NEEDHAM, Mass. – Brunswick School won the Kevin Mutch Christmas Tournament on Sunday with a 2-0 win over the host, St. Sebastian’s, in the final.
Junior right wing Sean Gibbons (Fairfield, Conn.) scored two goals and senior goaltender Brendan Holahan (New Canaan, Conn.) stopped all 27 shots he faced as the Bruins prevailed in front of a couple dozen college coaches and NHL scouts.
Gibbons’ first goal came in the first half when he skated from left to right and poked a puck past St. Sebastian’s goaltender Pelle Russo (Newton, Mass.). There was some confusion regarding whether the puck went in.
In the second half, Gibbons snuck past the St. Sebastian’s defense in the neutral zone before receiving a stretch pass from linemate Brendan Giles. Gibbons gained the zone down the left wing and sent a laser of a wrist shot into the top corner of the net.
The win came a year after Mike Kennedy’s team fell to Northwood in the final of the same tournament. Brunswick faced a much tougher road to the final than its counterpart at the other end of the rink. The Bruins defeated St. Andrew’s College, 6-2, in the quarterfinals before skating to a 2-2 tie and then winning the shootout against Northwood in the semifinals. St. Sebastian’s got to the final with a pair of 4-1 wins over Albany Academy and Williston.
Brunswick
This tournament was my third time seeing the Bruins, having already caught them in action at the Belmont Hill Jamboree and Exeter Invitational. Sunday’s final was the first time seeing Brunswick with all its top players.
When healthy, Brunswick has as good of a top-six forward group as any team in prep school. Drew DellaSalla and Eli Friedman are committed to Harvard and Yale, respectively, but there are a couple of others who could gain a Division 1 commit down the road.
DellaSalla made four elite plays to set up teammates with golden opportunities in Sunday’s final. The '06 also had a near-miss on the power play. He had two assists in the team’s game against Northwood, despite battling an illness all weekend that caused him to miss Friday’s game. The Rye, N.Y., native who represented the U.S. at the 2022 Under-17 Five Nations Tournament projects as a second- or third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
I’ve gone back and forth between Giles and Gibbons over the years. They’re both good players at the '05 birth year. Gibbons has a good stick and has collegiate upside with his skating and stick, especially if he can grow a little and fill out his frame.
Holahan started this season in the USHL with the Muskegon Lumberjacks, but came back to prep school after the preseason. He’s got the size that will always attract attention from college coaches and scouts. He gave up just four goals in three games at the Kevin Mutch Christmas Tournament, including Sunday’s blanking of St. Sebastian’s.
Giles - Shannon - Gibbons
Drury - Friedman - DellaSalla
Wachtel - Minella - T. Spiess
Hu - xx - Vincent
Cadoret - Eschricht
H. Spiess - Cleaves
Farmer - Lampert
Holahan
St. Sebastian’s
The Arrows had won five in a row before dropping Sunday’s game. Despite a 6-2 record, this year’s edition of St. Sebastian’s isn’t up to the lofty standards set over the years. The Arrows have some significant holes that will make it difficult for them to get back to a third Elite 8 in four years.
Sophomore right wing Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.), an '07, didn’t generate a lot in terms of meaningful scoring chances on Sunday, but he had a couple glimpses. He made a great pass to the slot from below the goal line late in the first half and showed off his powerful skating with a drive through the middle in the second. It’s important to remember when evaluating Mutryn that he’s going up against older competition, compared to many of his counterparts across the country who are playing 15 Only. He and his younger brother, Casey Mutryn, an '08, are the top two prospects on this St. Sebastian’s team.
While no one on St. Sebastian’s scored Sunday, I took a close look at first-line center Matt Cataldo, an '05 junior. His production thus far has earned him more interest. I’ve written about him extensively here at New England Hockey Journal. The Norfolk, Mass., native’s reputation as a leader, great teammate, and competitive forward have been well chronicled. His skating is better. It still needs to improve in order to garner more attention from Division 1 college coaches.
Mitchell - Cataldo - T. Mutryn
Flynn - Hall - Keaveney
Stavaridis - Merrill - C. Mutryn
A. Connors - Harney
Leverone - Lynch
J. Connors - Barclay
Russo
