Off-season no ‘off time’ for Boston Shamrocks

As the calendar turned to August, the Boston Shamrocks have begun their summer tournament schedule and are looking forward to season-opening practices at the end of the eighth month.

A mix of Shamrocks players and local prep school additions to round out the roster competed in the Chowder Cup at the end of July, and will also skate at Hockey Night in Boston in mid-August.

Following those tune-ups, the Shamrocks team will assemble for their first team practices at the end of the month.

On Sept. 1, the Shamrocks will host a travel team from Calgary for an exhibition game, before the season begins in earnest with their first games of the year in Stowe, Vt., at the North American Hockey Academy Labor Day tournament. That tournament typically attracts the top teams from around the country as well as Canada, and is a hotbed for college scouts.

Many of the Shamrocks’ incoming seniors will be looking to make a solid impression, while returning players Maureen Bradley, Brandee LeClair, Kelsey MacIsaac and Dylan Mae Caron will be looking to build upon their junior year exposure.

The coaching staff is looking forward to a solid month of practices and tournament games in September before the Junior Women’s Hockey League Opening Weekend on Oct. 8-10 hosted by the Shamrocks in Boston.

The weekend will feature both the East and West divisions, and games will be held at the Shamrocks’ home rink in Wilmington, along with a few games at Boston University, Northeastern University and Harvard University.

How ’bout some Chowder?:

This year, the 2010-2011 Shamrocks team was split among two entries into the Chowder Cup AA Division (New England Women’s Hockey League Alumni and NEWHL Juniors), with both rosters being supplemented by local prep school players and potential 2011-2012 Shamrocks.

The NEWHL Alumni team competed in Bracket 3 against Rapid Hockey Development, Mid-Jersey Selects, and Base Hockey while the NEWHL Juniors team was placed in Bracket 1 along with Blue Crush, Assabet Valley Blue and Team Celine.

The Shamrocks coaching staff of Katy Beach and Cherie Hendrickson split the duties between both teams over the course of the weekend. Last year, the Shamrocks team was a quarterfinalist in the tournament, before bowing out to a strong Belle Tire team.

BOSTON SHAMROCKS U19 WOMEN’S HOCKEY DIRECTORY
Bob Rotondo, President/General Manager/ Bob MacCurtain,
Director of Hockey Operations
Cherie Hendrickson, Co-Head Coach
Katy Beach, Co-Head Coach
Ph. 781-838-0352
E-mail: bob@ristucciaarena.com
Web: www.bostonshamrocks.com

Mass. Maple Leafs

Mass Maple Leafs teams enjoy summer

The Mass Maple Leafs decided to use summer tournaments as tryouts and not actually have tryout camps, which was a first for the Leafs in their 13-year tenure. The Leafs used the Northern Cyclones’ Next Level tournament and the Eastern Junior League’s Summer Showcase for the tournaments of choice for the tryouts.

The team at the Cyclones’ tournament was made up of tryout players with birthdates ranging from 1993-95, along with younger players who had already committed to Leafs teams.

“The scores didn’t reflect the success of the tournament, as we were able to see players from British Columbia, Texas, Colorado, and Saskatchewan that we wouldn’t ordinarily be able to see,” said Leafs general manager/head coach Tony DeSilva. “Several contracts were offered in that tournament, on which we are currently awaiting decisions at this point.”

At the Eastern Junior League’s Summer Showcase, the team entered squads in each of the A and B Divisions.

The A team was comprised of players trying out from Wisconsin and Michigan along with a core of players that had already committed to play for the Leafs this season and who had a lot of junior experience. The B team was comprised of players trying out from Maryland, New York, Rhode Island, Canada, New Jersey and throughout Massachusetts, along with a group of signed players that had one or no years of junior experience.

The A team won its bracket with a 3-0 record, beating the Monarchs Empire team, 9-5, the Jr. Bruins team (featuring a mix of Eastern, Empire and CHA players), 1-0, And a Canadian team called East Coast Ice, 4-2. In the quarterfinals, the Leafs lost to the Philadelphia Revolution’s EJHL Jr. A team, 4-1.

“This accomplishment was a great one, as the Leafs, being a Jr. B team, were able to compete and battle with an EJHL team that should be near the top of the standings this coming year,” said DeSilva.

“I think our CHA team going 3-0 in the A division showed many people in the junior world that we can compete with Jr. A teams,” added Leafs captain Jarred Mitrano. “We hope to prove that even more when we travel to the Midwest to play the Rochester Ice Hawks and the Minnesota Owls in late August.”

The B team at the Summer Showcase went 2-1 before falling to the Connecticut Jr. Wolfpack’s Jr. B team in the quarterfinals, 5-4.

“I’m proud of both teams playing hard, working together and being successful, especially without practice and not really knowing who each other were,” Mitrano added.

The Leafs are still seeking players for both their CHA Jr. B and IJHL Super Elite teams. For more information, go to the Web site www.massmapleleafs.com or contact Tony DeSilva at hockbase@aol.com or 508-971-0808.

MASS MAPLE LEAFS

P. O. Box 30314, Acushnet, MA. 02743
Ph. (508) 992-8590 • Fax 508-992-8590
GM / Owner: Tony DeSilva
E-mail: Hockbase@aol.com
www.massmapleleafs.com