JR-HS [Mar-06]: Soaring Biega ...

CM's Soaring Biega Brings Salisbury Prep Title (posted 3.28.06)

by Vincent Montalbano

Reviews from the semi-finals and the championship game of the New England Prep School Ice Hockey Tournament

Salisbury vs. Cushing - Semi-Finals

This match-up consisted of a lot of talent up front, but in the end, both goalies, Anthony Borelli (Salisbury, So.) and Richard Bachman (Cushing, Sr.) stole the show with a tied score of 1-1 at the end of regulation. Senior Will Ortiz, who demonstrated his strength and ability during the Flood-Marr Tournament, was once again critical for Salisbury, scoring in overtime to send Salisbury to the finals.

Alex Biega (2006), D, Salisbury, Sr.

What immediately stands out about Alex is his lightning fast stride and quickness .. he is a tremendous skater and his feet never stop moving .. Alex is a small-sized defenseman with exceptional offensive skills .. he is very smart and possesses great hockey sense which compensates for his small frame .. he is a great skater with good lateral movement and phenomenal speed .. he carries the puck with confidence and is very offensive- minded .. his offensive arsenal includes a great point shot which is hard and accurate .. he can log a lot of minutes and is versatile in all situations .. he plays with a lot of heart and is aggressive in the corners .. vocal on the ice and seems to be a tremendous leader .. tendency to back-up to much when 1-on-1 with a player instead of stepping up at the blueline-at times tries fancy saucer passes through the neutral zone, which against better players could be trouble .. was absolutely flying in overtime.

Michael Biega (2007), F, Salisbury, Jr.

Very gifted young player who possesses impressive offensive talent .. has a similar stride to his brother, but is not lightning fast .. great overall speed and loves to make shifty moves at high speeds .. he is a very smart and a creative player with the puck .. although he sometimes tries to be too fancy instead of taking the simple pass...at times, early in the game, he was not getting involved physically .. initially, he shied away from physical contact and was a bit of a liability defensively, but in the third and during overtime, he started throwing his body around and playing more of a physical game. I am not yet sold on his first round status for the 2007 draft, but I hope next year he will dominate the prep school level.

Kevin Quick (2006), D, Salisbury, Jr.

An excellent skater with loads of offensive potential .. good vision and good hands .. not afraid to get involved in the physical aspect of the game .. not an overly aggressive checker, but good at clearing bodies in front of his team's net .. follows plays and anticipates quite well .. shows remarkable patience with the puck and possesses a good, hard shot .. whenever the opportunity presents itself, he is willing to jump up to join in offensive situations.

Nick Jaskowiak (2007), D, Salisbury, Jr. (Harvard `07)

A solid skater with adequate speed .. he is a good puck-moving defenseman and effective on the power play .. decent point shot and playmaking abilities...he handles the puck well and has good passing skills .. he handles himself well in the front of his net; however, he needs to get stronger down low in the defensive zone .. he has a tendency of backing off too much on 1-on-1 situations.

Will Ortiz (2006), F, Salisbury, Sr. (UMass Amherst)

A very hard worker and is not afraid of anyone in spite of his size .. good skater and has a hard shot .. consistent player, and also works hard defensively if he needs to .. drives hard to the net .. brings excellent energy to every shift .. has a quick release on his snap shots, but his slap shots take too long .. he brings his stick up way too high and gets most of his shots blocked .. sacrificed his body on multiple occasions by blocking shots .. the hero of the game, he scored in overtime.

Brad Malone (2007), F, Cushing, Jr.

A lot of hype around this kid and he definitely deserves it .. has all the makings of a power forward .. uses his size well, and is very difficult to knock off the puck when he is cycling in the corners .. protects the puck well with his big frame .. was physical during every shift .. skates with a wide stride .. solid along the boards .. has great awareness of his teammates .. head's up player and has good on-ice awareness .. solid in the face-off circle-he won two defensive zone face-offs at crucial times during the game, and the one defensive zone face-off he lost, he subsequently overpowered the center to get the puck out.

Alex Curran (2006), F, Cushing, Sr.

A solid skater with good size .. forechecks hard all game .. possesses a decent shot, but does not shoot enough .. skates well with the puck .. backchecks hard and on the powerplay, his efforts saved a goal from Salisbury .. at times he tries to be too fancy with the puck. He had a quiet second period.

Sean Coughlin (2007), D, Cushing, Jr.

A strong skater with decent speed .. does very well on the powerplay .. knows when to move in from the point and when to stay back for support .. skates well with the puck and is not afraid to join the rush at times .. defensively, he gets out-muscled off of the puck .. needs to release the puck faster with his shot and needs to make faster decisions when breaking out.

Richard Bachman (2006), G, Cushing, Sr. (Colorado College `07)

Despite the loss, Bachman played a solid game in net .. he does not leave many rebounds and seems to be a technically sound goaltender .. made a nice kick save in the second period on a 3-on-1 .. last year, besides Jon Quick (Avon), Bachman was the top prep goalie .. although, when traffic builds up in front of him, he plays a bit deep in the crease.

Dave Warsofsky (2008), D, Cushing, Fr.

Remember this name-this kid can play .. as a freshman, in an important playoff game, he logged a ton of ice time .. he had three or four excellent rushes up the ice and skates very well with the puck .. very heads-up player with good vision and excellent offensive instincts .. plays on the first powerplay and is very patient with the puck .. also played on the penalty-kill and during Salisbury's 5-on-3 chance in the second .. defensively, he was solid, but at times got caught watching the puck .. he lacks size, but still fights hard through checks along the boards to get the puck out when shorthanded .. started in overtime as a freshman .. he has a lot of potential.

Zach Bogosian (2008), D, Cushing, So.

An offensive-type defenseman who skates very well with the puck .. not very fast, but a solid skater and plays the powerplay .. needs improvement on his outlet passes and defensive zone coverage.

Broc Little (2007), F, Cushing, Jr.

Played on a line with Malone and Curran .. goes hard to the net and has good speed .. quick strides .. good offensive zone instincts .. good hands, but at times over-handles the puck .. could use his linemates better .. lacks size and strength and is easily knocked off the puck.

Taft vs. Nobles - Semi-Finals

This game marked the beginning of an all-out battle between teams to advance to the finals. Since Taft and Nobles do not play against each other during the season, both teams wanted to size up and challenge their opponents. About half way through the first, the pace began to pick up and kept its momentum until the end of the game. Taft scored two goals in the second and one goal in the third to beat Nobles 3-2.

Mark Fayne (NJ, 2005), D, Nobles, Sr. (Providence)

Fayne logged a tremendous amount of ice-time, as Nobles only played four defenseman .. also played key roles on the powerplay and shorthand .. a patient defenseman who demonstrated his superior size and ability-at times he looked like a man playing amongst boys .. plays the body well, but not a thunderous hitter .. a great skater with a long stride and good speed .. his rushes into the offensive zone instantly create offense for Nobles .. he has remarkable vision .. had a quiet second period and a bad giveaway with 8 seconds left in an attempt to get the tying goal. He was named Division 1 East All-New England Team. I look forward to seeing his progress at the college level.

Chris Huxley (2006), D, Nobles, Sr. (RPI)

Along with Fayne, he logged a lot of ice time .. a solid skater with a fluid stride and good speed .. in the offensive zone, his strengths shine-he has good vision and patience with the puck .. has the ability to rush the puck, but at times is prone to bad turnovers .. he made three risky cross-ice passes in the defensive zone, one was picked off and Taft almost scored .. seems to have a tendency of giving away possession when in trouble .. also at times is too offensive and gets caught looking up ice instead of behind him to the extent that Taft sent players behind him for fast breaks .. not his best game compared to the two others I have seen this year .. named Division 1 East All-New England Team.

Jimmy Hayes (2007), F, Nobles, So.

Hayes could be the next big player out of the prep school ranks .. has good speed along the boards combined with tremendous hands .. a long stride gives him straight-away speed, but can be very shifty .. had three excellent rushes in the game that led to scoring chances for his teammates and himself .. scored a goal in the second when he broke free in the slot and snapped it in, providing Nobles with the lead again .. given his size, he should not be knocked off the puck as easily, but that can be adjusted with age and maturity .. had a quiet third period when the team needed him.

Andrew Glass (2007), F, Nobles, Jr.

Glass is a good player with a nice strong stride and good speed .. he is a determined player, who fights through checks and never gives up on a play .. he has good hands, but at times he tries to do too much with the puck. Next year, his team will rely on him to be the go-to-guy along with Hayes.

Ryan Maguire (2006), F, Nobles, Sr.

Maguire is a physical forward who hustles every shift .. he has decent hands and a good shot .. solid in the face-off circle .. fluid skater .. could use his linemates better and has tendency to rush plays too much .. named Division 1 East All-New England Team.

Michael Griffin (2006), F, Nobles, Jr.

Has good speed, but an awkward skater .. solid on the penalty-kill .. expected him to generate more offense .. overall, had a quiet game.

Max Pacioretty (2007), F, Taft, Jr. (Michigan `07)

Aggressive, sleek-skating forward .. has good size and very good hands .. excellent with or without the puck, but at times tries to do too much .. can create offense on his own or create it for his teammates .. however, he isn't overly strong on his skates, and is knocked off the puck easier than he should be .. seems to have a good build in his upper body .. helps out defensively and always seems to be in good position .. could not finish a 3-on-1 with 1:30 left in the 3rd because he skated by the net instead of stopping in front .. named Division 1 West All-New England Team.

Jack Downing (2007), F, Taft, Jr.

Physical forward, who possesses a solid shot .. also has an above average snap shot that he releases quickly .. scored a nice goal to tie the game at one on the powerplay .. skates well with the puck and has good speed.

Eric Baier (2006), D, Taft, Jr. (Dartmouth)

A good skater with a strong stride .. moves the puck well from the back end .. plays in all situations for Taft .. has a decent shot from the point, consistently getting low, hard shots on the net, and shoots a lot on the powerplay .. however, at times he was not patient enough with the puck .. needs to work on playing better in the defensive zone.

Andrew Balysky (2007), F, Taft, So.

Similar to Hayes, Balysky could be another big name prep player .. he has quick strides which give him good speed .. combines his skating and technical skills in a very impressive way .. scored a nice goal in the second period to tie the game at two .. he followed up his own rebound and waited until Nobles goalie, John Muse went down, and Balysky quickly went upstairs .. this young center seems to be totally fearless .. he was physical all game and strong along the boards .. solid on the powerplay and at times looks like Tomas Holmstrom, standing in front and taking a beating .. plays with intensity every shift.

Salisbury vs. Taft - Championship Game

These two teams have seen each other twice this year; Salisbury won both games, 4-3 and 4-2. During the fast-paced championship game, many penalties and scoring chances arose. Goalies, Anthony Borelli (Salisbury, So.) and Andrew Margolin (Taft, Jr.) played exceptionally well to keep their respective teams in the game. Taft took a 3-1 lead into the third period. Salisbury, with great leadership from its seniors, recovered and scored with 12 minutes left in the third to cut the lead to 3-2. After an excellent Alex Biega rush, senior Sean Sylvester tied the game with about 5 minutes left. With Taft on its heels, Salisbury scored the game-winning goal less than a minute later. Again, Alex Biega initiated the play with an excellent shot from the point which created an easy rebound goal. Taft stormed the Salisbury end in desperation to tie the game, but Kevin Quick and Alex Biega played sound defense along with solid goaltending from Borelli to secure the win. This was Salisbury's first New England Championship win.

Alex Biega (2006), D, Salisbury, Sr.

As explained in the recap, this kid had an excellent game and served as a tremendous leader .. shakes forecheck with his quickness .. very vocal on the ice-he led the charge when the team was down 3-1 .. the first was an excellent rush up ice that created a lot of pressure and pulled Salisbury within one .. the other was his quick release from the point that sent a rebound out to his teammate for the game-tying goal .. despite his sometimes risky passes, Alex is an excellent player and had a tremendous tournament .. no scout should overlook him in the later rounds because of his size .. his draft stock should only go up with this performance .. could be a John-Michael Liles-type defenseman.

Michael Biega (2007), F, Salisbury, Jr.

Once again, Michael Biega displayed great hockey sense and offensive ability .. was held off the scoring sheet, but played better than the game against Cushing .. hustled every shift and when playing shorthanded .. he broke free when pursuing a loose puck and got hooked down to make it 4-on-4 .. backchecked hard and multiple times lifted his stick and stole the puck .. did not have many shots, but was closely watched all night by Taft's defense.

Kevin Quick (2006), D, Salisbury, Jr.

His patience under pressure proved to be very valuable at the end of the game when Salisbury took the lead .. never scrambled when Taft swarmed around the net .. an effortless skater, who has shifty moves for a defenseman .. played a ton of minutes with Alex Biega .. his draft stock could have gone up a bit with his performance.

Nick Jaskowiak (2007), D, Salisbury, Jr. (Harvard `07)

A fluid skater who played in all situations (powerplay and penalty kill) .. gets caught out of position at times, which led Taft to receive a few scoring chances .. on the powerplay, he has excellent vision .. he took a bad penalty at the end of the second which led to Taft's third goal .. when Salisbury took a 4-3 lead with a little under five minutes left, Nick for some reason was still trying to jump up in the rush, and later that shift was beat along the side boards, and goalie Anthony Borelli (So.) bailed him out .. needs to be more aware of his defensive responsibilities.

Will Ortiz (2006), F, Salisbury, Sr. (UMass Amherst)

His non-stop energy led to many scoring chances for his linemates and himself .. backchecks hard every shift and has excellent speed .. Ortiz does have offensive abilities and was ranked second on his team with 24 goals and third overall with 37 points.

Paul Carey (2007), F, Salisbury, So.

Did not play in the semi-finals because he was sick, but his third period goal sure made Salisbury happy he played in the finals .. a strong, physical player, who can take and deliver hits .. two to three times, he took a hard hit to make a play .. as a sophomore, he received some time on the powerplay .. he has good vision in the offensive zone .. scored in the third period when he had some room-took the puck out of the corner and fired it upstairs .. never gives up on a play .. definite player to watch.

Max Pacioretty (2007), F, Taft, Jr. (Michigan `07)

His above-average speed, his hands and offensive abilities make him even more dangerous with the puck .. plays in all situations for Taft, but did get two bad penalties in the second, and luckily Salisbury did not convert on either powerplay chance .. scored a nice goal in the second period on the powerplay .. when down by a goal, Max played the final two minutes and created great scoring chances.

Jack Downing (2007), F, Taft, Jr.

He had a quiet championship game .. during the second period he missed an open net as he stood alone on the backdoor .. forechecked hard all game and hustled, but could not seem to get his offensive game together.

Eric Baier (2006), D, Taft, Jr. (Dartmouth)

As a junior, he is another year to develop, and it is no surprise that Dartmouth went after him so early .. his strengths encompass offensive skills such as rushing the puck, his hands and his vision .. he needs to work on the defensive part of his game-ie defensive zone coverage and not getting caught up in the ice .. has a strong upper body and does not seem to get knocked-off the puck easily .. had an excellent rush when initiating Taft's offensive pressure and recovering from being down by a goal.

Andrew Balysky (2007), F, Taft, So.

A solid game from this sophomore who continues to impress with his complete game .. scored on the powerplay in the first period to tie the game at one-he moved into his normal position right on top of the goalie and a rebound came right out to him .. on the penalty kill, he is relentless and never gives up on a play-for example when he was beaten at the point by a fake shot, he quickly stopped and dove back to break up the play .. he was on the ice with under three minutes left when Taft was down by a goal.

CM's Devin Twins On Super 8 Watchlist (posted 3.11.06)

by Vincent Montalbano

Top-seeded Catholic Memorial (18-1-0) are looking for their 13th overall title in the 16-year history of the Super 8 Tournament (Massachusetts High School Hockey). Led by twin brothers and senior captains Joe and Mike Devin, Catholic Memorial (CM) opened the tourney with a match against the No. 8 seed Austin Prep (14-4-2).

After the first five minutes, it appeared as though Austin Prep would make a game of it by outshooting CM by a significant margin. However, CM soon revealed why they have only lost once this year, battling to take a 4-0 lead after the first period. It was all CM the rest of the game, scoring six more goals to win 10-3. Despite excellent plays by Ross Gaudet (Jr) and John Jamieson (Sr), Austin Prep could not stay in the game.

Players to Watch

Mike Devin (2006), D, Catholic Memorial (Sr)

A sound defenseman with good size .. named captain during his junior year and has won three Super 8 championships .. skates similar to his twin brother - possesses a long stride with decent speed .. also a strong backwards skater .. displayed a strong shot from point but seems to be more focused on playing a defensive role .. could display more toughness down low .. uses his defensive partner well .. overall, however, this was a rather underwhelming performance .. given the relatively lower level of play in Massachusetts High School hockey, one would expect a player of his caliber to be a more dominate force on the ice .. failed to make the scoresheet despite his team's 10-goal outburst .. should be more telling to see how he fares against better players .. committed in January to Cornell University, along with his brother, though they will play a year of junior before joining the Big Red in the fall of `07.

Joe Devin (2006), F, Catholic Memorial (Sr)

Possesses good size and the look of a power forward .. was also named captain during his junior year and has won three Super 8 championships .. boasts a long stride with good speed .. could be more physical, though he was able to battle through the hooks and grabs a few times to make plays .. when he did go in for a hit, he simply overpowered other players .. seems to be more a playmaker than goal-scorer .. on one play, he had the puck in front all alone and could not bury it .. made a nice pass from behind the net for the fifth goal .. goes to the net hard and displays good vision in the offensive zone .. uses his linemates well .. as with his brother, it will be interesting to see how he handles playing against bigger, stronger, better players .. will need a year in junior to adjust to the faster-paced collegiate game that he will face at Cornell in the fall of `07 .. should be more dominate at this level.

Mike DiOrio (2006), F, Catholic Memorial (Sr)

Smaller player who possesses excellent speed .. takes quick, fast strides which allow him to reach top speed quickly .. scored a nice goal by going to the net and tipping the puck between his legs .. uses his speed effectively in the offensive-zone to buzz around and find open areas .. fights his way through checks to get to the net .. besides one hard back-check, his defensive-zone coverage was not good in this game .. he is weak along the boards in the defensive-zone and at times gave up the puck because he seemed afraid of getting hit .. he displays a lot of talent, but would need a year of junior hockey or a PG year at prep school to demonstrate his ability against tougher opponents.

Avon Tunes Up On Loomis (posted 3.8.06)

by Vincent Montalbano

Avon Old Farms had already secured a playoff date against Taft, but did not want to overlook Loomis Chaffee. Avon came out flying and dominated in every area of the ice - giving their star players the confidence they will need for the playoffs. Avon scored 10 goals and third-string goalie Nick Demopoulos made a rare appearance to display the team's excellent depth in net.

Ken Trentowski (2006), D, Avon (Jr.)

A junior captain who displays tremendous ability to rush the puck with a nice strong stride .. His asset is carrying the puck up the ice and is an integral part of Avon's transition game .. does not have outstanding speed, but has the hands and vision to make the right plays from the back end .. On the powerplay, Trentowski moves the puck quickly and makes hard, sharp passes .. his shot from the point is average at best .. makes good outlet passes .. could be more supportive of his defensive partner in the neutral zone. Instead of dropping back to support, he moved ahead and left his partner with few options. (23-3-11-14)

Patrick Mullane (2008), F, Avon (Fr.)

Because of his freshman status, his ice-time has been limited all year, although one cannot help but notice his potential shine through during every shift .. he has tremendous vision in the offensive zone—this was demonstrated when he set up behind the net and found linemate Rick Longobardi (So.) open in the slot .. very poised with the puck and never rushes the pass .. decent size with a strong, powerful stride .. works hard along the boards .. because of his youth, he needs to strengthen his upper body, but he could still be growing (listed as 5-11) .. tremendous upside. (23-2-4-6)

Brian Malchoff (2007), D, Avon (Jr.)

Undersized defenseman, but has excellent skating ability .. makes strong outlet passes and has the ability to rush the puck himself .. although he has no physical edge .. very good offensive talent, but only average defender .. plays on the second power play unit .. size will be a factor for Malchoff at the next level, but his excellent skating and transition game will help overcome his physical limitations. (23-2-6-8)

Nick Bonino (2007), F, Avon (Jr.)

A pure goal scorer .. leads the team with 19 goals in 23 games and before attending Avon, Bonino scored 47 goals for Fairfield Prep .. very gifted offensively - can put it in the net, make a beautiful pass or stickhandle through multiple defenders .. excellent one-on-one or setting up another player .. despite his average size, he can also play a physical game and doesn't let the rough play knock him off his game .. needs work on his defensive play and could increase his strength a bit more as well. (23-19-21-40)

Lee Moffie (2008), D, Avon (Fr.)

Similar to Mullane, Moffie receives minimal ice-time because the team usually dresses eight defensemen .. smooth skater with a long stride .. smart, skilled puck mover and has the potential to be a two-way threat .. one can notice the development of strong offensive tools such as a hard, accurate shot and patience on the powerplay for Moffie, who is only a freshman .. he moves the puck well on the powerplay and can carry the puck end to end .. he seems to be adjusting well to the new level of play and has tremendous potential .. needs to develop more awareness in the defensive zone. (23-1-3-4)

Cam Atkinson (2007), F, Avon (So.)

Great skater .. good power-play guy and penalty killer because he uses his speed very effectively .. really small - listed as 5-foot-8 - but possesses outstanding offensive talent .. scored a nice goal on a 5-on-3 advantage.

Other notables: Ryan Liebel (2006), F, Avon (Jr.) 23-12-9-21, Chris Wieland (2007), F, Avon (So.) 23-10-19-29

2006 New England Prep School Playoffs:

Division 1

#4 East Belmont Hill @ #1 East Nobles

#3 East Lawrence @ #2 East Cushing

#4 West Westminster @ #1 West Salisbury

#3 West Avon @ #2 West Taft

Division 2

#8 St. Mark's @ #1 Brooks

#7 Brewster @ #2 Hebron

#6 Vermont @ #3 Middlesex

#5 Brunswick @ #4 Proctor

Okposo Top 10 Gold (posted 3.6.06)

by Max Giese

More USHL All-Star Reviews

Kyle Okposo (2006), RW, Des Moines

- Distinguished himself from the rest of the pack as the most dominating player on the ice .. Extremely sturdy on his feet, nearly impossible to knock over .. Can stickhandle through traffic and plays a fearless style .. Non-stop motor - is consistently moving and trying to make a play with and without the puck .. Backchecked and forechecked equally hard .. Boasts a heavy shot that is accurate, especially his wicked wrister .. Finds open space on the ice and has no problem getting shots on the net .. Skating is impressive too, very strong first step and explodes in tight spaces .. Would rather bull through checks rather than go around, but he wins a lot of foot races and really flies around the ice at times .. Knows how to use his tools to his advantage .. Not the best in terms of pure raw speed, however he nevertheless appeared to be the fastest player on the ice .. Used great bursts of speed to challenge the defenders out side .. Shows patience with the puck .. On one play, he used his speed to gain the zone and went all the way behind the net before making his passing decision .. Willing to do the dirty work and has the skill to be the 'go-to' guy offensively .. Could be a similar player to Brendan Morrow though seems to have more upside .. I see him as a top 10 pick, every aspect of his game impresses and has the work ethic to make it.

Trevor Lewis (2006), C, Des Moines

- Great top end speed and has a deceptive change of speed needed to get away from defenders on the outside .. boasts a lightning-quick release and snaps off the shot quickly from the slot .. Seems to lose some effectiveness when the play slows down .. Great off the rush, but struggled somewhat making plays from the blueline in .. Playmaking ability is average and not as developed as his finishing touch .. Still, he made a few nice plays where he stopped and digested the defense and made a strong pass .. Threw one nice hit behind the opponents net, but could stand to bulk up more and add a bigger physical component .. not a pure dangler but has the ability to make quick moves with his stick to win one-on-one battles .. Still seems to be the beneficiary of the great work done by Kyle Okposo .. his current second-round ranking may be a tad early for some tastes.

Eric Gryba (2006), D, Green Bay

- Very mobile, covers a lot of ice with little effort .. agile, pivots well, and is a smooth skater .. Maintains good defensive positioning .. Finishes his checks with authority .. not a punishing open-ice hitter but is a physical defenseman who can separate his man from the puck .. Did attempt to lay out a few players in the neutral zone but twice missed and was caught out of position .. Makes the safe pass on the break out .. Appeared to be just an average decision-maker with the puck .. Gets open for the pass well on the point, and possesses an accurate wristshot and slapshot .. However, he's not really a goal-scoring threat .. Flashed some upside when he took the puck end-to-end, using his speed and subtle hands to dance around the opposition in the neutral zone .. A good skater with soft hands, one can see some upside here, though his big frame and physical edge may project him in more of a defensive role at higher levels .. joins Boston University next fall.

Governor Dummer Lets One Slip Away (posted 3.3.06)

by Vincent Montalbano

Governor Dummer (GD) played host to a struggling Buckingham, Browne & Nichols (BBN). Having already beaten BBN 4-2 earlier this season, GD emerged with a strong 3-0 lead after the opening frame and seemed ready to dominate the game.

Leading 4-2 entering the third period, GD struggled to bury the puck despite numerous good scoring chances. This allowed BBN to battle back and draw within a goal at 4-3 with under six minutes left. GD became nervous and undisciplined and took a penalty on the ensuing shift, which BBN capitalized on by tying the game from a scramble in front of the net. GD had a chance to win the game when Boston College-bound senior Matt Lombardi went in on a breakaway with five seconds left in the game, only to be foiled on a tremendous save from BBN's senior goalie Marc Pulde.

GD junior sensation Brian Day dominated in overtime. This was unexpected as Day had not seen much icetime throughout regulation, except mostly on special teams perhaps due to a nagging injury. Nevertheless, Day still played a spectacular game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Brian Day (2006), F, Governor Dummer (Jr.)

Day's ice time was limited to special teams throughout the game until overtime .. a talented player who displays excellent hockey sense .. on the powerplay, he plays the point and definitely quarterbacks the offense .. consistently moves in from the point position at the right time and he never allows himself to get caught out of position .. made a great outlet pass on the powerplay, which sent his teammates with speed into the offensive zone .. boasts a strong, solid shot from the point and has quick speed which allows him to move up ice and beat the defense wide .. showed good positioning while playing in shorthand situations .. however, one weakness may be his lack of backchecking as, at times, he did not hustle back to pick up any open players .. overall though, even with his lack of ice time, he was a scoring threat on every shift.

Matt Lombardi (2006), F, Governor Dummer (Sr.)

A choppy skater who displays good speed .. plays the powerplay and shorthand very well .. forechecks very hard and uses his speed to jump on the defense effectively .. can be physical at times, but did get called for boarding and shows a tendency to hit with his head first .. displays quick hands and drives hard to the net .. however, he needs to bulk up his legs more, as he got knocked off the puck too easily .. will look forward to monitoring his progress at Boston College next season.

Jack Clayman (2006), F, Governor Dummer (Jr.)

An awkward skater with no burst of speed - seems to possess a weak lower body, which holds him back from getting a powerful stride .. Clayman does possess good size and hands however which allows him to control the puck and dominate in the offensive zone .. received a lot of playing time even on the powerplay and some shorthanded time .. boasts a strong, hard slapshot that he should learn to use more often .. demonstrates has excellent instincts in the offensive zone as well as solid positioning .. tends to take overly long shifts though and leaves the defensive zone too early, looking for the long breakaway pass .. could be very dominant next year if he concentrates on filling out his frame more.

Herbie Kent (2007), F, Governor Dummer (So.)

As a sophomore, he received quite a lot of ice time and played on both special teams .. works well with linemates Lombardi and Owen Carpino (Jr) .. displays good hockey sense and seems to make smart plays instead of high risk plays .. rarely gives up the puck .. even though he is young, he was physical the entire game and never missed an opportunity for a hit - his checks were not thunderous but were effective .. however, did hurt the team by taking a penalty in the third period, which BBN took advantage of.

Prep School College Commitments (as of 2.14.06)

Doug Rogers (RW) St. Sebastians - Harvard

Ben Smith (C) Westminster - Boston College

Hunter Thunell (D) Phillips Andover - Brown

Chris Cahill (LW) Phillips Andover - Yale

Kevin Crane (D) Phillips Exeter - Princeton

Mark Fayne (D) Nobles - Providence

Sam Bozoian (LW) Choate - Harvard

John Cavanagh (C) Salisbury - Providence

Alex Curran (RW) Cushing - St. Lawrence

Peter Boldt (D) Taft - Dartmouth

Tom Dignard (D) Phillips Andover - Yale

Greg Collins (C) Salisbury - Providence

Tony Morrone (LW) So. Kent - Maine

Chris Huxley (D) Nobles - RPI

Mark Arcobello (C) Salisbury - Yale

Mike Vaskivuo (LW) So. Kent - Merrimack

Colin Young (D) St. Sebastians - Dartmouth

Jeremiah Cunningham (C) Salisbury - St. Lawrence

Will Ortiz (W) Salisbury - U.Mass Amherst

Matt Lombardi (C) Governor Dummer - Boston College

David Cavanagh (D) Salisbury - Providence

Tom Bardis (RW) Cushing - St. Lawrence

Sean Carty (W) Taft - Colgate

Richard Bachman (G) Cushing - Colorado College (2007)

Brian Gibbons (C) Thayer - Boston College (2007)

Joe Whitney (LW) Lawrence Academy - Boston College (2007)

Nick Jaskowiak (D) Salisbury - Harvard (2007)

Max Pacioretty (LW) Taft - Michigan (2007)

Eric Baier (D) Taft - Dartmouth (2007)

BCHL Teams on the Move (posted 3.2.06)

by Ron Jones

The BCHL has confirmed that the Chilliwack Chiefs will be relocating to Abbotsford (BC)

for the 2006-07 BCHL season. The move still needs the final approval of the BCAHA, but that isn't likely to be much of a problem.

This moves comes not that long after it was announced that the Langley Hornets would be relocating to the Westbank, located on the west side of Kelowna, for the 2006-07 season.

BCHL Prospect Report: Penticton Vees (posted 3.1.06)

by Ron Jones

T.J. Miller (2006), D, Penticton

Placetia, Californian is committed to Northern Michigan next season .. boasts terrific size (6'4-210), yet still seems to move well .. played the right side with Ryan Wagner, although looked comfortable playing alongside many partners .. wears the A .. blessed with a powerful slap shot that he keeps low and on target .. gets a nice jump out of the gate thanks to a strong first few steps .. has the speed and stickhandling ability to not only avoid the first wave of forecheckers, but also rush the puck up the ice .. fairly strong on the puck .. does a nice job getting his wrist shot through from the point .. takes a hit to make a play .. handles the puck well in tight quarters .. displays nice awareness of players around him .. can be guilty of running around a bit in his own zone .. doesn't make opponents pay enough of a physical price .. at this point will need his time at Northern Michigan to refine his game .. scored 16 goals and added 30 assists in 58 games thanks to a ton of ice time at regular strength and on the powerplay.

Evan Trupp (2006), C, Penticton

Pint-sized Anchorage, Alaskan center is heading to North Dakota to play for the Fighting Sioux next year .. boasts good mobility and acceleration, but at first blush doesn't have the strength to compete effectively in traffic .. boasts the ability to deliver sweet, saucer passes right on to a linemates' blade .. must add strength and become harder to knock off of the puck .. plays on the powerplay .. centered a line of Ryan Costanzo and Cody Collins .. nice hand-eye coordination .. even though he leads the Penticton Vees with 76 points (28-48-76) in 57 games .. at this point is unlikely to be drafted.

Robert Skinner (2006), C, Penticton

Tiny water bug is committed to Northern Michigan University .. comes back hard on defense .. although not a force physically, he does compete and finishes most of his checks .. works harder away from the puck than most and is a good forechecker .. boasts terrific mobility and splendid acceleration .. after 57 games played, he's accumulated 49 points (13-36-49) .. played on a line with Steve Cameron and Jordan Cheveldave .. like his teammate Evan Trupp size is not on his side, however he displays much better effort away from the puck as well as leadership skills .. plays on the powerplay.

Ice Chips: The best Vees prospect and possibly the BCHL's, is still likely power forward Brian Lebler who some believe has a chance to be taken in the first half of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. Unfortunately he is currently injured.