NE Prep: Belmont Hill Too Much For Andover

Belmont Hill and Andover are battling for position as one of the top four teams in the East and a chance to play for the prep championship. On this night, Belmont Hill proved to be too much for Andover and came out with a 5-1 win. With the win, Belmont Hill moved to 11-2-2 and looks to have secured a playoff spot.

Joe Smith (2007), F, Andover (SR)

Captain and a definite leader .. plays in all situations and seems to be having a better season than last year by showing more effort .. a smooth skater with good speed that he utilizes to get in on the fore check .. could add more strength, but is not afraid to go into the corners and battle .. despite a strong shot, does not seem to have a scoring touch .. plays well without the puck and always moving his feet .. committed to Harvard for '07.

Andrew Cox (2007), F, Andover (JR)

A strong player who packs power behind each check .. listed as 5'11" and 175 pounds but will hit anything in his way .. he is not afraid to shoot from anywhere .. displayed a quick release and a decent set of hands scoring a highlight goal when he kicked the puck off his skate in front of the net, got the goalie going one way, and tucked it in opposite post .. the goal started with his pass to his line mate and continuing to skate directly to the net .. will need to work on his skating, but does posses quick strides and speed with the puck .. played the pk when his team was down two men .. needs to work on being patient with the puck as he made a bad pass in the defensive zone that lead to a few scoring chances for Belmont Hill

Stephen Bury (2007), F, Andover (JR)

Seemed to be a non-factor on the majority of his shifts playing with Joe Smith and Sean Roche .. was physical in the corners and goes hard to the net .. played on the power play but seemed to be off target with a few of his passes and like many of his teammates had a quiet second and third period.

Bennett Carroccio (2010), D, Andover (FR)

A '92 DOB who has a lot of development to do, but the fact that he hung in there with Belmont Hill's Matt McCollem and Jason Silvia means a great deal .. a decent skater with average skills defensively but will continue to improve with time.

Players to Watch: JJ McGregor (2008), F, Andover (JR), Bobby Farnham (2007), F, Andover (JR) DNP

Matt McCollem (StL), F, Belmont Hill (SR)

Committed to Harvard for '07 .. had two goals and seemed to dominate on every shift showing why St. Louis drafted him last year .. scored his first goal flying down his off-wing and snapping a shot that went top corner .. his second goal was a slap shot on the power play that was an absolute rocket glove side .. displayed a tremendous burst of speed with the puck that seems to throw defenders off and has good awareness of where his linemates are in the offensive zone .. was strong in the face-off circle all game .. has a strong one-timer, but despite scoring two goals, could look to shoot more as he passed off two great scoring chances .. a smooth skater with a strong build making him difficult to knock off the puck .. showed good hands in tight situations, but at times can over handle the puck .. going to be a solid addition to Harvard next season and if Belmont goes deep in the playoffs, he will gain more press.

Jason Silvia (2007), F, Belmont Hill (JR)

His skill is top-notch among the prep players and seems to play a similar game to his teammate and St. Louis draft pick Matt McCollem .. has good size and quick hands that lead to a scoring chance practically every shift and was able to power by Andover's defense with ease .. strong in the face-off circle helped his team gain control of the puck in critical areas of the ice .. showed that he can finish with his two goals and can be tough to battle in the corners .. his first goal was simply a highlight-reel goal as he toe-dragged around a defender, pulled the puck to his backhand, and put it five-hole .. his second goal came off a 2-on-1 and the pass left him with an empty net to tap the puck into .. a definite prospect in the upcoming draft and if Belmont Hill can go deep into the playoffs, his stock will only rise.

Kevin McNamara (2007), D, Belmont Hill (SR)

Committed to Colgate for '07 .. has decent size, but will hit and take a hit .. has a solid outlet pass and poise with the puck in the neutral and defensive zone .. showed flashes of offensive ability, but it remains to be seen whether that offense will continue at the next level .. rarely makes a mistake defensively and seems to control the play from the backend .. does possess a strong, low shot from the point.

Jack McNamara (2008), F, Belmont Hill (SO)

Receives a decent amount of playing time and is on the second power play unit .. will need to be more aggressive and go to the net more as he seems to play around the perimeter .. has good puck handling skills, but needs to work on his game without the puck .. will need more development, but does have some promise

Luke Arnold (2007), F, Belmont Hill (SR)

Has decent size at 6'0 – 185lbs., and plays a strong game along the boards .. possesses a decent shot, but needs to work on his release .. does seem to have a good set of hands but his poise with the puck is inconsistent at best, as he made a bad pass on the power play by trying to go cross-ice to the defenseman, but was picked off by Joe Smith for a breakaway .. may need a year of juniors before making the jump to the college level.

Jake Moscatel (2007), F, Belmont Hill (JR)

Played a strong game that helped him get noticed on a team with highly talented players .. was strong with the puck and used his 6'1 – 195lb., frame to protect the puck showing great strength along the boards and battling in the corners .. does well on the powerplay moving the puck around and finding the open man .. vocal on the ice .. displayed decent hands.

Players to Watch: Joe Tierney (2007), F, Belmont Hill (JR)