Hometeam All-Stars: Winter 2009 - Worcester Telegram & Gazette

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PAGECENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINEWWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM12HOCKEYSUPER TEAMThe team was selected by the Telegram & Gazette staff with the help of a panel of coaches.Athleteof the yearCastan SommerShrewsbury HighSenior, ForwardThe Colonials’ remarkableride to the Division 3 statechampionship was led by Sommer,a senior forward, teamcaptain, and T&G hockey MVP.“It was like having a coach outthere skating on the ice,” coachJohn Binkoski said. “He seesthings all over the ice. Heknows where to go, where to beand what to do. He can see one or two playsahead of everything.” The 6-foot-2, 170-poundSommer finished the regular season with 14goals and 14 assists, including a pair of goalswhen his team was two men down. He scoredthe winning goal in the state championshipgame against Shawsheen, and it was shorthanded,too. Sommer has played varsity hockeyfor three years, been a two-time league all-star,and earned team MVP honors. Sommer plansto play hockey next year, most likely at HotchkissAcademy or Phillips Exeter, with an eyetoward a college career. His father, Roy Sommer,is coach of the AHL’s Worcester Sharks,and played in the NHL with the EdmontonOilers. Sommer lists his most memorablesports moment as Shrewsbury’s state championshiprun this season. The Colonials madethe Central Mass. Tournament as a No. 5 seed,then beat Auburn, Wachusett, Hudson, Longmeadowand Shawsheen for the title. He’s theson of Roy and Melissa Sommer of Shrewsbury.Al ButlerMarlboro HighSenior, DefensemanButler is a dangerous man with astick. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounddefenseman captained the Panthersand helped lead them to a 14-2-4overall record and a spot in theCentral Mass. Division 3 semifinals.Along the way, Butler recorded 10goals and 22 assists for 32 points,fourth on Marlboro and seventhoverall in the Roy Conference.Butler also is a skilled lacrosse performer who hasplayed for Marlboro since he was a freshman. As hehas in hockey, Butler earned all-star honors on thelacrosse field. He also has skated for the JuniorBruins, enjoys water skiing, and hopes to play collegehockey at the Division 1 level. He is the son of Johnand Wendy Butler of Marlboro, and comes from ahockey family. His dad coaches the Panthers, andbrothers Bobby (New Hampshire) and J.R. (HolyCross) have played college hockey.Ryan CormierGardner HighSenior, DefensemanAlthough Cormier didn’t pile up thepoints for coach Jean-Guy Gagnon’sWildcats, his steady play ondefense helped his team capturethe Roy Conference regular-seasontitle with a 7-1-2 record, and helpedGardner go 14-3-3 overall in theregular season. Cormier has been atwo-sport standout for the Wildcats.He has been a hockey all-star andteam captain and played for Gardner teams that wonback-to-back Central Mass. Division 3 titles his sophomoreand junior years. He also played varsity footballfor the Wildcats and this past fall was named co-MVPon offense, breaking the 1,000-yard rushing barrier.Cormier lists hitting the 1,000-yard mark and winningconsecutive Central Mass. hockey titles as his mostmemorable sports moments. He plans to join the AirForce after graduation. He is the son of Paul andDianne Cormier of Gardner.R.J. ByrneMarlboro HighSenior, Right WingAbig senior right wing, Byrnehad an equally big season forthe Panthers, who went 7-1-2 inthe Division 3 Roy Conference and14-2-4 overall under coach JohnButler. Byrne’s 50 points were tiedwith teammate Cody Evangelousfor the conference scoring title,and Byrne’s 18 goals were tied forsecond-most in conference play.Hockey is not the only sport Byrne excelled in. Hewas captain of Marlboro’s football team and wasnamed both offensive and defensive lineman of theyear. Byrne played four years on the varsity in bothfootball and hockey. He plans to play for the JuniorBruins next season and go on to compete at thehighest level of the sport he can. He is the son ofRick and Tara Byrne of Marlboro.Connor DohertyWachusett RegionalSophomore, DefensemanThe Mountaineers captured theQuinn Conference title in Division3, and one of their mainstays ondefense was Doherty. The sophomorecompiled 7 goals and 14assists for 21 points. That helpedWachusett to a 9-1 mark in conferenceplay and a 16-6-2 recordoverall under coach Matt Lane.Doherty, who is just 15, is a bigdefenseman at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds. He hasbeen a Quinn Conference All-Star and Central Mass.All-Star, and this year played varsity soccer for theMountaineers. Doherty said his most memorablesports moment to date was playing in the pee weehockey championships in Quebec. Doherty enjoyssports in general, being with his friends and fishing.He hopes to go on to play college hockey. He is theson of John and Thea Doherty of Holden.Garrett HehirSt. Peter-Marian HighFreshman, Left WingAfreshman left wing, Hehir had a breakthrough season for theGuardians, notching 22 goals and 20 assists for coach BrianAllain, whose team finished with an overall record of 5-14-1. Hehir,15, is exactly 6 feet tall and weighs 185 pounds. His dad, BobbyHehir, was a great hockey player in his time, skating for St. Peter-Marian before moving on to a varsity career at Boston College anda three-year minor league career with teams in the Central, Internationaland Atlantic Coast leagues. Garrett’s great freshman seasonwith St. Peter-Marian will be his last one; he is moving on to playprep hockey next year at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham. Hehiris the son of Bobby and Ann Hehir of Auburn.
WWW.TELEGRAM.COM/HOMETEAM CENTRAL MASS. HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS MAGAZINE PAGE13HOCKEYMike JenkinsAuburn HighSophomore, GoalieJust a sophomore, Jenkins wasan ironman in net for the Rocketsthis season, playing in 17 of20 regular-season games to helpAuburn post an 8-1-1 record inCoughlin Conference play — goodfor second place — and a 14-4-2overall mark. Jenkins gave up just19 goals in those 17 games for aconference-best goals-againstaverage of 1.11. Standing 5-foot-9 and weighing just140 pounds, Jenkins lists hockey has his mainhobby. He hopes to continue on with the sport allthe way into college. Jenkins also ran cross-countryfor the Rockets last fall. His most memorable sportsmoment was playing for the Dudley Little Leagueteam that went 11-0 and captured the state championship.He is the son of Greg and Angie Jenkinsof Dudley.Will KearneyAlgonquin RegionalSenior, DefensemanAsteady senior defenseman,Kearney helped coach ScottEllison’s Tomahawks reach theCentral Mass. Division 3 tournamentand post a 10-9-1 overallrecord — 4-6-0 in the Roy Conference.This was Kearney’s fourthseason skating for Algonquin andhe was one of the Tomahawks’assistant captains as well as aCentral Mass. All-Star. He was one of the bestopen-ice hitters in the league, according to hiscoach. Kearney is a three-sport athlete, also winningletters in soccer and baseball. His favoritehobby is snowboarding, and he plans on becominga civil engineer. His most memorable sportsmoment was scoring the winning goal on a onetimeragainst then No. 1-ranked Wachusett. He isthe son of Liam and Jean Kearney of Northboro.Kevin MillerWachusett RegionalJunior, GoalieThe Mountaineers’ Quinn Conferencechampions were backstoppedby Miller, a junior goalie,who allowed just 15 goals in 12games. Wachusett went 9-1 inconference play and 16-2-2 overallunder coach Matt Lane. Miller, not abig goalie at 5-foot-7 and 140pounds, has put together two excellentseasons for Wachusett, andwas also a T&G Super Teamer last year. Miller isundecided about college, but aims at posting a careergoals-against average under 1.30 for the Mountaineers,and hopes to have at least 15 shutouts. Hisfather, Kevin, played varsity hockey at Shepherd Hill inthe late 1970s, and one of Kevin’s closest friends isGreg Mauldin, the former UMass standout who playsfor Binghamton of the American Hockey League. He’sthe son of Kevin and Gail Miller of Rutland.Curtis NikitasSt. Bernard’s HighSenior, CenterAbig senior center for the Bernardians,Nikitas finished a greathigh school career as the secondleadingscorer in the Division 1Catholic Central Conference. Hehad 21 goals and 12 assists forcoach Kevin Lizotte as St. Bernard’scompiled a 7-11-3 record. Nikitasplayed four seasons of varsityhockey and broke the 100-pointmark for his career, finishing with 103. He served as acaptain in both his junior and senior years. Nikitasenjoys spending time with friends and working out. At6 feet tall and 204 pounds, he would like to go on toFitchburg State and play hockey there. His mostmemorable sports moment was registering his 100thcareer point. He eventually would like to own his ownbusiness. He’s the son of Tom and Karen Nikitas ofFitchburg.Sean O’KeefeHudson HighJunior, CenterO’Keefe, a junior center, helpedthe Hawks get within one victoryof the Central Mass. Division 3 title,leading the way offensively with 11goals and 21 assists. His 32 pointswere third best in Division 3, and hisassist total was second in the division.Hudson, coached by MichaelNanartowich, went 6-3-1 in QuinnConference play, finishing third, and9-8-3 overall. O’Keefe was a captain and was also aQuinn Conference All-Star. The 16-year-old stands5-foot-7 and weighs 150 pounds, but his lack of sizehasn’t kept him off the scoresheet. O’Keefe already isover the 100-point mark for his career. He is unsure ofhis career and hockey plans, but his biggest sportsthrill to date was playing at the DCU Center in Worcester.He is the son of James and Cathy O’Keefe ofHudson.Derek RyanShrewsbury HighSenior, DefensemanThe senior defenseman capped agreat career for the Colonials bybeing a key player in Shrewsbury’sDivision 3 state championship run.Ryan, skating mostly at leftdefense, had 4 goals and 8 assistsfor 12 points for coach John Binkoski.Ryan, who stands 5-foot-10and weighs 185 pounds, hasplayed four years for the Colonialsand earned all-star recognition as a junior andsenior. His main hobby is playing hockey, and hewould like to continue doing so at Westfield Statebefore becoming a police officer. Scoring his firstvarsity goal as a sophomore, and beating St. John’swhen he was a junior, are among Ryan’s mostmemorable sports moments. He’s the son of Jodiand Greg Ryan of Shrewsbury.HockeyHonorableMentionKeith Barnaby, LeominsterDan Bednarik, NorthbridgeGreg Berube, St. Bernard’sAnthony Bisceglia, WachusettDamian Blodget, GardnerPat Brossi, ShrewsburyCody Conrad, FitchburgNick Delbuono, WestboroCody Evangelous, MarlboroNick Carter, OakmontConnor Gorman, St. John’sByron Grinnell, WorcesterAndrew Johnson, GardnerCorey Kucala, LunenburgChris Lane, WachusettMarc Marin, St. John’sPatrick McKernan, GraftonMitch Moore, AlgonquinTim Niles, MurdockChris Murphy, WachusettWill Murphy, HudsonEvan Pluff, AuburnCarl Shell, OakmontBrian Trainor, LittletonCharles ScavoneSt. John’s HighSenior, GoalieScavone, playing his final seasonfor Pioneers coach Brian Murphy,saw a lot of pucks coming at the netand stopped most of them. Thesenior goalie turned in a 2.60 goalsagainstaverage for St. John’s, whichfinished its season with an overallrecord of 7-8-4. Along the way,Scavone posted an impressive .930save percentage and had severalperformances where he stopped more than 50 oppositionshots. This was his third year in the varsity net forthe Pioneers. Scavone also has been a varsity golfer atSt. John’s and would like to continue on after graduationand play both sports in college. Holy Cross, Bentleyand Amherst are among his possible choices.Scavone called his 53-save performance against AustinPrep in a playoff game his most memorable sportsmoment. He is the son of Casey and Doreen Scavoneof Charlton.
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