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Tues. 11/29/16

Berkshire Jamboree Review

Lawrence T. Piatelli Jamboree
At the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Mon. Nov. 28, 2016

Rink 1:
Pomfret 4, Brunswick 4
Berkshire 3, Nichols 3
Pomfret 3, Canterbury 0
Berkshire 4, Northwood 4
Rink 2:
Kent 3, Canterbury 1
Northwood 2, Gunnery 0
Nichols 2, Brunswick 0
Kent 6, Gunnery 5

Monday's Berkshire Jamboree gave us a good chance to look at eight teams in their final pre-season matchup. It's a busy afternoon, for sure, what with games constantly going on at both rinks. But it keeps you hopping. And Berkshire really is a terrific place for an event like this.

GUNNERY:

The Highlanders lost both their games at this event last year, and did so again on Monday. But they are the defending prep champions, so they get to hit leadoff here. First off second-year head coach Craig Badger has lost a ton from last year: forwards Cam Donaldson, Dan Haider, Chad Varney, and Evan Johnson were all graduated while forwards Gustaf Westlund and Ethan DeStefani left after their junior years for the USHL. Defensemen Josh Gagne, Connor Dahlman, and McKay Flanagan graduated as well. Ditto for goaltender Trevin Kozlowski.

However, Badger has reloaded. And it still looks like a prototypical Gunnery team, with no shortage of speed and skill. There's also a nice mix of returnees and newcomers, with more of the latter. Overall, they skew young, so it should be fun to watch them develop over the course of the season.

In Zach Pellegrino, Albert Washco, Matt Danner, Noah Williams, Riley Brennan, and Lucas Prestamo there's a core of returning forwards that knows what it takes to win a prep title.

Let's look at all the newcomers, though. Up front, we'll start with '99 forward Jack Lippis, the leading scorer on the Anaheim Jr. Ducks U16s last winter. Lippis, 5'9" and 150 lbs., is quick, skilled, crafty, and creative, but just needs to get stronger. He's a Div. I prospect. 5'9" Tyler Scott, a '98 and a smart player who works hard, arrives at Gunnery as an already-committed (Williams) PG from the Breck School. 5'11" Max DeBeradinis, an '00, is a repeat sophomore from Darien HS, the defending Connecticut state champs. DeBeradinis is super athletic, strong, and can really fire it. Like Lippis, he has to be considered a Div. I prospect. We liked '01 freshman forward Mark D'Agostino, who played on Yale's U15 team this fall. D'Agostino, who is 6'0" and 151 lbs., has excellent puck skills, and is someone Div. I coaches should be watching for the future. 6'2" sophomore F Kyle Madigan, an '00 from Duxbury HS, is another Div. I prospect. Madigan (he's not related to Northeastern coach Jim Madigan) has really good tools, but, like all the young players up front, he'll have to work on his game away from the puck. Other new forwards are '99 junior Marc Gatcomb, a 6'2" from Woburn HS who has good speed for his size, and a good release. Ryan Brassil a '99 junior from the LI Gulls U16 team and fellow '99 junior Niko Grollman, a teammate of Lippis's on the Junior Ducks round out the new players up front.

The returning d-men are Keelan Ulnick, Alex Wilkins, and Jack Cary. That's it. New to Gunnery is 5'10" right shot Jimmy Rayhill, an '01 freshman who played last winter for the Syracuse Nationals U14s. Rayhill, who is smart, with poise beyond his years, is going to be a good one. 5'10" right-shot Diarmad Dimurro a '99-born junior from the North Jersey Avalanche U16s, is a strong skater who showed patience with the puck. He's already committed to Dartmouth. Late '99 sophomore Niko Ioannou, a left shot, comes over the Junior Bruins U16s, while Dan Long, a right-shot '00 sophomore, comes over from the Connecticut Junior Rangers U16s. That rounds things up as far as new blueliners are concerned.

Kozlowski, an Army recruit who was USHR's goaltender of the year last winter, is in the BCHL. Taking over the top spot is Cedrick Andree, an '00 junior who played last season for the Ottawa Jr. Senators Midget AAA ssquad. A late round OHL draft pick of the Ottawa 67's, the 5'10" Andree is a quick, athletic type.

Gunnery is in good position for this season and, with the infusion of youth, for the years to come.

BERKSHIRE:

We liked what we saw of Berkshire. The Bears were 13-12-3 last winter, with all their losses coming in bunches: they twice lost four in a row, and once lost four out of five. Granted, they play a tough schedule but if they can smooth out those rough spots, they could be much better this time around.

On the blue line we thought 5'11" senior Kyle Koopman, a Providence recruit along with his twin brother, looked really good, stronger on his skates than we remember from last season. He was blocking shots, playing hard and smart in his own end -- he's definitely upped his game. Up front, twin brother Matt Koopman shined. The left-shot center seems a tad quicker, and a bit more dynamic. The Bears will need huge seasons from the twins from Marblehead. They appear to be the team's fulcrum.

'01 freshman F Briggs Gamill, the younger brother of Barclay Gammill (now a freshman at Trinity), was a key member of last year's Mid-Fairfield U14s, with Trevor Zegras, Spencer Knight, Dom Fensore, and others. He's excellent, and is a player Div. I coaches will be keeping an eye on for the future.

Up front, we also liked new junior Jesse Lycan, who played on the same Junior Ducks U16 team as Gunnery's Jack Lippis and Niko Grollman. Lycan skates well for a 6'1" kid and has a knack around the net. He has some Div. I potential. PG Nick Botticelli, who was on Mass Super 8 Champs Malden Catholic, is a late '97 who brings some size and physical maturity to the Bears. Botticelli scored, with an assist to Lycan, with 17 seconds remaining to lift Berkshire into a 4-4 tie with Northwood in the nightcap. The Bears twice came back from two-goal deficits to earn the tie.

Berkshire had a hard time finding secondary scoring last season. The key returnees up front are Koopman and Ryan Keelan, proven scorers both. 5'9" senior Jack Lloyd, a good NESCAC prospect, missed a month in the middle of the season last year. He'll be shooting for a better year.

Berkshire has a new goalie in 5'8" Tom Draper, a '99 from Binghamton, NY who played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights U16s last year. If the name sounds familiar, it should. His father, also named Tom, was the goaltender for UVM in the mid-'80s before going on to have short stints with several NHL teams.

Berkshire took a tough draw for themselves here, facing Nichols and Northwood, two teams that have been together since September. And they tied both of them.

NORTHWOOD:

Northwood was missing a few players due to injury, but head coach Chadd Cassidy brought up a couple of forwards from their U16 Team and placed one on each of the top two lines. Both of them -- 5'8" Tommy Bannister, an '01 from Clayton, NY and the Syracuse Nats U14s, and 5'8" Sean Bunting, an '00 in his second year aat the school -- didn't look at all out of place. As Northwood's U16 team gets more and more established, they'll have a potent built-in feeder system which could lead to even stronger teams in the years to come.

The key returnees for Northwood include the Peltonen twins from Helsinki, Finland -- center Aleksi and LD Jesper, who has a knee injury now. Both have reportedly been offered by Wisconsin. 5'9" RW Kaden Pickering, a St. Lawrrence recruit, looked really good yesterday -- so quick, so skilled, so clever. A fun player to watch. Then there's 6'2" RC Jack Dugan, a PC recruit from the Rochester area. Dugan is a power forward who can shoot it and dish it.

The Peltonens aren't the only pair of '98-born twins at Northwood. Christian and AJ DiCesare played last year for the NJ Hitmen U18 team and add to the blue line.

Goaltender Matt Petizian is back and is getting the bulk of the starts. But 6'0" Erik Short, a '98 from Essex (Vt.) HS is getting a fair share too. This past spring, Short was only the second non-senior to ever be named Vermont's Mr. Hockey.

NICHOLS:

Coach Jamie Printz has 13 returnees, and another solid team. 6'0" late '98 Cole Donhauser is a pure scorer and a strong 1-on-1 player who thrives with linemates who can feed him the puck. He has interest from schools such as Harvard, Cornell, and UConn.

An interesting newcomer is 6'0" freshman winger Dylan Lugris, an '01 from the Buffalo Jr. Sabres. He's going to be one to follow closely, as is another newcomer in 6'0" sophomore winger Jeff Kopek, also an '01. Kopek is strong for his age and size and has no problem battling for position in front.

Senior forward Steve Senese and junior Lucas Herrmann are NESCAC possibilities. .

On the blue line returning seniors Jack Miller and Tom Elia -- both '99s -- are solid NESCAC type candidates.

In net, the returnee is 6'3" junior Josh Graziano, who's a big blocker type of goalie, and was a 6th round draft pick of Owen Sound. New sophomore Robbie Nuchereno, an '01, got some time in net yesterday. An athletic kid, Nuchereno made a couple of great saves. He's only 5'9" but his dad is reportedly tall, so he might add a few inches and break the 6'0" mark that all Div. I goalies are expected to meet in this era.

KENT:

Kent needs to find more scoring this year. They lost F Satchel Clendenin and D Greg Krisberg, who provided offense from the back end. They also lost big D Carter Dwyer to the NAHL. Fortunately, they have a lot of returning forwards who may be motivated after last season. Guys like senior Tommy Tanner, senior Jack Bloem, junior Jeremy Routh, and seniors Augie Burkhardt and Andrew Rinaldi (both of whom were out Monday). That group needs to find the back of the net more more regularity than they did last year.

Senior D Kyle Delmaestro was out of action Monday but, by the weekend, should be ready for his fourth season with the Lions. Delmaestro is not only the team's top defenseman, but he's also a key to the offense.

Kent has two very good d-men in 5'10" new junior Nick Smith, who was with the Syracuse Jr. Stars U16s last winter; and 6'1" d-man Troy Daniels, a new senior and the younger brother of twins Justin and Drew Daniels who played for Kent in '07-08 and from there to Northeastern.

Senior goaltender Peter Negron returns as the #1. The Kent coaches are high on the two young incoming goalies, 6'1" sophomore Alex Contey from the Jersey Hitmen U16s, and Blaine Moore, a 6'3" repeat freshman who played at CVU (Champlain Valley Union HS) last season. Moore played the second half vs. Gunnery and moved well for a big kid.

BRUNSWICK:

Brunswick had a very good season last year, going 19-6-2 in NEPSIHA play and reaching the quarterfinals, where they were smoked by Avon, 9-2. D Max Fuld and F Colin Slyne were a couple of key losses to graduation. But they have several key returnees along with some new talent.  

Much of the scoring burden will land squarely on the shoulders of senior co-captains Christian LeSueur and Nick VanBelle. Those two combined for 32 goals last year and will be the go-to guys again this year. But secondary scoring will be needed. 5'11" sophomore Charles Shaffer returns and will be playing a bigger role. A talented newcomer is 5'8" sophomore forward Aaron Aboodi, who played last year on a loaded Mid-Fairfield U14 team. 6'0" sophomore D Cooper Moore was also on that team and has also come over to Brunswick. They are keys to the future.

Backing up returning senior goaltender Strauss Mann is 5'9" Dan Dachille, an '00 sophomore who played for the LI Gulls U16s last season.

POMFRET:

Pomfret doesn't have any Div. I prospects but could take a step forward this year under second-year head coach Matt Goethals.

Senior forwards Jon Beniers, who is committed to Hamilton, and 6'3" LW Brandon Mitchell are Pomfret's top returning scorers. They will need help, though, and some of that could come from a pair of PG forwards -- 5'9" Peter Simeone from Waltham HS, and 5'8" Phil Satin who, with Winston Churchill HS, is the all-time leading scorer in Maryland HS hockey history. We'll have to see how that translates to prep play, but it is certainly a neat factoid.

On the blue line 6'0", 200 lb. senior RD Josh Labonte and PG Sean Conley, a right-shot from the Buffalo Junior Sabres 18Us, will be doing the heavy lifting.

The new goaltender is 5'10" Thomas Lemire, a junior who played last season for the NH Jr. Monarchs U16s.

CANTERBURY:

Canterbury lost about 90% of their goal scoring from last season. Gone are Travis Schneider, Ryan and Kyle Lynch, and JD Pogue.

The key forward will be 6'1" junior -- and leading returning scorer -- Connor Astley. The big question: who will pick up the slack behind him?

Canterbury's two best players are senior defensemen Matt Cousino and Nick Parody. Cousino, a strong skater with good natural ability, gives the team offensive punch from the blue line. He gets the long leash. The Vermonter is also the team's potential Div. I player. He's paired with 6'3" Parody, who moves well for his size, but plays a more defensive game than Cousino.

5'7" senior goaltender Dan Seitz, a backup last year, will be the team's #1 goalie.

Sun. 11/27/16

Girls' Prep Composite, Week of Nov. 28, 2016

Mon. Nov. 28
Rye Country Day @ Portledge, 4:00 pm
BB&N @ Southfield, 5:00 pm (S)

Wed. Nov. 30
Kents Hill @ Berlin HS, 12:00 pm (S)
Holderness @ Proctor, 2:00 pm
Kent @ Hotchkiss, 2:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ St. Paul's, 3:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Thayer, 3:00 pm
Portledge @ Greenwich, 3:00 pm
Taft @ Millbrook, 3:00 pm
Cushing @ Brooks, 3:00 pm (S)
New Hampton @ Noble & Greenough, 3:30 pm
Tabor @ Milton, 3:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 3:30 pm
St. Mark's @ Westminster, 4:15 pm
Berwick @ Groton, 4:30 pm
Pomfret @ BB&N, 4:45 pm
Canterbury @ Rye Country Day, 4:45 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Williston-Northampton, 5:00 pm
Tilton @ Worcester Academy, 5:15 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Governor's, 5:30 pm
Hoosac School @ Albany Academy, 6:00 pm
Mid-Fairfield @ Choate, 6:30 pm (S)

Fri. Dec. 2
Newton CD @ Southfield, 3:30 pm
Winchendon @ Cushing, 4:00 pm
Beaver Country Day @ Winsor, 4:15 pm
Holderness @ Berwick, 5:00 pm
Hebron @ Rivers, 5:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ New Hampton, 5:45 pm
Proctor @ Tilton, 6:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Millbrook, 6:00 pm
Kents Hill @ Middlesex, 6:30 pm
NEWHL @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 7:00 pm (S)

Sat. Dec. 3
Pingree vs. Lower Canada College, 9:30 am (Pingree Tournament)
Albany Academy @ Rye Country Day, 12:00 pm
NYA vs. Wilmington HS, 12:30 pm (Pingree Tournament)
BB&N @ Minnesota Revolution, 1:30 pm (S)
Andover HS @ Andover, 2:15 pm (S)
Kent @ Berkshire, 2:30 pm
Brooks @ Kents Hill, 2:30 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Loomis-Chaffee, 3:00 pm
New Hampton @ Milton, 4:00 pm
Holderness @ Tilton, 4:00 pm
Southfield @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Greenwich @ Canterbury, 4:00 pm
Winchendon @ Brewster Academy, 4:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Worcester Academy, 4:00 pm
Tabor @ Cushing, 4:30 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Millbrook, 4:30 pm
Proctor @ Vermont Academy, 4:30 pm
Hotchkiss @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 4:45 pm
Governor's @ Hebron, 4:45 pm
Gunnery @ St. George's, 5:00 pm
Deerfield @ St. Mark's, 5:00 pm
Lawrenceville @ Taft, 5:00 pm
Kimball Union @ Groton, 5:00 pm
Choate @ Lawrence Academy, 6:00 pm
Hill School @ Westminster, 7:00 pm

Sun. Dec. 4
Pingree vs. TBD (Pingree Tournament)
North Yarmouth Academy vs. TBD (Pingree Tournament)
BB&N @ Shattuck-St. Mary's, 11:00 am (S)
Lawrenceville @ Choate, 11:00 am
Hill School @ Kent, 2:00 pm
Canterbury @ Pomfret, 3:00 pm

Mon. Dec. 5
Casco Bay @ Kents Hill, 4:30 pm (S)
Berkshire @ Hotchkiss, 4:45 pm
Tabor @ Noble & Greenough, 6:00 pm 

Thurs. 11/17/16

Winchendon Jamboree Schedule

At the Winchendon School; Winchendon, Mass.
Sat. Nov. 19, 2016

Participating Schools: The Gunnery, The Hill School, Winchendon, and Worcester Academy

11:00 am -- Worcester Academy vs. The Gunnery
11:40 am -- Winchendon vs. The Hill School
12:20 am -- The Hill School vs. Worcester Academy
 1:00 pm -- Winchendon vs. The Gunnery
 1:40 pm -- The Hill School vs. The Gunnery
 2:20 pm -- Worcester Academy vs. Winchendon

Thurs. 11/10/16

Welcome to Another Season

 
The 2016-17 Girls Prep Pages are now officially open.