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Haverhill Boys Ice Hockey Preview

2006-07 record: 10-9-2, lost in Division 2 North first round

Returning starters (10): Tom Murray, Sr., defense; Hal Duggan, Sr., defense; Kyle Burke, Jr., defense; Dan Bly, Jr., defense; Brandon Fredette, Sr., forward; Ken Perkins, Sr., forward; Kevin O'Brien, Jr., forward; A.J. Scalese, Sr., forward; Dave Edmonson, Sr., forward; Leif Sorenson, Sr., forward

Returning lettermen: John Orsillo, Jr., forward; Patrick Roberts, Jr., forward; Brad McGovern, Jr., forward;

Newcomers: Kevin Sweeney, Frosh., defense; Matt Fairburn, Soph., goalie

Candidates in all grades: 36

Captains: A.J. Scalese, Brandon Fredette, Ken Perkins

Returning leaders: Brandon Fredette (12-11|23), Ken Perkins (6-7|13), A.J. Scalese (3-6|9) Returning honorees: Brandon Fredette, All-MVC-DCL; A.J. Scalese, MVC-DCL All-Star

Assistants: Joe Roberts

Opener: Dec. 15 at Lincoln-Sudbury

Odds and ends: The Hillies enjoyed four straight winning seasons under former coach Chris Laganas, who went 67-54-36 in seven years before leaving for an administrative job at Whittier. ... Haverhill will have to cope with the loss of last year's top rookie, Brian Ward, who transferred to Governor's Academy. Ward was All-MVC-DCL last season. ... It's unknown who the starter in net will be, but head coach Spike Sprague said that sophomore Matt Fairburn has played well in practice. He is waiting to hear back on the eligibility of another goaltender. ... Leif Sorenson is also a pitcher on the baseball team, going 4-1 with 37 strikeouts a year ago. ... Sprague scored the first goal in Haverhill history 32 years ago and had great success at Newburyport (172-59-10, 6 CAL titles from 1987-98). He's had two previous stints coaching the Brown and Gold.

Coach Spike Sprague (First year): "If we win a 2-1 game, then I am a happy guy. I want to be aggressive in the offensive zone, but I want to win with our defense. In terms of offense, I would like to see it a little more spread out. Every coach wants a balanced attack, but I think that we have enough pieces in place to really have that. Brandon Fredette, our leading scorer last year, is the big piece. But I think we have other guys that are ready to step up to the plate."