Boston Jr. Bulldogs: Captain Conover never fails to impress coach

Some hockey players believe they can only play their best with specific linemates alongside them.

Then, you’ve got a guy like Bradley Conover. He wants to be that player that can be inserted on any line and give it an offensive shot in the arm. It’s what a captain does, and he does it well for the Boston Jr. Bulldogs, of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.

“I’m going to help everyone on my line to play the best they can play, so I’m always playing well on a good line,” said the 1991-born Castle Rock, Colo., resident. “I want to help everyone know everything they need to know.”

His qualities of extending himself to his teammates have endeared Conover to Bulldogs head coach Mike Addesa.

“He’s one of the greatest young men I’ve ever coached,” said Addesa. “I can’t say enough positive enough about him and the impact he’s made. We sent 21 of 25 players to college a year ago, and this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. The fact we’re in the hunt is attributed to Bradley and what he brings to our team.”

Conover was the third-leading scorer on the team at the break, scoring 12 goals and 31 points in 30 AJHL games. Just ahead of him are Chris Mastropietro (43 points) and Andrew Bucci (34 points).

Conover is versatile, enjoying whichever position Addesa happens to put him in for any given game.

“He has filled a lot of voids for us. He is a right-handed center, but in times of need, he has played some right wing for us this year, and he’s filled in a game or two at left wing,” said Addesa. “When [defenseman] Tyler Bishop was out with an injury, he filled in as right point on the power play.

“He is highly predictable in that you give him a task and you know what you’re going to get,” Addesa added. “He will work up to whatever responsibility and role you give him, and he has done so beyond my greatest expectations.”

Conover is not about to call himself the fastest or most skilled player on the ice, but he likes to believe he has a good handle on the game of hockey.

“I think I’m a smart player. I can think the game well. It’s not that I don’t have talent, but I have less than others,” he said. Being able to play every position comes from knowing the game and knowing what to do at each position.”  

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'May your days be merry and bright...'

New Jersey Jr. Titans: Third-year forward Deatrick scores when needed

When Chris Deatrick looks back on his time with the New Jersey Jr. Titans, he realizes how much he has grown up. 

“I went from Bantam Minor to Bantam Major to Junior B, and I was always intimidated with the thought of going into the corners with a 21-year-old and getting crushed, but it never happened,” said Deatrick, now a 17-year-old three-year veteran with the Titans. “I held my own pretty well and made a difference on my team.”

That is exactly what the ’94-born Brielle, N.J., resident has been doing so well this year – making a difference, whether the game counts in the standings or to their pride.

“We had an exhibition game against the Jersey Hitmen’s Empire League team and [the Hitmen] tied it 4-4 with 49 seconds left,” said Titans head coach Dustin DePalma. “He won two faceoffs, skated down, and scored twice to give us the 6-4 win.”

“I’ve noticed since last year that my hands definitely improved a lot,” Deatrick added. “Having good linemates like [David] Ramos and [Kevin] Fitch helps a lot, as they give me the puck where I can get some good shots.”

DePalma said that the 5-foot-9-inch, 160-pound Deatrick is in great shape, his foot speed is among the best in the league and he is an AP (advanced placement) student in high school.

On top of all this, to make him even further attractive a college hockey prospect, he’s also the team’s assistant captain.

Illustrating Deatrick’s ability to lead by example, he scored a shorthanded goal in a 5-on-3 situation for the Titans’ opponent.

“I’m really trying to improve my hands and put more points together so I can move on somewhere, like a higher-level junior program or a college might give me a look,” said Deatrick, who had 85 points through 88 Met League games, all well before he turns 18 this October.

His brother, former Titan Bobby Deatrick, played for the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs. Chris said he has talked to the Monarchs’ head coach Sean Tremblay, and has also attended Jersey Hitmen tryouts for their Eastern Junior Hockey League team. 

“I’d like to play for one of those teams, or maybe a United States Hockey League team, doesn’t matter which one,” he said.

If he keeps doing what he’s been doing, he will likely have his choice of where he ends up for the 2012-13 season.

Portland Jr. Pirates: AJHL squad looking for new energy in New Year

If you find the Portland Jr. Pirates’ energy, please forward it to MHG Ice Centre in Saco, Maine. 

Head coach Brad Church would be thrilled to receive it by the time the Pirates get back to Atlantic Junior League play on Jan. 21, 2012. In December, they won just two of their eight league games.

“We’ve hit a bit of a funk here,” said Church, going into the extended holiday break. “We’re just trying to get away for a couple weeks.

“We’re just not playing well,” he added. “I think the biggest flaw to our game is prioritizing. We’re not thinking defense first. We coach to ‘defend first’ in all three zones, and they’ve been getting away from that a little bit. They’re not paying attention to detail, either.”

Special teams especially suffered in the last month of 2011, with the team giving up 14 power play goals and scored eight of their own.

“The penalty kill has not been good,” said Church, “and our goaltending has seen better days.”

Frustration is the key word, according to Church, whose own frustration level boiled over to the point where he was ejected from a Dec. 14 game against the New York Jr. Bobcats.

“We’ve built a culture here where we don’t accept losing, so it is a frustrating time for the guys and the coaching staff,” said Church. “So, I told them before the break to go home and get away from hockey for a week or two. It’s a lot of stress – the guys are going non-stop from mid-August to mid-December, with practices, games, school, showcases.”

The team is going to have to find its collective mojo right from the start when it gets back on Jan. 21. The Pirates travel to Cyclones Arena in Hudson, N.H., to face the Northern Cyclones, who sat at third place with a 21-3-1-1 record at the break.

“We’re obviously looking for success. We need to get back to winning some hockey games and improve on those things we’re not doing a really good job on,” said Church. “We’re losing one-goal and two-goal games because of those things. We just need to get a little better all over the ice and those things will come.”

Helping hands: The Metropolitan Junior League Pirates squad assisted in repairing the Veterans Home in Biddeford, Maine, as a showing of holiday spirit over the Dec. 17-18 weekend. A link to a YouTube video of their efforts is available at www.portlandjuniorpirates.com.

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New England Jr. Huskies: Young Hochman holding down fort in goal

In a league loaded with 19-and 20-year-olds, a shutout by a 17-year-old is always something to be noted.

They don’t happen often, because there aren’t a lot of 17-year-old goalies in the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

“It’s was an unbelievable feeling,” said New England Jr. Huskies 1994-born goalie Michael Hochman. He shut out the Rochester Stars at The Sports Centre at Monroe Community College in Rochester, N.Y., 4-0, on Dec. 18. “We were two games below .500 going into the weekend, so it was huge [to win two games]. We won the first game, and I wanted to give my teammates a chance to win going into the second night.”

Hochman, a resident of Worcester, Mass., said it was really a team effort. His teammate Jimmy Berger, after all, blocked a hard shot with 30 seconds remaining to preserve the blanking.

“He’s a very young, talented goaltender. He’s doing a good job. He’s not the biggest kid – he’s still growing – but he’s one of the better technical goalies,” said Huskies head coach Paul Jenkins. “His movement is good, he’s square to the puck, and he’s more patient with the puck this year.”

Hochman works privately with Brian Daccord (a private goalie coach whose NHL clientele includes Cory Schneider and Brian Boucher), as well as the Huskies’ goalie coach Mike Doneghey.

Hochman has previous experience with the Huskies organization, having backstopped the Empire team the last two years, including a regular starting role in 2010-11.

“One of my best friends, Pat Trainor, who I played youth hockey with, decided he’d try out for a junior team,” said Jenkins. “I called their assistant coach and he told me they had two goalies and were maybe looking for a third goalie. I got into nine games that first year, but last year was a really successful year, both individually and as a team.”

The 2010-11 Empire League Huskies finished 26-13-1, and Hochman went 14-11-1 individually and finished with the best save percentage in that league (.935).

“He’s a quality goalie, and he’ll get better. He has a chance to become one of the better players in the league,” said Jenkins, of Hochman who stood at 3-1 at the break.

Hochman expects to return for another year in the EJ in 2012-13, at the very least.

“I want to finish this year off strong,” she said. “I like what the Huskies are doing, with the new locker rooms and with Coach Jenkins’ great track record of placing kids in college.”

Suffolk Juniors: Met League team getting 'stronger and stronger'

At the holiday break, Jim Wright liked what he was seeing from the Suffolk Juniors team in the Metropolitan Junior League. 

The Juniors went 2-3 through the month of December in MJHL play, but the very young squad was getting “stronger and stronger each week, from a standpoint of our conditioning,” said Wright, the associate head coach of the team, working alongside head coach Aleksey Nikiforov.

“We’ve been competitive in every one of our games,” said Wright. “However, mental mistakes are costing us some wins. We’re working on fixing those and making sure the guys understand rules, as far as defensive play goes.” 

The defense was dealt a bit of a blow early on with the loss of Alex Soviero to injury, but Santino Ragone moved back from the forward position and has filled the defenseman role well.

Ragone, a 1994-born Babylon, N.Y., resident, had 13 points through 23 games this season and will play in his 50th career Met League game when he returns from the break, having also played for the Suffolk Juniors last year.

“He has good puck skills and a very, very good shot,” said Wright. “We thought of using him on the point earlier in the season on the power play. He didn’t miss a step [in going back to defense].”

Wright is happy to have been able to coach not one, but two, members of the Ragone family. Former forward Anthony Ragone (2010-11) is now with the Springfield Pics of the Eastern Junior Hockey League.

“I’m very pleased with the progress [Santino] has made the last few weekends. He has a good first pass to whomever is breaking,” said Wright. “Dzmitry Daniliuk [a ’94 from Hauppauge, N.Y.] pairs with Ragone and is a strong lefty at the right point with Santino a right shot playing the left side.” 

Wright also praised the consistency shown these last two seasons by ’93 St. James, N.Y., resident Brian Boser. With 23 points in 24 games this season and 33 in 30 last year, Boser has operated at a better than point-per-game pace for his MJHL career.

“He has particularly improved his play. I have him playing on a line with Ryan McCarthy and Brian Gillespie,” said Wright. “We’re getting ourselves set for this second half of the year. We want to end on a really high note. I’ve been happy with the pace and intensity of the practices. The players are showing more determination and commitment.”