A number of college prospects were showcased Saturday as #1 in the state and
country Catholic Memorial took on #3 in the state St. John's Prep.
 
Unclaimed Kris Hanson got a hat trick to lead #3 SJP over #1 CM, 4-2.
Hanson, seen later that night at the UNH-Merrimack game regained the lead in
Catholic Conference scoring with the trick as he showed that, although he is
small and does not contain much flash or dash, when he is given the puck near
the net, he will put it in.  Hanson is a sniper on the high school level.
The best players I can compare him to on the college level are Mike Prendergast
of BU and Dan Lupo of NU.  Hanson will not lead any div I college team to a
title by himself, but he will be a good, solid pickup who's goal-scoring could
come in handy on many teams.  He has listed UMass/Amherst, UMass/Lowell, and
UNH as his possible choices (although this, of course, could change).
 
BU-bound CM goalie Tom Noble did not impress in the game.  Although he was not
bad (allowing 3 goals - the 4th was empty net), he did not come up big like
you would expect a future div I goalie to do on the high school level.  It is
possible that he has been hurt by the fact that CM has been so good this year
that Noble has not been challenged yet.  It takes pressure and lots of shots to
make a goaltender great.
 
BU-bound CM forward Mike Sylvia was able to score a beautiful short-handed goal
in the first period, shaking and baking to fake everyone out.  He showed again
that he has the skill.  Sylvia also turned the puck over in a few crucial
situations in the third, one leading to a goal by St. John's, proving that,
although talented, he is also 17-18 years old and very human.
 
BU-bound CM defenseman Jeff Kealty played well, showing remarkable speed for
a 6-2 defenseman.  Although he has not performed well in summer all-star
tournaments, he continues to impress in tough games against tough opposing
forwards.
 
Unclaimed CM forward Nolan played remarkably well in the game, playing hard-
nosed hockey, hitting well and hanging tough in front of the net.  Although
he is no Keith Tkachuk or Keven Stevens, he could be a good pick-up for any
lower-half team in div I or, if he preps a year, could be a big recruit in
another year.
 
Although I was unable to pick out a specific individual, St. John's defensemen
played remarkably well around their own net.  Their goalie never impressed me
in the game, and CM controlled most of the play, so the team play of St. John's
D stood out as quite good.
 
Look for these two teams in the state final in Boston Garden in a month.
 
 
Tony  BU'92'93
Former Ogre