The annual Kevin Mutch Christmas Tournament begins this week. It's always one of the marquee events on the prep hockey calendar each season.
From Friday through Sunday, eight teams will battle it out at St. Sebastian’s in Needham, Mass. The teams include Albany Academy, Brunswick, Northwood, Rivers, St. Andrew's College, Williston Northampton, Winchendon and of course, the hosts, St. Sebastian's.
Brunswick and St. Sebastian's met in the championship last season, and the former took home the title by way of a 2-0 win. Each of those teams is very much two of the favorites once again. There's also no shortage of players on each team that will catch everyone's attention during the tournament.
Here is the full schedule:
All games played at St. Sebastian’sÂ
Friday, Dec. 15Â
- Game 1: St. Sebastian’s vs. Winchendon, 2 p.m.
- Game 2: Northwood vs. Albany Academy, 4 p.m.
- Game 3: St. Andrew’s College vs. Williston Northampton, 6 p.m.
- Game 4: Rivers vs. Brunswick, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 16Â
- Game 5: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 11 a.m.
- Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 1 p.m.
- Game 7: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2, 3 p.m.
- Game 8: Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 5 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 17Â
- Game 9: Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6, 9 a.m.
- Game 10: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 11 a.m.
- Game 11: Loser of Game 7 vs. Loser of Game 8, 1 p.m.
- Championship: Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 3 p.m.
HOLIDAY TOURNAMENTS:Â Click or tap here for the full schedules and results from each boys prep holiday tournament
Now that we know the schedule, here’s a full breakdown of every team competing in the Mutch tournament.
Albany Academy
After starting the season winless in their first three games (0-2-1), Albany has ripped off four wins in its last five, sitting at (4-3-0). They won three straight over the weekend in the Albany Rider Cup, including an 8-2 drubbing of Wilbraham & Monson, a 5-2 win over Somang Prep and a 3-2 overtime result over Ridley College.
Head coach Matt Alvey has gotten significant contributions out of his upperclassmen as the Cadets' top six scorers are all seniors. The seventh is a junior.
Co-captain Michael Malatino has come out firing with seven goals and 12 points in seven games. Fellow senior Lorenzo Marra is also scoring over a point per game clip with eight (three goals) in seven games. Behind them, co-captain Leo Letta is leading the blue line with five assists in six games. Four other skaters have at least two goals so far this season, too.
Between the pipes, all three goalies have seen action this season. Caleb Murray has shouldered most of the workload, sporting an .877 save percentage and a 3.61 goals-against average.
Brunswick
The Bruins are out to a 2-1-2 start. After starting their season with a loss to Loomis Chaffee, they beat New Hampton and tied Exeter at the Exeter invitational. Last week saw them beat Kent, 5-4, before tying Westminster, 2-2.
Kennedy's team has gotten contributions throughout the lineup so far with nine different skaters recording at least three points through the first five games, and 11 have at least a goal.
Senior Brendan Giles (Ridgefield, Conn.) leads the way with five goals and seven points in the early going. Co-captain Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.), junior Tucker Spiess (Old Greenwich, Conn.), junior Oliver Czaja (Darien, Conn.) and senior Ryan Wachtel each have at least a point per game, too. Gibbons has six points (five assists) in four contests.
In goal, senior Will Baker (Norwalk, Conn.) has played every minute thus far. He's sporting an .895 save percentage and a 3.15 GAA.
Northwood
Northwood is a full-season boarding school team out of Lake Placid, N.Y. So far this season, they're 22-8-0.
They've won four straight, most recently a 1-0 victory over the Long Island Gulls, after previously dropping three in a row and five of six. Some of Northwood's results this season include wins over Mount Saint Charles (twice) and KUA's fall team. They've also faced Shattuck St. Mary's, a 3-1 loss. Against teams in the Kevin Mutch tournament, they've twice beaten Albany Academy, 3-1 and 9-1, and took down St. Andrew's, 2-1.
A CLASSIC:Â Check out our full preview for the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic
Three skaters have over a point per game for Northwood this year. William Schneid paces the team with 40 points (17 goals) in 30 games. Ritter Coombs has 35 points (14 goals) in 30 games, and Shane Tronoski has 23 points (nine goals) in 23 contests. Three other skaters have at least nine goals.
In the crease, Devin Shakar has suited up in 22 games with an 18-4-0 record and three shutouts. He has a .941 save percentage and a 1.39 GAA.
Rivers
Rivers is coming off an up-and-down week. After their 6-1 home loss to St. George's, the Red Wings battled to a 2-2 tie with Groton before a 3-2 win over Thayer. Sitting at 3-2-1 on the season, their other wins were over Kimball Union, 4-2, and Hebron, 7-1, after a season-opening loss to St. Sebastian's, 7-3.
Freddy Meyer's team is one of the youngest in the NEPSAC. Six of their top 10 scorers so far are either eighth-graders, freshmen or sophomores. Eight-grader Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.; four goals) and sophomore Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.; three goals) lead the way with six points each in six games. Four more skaters have at least five points through the early going, too, including eighth-graders Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) and Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.).
In goal, all three netminders have seen playing time this season, but senior Brendan Nee has had the bulk of the workload. He holds an .893 save percentage and a 3.66 GAA.
St. Andrew's College
St. Andrew's, like Northwood, subscribes to the full-season model. They're 24-6-0 on the year, going 5-5-0 in their last 10 games.
The Saints are coming off a weekend split with Culver Academies, taking a 5-2 win before a 5-4 overtime loss. They split with Shattuck St. Mary's the weekend prior. Some of their other result s this season include wins over Mount St. Charles and South Kent, as well as losses to Northwood and Salisbury.
St. Andrew's has a potent attack powered by Dean Letourneau and Jack Good. Letourneau, a Boston College commit, has 69 points (36 goals) in 30 games. Good, who is committed to Merrimack, has 68 points (21 goals) in 30 games. Tyler Chiovetti (38 points), Aiden Lane (30 points; Harvard) and Kieren Dervin (30 points; Penn State) are also over a point per game.
Paolo Frasca and Liam Furey have split the crease evenly this season. Frasca has a .923 save percentage and a 2.91 GAA, while Furey holds a .905 and a 2.82.
St. Sebastian's
The Arrows came out of the gates with three straight wins before suffering their first loss of the season this weekend, a 4-1 loss at Exeter. In their three wins, Seb's outscored Rivers, Milton and Portsmouth Abbey by a 21-6 margin.
RANKINGS: There's a new No. 1 in this week's boys prep top 10
Nine skaters have at least a point per game for Sean McCann's group. Sophomore Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) has exploded in his sophomore season with five goals and nine points in four games. He's one shy of tying his goal total from last season. Older brother Teddy Mutryn, a BC commit, has six points (five assists) so far, and their linemate Nolan Flynn (Natick, Mass.), Sacred Heart commit, is up to eight points (three goals). Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.), a Brown commit, has also had quite the start with six points (three goals).
Aidan Connors (Westborough, Mass.) and Ben Stavaridis (Wellesley, Mass.) lead the blue line with four points each.
Pelle Russo (West Newton, Mass.) has seen most of the work in the crease. He has a .901 save percentage and a 2.67 GAA so far.
Williston Northampton
Williston is out to a 1-3-0 start. Derek Cunha's Wildcats have lost two in a row, first to Cushing and then Frederick Gunn, both by 5-0 finals. Their win came in a 5-1 result against Académie Saint-Louis after falling to Avon Old Farms, 6-2, in the season opener.
Senior defenseman and captain Wes Haynes (Boylston, Mass.) has two goals and an assist so far. Meanwhile, senior forward Nick Nader also has three points (one goal) on the season. Four more skaters have at least two points so far, including junior forwards Charles Lamoureux and Olivier Lapointe.
Senior Jake Henry (Boxborough, Mass.) and junior Zack Tremblay each have two starts this season. Tremblay has a .906 save percentage and a 3.00 GAA. Henry has an .859 and a 5.50.
ELSEWHERE: Here's our full breakdown of the Groton/Lawrence Holiday Tournament
Winchendon
The Wapitis started the season with four straight losses – New Hampton, Cushing, St. Mark's and Thayer. But Mike Busconi's squad picked up its first win with a dominant 10-2 showing against BB&N this weekend.
Senior forward Cal Fielder paces Winchendon with eight points (seven assists) in five games. Postgrad Liam Marek (West Tisbury, Mass.) is also at a point per game with two goals and three assists. Junior defenseman Thomas Fabbo (Peabody, Mass.), a former Austin Prep standout, is the leading goalscorer with three on the season. Four more skaters have at least four points or two goals so far, too.
Senior goalie Giovanni Calvanese (Springfield, Mass.) has played in four of five games so far, posting a .902 save percentage and a 3.27 GAA. Junior Dylan Michelow (Glastonbury, Conn.) made 39 saves on 43 shots in his one game.
