The myriad of college coaches that converged on Saint Anselm College’s Sullivan Arena on Sunday to watch the three prep school hockey championship games were treated to great games.
Senior Andranik Armstrong scored twice for Kimball Union as the Wildcats repeated as champions of the Stuart/Corkery Elite 8. KUA’s 3-2 win over Salisbury was the only contest that didn’t go to overtime, but it was packed with excitement.
Brunswick blew a 3-1 lead in the third period, but rebounded in overtime to squeak past Thayer, 4-3, and win the Martin/Earl Large School Tournament.
Lawrence Academy defeated New Hampton, 5-4, in overtime to capture the Piatelli/Simmons Small School Tournament. RPI commit Gunnar Fontaine lit the lamp twice, including on the game-winner.
While many of the high-end players are already committed, there were several uncommitted prospects who stood out Sunday. Here’s a look at an uncommitted player on each team who stood on Sunday:
Tyler Young
#9 Lawrence Academy, Soph., RW, 5/9/01, Shoots Right, 6-0/160
Young has really popped in his sophomore year at Lawrence Academy after moving over from St. Mark’s. The Lancaster, Mass., native has good speed and can create offense. His goal on Sunday was a good indication of that. He burst down the left side and took it on net for a nice individual effort. At least one top tier Hockey East school is closely tracking him.
Cooper Moore
#4 Brunswick, Jr., D, 2/16/01, Shoots Left, 6-1/170
The Rye, N.Y., native really stood out in his team’s win over Thayer. During the fall season he showed he has the physical tools to compete at the next level, but he ran around a lot and wasn’t always effective. On Sunday, he was solid and showed an upward trajectory in his game. He has the size and he can skate. He’ll activate into the offense, but he can also defend with a strong stick and closing speed. A few schools across several conferences have serious interest.
Jake Flynn
#4 Thayer, Jr., D, 5/26/01, Shoots Right, 6-0/172
Flynn was better in Saturday’s semifinal than he was on Sunday in the loss to Brunswick, but he’s been impressive over the past month. He’s a good skater who can walk the blue line to get shots on net and side-step forecheckers to escape trouble and break pucks out. There’s a few Hockey East programs tracking his progress.
Matt Holmes
#16 Salisbury, Sr., LW, 2/22/99, Shoots Left, 6-2/190
Holmes has the size and skating ability to get into position to score goals. His physical tools are very intriguing. He’s yet to put it all together as he’ll be lights out in some games and then a little underwhelming in other games. He’s a power forward whose finishing skills need to continue to get better. After a year or two of junior hockey, he should be a very nice late addition for a Hockey East or ECAC Hockey program.
Andranik Armstrong
#21 Kimball Union, Sr., C, 5/1/99, Shoots Left, 5-9/190
Armstrong continues to prove people, including this observer, wrong. He’s undersized, but he plays heavy. Both of his goals on Sunday were directly the result of going straight to the net. One was a tip and one was a rebound. He’s quick and can separate from defenders. His progression at KUA has been remarkable. He made a few nice passes out front from behind the net after winning battles. Some coaches are higher on him than others, but expect a commitment shortly.
Joe Dunlap
#21 New Hampton, Jr., RW, 11/30/99, Shoots Right, 6-0/170
Dunlap’s speed and hands were evident in the Huskie’s game against Lawrence. He made a couple of nice moves, showing off his shiftiness and deking defenders to get shots on goal. He’s likely an Atlantic Hockey type player, but as a late ’99, he still has time to develop further.
