HSMC ... Here's some MORE coverage!!! Just a quick commentary on my earlier prediction (last June on NECHI's board) on the Lowell seniors causing more "Who the hell is that?" response throughout HockeyEast. As has often been the case, a Lowell senior has shown that the Lowell program knows how to develope players by putting forth a great senior year where their underclassmen years have been merely adequate. Most recent examples are Neil Donovan "97", Brendan Concannon "96", and Dwayne Roloson "94" among many others. This years nominees are Marty Fillion, Mike Nicholishen, Chris Libett and Shannon Basaraba. Now, previous accolades could remove Nicholishen and Fillion from contention. Nicholishen got a lot of respect last year as one of the premier defensemen in the league ... His play so far has certainly solidified that position. Fillion had a good deal of success his sophomore year but last year's average play does put him in a position to make a remarkable improvement. Chris Libett came a long way last year. His defensive talents gradually showed strong development and his skillful puck-handling was starting to show through in game play (watch this kid warming up before a game). So far this year, I'd have to put him in the early lead. He showed great on-ice leadership last weekend and looks to be a great one-two punch for Lowell on the blueline. Its so nice to see him paired with Nicholishen on power plays but for most shifts, he's going to be the top dog out there. If he continues his confident play, the Lowell forwards are going to be getting some great offensive support from this guy. Lastly, is my favorite for this "award" - Shannon Basaraba, who has impressed me from early on in his freshman year when this speedy forward first started flashing by HockeyEast defense's. It would be really nice to see him pot 25 goals this year and score 50+ points. Although, I see him with a touch of the "Craig Janney" syndrome ... pass it even when you have half the net wide open. It was nice to see Shannon get the empty net goal on Friday, a night when I cringed two or three times on chances were he decided to pass instead of shoot. HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.