MARLBORO, Mass. — The Massachusetts boys hockey state championships took place at the New England Sports Center this past weekend.
Teams across the 15O, 16U and 18U levels battled for a chance to represent the Bay State at the USA Hockey national championships next spring.
I spent the weekend focused on the 16U Tier I teams. With each game in that age group overlapping, I tried my best to pick games that would allow me to see nearly every team.
On Friday, I caught Top Gun's comeback win over North Shore Hockey Academy in the first round, and on Saturday, I saw Militia Hockey's win over Lovell Academy. I got a look at the Jr. Eagles' semifinal victory over American Hockey Academy on Sunday before seeing the Eagles take home the title with a win over the Neponset Valley River Rats later that evening.
Let's dive into some standouts from the tournament.
Myles Brosnan
Boston Jr. Eagles, 10/19/2007, D, right shot, 5-11/185
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.
Brosnan had a strong championship game, but his fingerprints were all over the Eagles' win over AHA earlier Sunday. He scored two power play goals on quick wrist shots from the point. On both plays, he had his head up all the way and shifted to his right to draw the defense and goaltender with him before getting the puck off quickly. He has a hard, fast release from the blue line and an ability to sift pucks through traffic. In his own end, he defended physically and used nice body and stick positioning to break up a 1-on-1 in the second period of the semifinals. In the title game, he sprung Teddy Mutryn for a counter rush and goal before a great shorthanded effort to deny a breakaway later in the first.
Joe Feinberg
Neponset Valley River Rats, 1/10/2007, F, right shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Needham, Mass.
Feinberg was noticeable throughout the title game both at even strength and the penalty kill. He used his speed to drive play for the River Rats. His first few strides are powerful and explosive, which allowed him to quickly close on puck carriers or gain separation and lead the rush. Feinberg created opportunities for himself and others for most of the game, especially late in the third period in an effort to get on the board.
Justin Graf
Militia Hockey, 7/10/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/155
Hometown: Lincoln, Mass.
Graf was strong for the Militia with a goal and an assist against Lovell. He's a deceptive skater with good instincts, baiting defenders 1-on-1 by changing speeds and blowing by them to create chances. He flashed it on a third-period rush that led to a high-danger chance. On his second-period goal, he curled toward the top of the zone before surprising Lovell goalie Niklas Crift with a quick release over to the blocker side. Graf, whose brother Collin is a standout at Quinnipiac, also had the assist on Matthew Homer's game-winner in overtime. It came as he made a power move around the defender to the outside before feeding Homer in the slot.
Rui Han
Top Gun, 2007, F left shot, 6-0/170
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Han was Top Gun's most dynamic player in its comeback win over NSHA, erasing two separate three-goal deficits. He was a menace on the penalty kill in the first period, hitting the post on a shorthanded bid before creating more havoc as a one-man forecheck. He had a pair of assists in the second period before tying things up at 4-4 with a quick bullet inside the far post in the third. Han was noticeable and created chances almost every time he touched the ice, consistently warrenting extra attention from NSHA.
Matthew Homer
Militia Hockey, 8/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/175
Hometown: Norton, Mass.
Homer had a strong connection going with Graf throughout the Militia's overtime win over Lovell. He did a good job of finding open space in the slot, where he tied the game 1-1 for Militia late in the second. Shortly after, he was part of a strong forechecking effort to win a puck battle before he dished to Graf for his goal. In overtime, he made a beeline for the net with his stick on the ice as Graf drove around the defense and fed him for a game-winning tap-in.
James Lu
North Shore Hockey Academy, 2007, F, right shot, 5-9/150
Hometown: Richland, Wash.
Lu's line with Nolan Beauchain (Dunstable, Mass.) and Lucas Cilan (Byfield, Mass.) was dangerous each time it was on the ice. Their line accounted for all four of NSHA's goals. Lu had a goal and two assists, Beauchain had two goals and Jensen had a goal and two assists. Lu seemed to always be in the right spots and factored into the game's first three goals. He came up with a redirect goal in the slot to open the scoring before later setting up Beauchain and Jensen on each of the next two goals. Lu and his linemates created the bulk of North Shore's best chances offensively. He also landed a big reverse hit later in the game.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDOUTS: 5 standouts from Jr. Eagles' 16U win
Billy MacAusland
Boston Jr. Eagles, 2007, F, left shot, 5-10/165
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.
MacAusland had a terrific Sunday for the Eagles. He was dominant in the semifinals against AHA with a goal and two assists, setting up both of Brosnan's power play tallies with swift puck movement at the top of the umbrella. In the second period, he scored on a shorthanded breakaway, pouncing on a 50/50 puck just inside his own blue line before bursting free with speed. As he closed in on AHA goalie Russell Mackrell, MacAusland never sold that he was going to shoot, keeping the puck in front of him until the last moment before scoring five-hole. In the title game, he came up with crucial insurance when he redirected Evan Nee's (Arlington, Mass.) shot off a face-off play in the third period. MacAusland's connection with Mutryn and Nee was on display all day.
Bodie Marcotte
Top Gun, 1/8/2007, F, right shot, 6-2/194
Hometown: Amesbury, Mass.
Marcotte was also a difference-maker for Top Gun. He set up Robbie Daley (North Reading, Mass.) with an excellent pass to cut it to 4-2 late in the second period. In the third, he scored the go-ahead goal to complete the comeback late in the third, converting a strong drive to the net on a 2-on-1. Marcotte also had a strong effort on the backcheck to strip the puck late in regulation as NSHA pushed for an equalizer.
Dylan Marszalek
American Hockey Academy, 2007, F, right shot, 5-10/158
Hometown: Bellemore, N.Y.
Marszalek had a productive tournament for AHA, finishing with three goals and an assist in three games. In the semifinal I caught against the Eagles, he scored the lone goal for AHA, cutting it to 3-1 with a 5-on-3 power play goal in the second. Marszalek kept his feet moving on the left flank of the power play setup to create motion away from the puck. When he had it, he showed nice poise and patience, scanning for the best option. He did a nice job of closing in toward the goal and using the defense as a screen for a quick shot to beat Eagles goalie Derrick Huang (Carlisle, Mass.).
Harry Minucci
Lovell Academy, 2007, F, right shot, 5-4/120
Hometown: Boston, Mass.
Minucci played above his size for Lovell in their matchup against Militia, engaging in battles throughout the game. He scored a power play goal in the first period to kick off the scoring for Lovell. Minucci entered the Militia zone and fired a drag snap shot around the defender from the top of the left circle, successfully using him as a screen to beat Tyler Moschella. He seemed to be all over the ice late in the game as Lovell pushed to force overtime. He also had a goal and an assist in their win over the East Coast Wizards on Friday.
ELSEWHERE AT MASS. STATES: 5 standouts from Jr. Eagles’ 18U win | 7 standouts from River Rats’ 15O win
Tyler Moschella
Militia Hockey, 2007, G, 5-10/160
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.
Moschella was fantastic in his start against Lovell on Saturday afternoon. The Thayer netminder did an excellent job tracking pucks through traffic as Lovell threw everything toward the net. He was consistently square to shots and denied a number of high-danger chances. Moschella made a powerful push to his left to make a save on a 2-on-0 in the first period. He made a solid positional save late in the second period on a bang-bang play in the slot while on the penalty kill. In the third, he denied a 3-on-1 early in the period before another strong positional save at the final horn.
Casey Mutryn
Boston Jr. Eagles, 2008, F, right shot, 6-0/180
Hometown: Norwell, Mass.
Mutryn was one of the only 15 year olds skating in the 16U bracket, but it didn't look like it. He was a force in the Jr. Eagles' 5-1 semifinal win over AHA. He scored the eventual game-winning goal in the second period, thanks to a strong net drive with his stick on the ice, redirecting Aiden MacIsaac's (Andover, Mass.) dish. Mutryn didn't get an assist for it, but his shorthanded backcheck created the 50/50 puck that Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) took for a breakaway to make it 3-0. Mutryn, who had a goal and an assist in the Eagles' first game against the 95 Giants, also had some chances with his brother, Teddy, in the championship game. He's a powerful skater who sees the ice well.
