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Former Malden Catholic and Kimball Union Academy hockey standout Nick Roberto has switched his commitment to Boston University, after de-committing from Maine in the recent weeks. He will join the Terriers for the 2013-14 season.

Roberto, a Wakefield, Mass. resident, tallied 23 goals and 48 points in 29 games for the Wildcats last season.

"Nick has worked very hard to attain this goal," KUA head coach Mike Levine said Monday. "The KUA community is very happy for both him and his family."

Roberto played the previous three seasons with Malden Catholic, where he was a part of the Lancers' Super 8 championship team in 2010-11, before enrolling at Kimball Union. He also was part of the Wildcats' Piatelli/Simmons Tournament victory in 2011-12 and was named Flood-Marr Tournament Most Valuable Player in 2012.

He joins former KUA teammates Doyle Somerby and John Macleod as BU commits and becomes the seventh player with Massachusetts roots joining the Terriers next year, including Robbie Baillargeon, Brendan Collier (former MC teammate), Tommy Kelley, Dalton MacAfee, T.J. Ryan and Somerby.

Roberto's change in commitment was first reported by Jasper Kozak-Miller of the "Over the Boards" hockey blog.

St. John's Prep hockey junior forward Jack McCarthy announced his verbal commitment to Brown University Thursday afternoon via his Twitter account.

McCarthy, who posted 10 goals (tied for second) for 16 points in 24 games for the Catholic Conference champion Eagles, becomes the second Prep skater this academic year to give a commitment to Bears, joining fellow junior forward Tyler Bird.

"Committed to Brown University. Thanks to everyone who helped me over the years!" McCarthy wrote in his Tweet, announcing his decision.

It is unknown which year McCarthy, a Wakefield resident, will join the Bears.

The NHL Central Scouting service released its final rankings of North American skaters and goaltenders ahead of the NHL Draft Wednesday morning.

Former Malden Catholic standout and Valley Junior Warriors (EJHL) product Ryan Fitzgerald leads the New England skaters, checking in at No. 56.

Here's the list of skaters with local ties who made the cut:

(The full list can be found here):

SKATERS:
56. C Ryan Fitzgerald, Valley Junior Warriors (EJHL - Malden Catholic, North Reading), Previous Ranking - 46
60. LW Zach Sanford, Islanders (EJHL - Pinkerton Academy, Auburn, N.H.), Previous Ranking - 83
75. D Anthony Florentino, South Kent School, Previous Ranking - 79
94. C Nick Huthinson, Avon Old Farms, Previous Ranking - 133
97. LW/C Jason Salvaggio, South Kent School, Previous Ranking - 90
104. D Wiley Sherman, Hotchkiss School, Previous Ranking - 125
109. C Brian Pinho, St. John's Prep, Previous Ranking - 117
138. LW Miles Wood, Noble and Greenough, Previous Ranking - 163
169. D Ryan Segalla, Salisbury School, Previous Ranking - 136
182. C John Stevens, Salisbury School, Previous Ranking - 162
185. D Connor Light, Phillips Andover, Previous Ranking - 178
186. RW Ross Olsson, Cedar Rapids (USHL - Billerica Memorial), Previous Ranking - 121
187. LW Tyler Hill, Chicago (USHL - Hotchkiss), Previous Ranking - 85
195. C Daniel LaFontaine, Avon Old Farms, Previous Ranking - 172
198. D Quin Pompi, Berkshire, Previous Ranking - 160
201. RW Thomas Aldworth, Cushing Academy, Previous Ranking - Unranked
206. D Tyler Wood, Noble and Greenough, Previous Ranking - 197

GOALTENDERS:
15. Shane Starrett, South Kent School (Catholic Memorial), Previous Ranking - 35
26. Merrick Madsen, Proctor Academy, Previous Ranking - 34

New Hampton (N.H.) School today announced the hiring of Pinkerton Academy's Casey Kesselring as its new head boys ice hockey coach. Director of Communications Will McCulloch sends along the following release:

NEW HAMPTON, NH. -– A familiar face in the New England hockey world will bring his expertise to Lindsay Arena and the tradition-rich men’s ice hockey program at New Hampton School next season. The School announced on Friday that Casey Kesselring will be the next Head Men’s Ice Hockey Coach for the Huskies. Kesselring will replace four-year head coach Matt Wright, who led the Huskies to a NEPSAC title game in 2011.

A former standout Division-I and professional player, Kesselring has been the Head Coach of the Pinkerton Academy (Derry, New Hampshire) hockey team for the last 10 years. He built Pinkerton’s program into a public school power during his tenure, winning state titles in 2009 and 2012.

“We are extremely lucky to get someone like Casey here at New Hampton School,” Director of Athletics Jamie Arsenault said. “With his knowledge of the game, passion for kids, ties in the hockey community, and enthusiasm for helping young men grow on and off the ice, he’s an ideal fit for New Hampton School. I believe he can help the program achieve great success and create wonderful opportunities for our student-athletes.”

Kesselring has a knack for developing players. As a club director, he has worked with 20 players currently competing in college hockey. At Pinkerton, he has coached standout players including former Hockey East Player of the Year Paul Thompson (UNH), 2013 NHL Draft prospect Zach Sanford (Junior Islanders), and JD Dudek (Boston College commit). Kesselring was named the New Hampshire Coach of the Year in 2005 and the Hockey Night In Boston Coach of the Year in 2009.

“This is a chance to move to a higher level of hockey and put more kids into the college game,” Kesselring said, “I want to build on the tradition here and put my stamp on it. This is a great opportunity for my family to move up here and be a part of community that has great academics and athletics. It made it a good match. I’m looking forward to working with the student-athletes at New Hampton.”

Kesselring is known for producing fundamentally sound players. He thinks players at New Hampton will embrace his coaching style.

“I have certain systems I like to play, but I like to adapt the system to the personnel,” said Kesselring. “I like to have an open door policy with my players. When you get on the ice, we’re very focused. When you’re off the ice, I want to be approachable. I like building relationships with the players.”

Kesselring is a fixture in Southern New Hampshire hockey as the owner and operator the New Hampshire Knights, a program of elite spring tournament teams. He is also the Director of the New Hampshire Avalanche, one of the top youth programs in New England.

A former standout at Merrimack College, Kesselring is fourth on the School’s all-time Division-I scoring list. He was a part of the Hockey East All-Rookie team in 1995, his team’s leading scorer in 1997, an assistant captain in 1998, and a Hockey East All Star as a senior.

A native of Kitchener Ontario, Kesselring played his junior hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox SK before earning a full hockey scholarship to Merrimack. After signing with the Calgary Flames, he spent the next five years playing minor league professional hockey in the ECHL and AHL. In his rookie season, he made the ECHL All-Star Team.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced its recipients in each sport for its Coach of the Year awards. Each coach will be recognized at the third annual MIAA Coach of the Year/Student-­Athlete of the Month banquet on Wednesday, May 29.

Below are the winners:

Chris Gould, Amherst - Boys' Outdoor Track
Robert L'Homme, Bishop Feehan - Girls' Cross Country
Thomas Rivet, Chicopee - Boys Soccer
Donald Savi, Dedham - Girls Soccer
Chris Sweet, Duxbury - Boys Lacrosse
Friend Weiler, Duxbury - Girls Ice Hockey
Kirk Fredericks, LincolnSudbury - Baseball
Alyssa Schatzel, Masconomet - Girls Volleyball
Brenda Sullivan, Maynard - Field Hockey
Michael Kirby, Narragansett - Softball
Robert Ryan, New Bedford - Boys Tennis
Wayne Griffin, North Attleborough - Wrestling
Paul Worth, North Shore Tech - Football
Jose Rocha, Peabody - Boys' Cross Country
Shawn Thornton, Pope John XXIII - Girls Basketball
Jeff Nelson, Reading - Boys' Golf
Mark Pierce, St. Bernard's - Boys Basketball

ALLSTON, Mass. -- The defending Division 1 and Division 2 state champions of MIAA boys' lacrosse had a long day Saturday morning in a double-header against out-of-state powers at Harvard.

Duxbury went down in a 10-1 defeat to one of the best public school programs in the country in Garden City (N.Y.). Meanwhile, Mercer Island (Wash.) continued its tour of the Northeast -- having lost an 8-4 decision to Duxbury on Tuesday -- with a 7-2 victory over reigning Div. 2 champion Concord-Carlisle.

While there weren't many highlights to go around for the local sides, here are a couple of parting thoughts from today's action:

PLUSSES TO THE MINUSES
Concord-Carlisle (2-1) were largely done in by a string of four Mercer Island goals in roughly five minutes to start the game. While it immediately put the Patriots behind the 8-ball, head coach Tom Dalicandro was

"We played pretty even after that, but we just couldn't recover from that start," Dalicandro said. "I thought the play after that was pretty even."

The bright spot for C-C was its man-up unit, which produced both goals. The Patriots also got a lift from their goal-scorers -- senior attack Tim Badgely and sophomore midfielder Will Blumenberg. Both players are coming up to game-speed after out-of-season injuries.

Aside from the goal-scoring boost, Dalicandro has been pleased by the progress of the two players, who carry a heavy height if the Patriots hope to capture their fifth state title in a repeat.

"They're ahead of where I thought they'd be at this time of the year, which is a good thing," Dalicandro added.

'EYE ON JUNE'
After registering a neat and tidy win while playing host to Mercer Island, Duxbury was simply overmatched by Garden City -- a team Dragons head coach Chris Sweet affirmed as one of the nation's best.

While the Trojans stifling defense afforded Duxbury few clean looks at the cage, holding the Dragons scoreless until inside the five-minute mark of the fourth quarter, Sweet felt his team didn't do themselves any favors either.

"We didn't hit our shots. We certainly got outplayed in a lot of phases of the game, but I like the way our guys played."

Junior attack Tanner Williams broke up Garden City's shutout bid off a feed from James Higgins working behind the cage.

Sweet emphasized the ability for his team to learn their weaknesses facing such competition.

"We schedule this game for the sole purpose of having our eye on June," Sweet said. "We'd like to win a game like this, but trust me we got a lot of game out of this that'll make us a much better team going forward.

"You can't find what your weaknesses are when you're winning fourteen to one."

Beverly field hockey junior midfielder Nicole Woods has committed to Louisville, Panthers athletic director James Coffey says.

Named team captain as a sophomore, Woods tallied 11 goals and 21 assists last season while being named a Northeast Conference All-Star for the third straight year. The Salem News Player of the year also participated in the United State Field Hockey Festival last November in Florida.

Woods is a three-sport standout for the Panthers and was an Honorable Mention selection on ESPN Boston's MIAA girls' hockey All-State Team, playing for the Beverly/Danvers co-op squad, in addition to playing lacrosse in the spring.

Recently named ESPN Boston's Mr. Hockey, Malden Catholic sophomore center Ara Nazarian has given a verbal commitment to the University of New Hampshire.

Nazarian, a Boxford resident, helped the Lancers to their third straight Super 8 title, after a dazzling run with nine goals and five assists in tournament play, including four short-handed goals. He tallied 26 goals and 22 assists for 48 points during the regular season.

"I am thrilled for Ara," Lancers head coach John McLean said. "He really came into his own this season and showed everyone his outstanding on-ice ability.

"We are proud and honored to add Ara to a long list of many who have achieved both academically and athletically here at Malden Catholic."

The date of Nazarian's arrival in Durham was unknown, but last year was selected by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the sixth round of the United States Hockey League Futures Draft.

Nazarian becomes the fourth Hockey East commit on the Lancers' roster last year, joining linemates Mike Iovanna (UMass-Amherst) and Tyler Sifferlen (UMass-Lowell) and defenseman Casey Fitzgerald (Boston College).

FIRST LINE
F - Alison Butler, Sr., St. Mary's
This year's ESPN Boston Miss Hockey award winner, Butler captained the Spartans to their fourth Division 1 state title, scoring the game-winning goal against Arlington Catholic at the Garden. The St. Anselm's commit was third in Division 1 in scoring with 37-25-62 totals. It is her second ESPN Boston All-State nomination.
F - Hannah Murphy, Sr., Duxbury
The fulcrum to Duxbury''s run of three straight Division 2 state championships. Murphy, a three-sport athlete, finished fifth among all Division 2 scorers, putting up 29-24-53 totals. Murphy will play lacrosse at UMass-Amherst.
F - Kayla Smith, Sr., Woburn
One of the most talented pure scorers in the state, Smith finished second in Division 1 across the state in scoring with 34 goals and 24 assists for 63 points. The three-time ESPN Boston All-Stater will continue her hockey career at Salve Regina.
D - Cassandra Connolly, Sr., Woburn
The repeat ESPN Boston All-Stater finished fourth on the Tanners in points (2-15-17) while helping goaltender Courtney Davis notch seven shutouts on the season. Connolly will continue her playing career at the University of New England next year.
D - Hannah Wright, Sr., Arlington
A shut-down, physical blue-liner, Wright also finished tied for fourth on the Spy Ponders with 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists). She will attend Castleton State College next year where she will play hockey.
G - Shannon O'Neil, Sr., Austin Prep
Pitched a remarkable 10 shutouts on the season, along with a dazzling 96.8 save percentage. O'Neil, a Franklin Pierce commit, was also among the statewide leaders in goals against average with a 1.08 marka.
SECOND LINE
F - Kaleigh Finigan, Sr., St. Mary's
Despite missing time with an injury, Finigan still managed to finish second on the Spartans in scoring - following Alison Butler— with 17-28-45 totals. The Medford resident is also a standout on St. Mary's softball team.
F - Jane Freda, Sr., Hingham
A two-time ESPN Boston All-State selection, the Harborwomen captain finished among the Top 10 scorers in the state, tallying 31 goals to go along with 16 assists.
F - Ashley Moran, Jr., Woburn
The rangy winger made great strides this season, finishing among the Top 10 scorers in the state, posting 25 goals and 31 assists.
D - Brooke Matherson, Jr., Walpole
The blue-liner led the Rebels in scoring this year with 33 points points and her 24 goals were also a team-best. Matherson is also a standout player on Walpole's field hockey team.

D - Annie Messuri, Jr., Acton-Boxborough
Messuri was named the DCL/MVC Large division Most Valuable Player this year after posting 13-17-30 totals.
G - Courtney Davis, Jr., Woburn
Led the Tanners to an undefeated regular season while registering seven shutouts. The three-year starter registered a 92.1 save percentage while posting a 1.35 goals against average.

BEST OF THE REST - HONORABLE MENTION
Forwards
Carolyn Avery, Sr., Lexington
Megan Barrett, Frosh., Acton-Boxborough
Christie Caliendo, Sr., Billerica
Leah Cardarelli, Soph., Acton-Boxborough
Molly Connolly, Sr., Wellesley
Amanda Conway, Soph., Tewksbury/Methuen
Gabby Crugnale, Sr., St. Mary's
Jackie Denning, Sr., Lexington
Cecily Docktor, Soph., Wellesley
Kara Donati, Sr., Winthrop/Lynn
Erin Dwyer, Sr., Archbishop Williams
Marissa Fichter, Soph., Duxbury
Ela Hazar, Jr., Westwood
Shannon Hickey, Sr., Arlington
Emily Kelly, Jr., Norwood
Olivia Konaxis, Sr., Beverly/Danvers
Brittani Lanzilli, Jr., Medford
Maggie Layo, Jr., Sandwich
Sara Lehman, Sr., Lexington
Emily Lissner, Jr., Woburn
Kim Lizotte, Sr., Westford Academy
Emily Loprete, Soph., Watertown/Melrose
Meaghan McKenna, Sr., Canton
Rachel Moore, Soph., Falmouth
Ali O'Leary, Frosh., Reading
Adrieana Rossini, Soph., Arlington Catholic
Nicole Woods, Jr., Beverly/Danvers

Defense
Allison Cunningham, Soph., Arlington Catholic
Tatiana Doucette, Jr., St. Mary's
Erin Ferrara, Sr., Fontbonne Academy
Hannah Ghelfi, Soph., Falmouth
Alexandria Gong, Sr., Hingham
Ally Hammel, Jr., Duxbury
Melissa Richard, Sr., Arlington Catholic
Caroline Seibold, Frosh., Reading

Goalies
Megan Messuri, Jr., Arlington Catholic
Rachel Myette, Jr., Duxbury
Madison Scavotto, So., Falmouth
Lauren Skinnion, Jr., St. Mary's

Coach of the Year
Frank Pagliuca, St. Mary's (Lynn)
While piloting to the Spartans to four Division 1 state championships, perhaps Pagliuca's finest job behind the bench came this year, as St. Mary's knocked off Catholic Central rival Arlington Catholic in a rematch of the 2012 title game.

Finalists:
Todd Fletcher, Westford Academy
Michael Golden, Reading
Friend Weiler, Duxbury

The middle of a recent school board meeting turned into a gripe session about the Winslow athletic director.

In early March, Travis Lazarczyk of the Morning Sentinel wrote a column about the situation of Johnny Lagasse, a sophomore wrestler at Winslow, who was seeded second in his class but did not compete at the regional or state meets. According to Lazarczyk's column, Lagasse was reported as failing an English class taught by Mark Pelletier, which would have made Lagasse ineligible to compete.

“Johnny emailed his English teacher, Mark Pelletier,” Lazarczyk wrote. “On Friday afternoon, Pelletier double-checked the grade. Pelletier said he found a calculation error that caused not just Lagasse, but the entire class, to receive a failing grade.”

When wrestling coach Kevin Fredette was not notified in time, Lagasse was ineligible for regionals, which made him ineligible for states. Lazarczyk wrote that because the school had an in-service day, Lagasse could not go directly to athletic director Carrie Larrabee to fix the mistake.

“Even so, Larrabee and Pelletier were both at Winslow High School that day,” Lazarczyk wrote. “After hearing from the Lagasse family, Larrabee could have gone to Pelletier's classroom to double check the grade.”

The last year has been tumultuous for Winslow athletics. Last spring, girls basketball coach Tom Nadeau resigned suddenly after compiling a 76-40 record over six seasons.

“Maybe, under different circumstances, I might not have stepped down,” Nadeau told the Sentinel. “Without getting into a lot of detail, I think there comes a time when one knows it's time to move on, and I think that time has come for me.”

Just two weeks later, Winslow softball coach Steve Blood resigned in preseason. Blood had won three state titles over three different coaching stints. In an interview with the Sentinel, Blood cited numerous complaints, including the administration not doing enough to field a junior varsity team that spring. Blood also said the school rarely had buses ready on time for road games, and that he felt compelled to mow the outfield himself three times the previous season.

On the other hand, Larrabee's recent hires have been well-received. She hired Lindsey Welch to replace Nadeau, and Welch was named Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B Coach of the Year. Jared Browne led Winslow to the Eastern B tournament this season, and new softball coach Steve Bodge, who stepped in just before preseason, is a well-liked coach with experience.

This winter, boys’ hockey assistant coach Andrew Cyr was removed from his job for reasons that have not been made public. Cyr's supporter's started an online petition, and the page “Save Mr. Cyr” on Facebook has nearly 800 “likes” (Winslow High School currently has less than 500 students).

A post on the page asked Cyr's supporters to come to a Winslow school board meeting in late March. More than an hour into the meeting, the board members tried to go into executive session to discuss another matter. A few dozen people who had come to support Cyr began yelling that they needed to be heard. When Superintendent Eric Haley and a board member explained that they couldn't discuss Cyr because he wasn't present and hadn't asked for a discussion, the crowd turned on Larrabee, who was at the meeting.

Residents brought up the Johnny Lagasse situation, and Haley apologized for it. As residents criticized Larrabee, saying among other things that the school should investigate whether she is pulling her weight, Haley did not show any signs of agreeing with the residents or defending Larrabee, who was in the audience.

BANGOR'S SANDERSON WINS TRAVIS ROY AWARD
Bangor forward Parker Sanderson won the Travis Roy Award, given annually to the top Class A senior player in the state. Sanderson had 25 goals and 26 assists this season, leading the Rams to the Eastern A final.

Sanderson is the first Bangor player to win the award since it was instituted in 1996. The other finalists were Scarborough's Nick Bagley, Grant Carrier of St. Dominic, and Cam McLain of Cheverus.

The best line of the day came from Carrier, a goalie at St. Dom's. The Lewiston Sun Journal reported that Carrier, in thanking his parents during his speech, said, “For those who don't know, St. Dom's tuition is not chump change, no matter who you are, and a set of new goalie equipment can be equal to the price of a used car.”

DOUBLE DUTY FOR MESSALONSKEE COACH
Tom Sheridan is preparing for another season as the Messalonskee boys' lacrosse coach. That's not unusual – he's in his 19th year. What is unusual is that he's also coaching the University of Maine at Farmington men's lacrosse team, which began its regular season two weeks before Messalonskee's first practice of the spring.

Sheridan is officially UMF's interim coach. He said there was one conflict where he would have had to be at two games at the same time, but that UMF changed that game.

“That's my life,” Sheridan joked to the Morning Sentinel. “I'm a three-season coach. Now I coach four teams.”

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Earlier this week, Alison Butler was honored as ESPNBoston.com's Miss Hockey, an award that recognizes the top female high school hockey player in the state. On Saturday, the St. Mary's of Lynn star suited up for the final time as a high schooler, taking part in the inaugural Aleppo Shriners MSHCA High School All-Star Classic.

As she has done throughout her tenure at St. Mary's, which included a Division 1 MIAA state championship a couple of weeks back, Butler, yet again, put her pure offensive talents on display as she scored a pair of goals to help lead the North All-Stars to a 4-2 victory over the South All-Stars at the DCU Center.

"I hadn't skated in nearly two weeks so it took a couple of shifts to get my hockey legs back," said Butler, who now set her sights on playing for St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. next season.

Butler scored the lone goal in the opening period _ a hard wrist shot from the low right slot that slipped underneath the catching glove of South goaltender Mimi Borkan (Medfield) coming with only seven seconds left. She would add her second tally during the final minute of the second period, tipping in a rebound past Braintree netminder Rachael Brazil which would stake the North squad out to a 3-1 advantage.

"It's kind of sad that (high school hockey) is over for me," said Butler. "I wish I could play another year because it has been a lot of fun but I also can't wait to go to St. Anselm. I'm excited the way things have gone for me (at St. Mary's). My hard worked has paid off."

It was looking as though the opening period would result in a scoreless standstill. But with time ticking down, Butler, with the puck on her stick, was left all alone coming down the right side. Seeing her opportunity, Butler ripped a shot past Borkan giving her squad the early lead.

"Alison is such a great player," said North head coach Amanda Ciarletta, who is also coaches the Lexington High girls team. "I don't have the privilege of coaching her over the season but she hustles all the time, is fast and makes smart plays. It was fun being able to coach her today."

Just 1:11 into the middle period Westford Academy's Kim Lizotte would extend the North advantage to two goals after gaining control of a loose puck inside the South crease and sticking it into the back of the net.

Throughout the early portion of this contest, the South team was having its fair share of difficulty trying to generate much offense. That would change, however, at 7:28 of the second period after Duxbury's Hannah Murphy flew down the right halfboard and
blasted a shot from 25 feet out that snuck underneath the cross bar making it a 2-1 game.

"This was a fun event for everyone," said South and Franklin High head coach Margie Burke. "A lot of these girls have played against one another in high school and club teams so it is great for them to comeback and play together on one team. It's an all-star game and it's all about having fun."

North was able to cling to its one-goal lead until Butler netted her second score seven minutes later.

The final period became an old-fashioned offensive shootout with each team getting quality chances on net. Falmouth High product Alexa Scribner managed to inch her club closer by putting back a rebound score coming at 4:07 which made it 3-2.

Hoping to sieze momentum off of that goal, South spent the remaining minutes of the period working feverishly in attempting to notch the equalizer. But such hopes were cast aside after Lexington's Sara Lehman broke into the South zone, skating past two defenseman and beating Duxbury netminder Rachel Myette with a pretty backhand goal at 8:12 which gave North back its two-goal cushion and the victory.

"That's a typical Sara Lehman goal," Ciarletta said. "She one of my players on my team at Lexington and it's always great to see her hands working and moving the puck. Today she got the goalie beat which was great. She practices those kinds of plays all the time in practice. I'm really happy she was able to get a goal for us, especially on a play like that."

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Several times during Saturday’s Fourth Annual Aleppo Shriners MSHCA High School Classic, South All-Star head coach Chris Ross commented to his assistant coaches Karl Infanger (Natick) and Derek Harrington (Medway) how amazing it was to be able to coach so many talented hockey players in one setting.

Ross was right. The level of talent he had at is disposal was eye-popping and certainly lived up to its billing inside the DCU Center.

Catholic Memorial’s Liam Coughlin, Natick’s Matt Kustra and Barnstable’s Max Wilman each netted a pair of goals in leading South to a 9-2 demolition of the North All-Stars.

“All of us coaches were remarking on the bench about the amount of great talent that was out there on the ice today,” said Ross, who serves as head coach at Medway High. “Our overall skill level was tremendous and it was a lot of fun to watch and coach these kids. I joked with our other coaches saying ‘don’t you wish you had this kind of talent during a regular high school season?’ For me personally, this event is great and it is a lot of fun to be a part of.”

South left little doubt as to who was the stronger team on this day. Four goals in a span of 5:26 of the opening period made believers out of everyone, including North. Xaverian’s Eddie Pratt got things started with a long-range goal from the high right slot coming at 5:31. Four minutes later Wilman bagged his first with a nifty right-to-left cross over in front of Burlington High goalie Derek Decastro, beating him with a back hand for a two-goal lead. South was not done by a long shot. A Coughlin laser low glove side was followed up by a Kustra marker just 14 seconds apart giving South a commanding 4-0 lead.

“To play in a game like is pretty awesome," said Coughlin, who scored 26 goals this past season for the Knights. “It was kind of weird though playing on the same side with some guys who were our main competitors and rivals during the season. We didn’t talk much but overall it was a lot of fun.”

North finally broke its offensive drought early in the second as the Chelmsford High duo of Tommy Bishop and Drew Dawson joined forces. From behind the South goal, Bishop lifted a perfect feed to Dawson, out in front, who one-timed his shot past Duxbury goaltender Chris Johnson to make it a 4-1.

But any thoughts of a comeback were short-lived. Kustra made it 5-1 late in the period to send South into the intermission on top by four goals.

“At the end of this season I sprained my ankle so this was the first time I had been on the ice since then," said Kustra. “I expected to play a few shifts but to score two goals is something I never expected to have a game like this."

As if leading by four goals wasn’t enough. South came out for the final period looking for more and got it.Wilman, voted the game’s MVP, and Medway’s Jack Kilty each found the back of the net to continue South’s lamp-lighting ceremony.

“Since we hadn’t practiced together prior to this game it took a little time for all of us to get use to one another on the ice but once we did we started to click,” Wilman said. “For me, it’s an honor to be named the MVP. I never expected to win it especially with (Liam) and a bunch of other guys who deserved it as well.”

Bishop got one back for North but Dennis Medeiros (Catholic Memorial) and Coughlin closed this one out with a late goal each.

FIRST LINE
F - Liam Coughlin, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Finished third among all Division 1 players in scoring, while leading the Knights back to the Super 8 for the first time since 2009-10. The South Boston native put up 28-20-48 totals, tied for first among Catholic Conference scorers this season.

F - Ara Nazarian, Soph., Malden Catholic
ESPN Boston’s Mr. Hockey award winner this season, Nazarian had 26-22-48 totals for the regular season, along with nine goals and five assists during the Super 8 tournament for the three-time defending champions. The Boxford resident and center is the first underclassman to win the Mr. Hockey award.

F – Brian Pinho, Sr., St. John’s Prep
The Providence College commit led the Eagles to a No. 1 seed in this year’s Super 8 tournament. The North Andover resident compiled 12-24-36 totals this season and, in January, was ranked No. 117 among North American skaters in the NHL Central Scouting’s Midterm Rankings.

D – Casey Fitzgerald, Soph., Malden Catholic
The North Reading resident earned his second Super 8 title with the Lancers, playing on all defensive units and is one of two players making a second-straight appearance on our All-State team. The Boston College commit had 5-17-22 totals on the season and recently was accepted in the United States National Team Development Program’s U-17 team.

D – Matt Foley, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
The two-way blue-liner finished third on the Panthers in scoring with 10-16-26 totals this year while leading them to another Super 8 apperance. A Longmeadow resident, the captain is deciding among prep schools for next year, as well as offers to play in college.

G – Peter Cronin, Sr., BC High
The only repeating First-Team All-Stater this year, Cronin finished in the top five among Division 1 netminders in both goals against average (1.40) and save percentage (94.6) while starting all 23 of the Eagles’ games. He is currently considering colleges among playing opportunities at the prep school and junior levels.

SECOND LINE
F – Tom Besinger, Jr., BC High
The Eagles’ top center and captain was force to reckon with in the circle, in addition to leading the Eagles with 35 points (10 goals and a team-best 25 assists).
F – Cam Owens, Sr., Wilmington
Finished his high school career with back-to-back Division 2 state championships. Owens racked up 30 points, playing alongside All-State honorable mention Brendan McDonough. Owens is currently weighing prep and junior options for next year.
F – Nolan Vesey, Sr., Austin Prep
The senior captain led the Cougars back to the Super 8 for the first time since the 2009-10 season and all the way to a finals appearance at the Garden. Vesey led AP in goals (18) and points (31) while kicking in 13 assists.
D – Nick Gorski, Sr., Central Catholic
A player who head coach Mike Jankowski repeatedly called his “most improved player” since freshman year, the Raiders captain played on all units, leading Central to another Super 8 appearance.
D – Jack Williams, Sr. Springfield Cathedral
A major component to perhaps the state’s best blue-line core, Williams did a little bit of everything for the Panthers, including playing forward on power-play units. The Suffield, Conn. resident tallied four goals and 19 assists for 23 points. He is currently weighing his playing options for next season.

G – Colin Soucy, Jr., Central Catholic
The break-out star of this year’s Super 8 tournament, Soucy nearly delivered the Raiders to a quarterfinal-round upset of No. 1 seed St. John’s Prep in his first year as Central’s starting netminder.

Best of the Rest – Honorable Mention
Forwards
Tyler Bird, Jr., St. John’s Prep
Tommy Bishop, Sr., Chelmsford
Matt Brazel, Jr., Hingham
Brian Brooks, Jr., Canton
Mike Carbone, Sr., Marshfield
Bobo Carpenter, Soph., Austin Prep
A.J. Couto, Sr., Danvers
Ben Cox, Sr., Medfield
Peter Crinella, Soph., Springfield Cathedral
Cam Curley, Sr., Franklin
Sam D’Antuono, Jr., Hingham
Jordan Dow, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Josh Edwards, Sr., Blue Hills
Brendan Greene, Jr., Winchester
C.J. Grinnell, Sr., Burlington
Marc Happy, Jr., Wachusett
Lloyd Hayes, Jr., Central Catholic
Kevin Hock, Frosh., Catholic Memorial
Mike Iovanna, Sr., Malden Catholic
Andrew Irving, Sr., Beverly
Connor Irving, Jr., Beverly
Ryan Jones, Sr., Coyle-Cassidy
Jack Kilty, Sr., Medway
Pat Kramer, Soph., BC High
Tom Koopman, Jr., Marblehead
Matt Kustra, Sr., Natick
Brendan McDounough, Jr., Wilmington
Anthony Lespasio, Sr., Bedford
Jack O’Hear, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Derek Petti, Sr., Tewksbury
Eddie Pratt, Sr., Xaverian
Nolan Redler, Jr., Winchester
Tyler Sifferlen, Jr., Malden Catholic
Mike Sorenti, Jr., Archbishop Williams
Sean Spohr, Sr., Westfield
Max Turcotte, Sr., Holliston
Max Willman, Sr., Barnstable

Defense
Matt Burchill, Sr., Marshfield
Derek Butler, Jr., Natick
John Carlson, Jr., Hingham
Adam Crowley, Jr., Burlington
Nick Edwards, Jr., Blue Hills
Sean Heelan, Sr., Catholic Memorial
Kurt Leavitt, Sr., Canton
Bryan Nelson, Soph., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
Nick Rolli, Jr., Malden Catholic
Ryan Shea, Frosh, BC High
Sam Topham, Sr., BC High

Goaltenders
Tim Birarelli, Soph., Beverly
Alex Buckley, Sr., Newburyport
Brandon Collett, Frosh., Catholic Memorial
Jordan Davis, Sr., Norwood
Derek DeCastro, Sr., Burlington
Drew Foley, Jr., Wilmington
Nolan Greene, Jr., North Quincy
Elijah Harris, Soph., Austin Prep
John Liquori, Jr., Springfield Cathedral
Al Lynch, Jr., Framingham
Evan Morelli, Sr., Reading
James Offner, Soph., Winchester
Nick Russo, Sr., Waltham
Jimmy Tierney, Soph., Oliver Ames

The Rhode Island Interscholastic League has held boys’ hockey state tournaments since 1933. From that year until the present, one school has dominated regardless of division alignments.

This season, the RIIL implemented a Super Four championship which involved the top four teams in the state based on a power-point system. New format or not, the final result was the same: Mount St. Charles emerged with its fifth state championship in the last six years; its 31st in the last 36 years; and its seemingly-incredible 43rd in RIIL history.

What made Mount’s conquest this season even more impressive was the fact that, in its best-of-three series with La Salle, the two games coach Bill Belisle’s team needed to annex another title weren’t even close.

Mount blew out the Rams, 7-0, in Game 1 and closed the deal with a 5-2 victory in Game 2.

The Mounties led 2-0 after one period in Game 1 only because of stellar goaltending by Tyler Walsh, who stopped 18 of 20 shots.

Walsh made 22 more saves in a scoreless second period. But in the third the Mount erupted for five goals – the first a power-play score by Dan Glod (his second of the game).

After that, it was all downhill for Mount as Brian Belisle (the coach’s grandson), scored to make it 4-0.

In the end, Mount outshot La Salle by a whopping 67-24 margin.

Mount only led 1-0 after the first period of Game 2 on a goal by Patrick Holmes. But Devin Votta’s second-period goal made it 2-0 and Glod scored twice in the third period which ended any suspense.

Glod, a senior forward, was voted the Super Four MVP after scoring three goals in two games.

EAGLES DEFY ODDS
Barrington finished a lackluster Division I regular-season record of 3-14-1.

But just like Superman stepping into a telephone booth and emerging as the antithesis to Clark Kent, the Eagles took flight and captured the Division I Tournament by beating Burrillville, two games to one, in the best-of-three series.

Truth be told, eight of Barrington’s regular-season losses were at the hands of the Super Four Tournament teams. But in tournament play, the Eagles were 4-1 and captured the school’s first boys’ hockey title in 18 years (Barrington won the Division II title in 1995).

Barrington set off a wild celebration after blanking the Broncos, 2-0 in Game 3, due in large part to tournament MVP Andrew Galbraith.

A senior goaltender, Galbraith stopped a hefty 52 shots after stopping 28 in a 1-0 victory in Game 1.

Barrington scored the only goal Galbraith would need barely four minutes into the first period on a shot by Brett Fay.

Mike Lombardi’s power-play goal early in the second period provided an insurance goal. Lombardi, a freshman, scored the only goal in Game 1 as the Eagles prevailed, 1-0. But the Broncos kicked up their heels in Game 12 and clipped the Eagles, 7-2, behind a hat trick by Chad Stone.

LIONS PERFECT
With the exception of a tie, Lincoln completed a spectacular 23-0-1 season by sweeping the best-of-three Division II championship series against Prout by scores of 3-2 in each game – the second in overtime.

The title was the first for the Lions since the 1984-85 season.

With Game 2 tied 2-2 in OT, Griffin Hevey’s shot from the blue line at 3:36 eluded Crusader goalie Austin Gemma. In Gemma’s defense, Lincoln caught Prout during a line change.

Previously, Hevey scored an overtime goal against East Greenwich which clinched the quarterfinal series.

Lincoln sophomore goalie, Chris Leclaire, stopped 34 shots to earn the victory while Lincoln’s other goals were scored by Ryan Krohto and Jerzy Polak – the latter during a power play.

Leclaire was solid in Game 1 as he turned aside 30 shots and kept Lincoln’s deficit at 1-0 until late in the second period when Krohto scored twice in a span of 3:20.

KNIGHTS SPEAR TIGERS
Three years ago, West Warwick was dropping hockey due to a lack of participation.

So, West Warwick and Exeter/West Greenwich formed a co-op team and in March it did something that was totally unimaginable: win a state title.

West Warwick/EWG swept Tolman by scores of 5-2 and 5-1 to annex the Division III title and erase the sting of a 5-11-0 record the team posted last season.

In addition, it enabled coach Pete Ethier’s team to finish with a 20-0-0 record.

The Wizards/Scarlet Knights scored a hefty 142 goals during 16 regular-season games. And it was more of the same against Tolman, which will be dropping hockey (does this sound familiar?) due to a lack of boys willing and able to play hockey.

Troy Sankey scored the Wizards/Scarlet Knights’ first two goals and Anthony Ventura buried a rebound early in the third period for what proved to be the game-winner.

The victors also boasted the tournament’s MVP in Antonio Rei, who scored the game’s final goal.

Sankey came up big in Game 1 when he scored a power-play goal in the first period to tie the score at 1-1. Ventrua followed suit, and after Tolman’s Chris Baldwin tied it, Rei scored the eventual game-winner at 7:47 of the third.

Mike Scandura has been covering high school sports, college basketball, football and hockey plus minor league baseball in Rhode Island since the early 1970s. A native of Oswego, N.Y, he’s a member of the Words Unlimited Hall of Fame which is the statewide organization of sportswriters, sportscasters and sports publicists.

ESPNBoston.com and its High School section today announced that Alison Butler, senior forward for the St. Mary’s Spartans, is the recipient of its third annual "Miss Hockey" award, presented to the top female high school hockey player in Massachusetts.

The Miss Hockey Award winner was chosen by a panel of experts made up of ESPNBoston.com staff, correspondents and high school hockey coaches. Butler will be presented with the award at a later date.

“St. Mary’s has earned the reputation as the MIAA’s premiere girls’ hockey program, but this year’s championship might have been its most remarkable and Alison was no small part of that,” said Scott Barboza, co-editor of ESPN Boston High Schools and coordinator of the site’s hockey coverage. “While injuries constantly threatened the Spartans’ run, she was the one constant, scoring timely goals and providing leadership.”

Butler led the Spartans to their fourth overall Division 1 state title last Sunday in a 2-1 win over Catholic Central rival Arlington Catholic.

The Danvers resident tallied 37 goals and 25 assists for 62 points on the season, while leading a short-handed Spartans bench squad back to the TD Garden. There, Butler finished her high school career on top, scoring the game-winning goal in the third period against Arlington Catholic, repaying the Cougars for state championship win over St. Mary’s a year ago.

“Alison had a tremendous year,” Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said. “She made a tremendous impact on the ice for our team. The best parts of her game are the little things that she does on the ice that sometimes are overlooked and do not show up on a stat sheet.

“More importantly, Alison was a great leader and captain off the ice. She was the glue that held the team together and really got the team to believe in themselves. I truly believe that she was the best player in the state this year for these reasons.”

Butler will continue her hockey career at Saint Anselm College.