senior and has been a key secondary scoring option after standout junior left wing Ryan O’Halloran.
Paul Rorke
Marshfield, 10/13/00, C, Right Shot
Rorke is the leading scorer for the Rams, the defending Division 1 South Champion. Centering the top line, he’s a pivotal player for Dan Connolly’s team that appears destined for another deep run in the state tournament.
George Deroche
Lynnfield, 7/2/00, LW, Left Shot
DeRoche is one of the best players not in Division 1. He’s been a catalyst for the Pioneers’ offense for the past few seasons. While he’s on the smaller side, he thinks the game well and is a bulldog when hunting pucks. He does a great job making plays. A Lakes Region prep school would be smart to try to persuade him to playing a PG year there next season.
Chris Masta
Essex Tech, C, Right Shot
Masta has put up huge numbers for the Hawks, a third-year program that snuck into the Division 2 State Tournament last season. He’s a good skater, hard to knock off pucks and he’ll drive the net. He and fellow seniors Colin Levesque and Bryce Marquis are key reasons third year coach Mike Geary has been able to build a competitive team in Division 3.
