WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Getting a strong, heavyweight matchup at the 14U level in early September is rare. But this weekend, the region was treated to one.
On Saturday and Sunday, the Mount St. Charles and Boston Jr. Eagles 14U teams played a home-and-home, with the first game at Wellesley's Boston Sports Institue, while the second game was at Adelard Arena on the campus of Mount St. Charles.
Both teams took care of business at home. The Jr. Eagles won Saturday's contest, 4-1, while Mount St. Charles took Sunday's game, 4-2.
There was lots to take from these two games between two of the best 14U programs in the country.
1. There is not a clear favorite between these two teams
The Jr. Eagles outscored Mount St. Charles, 6-5, over the two games, which is indicative of just how close these two teams are in terms of everything.
Both teams have a star forward who should be in contention for the United States National Team Development Program down the road (we'll get to both in a bit). Both teams could dangle at one end and knock the opposition down to the ice at the other. Even in Saturday's 4-1 win for the Jr. Eagles, Mount St. Charles still spent long sequences in the offensive zone, hit posts and missed chances.
The only clear advantage came in Saturday's game and it was the Jr. Eagles were better at defending the front of their net than Mount St. Charles was. That script slipped on Sunday.
While there isn't a favorite, it goes without saying — both of these teams are really good. The only 14U team I've seen so far that's at their level is Mid Fairfield.
2. While the Jr. Eagles have lots of chemistry, Mount St. Charles is still developing it
One advantage the Jr. Eagles took into this season that Mount St. Charles didn't have was most of their players had played together before. Head coach Freddy Meyer's team brought back 10 returning players from last year and it showed throughout both games.
The Jr. Eagles' breakouts were a bit cleaner and their power plays were a tad more organized. Most of the time, it looked like players knew where their teammates were going to be to make passes to them.
This is a luxury Mount St. Charles couldn't possibly have — the 14U team is its youngest. The 14U squad has a ton of skill but has only played three games so far, going 1-2. Sunday was their first win.
Good things take time and that looks to be true with Mount St. Charles' 14U team.
3. The Rocco Pelosi-Carter Meyer matchup was a great one
I mentioned earlier that both teams have forwards who project to be in contention for the USNTDP. That's where Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) of the Jr. Eagles and Rocco Pelosi of Mount St. Charles come in.
Both took numerous faceoffs against each other as dueling No. 1 centers. Both were impossible to miss over the two games.
Meyer had the advantage on the scoresheet. In Saturday's game, he notched an assist when his wraparound chance was knocked in by Ryan Elrick (Canton, Mass.) to extend the lead to 3-0. He sealed the deal late in the game when he scored off a faceoff to give his team a 4-1 advantage.
On Sunday, he proved his big-game abilities, factoring into both goals. Early in the first period, he dangled a defender off the rush, created a 2-on-0 and passed it to Joseph Covelluzzi (Wakefield, Mass.) for a goal. Meyer later tied the game, 2-2, in the second period when he toe-dragged around a defender preparing to block his shot and rifled a shot over Mount St. Charles goalie Quinn Beumer's glove.
Pelosi, from Sewell, N.J., stood out with his dynamic skating, high-level shot and outstanding offensive awareness. In Sunday's win, he always seemed to be hemming the Jr. Eagles in their own end and making plays happen. He had a really nice behind-the-back pass to linemate Grady Rowley (Cumberland, R.I.) who was wide open in the slot. He was always a threat off the rush, as was evident late in the first period when he passed the puck to Stephen Cover for a goal to tie the game, 1-1.
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Throughout both games, Pelosi was consistently able to either zip past defenders wide or use his skill to get to interior ice. And with how hard and quick his shot is, it's always a threat to end up in the back of the net.
Both players showed a knack for playing on the edge. They were physical and got in each other's faces a couple of times in Sunday's game as tensions rose. They stood up for their teammates.
It would surprise no one if they joined forces someday in Plymouth, Mich., with the NTDP.
4. Brody Berard and Jacoby Palmer are intriguing defensive prospects
The Jr. Eagles play a physical brand of hockey. Even at the 14U level, their goal is to make opponents hesitate before going for loose pucks. Brody Berard was one of Mount St. Charles' main players who had no problem responding to the physical play. At 5-foot-10 and already 184 pounds, Berard laid multiple huge hits, most notably knocking Jr. Eagles forward Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) out of Sunday's game. That one wasn't called a penalty, but two others were.
Berard is certainly raw, but the ingredients are there to turn into a legitimate prospect. Another reason scouts and coaches have his name circled is because Bryan Berard is his uncle. Bryan, from Woonsocket, R.I., went No. 1 overall to the Ottawa Senators in the 1995 NHL Draft. He was a 6-foot-2, 220-pound defenseman.
On the other side, the Jr. Eagles have Jacoby Palmer (Holden, Mass.). At 5-foot-11 and 162 pounds, Palmer makes his presence felt with strong puck play. In Saturday's game, his smart dump-in started the sequence that ended with Pandolfo scoring the game's first goal less than a minute into the first period. Later in the game, Palmer showed a ton of poise with the puck on his stick, calmly going from one end to the other and hitting the post.
While Berard and Palmer both play a different game, they're intriguing prospects to track over the next 12 months.
5. So, too, are Caleb Adams and Maksim Yakub
I've written about the other Jr. Eagles defensemen before, so let's focus on some other Mount St. Charles defensemen who stood out to me over the weekend.
Caleb Adams, a right-shot defenseman at 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds, showed good mobility over the two games. He showcased a great stick, especially when defending the rush. In Saturday's game, Meyer took him 1-on-1 and Adams stayed upright, watching the chest and he broke up the play. The next day he most likely saved a goal midway through the second period when Covelluzzi was all alone with the puck in the slot. Adams sprinted at him and shoved him from behind, getting a penalty but stopping a massive scoring chance.
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Also on the blue line for Mount St. Charles was Maksim Yakub. A left-shot defenseman at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Yakub wasn't flashy, but he got the job done in his own end. He made smart, simple plays with the puck and did his best to shut down opposing chances.
6. The goaltending was strong
Being a goalie on either of these teams can sometimes be a curse. Being on a good team is cool until you face five shots in a drubbing of some poor club. But it's worth it for a series like this.
All four goalies played. For the Jr. Eagles, Justin Lee (Newton, Mass.) started Saturday, while Daryn Szabo got Sunday's game. Nate Chizik occupied the crease for Mount St. Charles in Saturday's game, followed by Quinn Beumer on Sunday.
Lee and Chizik were tested a fair amount in Saturday's game, with both making notable stops. At the end of the first period, Lee robbed Pelosi with his glove. Chizik answered midway through the second period when he snagged a Meyer shot with his glove.
Jr. Eagles goalie Daryn Szabo tries to look through a screen on Sunday. (Stefan Lacuone/Mount St. Charles)But the biggest stops came on Sunday between Szabo and Beumer. The score could've been much higher than 4-2, but the dueling netminders limited the scoring. Beumer, the winning goalie, made a bunch of big saves. Late in the first period with the Jr. Eagles up 1-0, Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) got a shot off through traffic that looked to be going in, but Beumer's glove was there to make the stop. He stoned Sears twice more throughout the game, including going post-to-post to rob him in the final minute. Szabo's biggest save came late in the second period when he denied Mount St. Charles forward JR Gualberto (Mendon, Mass.) on a shorthanded breakaway.
7. For forwards, Mount St. Charles has lots of depth behind Pelosi
Even with the lack of chemistry, many players stood out from Mount St. Charles' top two lines.
Playing on the right side of Pelosi was Cameron Haye, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound wing. He showcased good hockey sense on Saturday when he read a pass in the neutral zone, intercepted it and gained the offensive zone, eventually leading to a scoring chance for Braiden Scuderi (who we'll get to in a second). Haye was vital in Sunday's win, setting up the eventual game-winner early in the third period when he sped past a defender and made a great pass across to Grady Rowley (Cumberland, R.I.) for the goal. Haye was terrific off the rush and late in the game while killing a penalty, had a great block on a shot from Eagles defender J.P. Montgomery.
Gualberto was another one who stood out quite a bit on Sunday. He was always involved in the offense, especially off the rush. He had multiple odd-man rush chances. His most notable came in the third period when he knocked down a Jr. Eagles defender to create a 3-on-1. He was rewarded later in the period when he snuck into the slot and scored a goal through Sazabo's legs. Gualberto stood out to me at the Crimson Combine last month for similar reasons. He's a good prospect to watch.
Centering the second line is Scuderi. At 5-foot-7 and 130 pounds, Scuderi is far from the biggest player on the ice. But his shiftiness and high skill made him effective over the weekend. He drove play and on Saturday, had a nice sequence where he entered the zone, dangled around a defender and made a cross-ice pass to a teammate for a scoring chance. On Sunday, he showed his ability to evade defenders when he was behind the net covered by Palmer and used his shiftiness to create separation. He assisted on the first Mount St. Charles goal of the game and had numerous chances to score throughout the final two periods.
8. Finn Sears and Joseph Covelluzzi continue to impress
While Meyer gets a lot of attention (and rightfully so), Sears and Covelluzzi are a lot more than complementary pieces.
Sears is dynamic and is always involved in the play when he's on the ice. He backchecks hard, at one point on Saturday forcing Mount St. Charles to go offsides. Later in Saturday's game, he obtained the puck on an offensive zone draw and pushed it to Meyer for a goal. He constantly gains the offensive zone and gets scoring chances. At 6 feet and 158 pounds, Sears is a prospect with a ton of upside.
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So, too, is Covelluzzi. The Wakefield, Mass., native plays a different brand of hockey than Sears. At 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds, the right-shot wing has great hands and takes smart routes to find open areas in the offensive zone. He scored the first goal of the game on Sunday and then tipped in a shot from the point late in the second period that was called back because he was in the crease.
9. There's something about games at Adelard
Both games had a heightened level of importance. That was evident when Pandolfo and the other four Jr. Eagles on the ice, along with the bench, cheered in jubilation when he scored early in Saturday's game. It was evident again on Sunday when almost every hit was finished.
The setting Sunday raised the importance, too.
The Boston Sports Institute is a nice, multi-sport facility. There are two rinks with a gym, turf and a grill downstairs. You know you're in Wellesley when you smell the swimming pool. It was opened in 2019, but it doesn't come close to the feel of Mount Saint Charles' Adelard Arena.
History has taken place at the old barn. Built in 1963, it hosted the school's 26 straight state titles from 1978 to 2003. The rink serves as a 20th-century time capsule — just look down at the old seats that line the stands. Until 2016, the rink had a chain-link fence above the boards instead of glass. It feels like a hockey cathedral in there.
10. Thankfully, these teams meet again soon
While both of these squads have national aspirations, they take the ice against each other in just over a month on Oct. 21-22 in a similar home-and-home series. Things will most likely look different, especially on the Mount St. Charles side. Head coach Devin Rask's team will have another month of practicing and developing more chemistry.
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The current version of the Mount St. Charles 14U team is full of skill. It will be fascinating to see what they can become with time.
