Both Mount Saint Charles and the Boston Jr. Eagles, New England's representatives at the 14U Tier 1 USA Hockey national championships, made it to the quarterfinals. Only the Jr. Eagles made it to the semifinals, falling to the Buffalo Saints, 4-1.
The Saints advanced to the championship and took down the Chicago Mission, 2-1, for the national championship.
There were plenty of standouts on both New England squads out in Plymouth, Mich.
Before we evaluate the standouts, here's how both teams performed.
Boston Jr. Eagles
- 5-3 win vs. Minnesota Lakers
- 5-0 loss vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
- 4-0 win vs. Valley Forge Minutemen
- 3-2 win vs. Los Angeles Jr. Kings
- 4-1 loss vs. Buffalo Saints
Mount Saint Charles
- 3-2 win vs. Oakland Jr. Grizzlies
- 4-1 win vs. Team Wisconsin
- 3-2 loss vs. Los Angeles Jr. Kings
- 3-1 loss vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Elite
Here are eight players who stood out in the national championships. These are organized in alphabetical order.
David Bosco
Boston Junior Eagles, 2/8/2008, C, right shot, 5-10/145Â
Bosco was one of the Jr. Eagles' top two centers and shouldered a lot of responsibility throughout the tournament. He was terrific on draws and consistently drove play. He didn't play the flashiest game, but he got the job done with good work in his own zone and away from the puck.
Early in the Jr. Eagles' game against the Minutemen, he notched a helper on Spencer Thornborough's goal that was emblematic of his all-around game. He cleanly won a draw in the neutral zone and when the puck was dumped in by defenseman Nolan Nassar (North Andover, Mass.), Bosco did a great job at being the third-guy high and providing support, eventually getting open for a pass from Thornborough. Bosco eluded one defender, looked off another and found Thornborough open in front of the net for a goal.
Nico Ciardiello
Mount Saint Charles, 11/10/2008, C/RW, right shotÂ
Ciardiello established himself as a strong presence down the middle over the four games. While he wasn't the fastest player on the ice, he was still able to drive play because of his frame, allowing him to protect pucks well on trips through the neutral zone. His lone goal of the weekend came when he corralled a pass from Jameson Glance (West Newbury, Mass.) and ripped a shot into the back of the net against the Los Angeles Jr. Kings.
16U NATIONALS: 7 standouts from New England teams at USA Hockey 16U nationals
Dylan Dean
Mount Saint Charles, 5/14/2008, LW, left shotÂ
It wasn't the flashiest tournament for Dean on the scoresheet, but he still played with a ton of confidence, as he was typically the best player on the ice. His really good hands allowed him to be creative with the puck, especially off the rush. He could get out of almost any situation, no matter how many defenders were on him, because of his good hands and speed. That speed and compete also helped him backcheck hard and contest when the opposition was going for scoring chances.
Jameson Glance
Mount Saint Charles, 9/23/2008, C, right shot
Glance had a really nice goal against the Jr. Kings. After capitalizing on a Jr. Kings turnover, Glance entered the offensive zone, lost the puck for a second, regained it and fired a shot over the Jr. Kings goalie's blocker towards the end of the first period. With the puck on his stick, Glance showed patience. It only made sense that Glance posted up at the blue line on power plays, acting as the point person at times. Both of his assists came on the man advantage.
Ty Hymovitz
Boston Junior Eagles, 2/13/2008, C, right shot, 5-11/155
Hymovitz finished as the Jr. Eagles' leading point-getter, scoring three goals and posting six points. He was great in a net-front role, scoring all three of his lamplighters from there, tipping shots in from the perimeter. What really stood out were his hands. There was one sequence early in the second period of the semifinal game against the Saints when Hymovitz went from his blue line to the Saints' net, dangling through defenders and drawing a penalty. It was a high-confidence play in a big game and it paid off.
Noah Survilas
Boston Junior Eagles, 12/27/2008, RW, right shot, 5-8/150Â
I liked the dynamic way in which Survilas played throughout the tournament. He was able to drive play because of his good speed and puck-protection skills. In the offensive zone, he was able to find soft spots to get open. He also saw time on the penalty kill and was aggressive when he pressured puck carriers.
Spencer Thornborough
Boston Junior Eagles, 6/22/2008, LW, left shot, 6-0/170
In my eyes, Thornborough stood out the most on the Jr. Eagles. His mix of size and speed wreaked havoc on opposing players. It felt like he was constantly barreling down the left side of the ice with the puck on his stick and earning a scoring chance. He also had nice hands, such as one specific sequence in the semifinal game.
With one hand, he flipped the puck around one defender, gathered the puck, cut to the middle and did a behind-the-back pass to a teammate flying toward the net for a scoring chance. Because of all of his tools, he was also effective killing penalties. I can't imagine he was very fun to play against.
Lance Toland
Boston Junior Eagles, 2/11/2008, D, left shot, 5-10/170
Toland showed off his two-way strengths as a defender quite a bit over the five games, finishing with two goals and five points. He was mainly paired with Brady Sloper (North Andover, Mass.). Toland's mobility allowed him to join the rush when he wanted and his size helped him defend well. His power play goal against the Saints displayed this the best.
With the puck on his stick, Toland got through the neutral zone and deep into the offensive zone, powering through two Saints' defenders. He protected the puck well enough to turn and make a pass to Thornborough, who got off a pass to Bosco. Toland hung around the net and smacked in the rebound.
