The Blue Line Report hockey column: Cohen made the right choice by staying at Peabody High

The season is not even a month old, and already it's become the hottest topic of conversation around North Shore rinks, locker rooms and wherever hockey players, coaches or fans congregate.

The question: Did Elijah Cohen of Peabody do the right thing by deciding to stay at Peabody High School for his senior season?

If you follow high school hockey locally, you probably have an opinion on this matter regarding the 5-foot-9, 170-pound centerman with terrific speed, good hands and stick skills, a nose for the net (10 goals and 14 points in just three games so far) and a head for the game.

There are those that feel Cohen made a mistake remaining in Tanner blue, "wasting" (their words, not mine) a year of his development by choosing to play public school hockey rather than challenge himself at either the junior or prep school hockey levels this winter.

Then there's the other school of thought that applauds Cohen for his actions, calling him loyal to his school and his teammates for sticking around. Playing prep or junior hockey for a full season can begin for him next year, they say, but you never get a second chance to have one final fling playing hockey with all of your buddies.

So let's ask someone who happens to know a thing or two about the sport at high levels of play.

Mike Addesa has coached hockey in high school, college, the pros and juniors for 40-plus years. He was also a scout for the Detroit Red Wings, and his 1985 RPI team is generally regarded as the best NCAA hockey championship team in history. Since 1995, he has coached the Boston Junior Bulldogs, attracting elite players from all over and sending dozens of them on to Division 1 college careers.

Deciding he needed to work on his game, Cohen tried out for, and made, the Bulldogs this fall — one of just two players selected out of a group of 66 skaters. He was part of the program for three months, playing 18 games of junior hockey (scoring 9 goals) before trading in his Bulldogs jersey for a Peabody High one.

"You get one chance to have a senior year of high school; there's an inherent value in it. I look back on my days (at Boston English) and wouldn't trade those for anything," Addesa continued. "I talked to Elijah in October and told him he'd have a chance to break (Peabody's all-time scoring) records if he stayed there, plus get to play with his friends. He made the right choice, no question."

Having said that, Addesa noted that Cohen is a special player with a bright future in the game. In three months, said the veteran coach, the young playmaker improved "three years worth" by listening, asking intelligent questions and working hard every shift of every practice and game.

"We talked to Elijah every day about his skating ability and speed, and how to best use it," said Addesa. "He learned how to attack defensemen and break them down with his speed and his new strength (Cohen has put on almost 10 pounds of muscle, lifting weights for the first time).

"Elijah understands that you generate offense from playing really good defense, and that you have to be a good player in all three zones and away from the puck. I didn't have to tell Elijah those things twice; he picked up on them quickly because of his great hockey IQ."

Going up against much bigger players who in some cases were 20 years old toughened Cohen up, he admitted. He also feels the experience of working with the Bulldogs has made him faster, stronger and smarter on the ice — and definitely aware of what he needs to do if he wants to continue to play hockey at higher levels.

"At first I felt like I was a (high school) freshman again with the Bulldogs, with everyone three and four years older than me. They were a lot bigger and stronger than I was, too," said Cohen. "But I learned how to deal with things — going up against guys bigger than me, fighting through adversity, doing what it takes to make yourself better. The Bulldogs have been the best thing for me."

Addesa said he joked with Cohen that the only thing he had lifted before coming to his team was "himself out of bed." Now, Cohen makes it a point to go back to the team to take part in their Monday strength schedules after his own Peabody High practices.

"He's showing he's serious about working hard off the ice to build up his body," said Addesa, "and in three months, he's grown from a rookie at our level to where he's a veteran.

"Now he has to ask himself, 'Now that I've had a drink from the cup, do I want to continue on and make this commitment?' I think he does. This has inspired him to climb to the top of the mountain, not just sit at the base of it."

Other coaches around the Northeastern Conference have taken notice of Cohen staying with his hometown team — and while they may not be happy with the thought of trying to stop him, they said it's good for the league that he remained locally.

"I think it's great Elijah made the decision he did," said Beverly High assistant coach John O'Neill, who has also coached at the college level. "He'll get to experience all of those things — playing with his friends in front of big crowds, playoff games, the chance for a (state) title — that he wouldn't have if he left Peabody.

"Plus, the social aspect of staying in high school is huge, too; his senior prom, time with his friends, etc. Hockey is only a small part of your life; that other stuff is pretty important, too."

"I also think it's important that younger kids — on his team and on other teams — see that he made this conscious choice to stay at Peabody. That's setting a good example, and it's good for the NEC," he continued. "Down the line, I could see more top-flight kids choosing to do that before they went on to greener pastures."

Other players — such as Danvers scoring star Troy Thibodeau — also had the chance to trade in their public school uniforms for bright, shiny prep school duds, but chose to remain home. Other young talents on the horizon, such as hulking Falcons sophomore forward Kyle Larson, Malden Catholic's super sophomore forward, Alex Minter of Peabody, or Marblehead's electric talent, junior Anders Gundersen, will need to no doubt make a similar decision about their own hockey future down the road.

If you're thumbing through a Peabody hockey program or are at a Tanners' game and hear the name Matt Williams, you might think it's our talented sports staffer of the same name coaching at his alma mater.

The Matt Williams in question is a former Peabody High hockey standout (Class of 1994) who went on to play junior hockey and has been coaching in the program for years. In fact, he's guided the Tanner JVs to a very impressive 41-7-1 the last three seasons.

The Blue Line Report, a column on North Shore high school hockey, appears each Wednesday in The Salem News. Contact Phil Stacey at pstacey@salemnews.com or at 978-338-2650.

A small microcosm of last Saturday's Danvers at Peabody contest showcased itself as two of the area's top talents — Peabody High senior captain Elijah Cohen and Danvers sophomore standout Kyle Larson — went toe-to-toe virtually every time they were on the ice together.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Larson, who loves to throw checks and bang opponents into the boards as much as he likes getting onto the scoresheet, told head coach Kevin Brown in the days leading up to the game he'd do whatever it took to help try and slow Cohen down, even shadow him during the game. Brown simply told his bruising forward to play his typical in-your-grill, physical style, and the rest would work itself out.

"I wanted to get in his face and take him out of his game," the 16-year-old Larson said afterwards. "Being physical is a big part of my game and (by doing so) maybe I could rattle him a bit, make him think."

Cohen knew it was coming. Despite giving up four inches and 20-odd pounds, he had no qualms about Larson doing his job — or reacting to it with some pushes and shoves of his own.

In one memorable account, Larson slammed Cohen just as the latter was trying to jam a rebound past Danvers goalie Eddie Bates as the whistle blew. The two stars kept yakking at each other after the play, with Cohen pointing a gloved finger at Larson, and the younger player welcoming the challenge.

"I can respect him for that," said Cohen, who actually grew up in Danvers and played hockey there until he moved to Peabody at age 12. "He's trying to throw me off my game and help his team. The key for me is just keeping my cool and not getting rattled.

"At the end of the game, you congratulate each other and say 'Good job." It's all part of the game."

Photos

Peabody High senior scoring star Elijah Cohen resisted the chance to play hockey at the prep school or junior hockey level this winter, choosing instead to finish his high school career at Peabody High. Staff Photographer