SALEM, N.H. — Mount Saint Charles topped Northwood in the final of the 2022 True Prep Cup to win its fourth consecutive in-season tournament of the hockey season.
Matt Plante’s team came away victorious after defeating Nichols, Frederick Gunn and Northwood. The other teams in the eight-team event were Culver, Dexter Southfield, Kimball Union, and St. Andrew’s College.
The 2022 True Prep Cup was the second edition of the tournament. The first occurred in January of 2020 at Merrimack College. The 2021 tournament was scrapped due to the coronavirus. A number of NHL scouts and college coaches attended the three days of the 2022 tournament.
Disappointingly, the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc on hockey teams in the region. A few top players were sidelined from the weekend, due to asymptomatic cases. St. Andrew’s was replaced by Governor’s in Sunday’s consolation game, due to asymptomatic positive tests.
In Sunday’s final, Mount Saint Charles rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits to defeat Northwood by a score of 5-4. Third line center Matt Lewis had the game-winning goal late in the third period. 2022 NHL draft prospect and UMass commit Cam O’Neill had the first two goals for Mount. Zach Aben and Will Lawrence also lit the lamp for the Mounties. Bryan Jones, Brady Hildreth, Billy Zonnon and Carson Hall were the goal scorers for the Huskies.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s final:
Pure goal scorer
I’ve seen Mount Saint Charles at least a dozen times this season. Without fail, O’Neill, the team’s first-line right wing, seems to make an impact in each game. After his two goals and assist Sunday, he’s narrowing in on 80 points on the season. The Odenton, Md., native is a big-time goal scorer.
His first goal Sunday came on a breakaway where he slid the puck through the five-hole with a backhand. The second tally was on a power move down the right wing. He blew by one of Northwood’s better skating defensemen. His initial shot was saved, but he kept going to the net and banged home the rebound.
NHL scouts have to be picky. It’s certainly understandable for them to nitpick O’Neill’s skating. However, there isn’t a 2022 draft-eligible prospect in the region that consistently puts up points. It’s certainly not that outlandish to think a few other prospects playing in New England possess more upside, but there isn’t a 2022 draft-eligible prospect that I would rather have on my team right now than O’Neill.
Intangibles matter
Mount has a terrific second line with three players who get the most out of their ability. Lawrence embodies that with his tenacity and willingness to go to the dirty areas, as he did on the game-tying goal. With the power play winding down, he camped out in front of the net and redirected a centering feed past Northwood goaltender Jan Korec.
Lawrence also had a couple of key shot blocks in the victory. Aben’s goal was a thing of beauty as he sniped one over the glove of Korec early in the third period while streaking down the left wing. O’Connell didn’t score, but he’s a good player in his own right and certainly on the radar of some Division 1 recruiters.
Youthful impact
Northwood right wing Billy Zonnon, a late '06 from Montreal, had a goal and an assist on Sunday. He had scored a pair of goals earlier in the weekend, as well. The tall power forward, who can also play down the middle, has good length and playmaking abilities. He had the secondary assist on his team’s first score. His goal was a snipe on a quick catch and release to make the score 3-1. A robust skater, the only weakness in Zonnon’s game is his feet. He’s a big-time prospect as it is, but if he can improve his skating; look out.
