BROOKLINE, Mass. — Dexter Southfield defeated Cape Cod Whalers, 4-2, on Tuesday morning at Thorndike Rink on the school’s campus.
Left wing Donovan O’Neill scored twice and defensemen Matt Fusco and Jonathan Lanza added goals for the winners. Joseph Kramer and Jackson Coutu lighted the lamp for the Cape Cod Whalers.
The game was attended by a handful of NHL scouts. Dexter Southfield will play Pope Francis tomorrow at 2 p.m. and Valley Junior Warriors on Thursday at 11 a.m. Today’s game marked the third contest over the past week for Dexter Southfield. Kudos goes out to head coach Dan Donato for doing his best to keep his team playing during these difficult circumstances.
Below is a look at the prospects who stood out in Tuesday morning’s game between Dexter Southfield and Cape Cod Whalers:
Dexter Southfield prospects
Will Vote
2/22/05, C, right shot, 5-8/145
Vote was tremendous again today, picking up two assists. He plays in all situations, including a penalty kill late in the game. His first assist came on a second-period tally by Lanza. He helped win a battle below the goal line. His second assist was a thing of beauty. He patiently waited out the defenseman and goaltender from the goal mouth and found a wide-open O’Neill for an easy finish. His hockey sense and compete level are special. The Arlington, Mass., native plays a mature game and shows no sign of being an ’05.
Matt Copponi
6/4/03, C, right shot, 6-0/175
NCAA commit: Merrimack
Copponi had a really good game. He was buzzing and flying all over the ice, especially in the first period. His assist came in the first period when he came down the right wing and slid a pass across to O’Neill on the left wing for a tap-in goal. He engages physically and gets under the opposition’s skin. His borderline penalty in the second period resulted in a Cape Cod Whalers player getting ejected for the retaliation. The Mansfield, Mass., native played today like an NHL draft pick.
Will Hughes
1/14/04, RW, right shot, 6-3/200
Hughes continues to impress me, playing the right wing on the top line. He had a pair of assists, both of the secondary variety. His second helper of the night was a nice one, sending a pass over to Vote, who then gave it to O’Neill for a power-play strike. The Andover, Mass., native has the size, skating and stick to earn him a college commitment and consideration as a pick in the 2022 NHL draft.
Bobby Landry
3/22/04, C, right shot, 6-0/170
NCAA commit: Harvard
Landry didn’t find the scoresheet, but he was solid today. The Hingham, Mass., native has good size and cycles well. He’s a force down low and along the wall, has good length and wins battles. If he keeps progressing, he’s a player who will at least have some NHL eyes on him as a potential pick in 2022.
Grayson Badger
5/9/04, RW, right shot, 6-1/180
Badger had an assist on the Lanza goal by digging the puck out from the left-wing corner. The Hyde Park, Mass., native did much of what he usually does. He hunted pucks and forced turnovers, one of which resulted in a breakaway attempt. He and Vote have been good together.
Liam O’Keeffe
1/31/06, D, left shot, 5-11/165
With Damon Alexander injured, O’Keeffe has logged more minutes than expected the past couple of games. He’s a player I’ve liked at his own age group for over a year now. The Boston, Mass., native keeps it simple, has good size and strength, and plays efficiently, especially given his youth. He has all the makings of being a Division 1 player down the road.
Matt Fusco
3/7/03, D, right shot, 6-0/185
NCAA commit: Harvard
Fusco loves to shoot the puck from the point. While I didn’t officially keep track of shots, I’d bet that the Westwood, Mass., native led the game in terms of shots attempted. He’s a rugged, offensive-minded defenseman.
Sean Keohane
11/4/04, D, left shot, 6-3/195
Keohane logs a lot of minutes for a young defender. He’s big, smooth and doesn’t make many mistakes. He often has to recover and play responsibly to make up for Fusco jumping into the offense.
Donovan O’Neill
6/7/02, LW, left shot, 6-0/185
O’Neill was again a very nice complementary player on Copponi’s line. He drove the net on his first goal and hung around on the back door for his second goal. The Duxbury, Mass., native scored two goals for a second straight game.
Jonathan Lanza
3/10/05, D, right shot, 5-11/165
Lanza looked more confident than he did in his first few prep games. It’s no easy task to be an ’05 playing at this level. He scored a nice goal today after pinching and getting fed a pass from the left-wing corner. The Winthrop, Mass., native is a solid, physically mature defender who should be a four-year standout for Donato’s team.
Cape Cod Whalers prospects
Declan Loughnane
Thayer, 11/22/03, D, right shot, 6-0/200
NCAA commit: Providence
I’ve been a huge fan of Loughnane’s game since the spring before he was a star freshman at BC High. This wasn’t the best game he’s played during that span, but he was good. What stood out, as usual, were his hockey sense, poise with the puck, ability to protect pucks, good shot and toughness. The Milton, Mass., native should be on every NHL team’s radar ahead of the 2022 NHL draft.
CJ Foley
Thayer, 2/11/04, D, right shot, 5-10/160
Foley, from Hanover, Mass., was very good at both ends of the ice. He skates well, competes hard and has jam. He jumps into the rush and contributes offensively, He was good on retrievals and breakouts and made some solid stops one-on-one defensively. He’ll be getting plenty of calls and texts from Hockey East schools come Friday morning.
Andrew Garzone
Deerfield, 5/30/04, C, right shot, 6-0/185
Garzone wasn’t as noticeable today as he had been the past couple of viewings. Still, he did some good things, especially away from the puck. The Dover, Mass., native played well on the penalty kill and backchecked with purpose. He’s big, skates well and engages physically.
Tristan Mecenas
Governor’s, 11/18/02, G, catches left, 6-4/210
Mecenas might have let in four goals, but he made some sharp saves. The one that stands out to me most was a kick save on a redirect in the first period. The only goal that he might want back is the point shot from Fusco. It’s possible he was screened, but it was hard to see from my angle. The Mount Airy, Md., native has the size, skating ability and fundamentals to intrigue. I haven’t seen a better goaltending prospect in the region, among recruiting age players, all fall and winter.
James Tepper
Proctor, 2/20/02, LW, right shot, 6-0/180
Tepper was up to his usual tricks today. He played hard, got into a couple of scrums, and didn’t back down from anyone. His tenacity on the forecheck and puck pursuit resulted in the first goal for the Whalers. He chased down a loose puck and sent it toward the net, where Joseph Kramer banged it home. The Shrewsbury, Mass., native is a sure bet for any NAHL, BCHL or AJHL team looking for a good player for next season. I’d love to see what he can do, in terms of getting a Division 1 commit, after a season or two of playing for a good coach at the junior level.
Bobby Luca
Roxbury Latin, 4/20/02, RW, right shot, 5-11/190
Luca is a very good Midget and prep player who is constantly getting onto the scoresheet. Today, I was impressed with the Milton, Mass., native’s ability to play hard and get in on the forecheck quickly. He was around the puck a lot.
Will Murphy
Roxbury Latin, 5/13/03, D, right shot, 6-0/200
Murphy’s flip pass out of his own zone got him a secondary assist on the first goal. He was solid throughout and should be watched closely by NESCAC programs. The Franklin, Mass., native is a steadily improving defenseman.
Dexter Southfield lines
O’Neill - Copponi - Hughes
Sutherland - Vote - Badger
Blanchard - Landry - Gould
Kwan - Larkin - Hurton
Keohane - Fusco
O’Keeffe - Morrissey
Kamke - Lanza
Mickanin
Cape Cod Whalers lines
Tepper - O’Brien - Luca
P. Kramer - Glass - J. Kramer
Vandale - Sullivan - Cafarelli
Richard - Coutu - Garzone
Freeman - Loughnane
Tripp - Foley
Gallant - Murphy
Collins
Mecenas
