BOYS’ HOCKEY PREVIEW
Sports staff eyes chances for seven Valley teams
The Blackstone Valley is the hockey heartbeat of the Ocean State, but last season the winter was dominated by the area’s boys basketball teams.
For just the third time in the last 40 years there were no boys hockey champions in the Blackstone Valley, while there was a Division II boys basketball champion (Cumberland) crowned and Shea proved to be the top public school in the state, advancing all the way to the Open final against Hendricken.
Perennial powerhouse Mount St. Charles, public-school behemoth Burrillville along with the other five hockey squads in the Valley are loaded with young talent this season, as they begin their quest to return to Brown’s Meehan Auditorium in March.
Through the first week of the season the Broncos, under the guidance of new coach David Farrell, have shown they’re ready to compete in Division I, while Mount and Cumberland are looking to grow into the young season.
Division II, which was dominated by Lincoln and North Smithfield recently, features three area teams that should compete for playoff spots. And, in Division III, Woonsocket/Scituate has enough talent to compete for the program’s first title in 25 seasons.
Here’s a capsule preview of all seven teams as they start the second weekend of league competition:
DIVISION I
Head coaches: Bill Belisle and Dave Belisle 2016-17 league record: 10-6-1, Division I 2016-17 league placement: Second, Division I-Cimini. Lost to Bishop Hendricken, 2-0, in state semifinals. Returning starters/players: Ryan Forget, junior goalie; Michael Hauswirth, sophomore, goalie; Trey Bourque, sophomore, forward; Brian Simpson, senior, forward; Bailey Thibeault, junior, forward; Alex Gonfrade, junior, defense; Matt Canavan, junior, defense; Chris Pratt, sophomore, defense; Jacob Maddalena, sophomore, defense; Tony Luciani, senior, defense; Bryan Testa, sophomore, forward.
Key newcomers: Brendan Donahue, freshman, forward; Jake Meisner, junior, forward; John Belisle, sophomore, forward; Ethan Letendre, freshman, forward; Brendan Shandley, junior, forward; JB Tselekis, junior, defense; Nolan Boucher, sophomore, forward.
Outlook: The first weekend of the season perfectly encapsulates the challenge Dave Belisle faces this season with the young Mounties. On the opening night of the campaign, the Mounties were downed 5-3 at Adelard by rebuilding Smithfield. Less than 24 hours later, the Mounties shut out the team most observers expect to be hoisting the state title at Brown in March, La Salle. The key for the Mounties is clearly going to be goaltending. Hauswirth was impressive in Saturday’s victory, but Forget showed moments of brilliance last season. The duo is going to have to play well because the Mounties are extremely inexperienced at the blue line after the graduation of All-Stater Jack Boisvert and Jack O’Donnell. Maddalena, who played one shift last season before injuring his shoulder, and Gonfrade should match up with opposing team’s top lines, while Misto, Canavan and Baxter should also see minutes. The Mounties could be very good again offensively after Shandley opted to leave junior hockey and join the Mounties. He’ll team up with Simpson, a captain, and Thibeault on the top line. John Belisle should center a second line with Testa and Pratt.
Coach’s take: “I see us right in it. I think we’re going to be right in it at the end. I wouldn’t want to play us by the end of the year in the playoffs. … You’ve gotta be patient. It’s one game at a time with a young team. I think we’ll get better – I hope we get better – but it’s going to take time. ... The rebuilding process on defense with three freshmen and a sophomore takes time. I think Gonfrade will be our best offensive defenseman, but I just have to find some younger kids to complement him. I don’t know the other pair yet. … It’s going to be a very competitive league. This won’t be our first loss and we’ll get some victories. It’s going to be a tough league.”
BURRILLVILLE
Head coach: David Farrell 2016-17 league record: 6-9-1-1, Division I
2016-17 league placement: Third, Division I-Eccleston. Defeated Cranston West, 2-1, in Division I semifinals; lost to Prout, 2-0, in Division I final.
Returning starters/players: Matt Heon, senior, goalie; Alex Carlow, sophomore, forward; Colin McCarthy, junior, defense; Matt McClure, junior, defense; Brendan Hanaway, junior, defense; Colin Stone, senior, defense; Elliot Lafond, junior, forward; Kyle Pelletier, senior, forward; Austin Boutiette, junior defense; Dylan Lannan, senior, defense; Casey Lambert, forward.
Key newcomers: Ryan Deschamps, freshman, forward; Casey Lambert, forward; Blake Hopkins; forward; Dom Savastano, junior, defense; Sam DeRotto, sophomore, goalie; Sam Hayden, defense; Dylan Nault, goalie.
Outlook: Farrell replaces Bill Robinson, who coached the Broncos to four straight finals. Farrell played at both Burrillville and La Salle and has spent numerous years coaching youth hockey teams. Even though the Broncos graduated numerous players whose careers always ended at Brown, there’s still plenty of talent on the Levy Rink ice. The Broncos were the only team to end the opening weekend of the Division I season with a pair of victories thanks to the play of a first-year starting goalie, Heon; a talented freshman forward, Deschamps; and a grizzled veteran defenseman, Stone. Offense shouldn’t be a problem for the Broncos with Deschamps, Lafond, Lambert and Pelletier. The key will be consistent play in net and the growth of young defensemen around Stone.
Coach’s take: “Right now, we’re working on the fundamentals, technique, compete and keep it simple. Everyone’s in the same boat. Everyone has the same amount of time to get ready, so it’s about getting the basics in place and the fundamentals down. We’re just trying to get the kids to work hard. The [seniors] have been through this before and they know what it’s like and so far our seniors have done a good job.”
CUMBERLAND
Head coach: Mark Andreozzi 2016-17 league record: 2-13-2, Division I
2016-17 league placement: Fourth, Division I-Eccleston. Lost Prout, 2-0, in Division I semifinals.
Returning starters/players: Aidan Cleary, sophomore, center; Manny Cabral, junior forward; John Mello, junior, defense; Alex Thomas, junior, forward; Jackson Shevlin, junior, forward; Keith Sisson, junior, forward; Jack Malloy, senior, forward; Stephen Ciolino, junior, forward; Sean Meers, sophomore, defense.
Key newcomers: Jack Byrne, freshman, goalie; Taylor Ryan, sophomore, defense; Maximus Pelligrini, sophomore, forward; Shea Bessette, freshman, defense; Jake McMillen, freshman, forward; Sam Juntenun, junior, defense; Kole Sisson, freshman, forward; Jordan Cullion, sophomore, forward; Owen Peron, sophomore, goalie.
Outlook: The Clippers’ first week of the new season was almost successful as all of last season, as Cumberland picked up three points from two games to start the new campaign. The breakout star of the opening weekend was Byrne, a talented freshman who was superb in a 5-1 victory over Cranston co-op and kept his team in an overtime loss with Burrillville the following night. The Clippers have plenty of experienced players in front of the freshman, as Meers and Mello form a talented defensive pairing. Offensively, Ciolino, Cabral and Cleary should score plenty of goals this season, while Malloy leads a potent second line. The senior scored three points in the opening weekend, while Ciolino delivered a goal each night.
Coach’s take: “We have to help Jack more than we did this weekend. Our forwards have to come back into our zone. We have to be stronger in our own end. I’m counting on everyone to help. We’re running five [defensemen] and all five need to be ready to play. In this league you can’t rely on one or two guys, you need everyone to win games. All five guys need to know what they’re doing. It’s the same thing for us on offense. You can’t rely on seven or eight guys – it takes nine guys to win games. If nine guys don’t buy in, it’s going to be tough. … We know what level we have to play at to win in this division. I’ll probably be better able to answer that question at the end of the year.”
DIVISION II
LINCOLN/EP CO-OP Head coach: Garrett Riel 2016-17 league record: 512-1, Division II 2016-17 league place
ment: Fourth, Division IINorth. Didn’t make the playoffs. Returning starters/players: Jack Halloran, senior, right wing; Brenden Gannon, senior, defense; Chase Edwards, senior, defense; Colin Feeney, senior, center; Colby Acciardo, sophomore, center; Alex Peters, senior, goalie; Tom McGowan, junior, forward/defense; Kyle Beck, junior, center; Spencer Smith, sophomore, center/RW/LW.
Key newcomers: Kyle Costa, freshman, center/LW/RW; Aidan Forrest, freshman, defense; Kevin Degnan, freshman, forward.
Outlook: Riel has some players out of the lineup for assorted reasons, and he wasn’t thrilled with the fact his Lions looked lackadaisical in a 3-2 Injury Fund victory over PSW on Nov. 26. He nevertheless seemed plenty satisfied after his contingent came out firing on all cylinders and buried Portsmouth, 3-0, in its II-North season opener against Portsmouth on Saturday night … Halloran registered two goals in the latest win and is one of the finest scorers/skaters in the entire state (just ask the Pats). Riel indicated the keeper Peters looked great in practice during the pre-season and even better in the opening shutout … He called Smith, a mere sophomore, a mainstay, despite the fact he’s out for the next couple of weeks with a broken arm. “He played a major role for us last year – the way he moves, carries the puck, and he’s so smart. No matter where he is on the ice, he knows what he’s going to do” … He also loves the “coachability” of a few newcomers, stating Costa is “gritty, great with the puck and has a ton of hockey sense”; Forrest a “terrific stickhandler and shooter”; and Degnan “a kid who can fly, a good headsup player who can find the open man and is tough in the corners.”
Coach’s take: “I think we can be better than last year, the reasons being we’re young, we’ve got four really strong goalies led by Peters, and I’ll also have four playable, competent lines. We’re so much deeper than we were a year ago. That means more energy per shift, which should result in more goals and better, more effective defense. That, in turn, should mean more wins … Our goal is to make the playoffs, to win more games than we lose – and score more than we let up. Last year, our goals-for and goals-against were bad. I think we’ll be better because I’ve seen a better collective attitude. The senior class, we’ve got a bunch of leaders, and we’re much deeper. With the freshmen and sophomores, we have a lot of good hockey players there. We should be much improved.”
NORTH SMITHFIELD
Head coach: Ben Shatraw 2016-17 league record: 216, Division II 2016-17 league place
ment: Sixth, Division IISouth. Didn’t make the playoffs. Returning starters/play
ers: Adam Blakemore, senior, defense; Noah Darveau, senior, defense; Dante Driscoll, senior, forward; Jack Losardo, senior, forward; Jackson Lynch, sophomore, defense; Mitchell Prudhomme, sophomore, defense; Garet Reilly, junior, forward; Chase Tondeau, senior, forward; Jackson Lynch, sophomore, defense.
Key newcomers: Robert Andreoni, sophomore, forward Evan Gravel, freshman, forward; Ethan Cote, freshman, goalie; Peyton Mace, sophomore, defense; Robert Martufi, freshman, forward; Luke Pasquariello, freshman, forward; Forrest Zuba, sophomore, goalie;
Outlook: After winning back-to-back Division II titles, last season was tumultuous for the Northmen, as they went through a pair of coaches and finished the campaign with Shatraw. In his first season as the full-time coach, the NS graduate expects his young team to compete for a playoff spot. The biggest challenge is finding a starting goalie after the graduation of all-division tandem Deven Cote and Sean Murphy. Cote’s younger brother, Ethan, has only played goal for five months, but he’s competing with Zuba for the starting spot. ‘They’re probably going to end up splitting time until the middle of the season when somebody emerges. I think they’re both worthy of some playing time,” Shatraw said. Veterans Blakemore and Darveau form a talented top defensive unit, while Lynch and Mace are sophomores with plenty of blue-line potential. The Northmen’s talented freshman forwards really intrigue Shatraw. Gravel and Pasquariello are joined on a line by Losardo. Another line features Martufi, Nate Lemoine and Prudhomme.
Coach’s take: “I think we’re going to be good. We should be middle of the pack. We’re much improved from last year. I think last season gave a lot of guys experience and in the last few games we switched up the style and getting into varsity games so early is benefiting them now. After last season we decided that we’re going to let that run [back-to-back Division II champions] go and start our own. There’s a lot of pieces that have come up this year that remind me of Kyle [Evangelista], Riley [Boucher] and Noah [Menard] when they first came up. These kids are making some noise early and that’s good for us. From the beginning my expectation is to get into the playoffs. Once you get in, anything can happen.”
PCD/SRA/WHEELER CO-OP
Head coach: Kevin Sullivan 2016-17 league record: 96-3, Division II
2016-17 league placement: Fourth. Division II-North. Lost in Division II quarterfinals to Barrington, 2-0. Returning starters/play
ers: Dennis Gastel, senior, forward; Patrick Coughlin, senior, center; Mike Moreau, senior, defense; Justin Paik, senior, goalie; Owen Sargent, senior, defense/forward; Mike Barone, sophomore, forward; Aidan Beckett, junior, forward; Nolan Carlson, junior, defense Bennett Hicks, sophomore, forward; Cam Yee, junior, forward; Drew Andella, sophomore, defense; Dom Raposa, sophomore, forward.
Key newcomers: Hunter Parker, freshman, defense; Shane McDonough, freshman, forward; Jeff Pimental, freshman, goalie.
Outlook: Sullivan takes over the reins from Gary Leonard, and is both excited and matter-of-fact about what this season may bring. He stated the PSW squad was “decimated” with losses of 12 personnel a year ago, including seven seniors to graduation, and the rest to family moves, transfers, etc. Among his standouts coming back include Gastel and Coughlin, not mention nine others who made either major or minor contributions to the Knights making the playoffs … Yee is back after a campaign representing another non-interscholastic team, as is Raposa, who wasn’t asked to dress in some games last season, but “has improved a ton over the summer, so will be a strong contributor,” Sullivan noted … He calls Parker a “house” at 6-7, a kid with a developing shot who moves well for somebody that tall, and also has the qualities of being strong and coachable. He also claimed he expects big things from McDonough, who “is raw; you can tell he’s a freshman, bu he’s going to be good. His athleticism and energy are through the roof” … He said the same thing about back-up goalie and frosh Jeff Pimental … Due to all of those losses in players from the 2016-17 campaign, including four defensive stalwarts, Sullivan stated he and his staff have converted some forwards to defense to give starting keeper Paik some protection.
Coach’s take: “I don’t think we’re going to have any trouble scoring goals because we have a lot of fast, skilled forwards, but my biggest concern is keeping the puck out of the net, as well as staying healthy. We just don’t have a lot of depth. We had our (D-II crossover) opener against North Kingstown last Saturday at Lynch Arena, and we won it, 1-0. We previously had played our Injury Fund game against Lincoln, and lost, 3-2. There’s so much we have to improve upon, but I saw a lot of improvement in the defensive zone coverage against NK … I have no idea how we’ll do against the league this year, as you never have a good sense of the landscape – who’s going to start fast, who’s going to start slow? I just try to focus on the present, take it one game at a time. I tell the kids only to focus on the process and not to worry about the result, that (the latter) will take care of itself if they keep working hard and their concentration levels up.”
DIVISION III
WOONSOCKET/SCITUATE CO-OP Head coach: David Rivard 2016-17 league record: 13-4-1, Division III 2016-17 league placement: Second, Division III. Lost in the Division III semifinals, 2-1, to Mt. Hope. Returning starters/play
ers: Jared Rivard, senior, forward; Matt Jarret, senior defense; Dylan Klein, junior forward; Steve Durvin, senior, forward; Aidan Pednergast, senior, forward; Evan Pendergast, sophomore, defense; Garrett Rebholz, junior, defense; Blake Roberti, junior, defense; Joe Roy, junior, forward Key newcomers: Nate Beals, freshman, goalie; Gavin Remillard, freshman, forward; Avery Guay, junior forward; Cam Barry, sophomore, forward; Kevin Carney, freshman, forward; Jack Kilduff, freshman, defense; Lucas Riccitelli, sophomore, forward. Outlook: Woonsocket hasn’t won a title of any kind since 1992, but the Villa Novans - with plenty of help from Scituate – have enough talent to challenge reigning DIII champion Pilgrim and Mt. Hope. Even though he’s just a freshman, Beals is Rivard’s unquestioned starting goalie and he delivered a solid performance earlier in the month against Kennebunk, Maine. “It’s not about how many saves he makes, it’s about the timing of his saves. The kid never quits,” Rivard said. Roberti and Rebholz are talented juniors from Scituate, while Jarret is the anchor. Jared Rivard, whose was one of the team’s top scorers last season, is back up front on the first line along with wingers Aidan Pendergast and Barry. The second line features Roy and Riccitelli.
Coach’s take: “I think we have a very good team this year. We have a quality goaltender, three seniors on defense and an overall quick team that sticks together. We have quality building blocks. We still need to find a third offensive line and we need to stay healthy because by the end of last year, we were beat up and we were hurting. We need to get over the hump because Pilgrim and Mt. Hope are going to be huge again. You can never count out West Warwick, but they’re a young team. Those top two teams are going to give us all we can handle and more.”