Penguins Standouts In New England Lacrosse Journal

Big thank you to New England Lacrosse Journal for some great write ups on our guys from some events this Fall🤝 These guys have been putting in the work and have been some weapons on the field. We are pumped to see these guys get the recognition they deserve, and we can’t wait to continue to see them compete🐧

Henry Engel, D, Newton South (Mass.) / Penguins Select

Not just a big body with a propensity for appropriate violence, I also really liked how cerebral Engel was, particularly in the clearing game. I think when you see a defender as huge as Engel, your first thought might be that he’s going to be all checks and no finesse. However, such a thought would be completely inaccurate, and all you would have to do is watch what Engel does on the clear. He’s not one of these big defenders who just lumber to the box side so he doesn’t have to touch the ball; he wants the ball, calls for it and makes the entire L clear system work for him. He wants to draw the ride to him, so he can quickly and deftly lift the ball over the midline to a wide-open teammate. Big, burly defenders are great, but when they can carve up the ride with some incisive passing, they’re going to get some check marks next to their name in the coaches’ books.

Benjamin Wonsek, G, Concord-Carlisle (Mass.) / Penguins Select

As great as Reyno was, Wonsek was his mirror on the other side of the field. While he was on the losing side of that 3-2 rockfight, Wonsek still made a ton of saves and was impressive at kick-starting the break right afterward. His wide stance actually took up a ton of the net and downplays his actual length. Wonsek showed that he could get across and make the save with a half step, and corral a rebound with ease. I think he’s going to be a big part of C-C’s defense next season.

JD Moerschel, LSM, Westwood (Mass.) / Penguins Select

Listed as a ’27 (he played up at this event), but confirmed as a baller ’28, Moerschel was the best ’28 pole by some distance. He’s a tall lefty who was a matchup nightmare for smaller players because he could keep up with them and still tower over them in one-on-one matchups. His instincts as a cover man were top-notch — he knew how to trap and double well, especially on the sideline near the box, where he forced multiple turnovers with aggressive approaches and a menacing first check. Westwood has to be reloading for another run in the MIAA D-2 tournament if this is the kind of player they have waiting in the wings.

Elijah Carmody, FO, Sharon (Mass.) / Penguins Select

Carmody was super-smooth on the draw and was able to get the ball out quickly if the mood suited. If there needed to be a slower approach, he showed that he could also tie his man to extend the draw. He ran like an offensive midfielder with the ball, kept his composure under pressure from doubles and rides, and even split a few traps on the far sideline with a change of speed. He looked like a complete face-off athlete out there instead of a guy who takes face-offs and then waits for the next goal or period change.

Will Rowe, A, St. Sebastian’s / Penguins Select

A tall, but fluid attackman, Rowe was his team’s metronome on offense. The ball flowed through him despite his playing in more roles than just at X. Rowe is a very two-handed player who can turn the corner and stop to drop a perfect pass, or roll back the other way to wrongfoot a defender. He can also take an absolute beating from aggressive long-poes and keep playing without even acknowledging how annoying it is to be slashed continuously.