ALUMNI UPDATE: LOMBARDI, QUINNIPIAC CELEBRATE NCAA TITLE
by posted 04/11/2023
St. Petersburg, FL- The GBL Boston Jr. Bruins congratulate former 18-and-under player Mike Lombardi and his Quinnipiac Bobcats teammates on winning the 2023 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.
Lombardi attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, NH, graduating in 2017. He was a member of the 18U team in the fall of his senior year and led the team to a second-place finish at the 2016 Massachusetts Hockey Tier I State Championship.
Also during his senior year, the Barrington, RI, native announced his commitment to Quinnipiac University, fresh off a trip to the team’s second trip to the NCAA title game.
Lombardi’s next stop was the West Kelowna Warriors of the British Columbia Hockey League, where he finished sixth on the team in scoring with 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 44 games and two goals in the BCHL playoffs.
With Lombardi on the roster, the Bobcats would make the NCAA tournament every year with the exception of 2020, when the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic drove the season to a halt.
Lombardi’s contributions to the team earned him the title of alternate captain as a senior in the 2021-22 season, which saw a third-consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. The Bobcats’ season ended at the hands of Michigan with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line.
During the 2020-21 season, the NCAA granted every rostered player in every sport a fifth year of eligibility, so Lombardi leapt at the chance to study for his MBA at Quinnipiac and hopefully take care of some unfinished business.
Once again, Lombardi was named an alternate captain of the team and both he and the Bobcats made the most of the unique opportunity, going 34-4-3 while capturing another ECAC Hockey regular season title.
The Bobcats hit a bump as they lost their ECAC semifinal matchup in double overtime but cruised through the NCAA East Regional, knocking off Merrimack and Ohio State.
The Frozen Four saw Quinnipiac avenge their loss to Michigan in decisive fashion to set up a tilt with the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After falling behind 2-0, the Bobcats cut the lead in half late in the second period and tie the game with an extra attacker in the waning minutes of regulation. Once overtime began, it took all of ten seconds for the Bobcats to finish the job.
“I’ve spent a fifth of my life with a lot of these guys,” Lombardi said in an interview with CT Insider. “We’ve spent so much time together, we’re basically brothers. It’s unique, having this much experience. ... I think we’ve taken advantage of it.”
Congratulations to Mike, the Lombardi family, and the Quinnipiac Bobcats on this tremendous achievement.
Hebron, ME- The GBL Boston Jr. Bruins are proud to announce the commitment of goaltender Mason Rosado to Babson College for the fall of 2023.
“I’m very excited to continue my academic and hockey career at Babson,” said the Waxhaw, NC, native. “After weighing all of my options for both hockey and school, it was obvious that Babson would be the perfect place for me.”
Rosado first put himself on the map as a goalie in the 2016-17 season when he played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament with the Carolina Jr. Hurricanes, splitting time in net with fellow 18U goaltender Grant Kloeber.
When he reached high school, his first stop was at Brewster Academy, where he tended goal for both the Bobcats and the Northern Cyclones 15O team.
With the COVID-19 pandemic raging, Rosado headed west to Gilmour Academy in Ohio.
“It was an easy choice to make that move,” he recounted, “given that Brewster’s season was wiped out entirely and I was able to play over 60 games with Gilmour. Also, I wanted the experience of playing out west, but once things returned to normal, I would want to return to New England for prep hockey.
“Growing up, I spent a few years in Avon, CT, and I would go to Avon Old Farms games. That convinced me to go the prep route and I missed it when I was at Gilmour.”
Rosado returned east for his junior year, this time landing at the Northfield- Mt. Hermon School and spent the fall season playing for the Springfield Rifles. Although he planned on staying at NMH as a senior, his teammates stoked his interest in joining the GBL Bruins for the 2022 fall season.
“A lot of my teammates wanted to bring me over to GBL with them,” he noted. “They were having so much fun [with GBL] and constantly talked about how great the experience was. [NMH] Coach [Kevin] Czepiel always sends a lot of his players there, and after talking to [team owner] Pat [Bohan] and [18U Head Coach] Bret [Tyler,] I barely had to think about it.
“Playing for GBL was amazing,” he continued. “The team was extremely tight-knit and Pat and Bret run a great program. Everyone had their role in the locker room…some of it was pretty silly, but it helped us bond as a team very quickly. And once the fall season finishes, it’s always fun play against the guys. There’s a good amount of chirping the week before we play each other, but after the game, we always stay for a bit, shake hands, and take pictures with each other.”
Rosado found himself on the move again for his senior year, finding his way up to Maine to play for Hebron Academy.
“It was purely a personal decision to transfer,” he stated. “I just needed a change of scenery, and it’s been a blessing to play for [Hebron Coach] Jack O’Brien. He’s been very helpful this year with my development both in school and in hockey. He’s built a team of hardworking kids. We all like to play for him and each other. In that way, playing for Hebron reminds me a lot of playing for GBL.”
Rosado had already begun considering his options for next season, going so far to sign a tender with the Pueblo Bulls of the USPHL NCDC West, but after getting in touch with Babson Head Coach Jamie Rice, he decided to make the jump to NCAA hockey.
“I was sitting on the offer from Babson for about a month,” he stated. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play a year or two of junior hockey. Some guys have their hearts set on playing Division I, but there weren’t a lot of schools that I would have wanted to attend. Who knows, playing junior hockey may have created some new opportunities for me, but it may have also closed the door on Babson and that wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.
“It’s rare that players go straight to college without playing juniors first, but I wouldn’t have committed to any other school for next year,” he continued. “It fit very well with my plans for what I want to do with my life, both with school and hockey.”
Incidentally, the 18U’s played a game at Babson College over Columbus Day weekend, but as luck would have it, Rosado was not available that weekend. Still, he made a visit to the campus and that further cemented his desire to be a Babson Beaver.
“I was blown away,” he said. “The classroom buildings really impressed me as much as the athletic facilities. I’d never seen anything like that. Add in the fact that it’s only ten miles away from Boston and I knew that it would be the best place to spend my college years. I get to play four years of hockey and graduate with a degree from a great school with an excellent alumni network.”
Marlborough, MA- The GBL Boston Jr. Bruins 18-and-under team saw its season come to a close after a 2-0 loss to the East Coast Wizards despite a masterful 36-save performance by goaltender Grant Kloeber.
Much like the other two matchups between these two teams, the game featured back-and-forth action with both goaltenders getting tested throughout the period and proving equal to the task. Not surprisingly, the teams were scoreless after the opening period.
Similarly, in the second period, the teams repeatedly tested the goaltenders with nothing to show for their efforts.
The Wizards finally solved Kloeber 40 seconds into the final period.
Several chances by the 18U’s were turned away as the clock ticked away and Kloeber skated off for an extra attacker with 1:38 remaining.
Despite their best efforts, the 18U’s continued to come up empty and the Wizards sealed the victory with 40 seconds left by scoring an empty-net goal.
The GBL Boston Jr. Bruins organization congratulates the members of the 18U team on an excellent season and wishes them the best of luck in their upcoming prep and scholastic seasons.
Marlborough, MA- Matt Tully scored twice and Grant Kloeber made 43 saves to lead the GBL Boston Jr. Bruins to a 3-2 win over the South Shore Kings in the opening round of the 2022 Massachusetts Hockey Tier I State Tournament.
Right from the opening faceoff, the Kings peppered Kloeber with shots but had nothing to show for their efforts.
Just after the halfway point of the opening period, Maverick Chedel picked up a loose puck in the defensive zone and stormed the length of the ice and fired the puck at the net. The Kings goalie made the save, but Jack DesRuisseaux banged home the rebound with 9:01 on the clock.
“It’s always great to get the first goal, especially in the playoffs,” said Josh Felton. “That first goal really lit a spark under the boys and we kept going.”
Immediately after DesRuisseaux’s goal, the Kings came right back with another excellent scoring chance, only to be denied by Kloeber.
“Grant [Kloeber] saved us big-time today. He’s been great all season, and he came up big tonight,” noted Felton.
The goalies kept the teams off the board through much of the second period, but Matt Tully netted a power play goal from Chedel with 1:24 remaining to give the 18U’s a two-goal lead.
The Kings got on the board with a power-play goal with 13:23 left in the game and then tied the game with 8:44 to play.
“Right after the second goal, [Maverick] Chedel was yelling on the bench to get us all fired up,” recalled Felton. “We came back from that really well.”
Tully provided the heroics with another power play goal when Chedel and James Hooley set him up at the point and he fired it home with 7:45 remaining.
“What can I say? Tully was awesome tonight,” stated Felton. “It was a great call by Coach [Bret Tyler] to put him out there on the power play and it paid off. Tully’s a sniper.”
The Kings pulled their goalie with 3:18 left and had several chances to tie the contest, but Kloeber and the 18U’s held them off and the 18U’s came away with the win.
“I think that last minute felt like ten minutes,” noted Felton. “There were so many whistles and the Kings were not going down easy. We just had to keep getting the puck out of the zone to force them to regroup and we got it done.
“Everyone’s really excited by tonight’s result,” he continued, “and we’re all glad we get another shot at the Wizards.”
The 18U’s return on Saturday afternoon when they play the East Coast Wizards at 4:40 PM at the New England Sports Center.
Dorchester, MA- Led by Maverick Chedel (1 goal, 6 assists,) Jack DesRuisseaux (3 goals, 2 assists,) and Alex Ondos (2 goals, 3 assists,) the GBL Boston Jr. Bruins closed out the regular season with an 11-0 win over the East Coast Militia on Sunday afternoon.
The 18U’s went back and forth with the Militia early in the first period with goaltender Grant Kloeber and his counterpart keeping the game scoreless until Maverick Chedel stole the puck and sent a pass to Alex Ondos, who broke down the left wing and fired it home with 3:33 to go in the opening period.
“After Ondos scored, the floodgates opened,” noted Travis Rugg, “we started slow but by the end of the period, we were able to finish our chances.”
Ondos bagged his second of the game two minutes into the second period with assists from Jacob Fletcher and Matt Tully.
Fifty-eight seconds later, Chedel and Tully combined to set up Jack DesRuisseaux in the slot and DesRuisseaux made it 3-0.
Eli Pendergrass put the 18U’s but by four when he scored from Chedel and DesRuissieaux with 9:48 on the clock.
Fletcher added to the lead with 2:31 to go in the frame with a wraparound goal assisted by Ondos and Tully.
A minute and fifty seconds into the final period, Ondos and Josh Felton set up Gerald Cahill from the point and Cahill converted on his opportunity.
Pendergrass bagged his second goal of the game with help from Chedel and Fletcher with 10:42 to go.
With 6:54 remaining, Chedel scored from DesRuisseaux and Pendergrass, and DesRuisseaux netted his second of the game 47 seconds later. Chedel and James Hooley assisted.
DesRuisseaux completed the hat trick with help from Chedel and Ondos with 3:54 to go, and Travis Rugg’s shorthanded goal from Josh Rorick and Magzhan Sagadiev with 1:51 left completed the scoring.
Grant Kloeber recorded his second shutout of the season with 16 saves.
“The whole second half of the season, we were really able to turn things up with the forwards,” stated Rugg. “Our defense has been great at shutting down opponents and our goaltending has been awesome.
“This was a real statement game,” Rugg continued. “We showed that we can contend at the State Tournament and it gives us a great boost in confidence, which we need when we’re playing for a trip to [USA Hockey] Nationals on the line.”
The 18U’s return to action on Friday at the 2022 Massachusetts Tier 1 State Tournament at the New England Sports Center in Marlborough. Seedings, matchups, and times will be announced this week.
Marlborough, MA- Alex Ondos contributed a pair of goals and assists and Jacob Fletcher scored twice to lead the GBL Boston Jr. Bruins 18-and-under team to a 5-0 win over the Boston Jr. Bruins 19U (Black) team.
Fletcher got the ball rolling with 13:29 remaining in the opening half when he picked up Alex Ondos’ rebound and fired it into the top corner of the net.
Just under two minutes later, Maverick Chedel’s rebound was buried by Jack DesRuisseaux to put the 18U’s up by two.
Ninety seconds later, Liam McCarthy sent a pass to Ondos along the boards and Ondos fed the puck to Fletcher, who knocked it home for his second tally of the game.
The Jr. Bruins (Black) forwards threatened to close the gap in the ensuing minutes, but goaltender Mason Rosado kept them at bay.
The 18U’s weathered the storm and made it a four-goal game when Jack Turowsky ripped a shot from the point and Ondos scored on the rebound with 8:53 to go in the half.
In the closing minutes, the Jr. Bruins (Black) let loose a flurry of shots, but Rosado proved equal to the task. Rosado finished the game with nine saves before giving way to Grant Kloeber after the buzzer.
Ondos accounted for the final score at the 47 second mark of the second half when Liam McCarthy sent him down the left wing and he cut to the middle before firing the puck past the Bruins’ goaltender to put the 18U’s up by five.
“It’s important to not look past any team,” stated Jacob Fletcher. “It doesn’t matter what happened last time we played them [referring to the 18U’s win earlier this month,] we still have to take everybody seriously. Going into the state tournament, we have to keep making plays and doing everything right so we can get results.
“We’ve really come together recently,” he continued, “and we hope to keep it together for the next two weekends. Last night showed us what we were capable of, so we want to keep it up. We played three great teams this weekend and picked up three wins, so we know what we need to do every night.”
Kloeber made three saves in the second half to preserve the shutout.
“The reason the forwards were so great today was because the defense shut down the other guys and allowed us to do our work up front,” noted Fletcher. “We have a great back end.”
The 18U’s return on Saturday when they travel to the ICEnter in Salem, NH, to face Top Gun at 5:50 PM.
Marlborough, MA- Eli Pendegrass had a hat trick and an assist and Jack DesRuisseaux picked up four helpers to lead the GBL Boston Jr. Bruins to a 5-3 win over the tenth-ranked Yale Jr. Bulldogs on Saturday night.
The opening half featured a tremendous amount of shot blocking by both teams and very little reaching the goalies, who proved equal to the task at first.
Eli Pendergrass broke the scoreless tie when he buried Maverick Chedel’s rebound with 11:07 remaining in the opening half. Jack DesRuisseaux also assisted on the play.
The Jr. Bulldogs tied the game eighty seconds later, and the teams would go back into the locker rooms after the first half tied at one apiece.
After the ice cut, the Jr. Bulldogs took the lead with 17:11 left in the match, however, the Pendergrass (3-1-4 in the game)- Chedel (1-3-4)- DesRuisseaux (0-4-4) line struck again 22 seconds later with Pendergrass scoring from Chedel and DesRuisseaux.
Chedel put the 18U’s back in the lead when DesRuisseaux and Pendergrass send him barreling down the right wing and he fired the puck past the goaltender with 9:07 left to play.
Once again, the Jr. Bulldogs counterpunched, tying the game with 2:53 remaining.
Pendergrass completed the hat trick and gave the 18U’s the lead for good when Chedel and DesRuisseaux set him up in the slot and sent the puck home with 1:24 to go.
“After the fourth goal, Coach [Tyler] was just telling us to not let up, keep it simple, and keep going,” recalled Matt Tully. “We know how great of a program Yale is every year, but we knew that if we did that, we could take the win.”
The Jr. Bulldogs goalie skated off after the ensuing faceoff, but Jacob Fletcher iced the game with an empty-net goal from Alex Ondos and James Hooley with 37 seconds left.
“The game was unreal,” said Tully, “everyone played great, and it was probably our most complete effort all season. The defensemen were exceptional and we had another great performance by [goaltender] Grant [Kloeber,] he bailed us out all day.
“Everyone is really excited after this,” he continued. “We know what it takes to be able to keep rolling and we’re hoping for three more wins before the State Tournament.”
The 18U’s go for their third-straight win tomorrow when they face the Jr. Bruins 19U Black team at 2:20 PM at the New England Sports Center.
A Tradition of Success- Boston Jr. Bruin Alum David Warsofsky
by Jr Bruins posted 02/19/2014
Jr Bruins alum David Warsofsky at home again in a Bruins sweater.
The Boston Jr. Bruins have experienced unparalleled success as a program, winning a number of State Championships as well as USA Hockey National Championships. Many of our players have been able to build upon the success they have achieved as members of the Jr Bruins organization and take their talents to the next level. Do you have what it takes to continue the tradition? Join us and you will find out. A Tradition of Success
