By HockomockSports.com Staff

2023-2024 Hockomock Boys Hockey Preview

Attleboro

2022-2023 Record: 4-15-0
2022-2023 Finish: Missed postseason
Coach: Gary Warren
As Attleboro looks to improve off of last year, it will need new players to step up and produce, especially on the offensive end. The Bombardiers lost their top five scorers from a season ago from a mix of graduation and transfer, but head coach Gary Warren has some welcome additions to mix into this year’s lineup.

There’s a good mix of experience and youth this season, especially with a handful of freshmen and sophomores who have at least a year of varsity experience under their belts. On top of that, the Bombardiers are getting a boost with the return of senior Dane Holske back from Bishop Feehan and sophomore Cam Elliott, who played club last year. Holske should provide an offensive boost and will be flanked by newcomer freshman Brody Wolfe and freshman Bryan Capone.

Freshman Drew Bessette, in his second year, will center a line flanked by Nate Conroy and junior Austin Bessette, while junior Brody Shaw will look to bolster the forward lines after making the transition from defense to offense and will play alongside Jack Moran and Tony Mancini. Defensively, junior Alex Jarousky provides Attleboro with an experienced presence along the blue line and he’ll be joined by Elliott, senior Nick Fernandes, and freshman Logan Bader. In net, senior Julien Horton and freshman Jake Westwater will push each other for time.

“We need to play disciplined hockey, limit our mental mistakes, and play with energy every shift,” Warren said. “If we can do that, we can be a competitive hockey club.”

Canton

2022-2023 Record: 22-4-0 (Davenport champion)
2022-2023 Finish: Div. 2 state champion
Coach: Brian Shuman
Canton continued to achieve incredible success with its third state championship in the last four tournaments last year, but that just means the target on the Bulldogs’ back continues to grow.

Even with graduation and other departures, the Bulldogs continue to be a contender year in and year out under one of the best coaches in the state in Brian Shuman. This year’s group features a good balance with eight seniors, eight juniors, 11 sophomores, and a pair of freshmen. And with that balance comes great depth, especially on offense. Senior forward Brendan Tourgee is one of the most experienced players in the league, and one of the most talented too. He’ll spearhead the Canton offense and be flanked by junior Travis Thomas and sophomore Joey Ryan. Returners Brian Middleton and Colin Blake could be poised for breakout years while senior Pat Drury brings a wealth of experience to that line.

Another constant with Canton is having one of the best defenses in the league. This year will feature a younger group than usual but expectations remain the same for the Bulldogs. Junior Connor Geoghan stood out in the preseason and won a competitive battle with four goalies on the roster. Senior Matt Anderson logged a ton of ice time last year and really impressed, so his leadership along the blue line will be key. Sophomores Teddy Shuman, Graidy Carr, Gavin Thompson, and Brannen Morris will look to fill out the defensive unit.

“We have some depth up front at forward this year, and no surprise that Brendan Tourgee looks great so far,” Shuman said, “On defense, Matt Anderson was one of our best last year and he will be leaned on heavily. After him, we will need a bunch of sophomores to step up.”

Foxboro

2022-2023 Record: 8-13-1
2022-2023 Finish: Reached Div. 3 Round of 32
Coach: Eric Galanti
With our four seniors gone from last year’s team that qualified for the state tournament, Foxboro could be looking at a deeper run this time out come March.

The Warriors have key pieces back all over the ice and their top three scorers from a season ago. Sophomore Owen McAuliffe and junior Dan Jacobs tied for a team-best 14 points while senior Connor Hayers was second on the team with seven goals and six assists. And a major addition will be senior Sully Kenneally, who missed all of last year with a junior. His presence along the blue line with juniors Tommy Watts, Leo Campbell, and Evan Paluzzi give the Warriors a solid foundation on the back. The backbone of the defense is in between the pipes with Trevor Marder back. Marder was one of the best goalies in the league last season.

McAuliffe, Jacobs, and Hayes will lead the offensive attack once again this year. Senior Luigi Muttart will also be in the mix, juniors Finlay Campbell and Ryan Wood could be poised for breakout seasons, and sophomore Mikey Ruo could be a bigger contributor after registering three assists as a rookie.

Franklin

2022-2023 Record: 17-6-0 (Kelley-Rex champion)
2022-2023 Finish: Reached the Div. 1 Sweet Sixteen
Coach: Chris Spillane
Franklin ran into a hot goaltender in the Sweet Sixteen last year, ending a playoff run that the Panthers thought could have lasted for another round of two. With its top four scorers back and a typically deep and talented roster, Franklin looks set to push for a 13th straight Kelley-Rex division crown and be right back in the mix among the top teams in Div. 1.

Scoring shouldn’t be an issue for Franklin. The Panthers scored a league-best 102 goals in 23 games, including 11 in a playoff win over Andover. Last year’s league MVP Ben Paterson (17 goals, 22 assists) is joined by fellow seniors Anthony Lampasona (14 goals, 22 assists), Dan Daley (14 goals, 15 assists), and Dylan McEvoy (10 goals, nine assists), who by themselves outscored three Hockomock teams in 2022-23. Seniors Zac Langevin and Liam Hager and juniors Carter Balducci and Jack Wernig will be counted on to chip in with more output this season.

Defensively, Franklin will have some new faces along the blue line, although senior Logan Marchand is back to give the team much-needed experience and leadership. Junior Owen Ariente is making the jump from JV, sophomore David Smith has transferred from Bishop Feehan, and senior Matt Toli is back with the program this season, and each will be expected to log big minutes in defense. Between the pipes, Franklin returns all three goalies from last year. Senior Colby Wagner was solid in his return from playing juniors, while juniors Jack O’Connor and Joe Torracco give Franklin enviable depth in goal.

“For Franklin to be successful this year, we will have to buy into a team defense concept,” said Franklin coach Chris Spillane. “Offensively the goals will come, we will place a major focus on our D-zone coverage.”

King Philip

2022-2023 Record: 12-6-3
2022-2023 Finish: Reached the Div. 1 Round of 32
Coach: Toby Carlow
Under first-year coach Toby Carlow, King Philip won 12 games and reached the state tournament only to run into perennial power Hingham in the first round. While the Warriors graduated six players, they will still have an experienced lineup to challenge for the league title and will have confidence that, now playing in Div. 2, they can put together a tournament run.

Seniors Cam Lehan-Allen and Sam Naggar will provide the leadership on the blue line with sophomore Sonny Bianculli returning after an impressive rookie campaign. The Warriors allowed 50 goals in the first 20 games last season, which was the third-lowest total in the league, so KP showed its ability to slow down opposition attacks. Juniors Ted Dolan and Trevor Walmsley will take over in goal and are battling for the starting role.

The Warriors will count on an experienced and deep forward group to create more scoring chances in the second year in Carlow’s system. Senior wingers Rowan Boulger, Nate Garstka, and Max Robison were among the team’s leading scorers last winter and sophomore center Grady Bianculli will look to improve after a solid first varsity season. Sophomores Joe Robison, Evan Regan, Jack Gresham, and Cole Kotkowski are all poised for bigger roles and more minutes this season.

“Our strength on both offense and defense is that we have a lot of returning players and with that, they should know the system and be able to improve upon what we were doing last season,” Carlow explained. “The freshmen who played last season should have no problem adjusting to the high school game and the older players should be ready to up their games and help us be successful.”

Mansfield

2022-2023 Record: 4-15-2
2022-2023 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Round of 32
Coach: Mark O’Brien
Mansfield won four games last year but benefitted from the new playoff format to earn a spot in the state tournament. With only three seniors on this season’s roster, second-year head coach Mark O’Brien will be relying on a young roster, but he is confident that the Hornets have the depth to be in the playoff conversation again at the end of the season.

Two of Mansfield’s seniors are in goal. Josh Hussey returns from last year’s roster and will be the starter on day one with Colin MacWalter backing him up. In front of them, juniors Declan Foley and Thomas Gormley return to make up the top defensive pairing. Gormley was the team MVP last year after an impressive sophomore campaign in all three zones. Junior Luke McGuire, sophomore Aidan Shea, and freshmen Logan Theroux and Anthony Diieso will round out the defensive group.

While young, a lot of the Hornets’ key players did get varsity experience last year. The forward line is an example, with juniors Brendan Vokey, Matt Tourigney, Matt Cromack, and Kevin O’Brien all coming back after getting plenty of ice time. Sophomores James Warren, Matt Kelly, and Cody Silver add more energy to the attacking units and freshman forward Roman Gerr is one of seven rookies that will get opportunities to contribute right away.

“We are a deeper team with balance throughout our top lines and consistency on the back end,” said O’Brien. “The team has the right mindset of hard work and continued learning. We are also young, hard-working, and improving every time we take the ice. The team is excited about the opportunity they have in front of them to be difficult to play against and to make it deep into the postseason.”

North Attleboro

2022-2023 Record: 9-8-4
2022-2023 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Round of 32
Coach: Neil Hall
With only six seniors, and just four of them skaters, North Attleboro and first-year head coach Neil Hall will need a talented group of underclassmen to step up this year.

The Rocketeers boast one of the best goalie tandems in the Hockomock League with seniors Kyle Gruber and Nate Kelly back after both saw some valuable minutes between the pipes last year. In front of them, senior Kaden Burns will spearhead the offense after tying for the team-high in points last season. Burns, a captain along with Gruber, scored 17 goals and had a team-best 11 assists. The other three skaters in double-digit points last year (Mark Ayvazyan, Brody Gaulin, Gavin Arabian) all graduated.

That means there is an opportunity for new faces to step up and take on more responsibility on the offensive end. Sophomore Dominic Bertino contributed as a freshman with six points (three goals, three assists) and junior Jake Santucci added five helpers a year ago. Other seniors on the roster this year include defenseman Jack Julio and forwards Enzo Mattei and Logan Madden. North has six sophomores on the roster that will factor in right away.

Oliver Ames

2022-2023 Record: 10-10-1
2022-2023 Finish: Reached Div. 2 Round of 32
Coach: Jimmy Tierney
Oliver Ames enjoyed a season of improvement under first-year head coach Jimmy Tierney as the Tigers went from six wins to a spot in the state tournament. With a strong core of players back on the ice this year, Tierney and the Tigers will be looking to continue that upward trajectory.

With only six seniors gone to graduation, Oliver Ames boasts a lot of familiar faces in its lineup. A lot of that experience comes up front in the forward lines, featuring seniors Andrew Livingstone, Matt Lawson, and Jack Corey, along with returning junior Shaun Teehan. All four of those skaters have a good amount of varsity experience, and with a potential breakout season on the horizon for junior Patrick DeLoughrey and sophomore Brendan Teehan, the offensive zone should be a strength for OA this year.

There’s more familiarity on the blue line starting with senior captain Sean Kearns, another four-year veteran on the squad. Kearns will toe the blue line alongside junior Bryce Deibel while seniors Andrew Poulos and Landon Grothe give the Tigers great depth at the position. Having that much experience on defense will also give a boost on the offensive end. In net, senior Nolan Gemmiti has won the starting job with freshman Josh Devito battling for time on ice.

“We will look to rely on our senior leadership group, as well as our group of returning players to build off our season last year,” Tierney said. “We will aim to outwork our opponents, and make a run to the playoffs.”

Stoughton/Brockton

2022-2023 Record: 7-13-0
2022-2023 Finish: Missed postseason
Coach: Dan Mark
Although the Stoughton/Brockton co-op team lost several key seniors to graduation, there is a good nucleus of players back in the mix for legendary head coach Dan Mark.

The Knight Boxers will once again skate as an independent team but will face off against the majority of the Hockomock League at some point throughout the year as Attleboro, Foxboro, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Oliver Ames, and Taunton are all on the schedule. Between graduation and other departures, Stoughton/Brockton lost its top three scorers from last year. The top returning scorer is senior Ryan Summers, a defenseman who collected three goals and 13 assists a year ago. Summers and Stoughton’s Ben Shirey will be key veterans among an experienced blue line group for the Knight Boxers while both goalies from last year — Sean McGowan and Dmytro Yakovenko — are back this year.

While there are five defensemen and both goalies back, there is opportunity in the offensive zone. Senior Brendan Twohig had six goals and four assists a year ago, senior Owen Dupont is a strong candidate for a larger role offensively, and sophomore Jake McSweeney is looking to build off a five-goal, four-assist rookie campaign. There are a dozen seniors on this year’s roster and eight combined sophomores and freshmen.

Taunton

2022-2023 Record: 13-10-0
2022-2023 Finish: Reached Div. 3 Round of 32
Coach: Kris Metea
Taunton only has two seniors on its roster and lost its two top point producers so head coach Kris Metea will need some younger players to stop up during the 2023-2024 season.

The Tigers only graduated five skaters but that included Connor McGrath and Colton Scheralis, who accounted for the majority of Taunton’s offensive output a season ago. Taunton’s two seniors this season will be vital for their leadership both on and off the ice. Senior captain Conner Goranson is the top returning scorer (30 points) while senior Owen Hathaway is poised for a breakout year. Junior Travis Cashman established himself as a top player on the blue line last year with 20 points and he will anchor that unit for the Tigers while classmate Tre Nedeau (17 points) brings a wealth of varsity experience and is a great two-way player for Taunton.

A big boost this year comes from outside additions with junior forward Cayden Clancy (Bishop Feehan) and sophomore defenseman Braden Lachance (Mount St. Charles) in the mix. Both players figure to make an immediate impact. Already with a year of varsity experience, the freshman line of Jameson Vallarelli, Breighdyn Simmons, and Drew Nedeau will look to make more contributions on the offensive end. The strength of the defense will be in the net as junior Cam Tomaszycki returns for another year between the pips.

“It’s a young group that is hungry and wants to compete,” Metea said. “They have excellent team chemistry.”