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Welcome to the home of the Neponset Valley River Rats of the Massachusetts Tier 1 Select League. The River Rats play out of the Foxboro Sports Center located in Foxboro, Mass. The Foxboro Sportscenter is a dual ice surfice rink, with a full pro shop inside, a complete workout facility, wireless internet, flat screen cable televisions, and a full restaurant.
All players that play with the River Rats will receive top notch coaching as the River Rats believe that winning is a by-product of development. All levels (Mites-Bantam Major) receive skills run by Hockey Skills Acceleration. Starting at the Player Development level (Pee Wee Minor) the players use the EPS Edge Performance center to become a stronger and more explosive player.
During the 2008-2009 season 5 of the River Rats 9 teams made the playoffs in the Massachusetts Tier 1 Select league for the second year in a row. This is a product of both the ever improving talent, dedicated coaching and the continuing development that the players on the River Rats receive.
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by river rats posted 06/28/2009 U18 River Rats Mac Bennett and Wade Megan were both selected in the 2009 NHL Draft. University of Michigan recruit Mac Bennett, an alternate captain this past season, was selected in the 3rd round by the Montreal Canadiens. Bennett was taken 79th overall. Bennett had a strong fall for the River Rats, using his fantastic skating as a one man breakout.
Boston University recruit Wade Megan was selected by the Florida Panthers in the 5th round. Megan, the center of the U18 teams first line this past season was selected 138th overall. Megan had a strong fall for the River Rats, scoring on of the biggest goals of the year a great shot under the crossbar as time expired to beat the Cape Cod Whalers in the playoffs in Foxboro.
Two other players from this past seasons Massachusetts Select League were drafted this year, Valley Jr Warrior Chris Kreider was drafted in the 1st round 19th overall to the New York Rangers and Cape Cod Whaler Gus Young was selected in the 7th round 184th overall by the Colorado Avalanche.  
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by river rats posted 06/25/2009 4 River Rats head to Rochester for the USA Hockey Select 16 Festival that runs from June 27th-July 2nd at the ESL Sports Center. The festival brings together the best players in the United States born in 1993. 2 U18 members, Corbin McGuire and Jay Williams and 2 U16 members Matt Salhany and Billy Beirnes were selected to participate in the festival. At the conclusion of the festival the top players from the festival will be selected to the U17 USA team that will participate in the U17 Five Nations Tournament.
At last years Select 15 camp U18 forward and University of Wisconsin recruit finished tied for 2nd in scoring with 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points in 5 games.
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by river rats posted 06/05/2009 The 2009 Neponset Valley River Rats U18 team has been posted. The team is looking to build off a successful season last year where the U18 team was the State Finalist and has had 9 players committ to Division 1 Colleges. Any Questions please contact
Forwards
Mike Borge
Ryan Coffey
Tommy Dwyer
Jake Goldberg
Sam Kane
Jonathan Liau
Corbin McGuire
TJ Powers
Cam Spiro
Kevin Sullivan
Keith Veronesi
Tyler Whitney
Defense
Ian Coleman
Mark Higgins
Ben Kaplan
Andy Latta
Kyle Quick
Greg Tang
Goalies
Jordan Nathan
Jay Williams
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by river rats posted 06/03/2009 U18 Forward Derek Army has committed to Providence College for the fall of 2010. Army becomes the 9th player from this past season to committ to a Division 1 college. Army had a strong year for the River Rats ranking high on the leading scorers in the league before breaking his wrist the last week of the regular season. Army, a Rhode Island, native with join former River Rats Justin Gates and Austin Mayer as a Friar. Army, marks the 4th Rhode Island native to committ to a Division 1 school from the River Rats team joining Mac Bennett and Derek Deblois, both going to Michigan and Paul Cinquegrana who will be heading to the University of Connecticut in the fall of 2010.
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by river rats posted 05/16/2009 5 Midget Major(U18) River Rats have been named to the 2009 NHL Central Scouting's Final Ranking List. Leading the way is University of Michigan recruit and assistant captain Mac Bennett. Bennett has been ranked by Central Scouting as the 40th rated prospect making him a projected 2nd round draft pick. Bennett has moved up 23 slots from his ranking on the Mid Term rankings. Fellow Rhode Islander and another University of Michigan recruit Derek Deblois has finished the year as the 77th rated prospect making him a projected 3rd round draft pick. Boston University recruit Wade Megan checks in as the 123rd rated prospect. Megan has also moved up the draft list 7 spots due to a strong winter. Megan is projected as a 5th round draft pick. The biggest mover on the list was forward Jake Goldberg who moved from the 202 rated prospect at the Mid Term all the way up to number 145, moving him from a projected 7th round draft pick to a projected 5th round draft pick. Rounding out the River Rats on Central Scouting's Final Rankings is Boston College recruit and captain Steve Whitney who checks in at number 197 making him a projected 7th round draft pick.
The 2009 NHL draft is June 26th at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec. The highest River Rats drafted have been in 2006 Kevin Quick going 78th overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Quick is currently a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In 2007 Alex Killorn was drafted 77th overall also by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Killorn is currently a freshman at Harvard University.
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by river rats posted 04/05/2009 The Following players have been selected for the 2009 U16 River Rats team. Any questions please contact
Forwards
Matt Baldino
Billy Beirnes
Brady Burns
Connor Helfrich
Will Messa
Brian Miller
Jim O'Connor
Ryan Quinn
Niko Rufo
Matt Salhany
Devin Tringale
DJ Walsh
Defense
Jared Beckwith
Nick Bennett
Eric Butts
Mark Hamilton
Brett Mackell
Jake Schechter
Goalies
Jon Gillies
Nano Heilbron
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by river rats posted 03/25/2009 U18 defenseman and assistant captain Will Rayner has committed to Hockey East runner-up Umass-Lowell for the fall of 2010. Rayner, a 1990 date of birth, is from Needham Mass, where he played at Needham High school leading the team to a state championship in 2008 playing for River Rats assistant coach Bill Guisti.
Rayner had a strong year for the River Rats playing alongside D partner and current University of Michigan recruit Mac Bennett. Rayner is known for his very physical play, and a great shot from the point. Over the course of the fall his stock with Division 1 colleges and NHL teams really started to take off. Rayner is rated the 140th best NHL prospect in North America for this years upcoming NHL draft.
Rayner becomes the 8th player from this seasons U18 team to committ to a Division 1 college and the 4th to a Hockey East School, joining Steve Whitney(BC), Wade Megan(BU), and Zack Phillips(Umass-Amherst). Rayner will become the 1st River Rat to play at UMass-Lowell.
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by river rats posted 03/14/2009 The River Rats Squirt Major (98) team has given itself a chance to defend their State Championship with a exciting 3-2 victory over the Middlesex Braves. The River Rats got a two goal performance from Eric Piccolo and two assists each from Zach McGowan and Jack Downie. The River Rats also got a stellar stellar goaltending perfromance from Ryan Ferland.
The River Rats will play the American Youth NorthStars in the finals. The puck will drop at 12:20pm at Skate 3 in Tyngsboro.
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by river rats posted 03/14/2009 The Pee Wee Minor (97) team has finished the round robin tournament 2-0-1 and has advanced to the State Final game to be played tomorrow. On Friday night the River Rats played the 3rd seeded Western Mass Blades and defeated them 5-2 behind two goals from John MacLean and a goal and an assist from Ken Mackin. On Saturday the River Rats squared off with the tournaments number one seed the South Shore Dynamoes. The River Rats came out flying and defeated the Dynamoes 4-1 on the back of a 4 goal performance from Ken Mackin. With a bid in the finals already wrapped up the River Rats played the American Youth North Stars. The game was an up and down battle with plenty of offense from both teams resulting in a 6-6 tie. The River Rats were lead by 2 goals each from Joe Feeney and Shane Piotti and a goal and an assist from Ken Mackin.
Over the 3 games the team has been led offensively by Ken Mackin who in the 3 games has had 6 goals and 2 assists. Joe Feeney ( 3 goals and 2 assist) and John MacLean (3 goals and 1 assist) have also been very good for the River Rats.
The puck drops at 11:30am at Skate 3 in Tyngsboro as the River Rats will face-off against the South Shore Dyamoes.
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by river rats posted 03/14/2009 The River Rats Mite (2000) team has won their semi final game over the American Youth Northstars behind a 3 point night (1 goal 2 assists) from the states leading scorer Hunter Sarro and a strong goaltending performance from both Derek Dattero and Jake Shields. The River Rats also got goals from Danny McLoughlin, Cam Daley, Tyler Oakley and Jimmy Duffy. This win sets up a final game showdown between the top two seeds in the state, the Dual State Huskies, who advanced to the finals with a 6-0 win over the Valley Warriors and the River Rats. The Final game will take place tomorrow (Sunday) at 2:40pm at Skate 3 in Tyngsboro.
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by river rats posted 03/13/2009
The Pee Wee Major (96) team will look to defend their State Title this weekend as the Mass Select Tier 1 Playoffs are on tap in Tygnsboro this weekend. The team won the Pee Wee Minor title last season with an 5-1 victory over the South Shore Dynamoes. Much of the team is the same as they look for their 2nd straight title.
The line of Troy Donahue, Tommy Munichiello and Dylan Casserly has been a force all season. Jack Riley, Nick Ward and Matt Smith and then Justin Hirschfeld, Billy Moore (is hot as of late) and Mike Price, are all playing well. Munichiello and Casserly are the leading scorers. The defense has been fantastic as of late with Danny Sullivan, Derek Clancy, Matt Doherty, Sean Casey, Will Conroy and Steve DeGeorge holding the line. The goaltending has been fantastic all season with Christian Cellini seeing most of the action. Robbie May has also been strong when called upon. The team went 15-0-2 in their last 17 games (25-4-3 for the season, 133 GF/59 GA) to finish in first place. Four more games to go for another State Championship and then hopefully off to Indian Trail (Charlotte) NC. for the Nationals.
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by river rats posted 03/12/2009 4 River Rat teams have made the playoffs that will take place this upcoming weekend in Tyngsboro at Skate 3. The Mite(2000), Squirt Major(98), Pee Wee Minor (97) and Pee Wee Major (96) have all finished in the top 4 in the league and qualified. All in all including the Midget Major (90 91) team which lost in the state final game 5 River Rat teams made the playoffs the most of anybody in the Mass Select league for the 2nd straight season.
The Pee Wee Major team has finished in 1st place for the regular season will open up against the 4th seed GBL Bruins Friday night at 7:20. The River Rats will be looking to defend their state title that they won last season and go into the playoffs as the favorite.
The Pee Wee Minor team has finished in 2nd place and will open the playoffs against the 3rd place Western Mass Blades Friday night at 6:15pm.
The Squirt Major team has finished in 2nd place and will also be looking to defend their state championship from last season as they open up Saturday at 4pm vs the Middlesex Braves.
The Mite team finished the season in 2nd place and open up the playoffs Saturday at 3:20pm vs the American Youth North Stars. The Mite team has been led this season by the States leading scorer in Hunter Sarro. Right behind Sarro in the scoring lead for the state is Jimmy Duffy and Cam Daly.
Good luck to all the teams this upcoming weekend!
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by river rats posted 03/11/2009 U18 Forward Zack Phillips has committed to Umass Amherst for the fall of 2011. Zack is a sophomore at Lawrence Academy. Phillips, a late 1992 date of birth, was the youngest member of this years U18 River Rats team. He becomes the 7th player on the roster to committ to a division 1 college off the U18 team and the 3rd player that will play in Hockey East joining Megan(BU) and Whitney (BC). Phillips will be the 1st River Rat to be a Umass Minuteman and the first 92 birth date to committ to college!
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by river rats posted 02/25/2009 U18 Forward Derek Deblois has committed to the University of Michigan for the fall of 2010. Deblois becomes the 6th U18 River Rat from this seasons team to committ to a Division 1 school. Deblois will be the 3rd River Rat to play for the University of Michigan joining Kevin Quick who has since left school and has played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and their AHL affliate the Norfolk Admirals this season and U18 teammate Mac Bennett, who is also going to Michigan in the fall of 2010. Deblois is a 1991 date of birth and a Rhode Island native.
Deblois has been ranked number 69 on the NHL Central Scouting Mid Year report. Deblois had a strong fall for the River Rats playing on a line with Boston College recruit Steve Whitney and Boston University recruit Wade Megan.
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by river rats posted 02/21/2009 U18 Forward Paul Cinquegrana committs to Uconn for the fall of 2010. Uconn plays in the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Paul, a 1991 date of birth, becomes the 5th River Rat this season to committ to a Division 1 school, the first for a school in the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Cinquegrana a Rhode Island native, will play one more season for the U18 River Rats before heading to Storrs, on the campus of Uconn for the fall of 2010. When Paul gets to campus he will be joined by former River Rats Captain Steve Bergin who at that time will be a senior at Uconn.
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by RIVER RATS posted 02/14/2009 What’s new with the Neponset Valley River Rats?
As of this upcoming season 2009-2010 Mass Hockey will allow Squirt Majors (1999) to play for the River Rats without a home town commitment. We are working with the Foxboro Sports Center to add another hour of ice so that the Squirt Major team will have 2 practices a week, one skills session and approximately a 30 game schedule.
Also new this year, Mass Hockey will allow Districts 1, 3, 4 & 5 to play for the River Rats (a District 3 based team) all the way down to the mite level. We will still be allowed 3 out of district players. This change will allow, for example, players from such towns as Mansfield, Foxboro, Sharon and Easton to be in district.
The top four teams in each level make the State playoffs and as of right now 5 of our 6 teams are in contention. The Pee Wee Minor, Pee Wee Major and Bantam Minor teams are all National Bound teams.
We look forward to seeing you at tryouts.
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by river rats posted 01/29/2009 7 Members of this years Neponset Valley River Rats U18 team and one former player have been named to the 2009 NHL Draft's Central Scouting Mid Term Rankings. Mac Bennett, an assistant captain and a Michigan recruit, leads the way at number 63 a potential 3rd round draft pick in this summers NHL draft. Bennett has battled a knee injury this winter, expect him to be higher on the final NHL rankings before the draft. Right behind Bennett is Derek Deblois who is # 69 on the rankings. Deblois is also listed as a 3rd round selection. Boston University recruit Wade Megan checks in next at number 130, and is listed as a 5th round selection. At number 140 is defenseman and assistant captain Will Rayner. Rayner is predicted to go in the 5th round. In the 6th round the NHL Central Scouting has River Rats Captain Steve Whitney, as Boston College recruit ranked as the number 171 ranked prospect. Former River Rat and current Yale recruit Antoine Laganiere checks in next at number 176. In the 7th round two River Rats have been predicted to be drafted led by new Union College recruit Kevin Sullivan who checks in as the number 189 rated prospect. Couple slots down is Jake Goldberg who is rated as the number 202 prospect.
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by river rats posted 01/29/2009 River Rats U18 forward Kevin Sullivan has become the River Rats 4th D1 commitment this season as he has committed to Union College. Union College plays in the ECAC conference. Kevin, a 1991 date of birth, joins Wade Megan (Boston University) Steve Whitney (Boston College) and Mac Bennett (University of Michigan) as the other Division 1 committed players. Kevin is a Junior at the Berkshire School and will arrive in Schenectady, New York on the campus of Union College in the fall of 2010, after another season with the U18 River Rats.
Kevin had a strong year for the River Rats scoring some big goals including 2 goals in a 2-1 dramatic last minute win for the River Rats over the Central Mass Outlaws to propel the team into the state finals. Kevin also had an assist on Boston University recruit Wade Megans goal as time expired to beat the buzzer and down the Cape Cod Whalers 6-5 in another big playoff game.
Kevins brother, Bobby, was a former River Rat and is currently a sophomore at Colby College.
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posted 01/13/2009 Former River Rat defenseman Kevin Quick will make his NHL Debut tonight for the Tampa Bay Lightning when they travel to San Jose to play the Sharks. Quick a 1988 birth date is only 20 years old, and for the past two seasons since playing for the River Rats has played for the University of Michigan and the Norfolk Admirals (AHL)
Quick was a 3rd round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2006, and is a graduate of the Salisbury School. Quick is known for being a tremendous skater, great on the breakout and defends very well. His father Kevin Quick Sr. was an assistant coach with the U18 River Rats during the 2007 season. Kevin will be the 1st River Rat to play in the National Hockey League since Keith Yandle made his debut last season. Tonights game is a 1030pm start time.
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by river rats posted 01/04/2009 Prohockeynews.com has recently done a feature on U18 Assistant Coach Jon Hutcheon. Hutcheon has since the U18 season has ended continued his professional career his season in Battle Creek Michigan playing for the Battle Creek Revolution in the AAHA. Jon has played professional hockey in such leagues as the Southern Professional Hockey League and the Central Hockey League. This season in Battle Creek in 14 games Jon has 3 goals 10 assists for 13 points.
Jon joined the River Rats staff two seasons ago as an assistant coach. Jon works with the defense and has been known as a players coach. Many of the players have been known to go to Jon for not only hockey advice but also with advice for their lives.
Inside the article it also speaks about the blogs Jon has been writing while playing pro hockey throughout the years and there are many mentions of his coaching days with the River Rats.
The link to the article is http://www.prohockeynews.com/hockey/publish/aaha/Hutcheon_living_the_dream_in_blog.shtml
Jons Blog can be found at: http://minorleaguehockey.blogspot.com/
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posted 11/17/2008 The River Rats U18 team survived the round robin bracket of the Mass Select U18 playoffs this past weekend in Foxboro only to fall in the State Finals to the GBL Bruins. The River Rats came out of the round robin bracket with a record of 2-1 and played the 3-0 GBL Bruins in the Finals on Sunday.
It was a exciting road to the finals for the River Rats. On Friday night the River Rats played the Cape Cod Whalers. The River Rats led 2-0 early on two quick goals by Boston College recruit Steve Whitney. The Whalers responded with two goals of there own on the Power Play to tie the game at 2-2 after 1 period. The River Rats responded in the 2nd on a goal by Boston University recruit Wade Megan scoring on a nice feed from University of Michigan recruit Mac Bennett and took the lead into the locker room. The 3rd period was all offense as the River Rats gave up 2 quick Whaler goals both of which off the stick of Kyle Hunchberger as the Whale took the 4-3. The River Rats line of Jake Godlberg, Kevin Sullivan and Christian Cowles responded with two goals of their own to give the River Rats a 5-4 lead late in the 3rd. The Whalers answered though with a minute left in the game to tie the game 5-5. It looked like the game would end that way but Wade Megan took a feed from Kevin Sullivan and buried it under the bar literally as time expired to give the River Rats the 6-5 win.
The River Rats came out the next morning and faced a strong GBL team that they split the regular season series with beating them 6-2 and losing 8-3. The Bruins took an early 2-0 lead before Derek Deblois answered with a beautiful goal assisted by Steve Whitney and Wade Megan to cut the GBL lead to 2-1. GBL defenseman Kyle Turrin put GBL up by two with a goal with only 26 seconds left in the 1st period. GBL got an early 2nd period goal to lead 4-1, before Deblois answered again on a beautiful feed from Steve Whitney making it 4-2 going into the 3rd. GBL came out and got a couple quick goals answered by a River Rats tally by Jackie Bartlett assisted by Mark Higgins but that was as close as the River Rats would get falling 6-3.
Saturday Nights contest was against the Central Mass Outlaws with the River Rats needing at least a tie to reach the State Finals. The River Rats came out slow and went behind 1-0 early in the 1st on a great shot by Outlaws forward Drew Jelinek. Although peppering the Central Mass goaltender the River Rats couldnt score trialing 1-0 going into the 3rd. With the goalie pulled the River Rats scored 2 goals in the last two minutes of the game to clinch a spot in Sundays State Finals. Both goals were scored by Kevin Sullivan. The 1st goal assisted by Derek Deblois and Wade Megan and the 2nd assisted by captains Steve Whitney and Will Rayner.
In the State Finals the GBL Bruins downed the River Rats 6-0. The River Rats out shot the GBL Bruins 45-32 but couldnt get anything past GBL goaltender Branden Komm who was nothing short of fantastic in net. Komm held the River Rats at bay in the 1st period as the River Rats outshot the Bruins 19-9, but trailed on a goal from GBL forward Chris Brown. The 2nd period was much of the same as the River Rats again outshot the Bruins 16-12 but the Bruins were the ones who got on the board on a Grant Telfer goal that bounced off the back of River Rats goalie Matt Walsh and went in. The Rats trailed 2-0 after two. In the 3rd the River Rats gave up and early PP goal off the stick of Grant Telfer and ran out of gas late as GBL got 3 late goals including the hat trick for Telfer and won the State Championship 6-0.
This was a tough was to end a great season for the Midget Major (U18) River Rats. Leading the team in scoring during the playoffs was Steve Whitney who had 2 goals and 3 assists. Following Whitney was Wade Megan and Kevin Sullivan who both had 4 points each. The River Rats would like to congratulate GBL coach John Flaherty and the rest of his staff on a fanstastic season and wish them best of luck in the Nationals in Pittsburgh in April.
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by river rats posted 11/05/2008 The Midget Major (U18) team has qualified for the playoffs which will be held this weekend (November 7th-9th) at the Foxboro Sports Center. The top 4 teams in the league will play in a round robin tournament with the two top teams meeting for the state championship on Sunday November 9th with a trip to Nationals at stake. The GBL Bruins, Cape Cod Whalers, Central Mass Outlaws will join the River Rats as the 4 teams in the playoffs.
The River Rats will open up the playoffs Friday night at 9:10pm vs the Cape Cod Whalers. Saturday brings two games for the River Rats as they play the GBL Bruins at 12:30pm and then the Central Mass Outlaws at 9:10pm. The Finals are set for Sunday at 1:00pm, all games played at the Foxboro Sports Center.
The playoffs will be a good chance to catch many future NHL and college players as there are 16 players in the tournament who are on the preliminary Central Scouting list for players that should be drafted in the 2009 NHL Draft held in June, including 8 on the River Rats. Players in the playoffs are committed to schools such as Boston College, Boston University, University of Michigan, Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown etc.
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posted 10/23/2008 8 Current and 2 former River Rat Midget Major (U18) players are listed on the NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Rankings. The NHL Central Scouting Report is the list NHL teams use for the 2009 NHL Draft which will be held this upcoming June in Montreal. The preliminary list breaks down players into 3 categories. 'A' Players, which are considered players that should be drafted in the 1st or 2nd round in the NHL Draft. 'B' Players are players that are considered to be drafted in the 3rd-5th rounds. 'C' players are players that are considered to be late round draft picks in the upcoming draft.
Defenseman and Michigan recruit Mac Bennett has been rated an 'A' Prospect for this upcoming NHL Draft. Forward and Boston College Recruit Steve Whitney has been rated a 'B' Prospect. Forward Derek Deblois and Defenseman Will Rayner were both also considered 'B' Prospects in the eyes of the NHL scouts. 'C' Prospects include Boston University recruit Wade Megan, Kevin Sullivan, Jake Goldberg and Nic McIntyre. Former River Rats Kyle Quick and Antoine Laganiere, a Yale recruit, are both also considered 'C' Prospects.
The last two River Rats drafted were Kevin Quick and Alex Killorn. Quick who was selected in the 3rd round by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2006 draft is currently playing in the Lightning minor league system. Killorn was also selected in the 3rd round by the Tampa Bay Lightning, was selected in the 2007 Draft, and is currently a freshman at Harvard University.
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posted 08/25/2008 The defending State Champion River Rats Pee Wee Major ( 96) team has started the season off well winning the Central Mass Outlaws Labor Day Tournament in Marlboro this past weekend. The Pee Wee Major (96) team has started their season off where the left off going undefeated in the tournament with a 5-0-1 record. The River Rats played well in the prelimary round, with their only blemish on their perfect record a 3-3 tie vs the New Jersey Titans. Once the Playoffs started the team showed that they had earned the number 1 seed in the playoffs and continued to pick up their play defeating the New Jersey Devils 5-2 in the semi finals before facing off in the finals with league rival GBL Bruins and beating them 4-1 in a convincing win to earn the tournament championship.
The team was lead by stellar defense and great goaltending only allowing 14 goals over the six games. Robbie May was fantastic in net, and Christian Cellini who came in for the last three games of the tournament and was equally impressive. Up front the team was led by Tommy Munichiello's 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points and Nick Ward's 3 goals and 7 assists for 10 points.
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posted 08/17/2008 Despite a 1-3 record by Team USA Under 18's at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka, River Rats Midget Major (U18) forward Steve Whitney was fantastic, leading the United States team in scoring. The tournament which was held in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, brought together the world's best players born in 1991. Whitney, a Boston College recruit, in the 4 games over seas had 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points. Whitney is no stranger to doing well at international competitions as he has represented the United States on 5 different occasions already on the world stage, many times leading the team in scoring.
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by river rats posted 08/14/2008 Midget Major (U18) forward Wade Megan has committed to Boston University for the fall of 2010. Megan who will be a senior this fall at South Kent will play a year of Juniors before becoming a Terrier. Megan who was among the leading scorers in prep school last season having a huge year with 24 goals 29 assists and 53 points. Wade, a 1990 date of birth, is the first Neponset Valley River Rat to wear the Red and White for the BU Terriers.
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posted 08/06/2008 Four of the River Rats teams will participate in the Tier 1 Faceoff in Marlboro Mass on Labor Day weekend. The Bantam Minor, Bantam Major, Midget Minor and Midget Major teams will be on hand for the tournament that is based out of the Foxboro Sports Center in Foxboro for the Bantam divisions and the New England Sports Center in Marlboro for the Midget divisions. The Tier 1 faceoff tournament is widely regarded as one of the top few Midget and Bantam tournaments in North America, as teams come from all over the country come to compete in it. The tournament is heavily recruited by College, Junior and Prep School teams.
The Bantam Minor (95's) team will be in the Under 14 East/West Division and will open play on Friday August 29th vs the Bantam Major (94's) 495 Stars in Foxboro at 5:00pm. This will be a good challege for the Bantam Minor to start the season as they will be playing against almost exclusively Bantam Major (94's) teams.
The Bantam Major (94's) team will be in the Under 14 Atlantic/Pacific Division and will open play for the season on Friday August 29th at 8:00pm in Foxboro vs the Boston Jr. Eagles. The Bantam Majors(94's) will be playing in a very strong division with many of the top Bantam Major (94's) Teams in the all the country. Look for the winner of this division to be a top condenter for the Bantam Major Tier 1 National Championship in April.
The Midget Minor (92, 93's) Team will be in the Under 16 East/West Division and will open their season on Friday August 29th at 3:40pm at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro vs the New Hampshire Monarchs 92's. This will be a good test for the new look River Rat team that will open up league play the next weekend vs the District 10 Bulldogs at Boston University.
The Midget Major (90 91's) Team will be in the Under 19 Atlantic/ Pacific Division and will open up the tournament Friday August 29th at 6:40pm at the New England Sports Center in Marlboro vs the Boston Jr. Eagles. This will be the Midget Majors(90 91's) 2nd game of the season as they play their first game Wednesday August 27th at 8:20pm in Foxboro vs the Eastern Mass Senators. This game is a league game and will count in the standings. Look for the winner of this Division to be among a few favorites to be the Midget Major AAA National Champion in April.
All Players need to have their IMR forms registered and e-mailed to their head coach/manager ASAP. Roster can't be completed for the tournament before these forms are in.
Full Schedule for the teams in the tournament can be found at www.tier1faceoff.com, the tournaments website. Good luck to all the teams as there seasons get started in a few weeks.
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posted 07/23/2008 Midget Major(U18) forward Chris McCarthy has committed to defending National Champion Boston College. McCarthy made the decision to attend BC over University of Vermont and will arrive on the heights the fall of 2010. McCarthy is a 1991 date of birth and will be a junior at Berkshire Academy this upcoming school year.
It has been a busy week for McCarthy as he along with another River Rat Midget Major player and Boston College recruit Steve Whitney were named to the United States Under 18 team that will compete in early August in the Czech Republic.
When McCarthy arrives at Boston College former River Rat Joe Whitney will be a senior and current River Rat Steve Whitney will be a sophomore.
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posted 07/21/2008 Current Midget Major(U18) River Rats Steve Whitney and Chris McCarthy have been selected to play for Team USA Under 18's at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka Tournament. The tournament will be played in both the Czech Republic and Slovakia starting August 9th with an exhibition game versus Team Canada and finishing up with the medal round on August 16th. Team USA's first 3 games in the tournament will be against Team Russia, Team Finland and Team Czech Republic. The players on the team were picked from their recent play at the 2008 USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp held in St. Cloud, MN, along with their tremendous play during the fall and winter.
This will be Steve Whitney's 3rd straight year he has been selected to play for Team USA, playing in 2006 as an under age player with the U17 USA team. In 2007, he also played for the U17 USA team. At the Select 17 Festival Steve finished tied for 12th in scoring with 3 goals and 4 assists for 7 points in 5 games played. Steve will be a senior at Lawrence Academy and has committed to Boston College for the fall of 2009.
This will be Chris McCarthy's first time in the Red, White and Blue of the USA. Chris had a fantastic Select 17 camp finishing 3rd in scoring with 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in 5 games played. Chris attends will be a Junior this year at the Berkshire School and as of now is undecided on a college.
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posted 07/05/2008 Good luck to current U18 (Midget Majors) River Rats, Steve Whitney, Ryan Coffey, Chris McCarthy, Jake Goldberg, Kevin Sullivan, Derek Deblois, Paul Cinquegrana, Derek Army and Mac Bennett who have all been selected to represent their districts at USA Hockey's Select 17 Festival in St. Cloud Minnesota. The games start July 8th and runs through July 13th. The Select 17 Festival brings together the nation's best players born in the 1991 year. At the conclusion of the camp a group of all stars will be selected to represent the United States at the Memorial of Ivan Hlinka in Czech Republic August 12-16th.
Last year at the Select 16 festival, River Rat Steve Whitney was the leading scorer over the 5 game showcase, he recorded 4 goals 8 assist for 12 points. Whitney was selected to the USA team that participated in the Five Nations tournament last August.
Congratulations to all of these players for being selected to represent their districts at this prestigious event.
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posted 07/02/2008 Congratulations to Coach Casserly and the Pee Wee Minor (1996) team for being Massachusetts Tier 1 State Champions. In the final game the River Rats defeated the South Shore Dynamoes 5-1 to be named State Champions. In league play the team finished the season with a record of 24-7-3.The team also represented Massachusetts at the Pee Wee Tier 2 National Championships in New Jersey.
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posted 07/02/2008 Congratulations to Coach Calarese and the Squirt Minor (1998) Team for winning the Massachusetts Tier 1 State Championship. The team defeated the Valley Jr Warriors 2-1 in an exciting final game to be named State Champions. In League play the River Rats finished the season with a record of 17-1-2.
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posted 07/02/2008 Congratulations to former River Rat and current Boston College Eagle Joe Whitney for winning the National Championship for Boston College this year. Joe was the 5th leading scorer in the nation this season and 1st in the nation in assists, leading all freshman in the country in scoring. Joe also scored the overtime goal against Miami of Ohio to push Boston College to the Frozen Four in Denver. He also had a goal in Boston College's 4-1 win over Notre Dame in the National Championship Game!
Here is the link of Joe's Overtime game winning goal vs. Miami of Ohio. The goal became the number 2 play on ESPN's SportsCenter!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLBS2hTe98A
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posted 07/02/2008 9 Current and Former River Rats were on the Needham High School team that brought the championsip back to Needham for the first time since 1970. A big part of this years team was current U18 defensemen and all scholastic Will Rayner. The team is coached by current U18 coach and Boston Globe D1 Coach of the Year Bill Guisti.
The team was also honored by Sportcenter 5's High 5 hosted by Mike Lynch and included interviews with River Rats Will Rayner, Cody Sharib and coach Bill Guisti. Below is the link to Needham High School being honored buy Sportscenter 5.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK-xkdwIN8I
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