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| Algonquin's Giles Ober |
By Joe Parello @HerewegoJoe
The quarterfinals of the Central Mass tournament begin today, and four players still competing have been named 2013 All Americans.
Complete list of All Americans after the jump.
Bryan Rotatori, SR, Midfield, Grafton, Committed to Keene State
Tyler Reilly, SR, Attack, Grafton, Committed to Keene State
Hunter Burdick, SR, Attack, St John's, Committed to Nazareth College
Giles Ober, SR, Goalie, Algonquin, Committed to Babson College
Grafton's high-scoring duo of seniors Tyler Reilly on attack and Bryan Rotatori in the midfield are All Americans for the second consecutive year, and helped lead Grafton to a 17-3 record and the No. 2 seed in the Central Mass tournament.
Reilly finished second in Central Mass with 97 points (51G, 46A) and may be the most skilled player in the region. Rotatori was again one of the region's top face-off specialists and his 74 points (32G, 42A) tied for fifth in the region.
The Grafton stars were also two of the four players in the region to dish out 40 assists, the others being Littleton's Danny Johnson and Nipmuc's Colin Jackson.
Hunter Burdick has been a solid contributor at St. John's for three years now, but he finally gets All American recognition after a 64 point (34G, 30A) season that saw St. John's reemerge as the top team in Central Mass.
Burdick is balanced in more ways than one, as he has all the skills necessary to be successful on attack, and his ability to stay low to the ground while curling around the cage or spinning make him tough for opposing defenses to stay in front of.
Sharing the field with fellow attack stars Drew Smiley and Josh Freilich was never a problem for Burdick, who may have been the most consistent performer on a star-studded St. John's team.
Finally, Giles Ober takes home All American honors for Algonquin. The T-Hawks dealt with injuries and growing pains all year, but Ober's presence between the pipes was a consistent bright spot. He stepped in last season for the Tomahawks, and has looked like one of the best goalies in, not just Central Mass, but the entire state ever since.
With a solid 5.65 goals against average and the ability to push the pace for his team, Ober may be the most complete goalie in a year that has seen Westboro's Dan Terry, St. John's star A.J. Arnold, Shrewsbury's Chris Gorman and Grafton's Eric Thompson all excel. Without Ober's spectacular play in net, it's hard to see Algonquin where they are now.
