NE Prep: Thayer and Governor’s Academy

Although a playoff spot may be out of the question for Thayer and Governor's Academy, both teams have a strong group of young players that harvest excitement. A total of 11 sophomores and freshman played in this game and many could be top-end prospects by the time they are seniors. In addition, New York Islanders draft pick Brian Day displayed why he was drafted in the sixth round last year. The final saw Thayer battle back and win 4-3.

Brian Day (NYI), F, Governor's Acad. (SR)

Committed to Colgate for 2007 .. looks like he has put all of his injury woes behind him .. had a ton of ice-time and displayed his variety of skills .. has excellent speed and a smooth stride that seems to give him an extra boost with every stride .. plays on the power play and during pk situations .. has good vision and is clever with the puck .. seems to be a few steps ahead of his linemates at certain times and that will change next year at the college level .. needs to work on his defensive game as at times he started to drift out into the neutral zone before his team got control of the puck .. smart in the offensive zone and will throw the puck at the net when he does not have a play .. at times when carrying the puck, will make a few moves to get into the offensive zone and then nothing – seems like he will throw the puck away in trying to make an impossible pass amid two or three defenders .. he is dangerous in the fact that if given the puck in a prime scoring area, he will put it away, but he seems to lack that extra creativity to get his own scoring chances.

Steven Cody (2007), F, Governor's Acad. (SR)

Captain .. has good size and plays on a line with Herbie Kent and Brian Day .. plays an all-out physical game and creates so much space for his much more talented linemates .. the typical grinder-role on the top line .. has average skills himself, but mainly used to bang bodies and battle down low .. willing to block shots and do whatever it takes .. non-stop skater and strong defensively .. a Division 1 team should give him a shot, a definite team player.

Herbie Kent (2007), F, Governor's Acad. (JR)

Displays his tremendous talent in waves, but not consistent enough .. has quick hands and similar to his linemates Brian Day and Steven Cody loves to get in on the fore check and make a big hit .. plays a huge role on special teams .. explodes when he gets the puck on his stick and possesses a decent shot .. needs to get tougher along the boards and could be more creative with the puck .. after a quiet few shifts in the third, he came out and had three good scoring chances and set-up his linemates for a few more, but then had a few more quiet shifts.

Cody Ferriero (2009), F, Governor's Acad. (FR)

As a freshman, he received a good amount of playing time and looks to have a tremendous amount of potential .. has poise with the puck and smart in the offensive zone .. showed good ability to battle through checks and received some power play time .. small (listed as 5'9 - 175lbs.) and has quick, choppy strides .. his speed gets him in on the fore check quickly.

Jeff Menard (2008), D, Governor's Acad. (SO)

A decent sized defender (listed as 5'10 -175lbs.) .. had a quiet game against Thayer until his goal in the second period .. displayed a quick shot from the point that caught the goalie in a screen and picked the far side of the net.

Trevor Hines (2008), F, Governor's Acad. (SO)

Has very good speed and a fearless mentality on the fore check and in the corners .. despite his size (listed as 5'9 – 170lbs.) is willing to battle in every zone .. drives hard to the net and creates scoring chances for linemates .. does not receive a great deal of playing time, but should be relied on more next season.

Players to Watch: Chris Menard (2008), F, Governor's Acad. (SO)

Mike Baran (2007), D, Thayer (SR)

A solid presence on the ice and is strong offensively .. on the power play, displayed a strong shot .. his best asset is his skating and his ability to move up the ice with the puck .. has a long, strong stride and good speed .. needs to make better decisions at times when deciding to pinch in at the point .. took a bad penalty when up by a goal with a little over one minute remaining.

Richie Crowley (2009), D, Thayer Academy (SO)

A 1991 DOB .. has a lot of potential and many areas to work on .. he is a smart player with the puck and is quick in the corners to breakaway from the fore check .. has the ability to move up the ice with the puck and remains strong on the blue line, keeping the puck in the offensive zone .. scored against Governor's Acad. when he unleashed a one-timer from the point on the power play right into the top corner blocker side .. offensively he knows when to fire shots low for the tip or fire one up top .. needs to work on his defensive game and 1-on-1 situations .. got beat by Brian Day .. needs to work on getting tougher in the corners when trying to get the puck and needs to learn to stop clutching and grabbing down low .. overall a tremendous prospect with a lot of potential.

Colin Benelli (2008), F, Thayer (SO)

Is a weak skater who will need to improve on his speed to be more effective .. scored against Governor's Acad. when he battled in front for a rebound .. will need more development to become a more complete player.

Ryan Urso (2007), F, Thayer (JR)

Has good size and average speed with and without the puck .. his stride is very awkward, but once he gets moving can be effective .. displayed a strong shot .. very physical along the boards and in the corners as he finished all of his checks.

Kyle Rooney (2009), F, Thayer (FR)

Needs to get stronger, which is expected for a freshman at this level .. had a quiet game against Governor's Acad., but his role should only increase as the season continues and into next year.

Players to Watch: Richie Greer (2008), D, Thayer (SO), Nik Tasiopoulos (2008), F, Thayer (SO)