Prep Notes: Avon Eyes Playoffs and Title

With only one loss this season (against Kent earlier in the season), Avon Old Farms is gearing up for the playoffs and looking to defend their title. Led by their top line of Seniors Cam Atkinson, Paul Lee and Junior Patrick Mullane, Avon has been filling many nets recently. McKeen's correspondent Vincent Montalbano has reports on Avon's top players and some of their recent opponents in Taft, Kent, and Choate.

Lee Moffie (2008), D, Avon Old Farms (JR)

Continues to have a strong offensive season and as of 1/30/07, Moffie totals were 6–19–25 in 19 games .. logs a lot of icetime .. his best asset has been his skating, as he is a fluid skater with a nice stride .. has the ability to skate the puck and really move up ice for a quick transition into the offensive zone .. has a good shot from the point and it is accurate .. the lone issue with his game is in the defensive zone .. would like to see him be more physical, although a mean streak does come out once in awhile .. also on 1-on-1 situations, would like to see him play the body more, along with a little more urgency in the defensive zone .. had a goal and assist against Taft, his goal came when he joined the rush and stayed down low in the offensive zone, he got the puck and took a quick shot off the Taft defenseman, then off the goalie and in .. against Kent, he had an assist off his shot from the point .. was used when his team was down 5-on-3 and played well .. against Choate, he had a PP goal to start the scoring off a one-timer and got help with a nice screen from Mullane.

Patrick Mullane (2008), F, Avon Old Farms (JR)

Ranked No. 151 on Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking .. committed to Boston College for 2009 .. a driven player whose toughness makes him hard to knock off the puck .. has a strong stride and lower body .. has good speed coming down the wing .. works well with the offensive dynamo Cam Atkinson and his passing is deadly accurate .. despite the increase in scoring, Mullane still plays an aggressive style, especially on the PK and in the corners .. has quick hands .. showed good vision in the offensive zone .. strong in the faceoff circle .. as of 1/30/07, Mullane was second on the team in scoring with: 15–27–42 in 19 games .. also tied for fourth in prep scoring so far .. had a hat trick and an assist against Taft, his first goal came when he finished a nice pass from Atkinson and went top corner .. his second goal was a one-timer on the PP, and he completed the hat trick with a tip-in off Moffie's shot from the slot .. against Kent, he had two goals (one was an empty-netter) .. his first goal came off a rebound on the PP .. also played when Avon was down 5-on-3 .. had two assists in the dominant 7-3 win over Choate.

Cam Atkinson (2008), F, Avon Old Farms (SR)

Committed to Boston College for 2008 .. looks like BC has another diminutive gem coming there next year .. plays this non-stop, full-speed style that is exciting to watch .. fearless on the ice and despite size, will go anywhere on the ice for the puck .. so dangerous around the net and if given any chance with puck around the net, he seems to bury it .. an exciting player to watch and his vision is top notch .. as of 1/30/07, Atkinson is second in prep scoring (behind Alex Killorn) with: 19–27–46 in 19 games .. against Taft, he had a goal and three assists, and his line was involved in four of the six Avon goals .. his goal came when he picked off a pass and with his quick burst of speed, he was gone on a breakaway and went top corner .. has a quick release, as the puck comes off his stick so quick .. against Kent (the only team to defeat Avon so far earlier this year), he seemed to be behind every scoring chance Avon had in the first two periods .. had two assists .. was defensively strong in the game that Kent battled back to tie it, only to see Avon score on a fluke goal to take the lead .. against Choate, he led the charge once again that saw Avon take a quick 5-1 lead after the first period .. finished the game with two goals and two assists.

Paul Lee (2008), C, Avon Old Farms (SR)

Ranked No. 199 on Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking .. committed to Dartmouth for 2008 .. centers that top line with Mullane and Atkinson .. tough to contain around the net with his size and strength .. has a powerful stride .. when he drives to the net, he is very dangerous on any rebound chances .. strong on the forecheck .. as of 1/30/07, Lee is third on the team in scoring with: 20–16–36 in 19 games .. against Taft, despite picking up two assists, he had a quiet game .. against Kent, had a goal and two assists .. his goal came off a nice pass from Mullane .. also used when his team was down 5-on-3 .. against Choate, he had a goal and an assist and helped create an abundance of scoring chances that Choate could not seem to recover from.

Danny New (2008), D, Avon Old Farms (SR)

Ranked No. 157 on Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking .. committed to Providence for 2008 .. recently coming off an injury that kept him out of a few games early in the season .. now does the little things well and probably will never jump out at you .. has size (6-1, 185) and plays a physical game but not overpowering .. plays a little on the PP, after Moffie, but the main defenseman used on the PK .. has a decent shot from the point and although he does not have much offensive instincts, he does like to jump into the offense .. in the defensive zone, he makes strong outlet passes, but is prone to a few wraparounds that led to some turnovers against Taft .. against Kent, he had a few big hits and was making smart, consistent plays .. against Choate, he continued to play a strong physical game that helped shutdown Choate's top line and Mark Goggin.

Justin Daniels (2008), C, Kent (SR)

Ranked No. 102 on Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking .. committed to Northeastern for 2009 .. has good size (6-2, 160) .. can easily see why he has received attention for the upcoming NHL Draft .. has the combination of hands, speed, and offensive ability .. has a long stride and the ability to take the puck in the defensive zone and quickly turn up ice with it .. cycles the puck very well .. showed good hands in tight and ability to play through traffic .. when he has the puck, he really can control the play and the pace .. has poise and vision that make him dangerous anywhere around the net .. still needs to get a bit stronger .. a consistent threat after Kent woke-up being down early in the game .. as of 1/30/07, his totals were 12–27-39.

Drew Daniels (2008), F, Kent (SR)

Ranked No. 113 on Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking .. committed to Northeastern for 2009 .. similar to his twin brother, he has good size (6-2, 160) .. a solid player who is a few notches below his brother in terms of offensive talent .. has a quick shot .. needs to get stronger on his skates and is only average playing in traffic .. had an assist on Kent's second goal when up 5-on-3 .. showed good poise with the puck and should be a solid contributor at the college level .. as of 1/30/07, his totals are 11–26-37.

Andrew Balysky (2008), C, Taft (SR)

Committed to Providence for 2008 .. captain .. 1989 DOB .. decent size (5-10, 184) .. a player that gives 100 percent every time he touches the ice .. had a quiet game offensively against a tough Avon team .. a solid skater with quick strides .. has a quick release and skates well with the puck .. aggressive on the PK .. should be a solid shutdown forward at Providence with some offensive upside .. as of 1/30/07, his totals are 7–9–16.

George Hughes (2008), D, Taft (SR)

Committed to St. Lawrence for 2008 .. 1988 DOB and good size (6-2, 178) .. a smart defenseman who moves the puck well and is very steady on the backend .. makes crisp, tape-to-tape passes coming out of the defensive zone .. showed good anticipation in the neutral zone by picking off a few passes .. has a heavy shot that he keeps low .. will need to get stronger and quicker in the corners, as he had a tough time containing smaller, quicker players like Cam Atkinson .. as of 1/30/07, his total is 5–12–17.

Robbie Bourdon (2008), F, Taft (JR)

1990 DOB .. lacks size (5-9, 162) .. helped Taft build a 2-0 lead early in the first only to see Avon tie it before the end of the period and go on to win 6-2 .. scored on a breakaway and shot it glove side, top corner .. has good offensive instincts and is dangerous around the net, but needs a more consistent effort .. needs to get stronger with the puck .. as of 1/30/07, he leads Taft in scoring with: 10–10–20.

Mark Goggin (2008), F, Choate (JR)

Ranked No. 142 on Central Scouting's Mid-Term Ranking .. committed to Dartmouth for 2009 .. 1990 DOB .. size (6-0, 180) .. poise with the puck and was the only real threat offensively for Choate in a tough 7-3 loss .. plays the point on the PP .. shifty with the puck and tough to stop 1-on-1 .. moves the puck well and has good vision .. scored on a breakaway, made a nice move, and got the goalie going one way then a quick shift to the other side .. dangerous around the net .. decent defensively and a decent skater with decent speed, but definitely not a quick skater .. decent strength .. as of 1/30/07, he is tied with his older brother in scoring with: 8–15–23 .. recently asked to join the USA U-17 team in Slovakia for the Vladimir Dzurilla Tournament .. could be a solid late round pick-up for any team.

Connor Goggin (2008), D, Choate (SR)

Committed to Dartmouth for 2008 .. captain .. 1988 DOB (Dec) .. good size (6-2, 180) .. a solid defenseman who looks to be trying to add an offensive element to his game, but seems to have just average offensive skills .. relied upon to log a lot of minutes and plays on both the PP and PK .. moves the puck well from the defensive zone .. will need to get stronger in the corners .. as of 1/30/07, he is tied with his brother Mark in scoring with: 4–19–23 .. should be a solid college player.

Nick BonDurant (2009), G, Choate (SO)

1991 DOB (March) .. size (6-0, 173) .. having a solid season for Choate and being relied upon to keep his team in many games .. against Avon, he had a rough start and seemed to rebound but it was too late .. played in 45 minutes out of the 54 total .. allowed six goals-against and five of those coming in the first period .. decent rebound control .. quick post-to-post .. did not have much help defensively and faced 36 shots .. as of 1/30/07, has played 951 minutes with 42 goals-against and 537 saves for a .927 save percentage..