The fall split season midget hockey swing has crossed the halfway point, as teams work towards the Massachusetts and New England district tournaments November 8-11 at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro, Mass.
For those unfamiliar with the process, Massachusetts is one district and comprised of teams from the Bay State. The other five states making up New England are in the New England District. Both national-bound tournaments also have the presence of full season midget teams.
The Beast Series is hosting its championship event at UMass Amherst this weekend, while the Beantown Fall Classic will be another big event on the calendar next weekend.
With almost two months of sample size, here are the top contenders to win the Massachusetts District and New England District championships at the 16U division next month.
Massachusetts 16U
1. Boston Junior Eagles
Coached by Kent Hughes and John Joyce, the Junior Eagles boast four committed forwards.
St. Sebastian’s ’03 Jack Hughes, a Northeastern commit, has the skill and playmaking ability to create a lot of offense. ’03 Tim Delay, a Boston College commit and St. Seb’s teammate, is arguably the best skater in the region for this age group. Thayer ’02 Sasha Teleguine, committed to Northeastern, is an explosive skater who hunts pucks. Recent Yale commit, ’02 Phillip Tresca of Rivers School, provides additional skill. ’03 Brendan Gorman (St. Sebastian’s), Colin Wilson (Dexter), and Nick Roukounakis (Thayer) are also solid forwards.
The blue line does a good job of pushing the pace in transition, led by ‘03s Will Elias (St. Sebastian’s) and Nolan Joyce (St. Sebastian’s). ‘02s Ryan MacDermott and Thomas Messineo, both of St. Seb’s, provide stability and reliability on the blue line. Thayer's Gavin Fitzpatrick is the best ’02 goaltender still playing in the region.
2. Cape Cod Whalers
The Whalers are a slightly older team than the Eagles, but lack the depth of high-end players.
Leading the way is ’02 Riley Duran of Lawrence Academy. A Providence recruit, he’s a solid north-south power forward. UNH commit ’02 Doug Sacco (Lawrence Academy), ’02 James Tepper (Proctor), ’02s Joseph Kramer and Peter Kramer (BC High), and ’02 Joe Schubert (St. Paul’s) are other players to watch up front.
On defense, the key is St. Mark’s defenseman Ian Moore, a late ’02 who has really progressed over the last year. He’s one of the top uncommitted players in the region. Another defenseman who has been a pleasant surprise is ’02 Californian Jeffrey Lee, a newcomer at Milton Academy. ’02s Chris Demers (Milton Academy) and Alexander Ramsay (Berwick) split the goaltending duties.
3. Neponset Valley River Rats
Steve Needham’s River Rats have struggled at times, but there is still plenty of talent in the cupboard to make a run at a championship. Goaltending and a lack of depth will be issues.
Salisbury ’02 defenseman Jarod Crespo (Penn State) and Governor’s ’02 left wing Owen Fowler (UMass Lowell) are the team’s only committed players. ’02 Tucker Hartmann of St. Mark’s and ’03 Patrick Morrissey of Dexter are both uncommitted defensemen who will eventually land Division 1 commitments. A trio of Avon Old Farms teammates – ’02s Jason Siedem and Timur Alishlalov, plus ’03 JP Turner – are the offensive catalysts.
New England 16U
1. Yale
Steve Novodor and Jon Bellonio have an embarrassment of riches on their bench at any given moment of a game. The team has eight committed players, led by Taft defenseman Christian Jimenez (Harvard) and Salisbury forwards Matt Coronato (Harvard), Lucas Mercuri (Vermont) and Cole Vallese (Providence).
Other key players up front include Kent newcomer Dane Dowiak (Penn State), Loomis Chaffee’s Anthony Cipollone, and Gunnery’s Aidan Hotchkiss. Another Salisbury newcomer, defenseman Bayard Hall, is committed to Brown. The team has plenty of depth and is comprised entirely of ‘02s.
2. Selects Academy
Coached by first-year bench boss Doug Holewa, Selects Academy doesn’t have as much depth as expected due to some departures to the QMJHL and other midget programs in the Midwest. Specifically, gone are forward Josh Lawrence and defenseman Charlie Desroches.
There are still some high-end players who can change the tune of a game in a heartbeat. Jack Williams (Northeastern), Nick DeSantis (Miami), Victor Czerneckianair (Quinnipiac) and QMJHL-bound Dawson Stairs lead the way up front. Austin Cook (UMass) and Frank Djurasevic are the top blue liners. Bennett Jung is the top goaltender after Tommy Aitken left for Omaha AAA.
3. Mid Fairfield
Mid Fairfield has a very good team, but it's younger and has a significant amount of ‘03s. That has led to some inconsistent outings this fall. Mid Fairfield is coached by Gunnery assistant Chris Gragnano and former NHL great Marty St. Louis.
The team’s top forwards are Brunswick’s Paul Davey (Boston College) and Ryan St. Louis (Northeastern), plus Avon Old Farms newcomer Tyler Boucher (Boston University). All are ‘03s, as are other top uncommitted forwards Jack Must of Trinity-Pawling and Matthew McGroarty of Brunswick.
Avon Old Farms ’03 defenseman Drew Tsakounis (Penn State) is the team’s biggest name on the blue line. ’03 Chase Ramsay of Avon, ’03 Nick Donaldson of Berkshire and ’02 Cam Grillo of Trinity-Pawling are also solid blue liners. The team’s top goaltender is ’03 Connor Callaghan of Avon Old Farms.
