USHSE: Great Fayne Providence

The Providence College Friars will be bolstered next fall upon the arrival of Noble & Greenough standout Mark Fayne, a New Jersey draftee and one of the top performers at the 41st annual Flood-Marr Holiday Tournament held at Milton Academy. We have notes on Fayne and a few of his teammates including big Jimmy Hayes, plus a review on Westminster's Ben Smith, a future Boston College Eagle.

Players To Watch

Mark Fayne (NJ), D, Nobles ('06-7 Providence College)

A big powerful blueliner who is a deceptively fast and effortless skater .. physical and alert in his own end, and also possesses an excellent first pass out of the zone .. Fayne is even better offensively as he displays terrific poise with the puck .. quarterbacks the power play, along with RPI-bound Chris Huxley, where he displays strong passing abilities to go along with a nice shot .. never shy about jumping in the play or leading the rush .. also plays in all shorthanded situations .. received a ton of icetime and delivered an excellent all-around performance .. consider him a definite pro prospect.

Andrew Glass (2007), LW, Nobles

Only a sophomore, Glass was the team's best penalty-killer against Deerfield .. he uses his speed effectively and isn't afraid to sacrifice his body to block shots .. also forechecks hard .. gets plenty of points through his sheer hard work, but needs to get stronger in the corners.

Michael Griffin (2006), C, Nobles

Griffin was very quiet in the game against Deerfield, though he did display a solid game at both ends of the ice .. produced a nice hard-working goal in the championship game, but needs to do more to get noticed on a talent-filled team.

Jimmy Hayes (2008), C, Nobles

Only a sophomore, yet Hayes is already a stunning 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds .. displays very good hands and vision to complement his great size .. he goes to the net hard, dishes out hits, and is effective along the boards .. also boasts a well-rounded offensive arsenal featuring a hard shot and excellent passing abilities .. looks like a potential pro prospect given a few more years to develop and mature .. a member of the USA U-17 team.

Chris Huxley (2006), D, Nobles ('06-7 RPI)

A skilled blueliner with good offensive potential and a competitive edge .. strong skater and puckhandler - can pass it out of the zone or carry it himself with equal proficiency .. very adept at making both long and short outlet passes .. logged a ton of icetime in all situations .. like partner Fayne, he excels on the power play and both players are very patient with the puck .. Huxley also sports a hard shot, which he showcased on a nice one-time goal in the championship game to force overtime.

John Muse (2006), G, Nobles

Muse is a very quick, butterfly-style goalie .. he doesn't leave too many rebounds and possesses quick feet to go along with smooth movements .. his weakness appeared to be a somewhat average glove as he struggled in the second period of the championship game, and again on the overtime winner which happened to beat him glove side.

Ben Smith (2006), C, Westminster ('06-7 Boston College)

A very good all-around offensive player with a quick and impressive shot .. member of the USA U-18 team .. displays a real nose for the net and doesn't mind playing physical .. fine passer .. delivered a tremendous performance against Hotchkiss, scoring a backdoor one-timer on a pass that came in behind him .. a potential late NHL draft pick whose game appears suited to the next level .. watch for him to develop exponentially next year at Boston College.