Mount U14 improving
The Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy U14 team posted a 5-1 victory over No. 7 Buffalo Jr. Sabres Friday night at Adelard.
WOONSOCKET — Through the first month of the season it looked like the Mount St. Charles Hockey Academy U14 team was going to lag behind the Mounties’ other three age-group teams in its first season.
While the U18, U16 and U15 teams were ranked in the top 10 in the MyHockeyRankings.com national rankings, the U14 squad languished in the middle of the pack after a slow start that included losing its first three games of the season in late August.
“We had a slow start and we underachieved to start the year, which is fine,” Mount coach Frank O’Connor said. “We just used it as a chip. We don’t care about the rankings, but we look at is as a chip. We know how good we can be as a team, and I think we sure showed that tonight.”
After winning two of its three games last weekend in the Beast playoffs, the Mounties opened the Northeast Pack Showcase Friday night against a Buffalo Jr. Sabres team that was not only ranked seventh in the country, but had allowed just eight goals during a seven-game winning streak.
The Jr. Sabres needed just 11 seconds to open the scoring, but after that early mistake, the Mounties played their best hockey of the season. Talented forward Jake Gutwirth scored a pair of goals, while skilled freshman defenseman Trevor Strauss added four assists in an emphatic 5-1 victory at Adelard Arena.
“Sometimes giving up that early goal is the best thing for a team because we came back with a purpose,” said O’Connor. “It’s not about getting too high or too low, it’s about being evenkeeled for 45 minutes. That’s what we did. It’s as simple as that.”
While the coaches of the other three Mount teams – U18 coach Matt Plate, U16 coach Devin Rask and U15 coach Scott Gainey – all made the jump from South Kent to start Mount’s Hockey Academy, O’Connor is new to the fold. The 30-yearold was a standout player at Arlington Catholic and was on the team that lost to Catholic Memorial, 3-1, in the 2005 Super 8 final.
O’Connor said he first met Plante and Rask while he was a coach and director of recruiting for the New Hampshire-based Northern Cyclones. O’Connor said he enjoys coaching kids who are just entering high school because it gives him more of an opportunity to mold their habits and skills.
“We just built a relationship through competing in their events and they called me and asked me if I wanted to be a part of this,” O’Connor said. “I like working with the younger guys because I get to see the benefit of them growing. They’re raw, so you can mold their hockey IQ and their skill set. Hopefully, you help them mature into young adults.”
While there’s plenty of Ocean State talent on the U14 team, including Cumberland’s Kolin Sisson and North Kingstown’s Pat Murphy, Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Gutwirth has been a big reason for the team’s turnaround starting in October. The speedy forward scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal early in the second period and added another power-play goal early in the third period.
“We toured Mount early in the year and I knew this was the place for me to be,” Gutwirth said. “The coaches are all awesome and you have the resources to advance to the level you want to get, whether that’s college or juniors. For us, our improvement has all been about coaching. We’re working hard in practices that are all high energy. That is what makes you better.”
Mount St. Charles (20-92) has no time to enjoy the victory because the Mounties are back at Adelard Arena for a pair of Northeast Pack contests Saturday at Adelard. They will take on the No. 22 North Jersey Avalanche at 11 a.m. and then the No. 16 Pittsburgh Penguins Elite at 6 p.m.
The Jr. Sabres, who have former NHL star Brian Gionta on the coaching staff, needed just 11 seconds to put a shot past goalie Owen Watson (25 saves) as Sam-Luca Thifault scored following good work from linemate Parker Wojciechowski.
Cam Henderson answered the goal at 7:49 after he flew the zone and was spotted by Strauss. The forward walked in and ripped a wrist shot into the net.
The turning point came late in the opening period when the Mounties were called for a major penalty. The home side killed off the penalty and took the lead with a power-play goal by Gutwirth, who used his speed to skate around a defenseman before slotting the puck into the vacated net after the goalie attempted to poke check the puck.
“I really liked the first one because I beat the guy with speed,” Gutwirth said. “I just went the other way when the goalie came out at me.”
The Mounties earned a five-minute power play early in the third period and, unlike the Jr. Sabres, they made it hurt. In the span of 2 minutes, 46 seconds, Gutwirth, Ansen Walewander and Antonio Lombari all scored goals. Strauss earned assists on two of the finishes.
“The key to the power play was just confidence because we were really moving the puck,” O’Connor said. “We got to dirty areas because none of the goals were pretty, they were all right in front of the net and they banged it home. The kids just wanted it more tonight. I love the potential of this group. We have an unbelievable mix with our speed and skill. You saw our toughness tonight.”