RAYNHAM, Mass. — For the second day in a row, the Islanders Hockey Club won a USPHL NCDC game by three goals. On Wednesday, Tim Kyrkostas’ team downed Boston Advantage by a score of 4-1 at Raynham IcePlex.
The game was attended by a handful of NHL amateur scouts and Division 3 college coaches. The NHL scouts were there to watch Islanders Hockey Club center Johan Rosenquist and left wing Logan Morrell.
Most of the damage was done by the line featuring Morrell, center Ryan Murphy and right wing Aidan Coupe. Leading the way with two goals and an assist was Coupe, while Murphy had a goal and two assists. Morrell had an assist. Defenseman Cam Berube had a goal and an assist and center Max Cocchi had two helpers.
Morrell, an ’03 from Phoenix Junior Coyotes, wasn’t quite as good as he was a day before against South Shore Kings. Still, he did a couple of good things to get noticed. He blocks shots, including one during a shorthanded situation that led to a good chance on the kill. He delivered a huge open ice hit in the third and showed his ability to be heavy on pucks. Morrell might not be as flashy as some of the local ’03s on NHL Central Scouting, but I think he has more substance to his game than most of them.
Rosenquist is big and hard to knock off pucks. He didn’t do a lot to impress in this game. I’m not trying to be negative, as I still believe he has the tools to play Division 1. I just saw some things in this gae that make me think he needs to continue working on his vision offensively and his skating.
Murphy is an interesting prospect, as he comes from Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., but he never played big-time hockey during his Midget years. An ’02, he played high school hockey and for Michigan Hockey Advancement during the 2019-20 season. He’s an above-average skater and has a good stick.
It’s worth noting the Islanders’ third line that featured three former MIAA stars. Left wing Michael Tersoni (Framingham), Cocchi (Pope Francis) at center and Jon Tavella (Pope Francis) at right wing were all positive players in the game. I think all are Division 3 caliber, but good recruits for programs at that level. Once again, Tersoni showed a gritty element. He was physical and got under the skin of an opponent to draw a penalty. Cocchi had the two assists with his quickness and shiftiness. Tavella works hard and won a lot of battles for loose pucks.
The lone goal scored by Boston Advantage came from ’02 left wing Tony Achille. Coaches often will talk about players being rewarded for their hard work. That was the case for Achille on Wednesday. The Hingham, Mass., native was the most noticeable player for Joe Lovell’s squad. His compete and forecheck pressure led to a shorthanded goal. Throughout the game, he did a good job hunting pucks and he kept his feet moving. Achille looks to have put on some muscle and maybe added an inch to his frame over the offseason. He rang a shot off the post while driving down the left wing on another sequence. Other players on the Boston Advantage line chart had Division 1 logos or are bigger names, but Achille was the most impactful in this game. Achille likely is never going to be a pro prospect, but Atlantic Hockey schools should be keeping an eye on him.
One other intriguing player on Boston Advantage who is a new name for most in the New England hockey scene is ’03 defenseman Trevor Taulien. From Crystal Lake, Ill., Taulien played Bantam hockey for Team Illinois before playing Midget the past two for Milwaukee Junior Admirals. He’s a big, physical defenseman who displayed his mean streak on a few occasions this game. He cleared out forwards from in front of his own net and made a couple of other big hits throughout the game. Taulien showed a willingness to jump into the rush. His boots are a little heavy and he’ll have to improve his skating, especially his first two steps. Regardless, he’s a player that I’ll be watching closely going forward.
