EXETER, N.H. -- The NEFPHL Public Catholic Selects defeated Phillips Exeter, 6-5, in an entertaining exhibition game Wednesday afternoon.
The Selects are a team made up of NEFPHL standouts from the last few months. Each team used three goalies and rolled their lines in a back-and-forth game for a preseason exhibition with little time for practice or to form cohesive units.
Arlington junior Leo Piandes and St. Mary’s junior Brady Carpenter each scored twice to lead the way offensively for NEFPHL Public Catholic Selects. Woburn junior Jonathan Surrette and Danvers junior Christian Mansfield were the other goal scorers for the winning side.
For Phillips Exeter, senior Danny Colon led the way with two goals and an assist. The Mendham, N.J., native will be the catalyst for the Big Red, coached by Dana Barbin, who is entering his 33rd season behind the bench in Exeter.
Colon was the left wing on the top line with junior Michael Young at center and senior Reese Ramirez at right wing. Young had a goal and an assist.
Exeter has traditionally been a good team, and while the 2019-20 version might be a little down, Barbin’s squad should still win plenty of games. Exeter should have three solid lines and a couple of above-average defensive pairings. Senior Ryan Welsh is a veteran of the crease as far as prep school goes. Phillips Exeter does a good job of playing physically and forechecking hard.
Below are the line charts and players who stood out in Wednesday’s game between NEFPHL Public Catholic Selects and Phillips Exeter:
Phillips Exeter
D. Colon - M. Young - R. Ramirez
C. McGurrin - K. Gurkan - R. Loring
T. Gannon - T. Chmielewski - T. Yang
L. Mix - J. Simon
P. Donahue - N. Jankowski
S. Oberting - J. Fedele
R. Welch
M. Peracchia
W. Collins
1. Danny Colon
Exeter, 2/13/01, LW, right shot, 5-8/170
Colon is a hardworking winger with skill. He scored a goal on the first shift of the second period and then sniped one off a face-off win by his center in the third period. He assisted on the power-play goal scored by Young. He keeps his feet moving, competes hard, hunts pucks and goes to the greasy areas.
2. Kurt Gurkan
Exeter, 2/13/04, C, left shot, 5-9/165
Gurkan, who had two assists, is quick and skates well while having skill to go along with it. His vision is above average. He needs to improve his play away from the puck and going to the greasy areas on a consistent basis.
3. Michael Young
Exeter, 8/28/02, C, left shot, 5-11/170
Young had a goal and an assist. He created offense on the rush and drove to the net. His goal was a rebound on the power play. Young’s assist came on a nice face-off win that he got back to Colon for a snipe. He should be able to facilitate offense for Colon.
4. Reese Ramirez
Exeter, 6/10/01, RW, right shot, 5-10/175
Ramirez has a lot of speed and quickness to get to pucks on the forecheck. He also showed off a deceptive release a few times. Although he didn’t put up the points that Colon and Young did, he had an impact and should be a good player on the top line.
5. Ryan Welsh
Exeter, 10/4/00, G, catches left, 6-0/175
Welsh gave up just one goal in the first period before conceding the net to his backup. The Swampscott, Mass., native has gotten a little bigger and is a good goalie with plenty of prep experience. He should be a candidate for a couple of NESCAC schools.
6. Jack Simon
Exeter, 12/7/00, D, left shot, 6-1/195
Simon has a lot of skill and showed it off a few times as he rushed the puck up ice. He has good hands and can push possession for his team. The former Arlington star will need to learn to be a little heavier in prep.
7. Charlie McGurrin
Exeter, 12/5/03, LW, left shot, 6-3/170
McGurrin is a sophomore who came to Exeter from Marblehead High School. He scored two goals, both from right around the goal mouth. He has good size and athleticism, and was a pleasant surprise playing the wing with Gurkan at center. There’s a lot of potential here.
8. Noah Jankowski
Exeter, 6/13/01, D, left shot, 6-4/195
Jankowski, who previously played forward, was back on defense on Wednesday. He did a good job, playing physically and shooting it hard. The big senior jumped into the rush a few times, but he’ll need to be more careful with the puck.
NEFPHL Public Catholic Selects
J. Surrette - L. Piandes - C. Roy
P. Moran - I. Worthley - C. Mansfield
B. Carpenter - R. McCarthy - M. Dinges
R. Pappalardo - N. Ricci - B. Pitts
T. Tavenner - N. Peters
W. O’Brien - A. Grenier
B. Donnelly - C. Ferris
J. Trussell
M. Hayes
J. Perry
1. Jonathan Surrette
Woburn, 8/6/03, LW, left shot, 5-9/150
Surrette skates well, is strong on pucks and has skill. He made a behind-the-back pass, which was probably the highlight-reel play of the day, although it didn’t end up with a score. His goal came on a nice shot that he rang off the post and in. He picked up an assist as well. The junior will be the top player for Jim Duran’s Tanners.
2. Leo Piandes
Arlington, 8/9/03, C, right shot, 5-11/160
Piandes skates well and scored two goals, plus added an assist. He’s around the puck a lot and has the speed to hunt pucks down. He should be a top-six forward as a junior for the Spy Ponders, a top public school team in the MIAA.
3. Tommy Tavenner
Andover, 1/22/03, D, left shot, 5-9/150
Tavenner is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman who moves pucks north and does a good job of pinching and keeping pucks in the zone. His play in his own end is a work in progress, but the junior would be a nice pickup for a local prep school for 2020-21.
4. Ryan Pappalardo
Salem (N.H.), 2/11/03, LW, left shot, 6-2/180
Pappalardo is a big, heavy winger who goes to the net with assertiveness. His stride is a little choppy, but he’s a junior who prep school coaches should be looking at as a possibility to join their program in the coming years.
5. Brady Carpenter
St. Mary’s, 11/11/02, LW, left shot, 5-11/172
Carpenter is good down low and scored a nice wraparound goal in addition to his other tally. He’s heavy on pucks. The junior could work on his skating and hockey sense to be more coveted by prep schools and junior programs.
6. Ryan McCarthy
Winchester, 7/26/01, C, right shot, 6-1/200
McCarthy showed he’s a good 200-foot center who made several key backchecks in his team’s victory. He’ll be a senior this winter for the Sachems.
7. Christopher Roy
Austin Prep, 9/18/01, RW, left shot, 5-11/185
Roy is a good skater who won a battle along the wall and got the puck to Piandes for the team’s empty-net goal. I’d like to see him be a little more consistent in terms of being hard and in the greasy areas. He’s a senior who will be counted on for the Cougars.
8. William O’Brien
Stoneham, 11/9/01, D, left shot, 5-10/165
O’Brien made a couple of nice breakout passes as a mobile puck-mover. He should be a senior leader for the Spartans.
9. Ian Worthley
Bishop Fenwick, 2/2/02, C, right shot, 6-1/160
Worthley, a senior, is an above-average skater, has good size and can shoot it relatively hard. He’d be a good PG prospect for a prep program next season.
10. Patrick Moran
St. John’s Prep, 3/5/02, LW, left shot, 6-2/225
Moran is heavy on pucks, forced a turnover for an assist on the team’s fifth goal scored by linemate Calvin Mansfield. His skating could use improvement. Regardless, the senior would be a solid PG candidate for the right prep program next season.
11. James Trussell
Methuen, 2/8/02, G, catches left, 5-9/150
Trussell, a senior, posted a shutout in his one period of action. He’s on the smaller side and didn’t face a lot of rubber, but he was solid when called upon.
