Goalie leaving St. Thomas for Ann Arbor

Matt McNeely never became St. Thomas Academy's No. 1 goaltender, but his skills have made an impression nationally.

McNeely will not return to the Cadets boys' hockey team for his junior season, opting to join the U.S. national team development program in Ann Arbor, Mich., for two seasons. He also made a verbal commitment to play at Maine in 2011.

"St. Thomas was great, and I love my teammates, but I wasn't playing as much as I would have liked," he said. "I thought I practiced like a top guy, but I never got the opportunity."

McNeely played in nine games for the Cadets as a sophomore last season, backing up junior Kurt Altrichter. The Cadets went 21-5-2, falling to Mahtomedi in a section final, ending a streak of four consecutive Class 1A state tournament berths.

Unable to showcase his skills at the prep level, McNeely heightened his profile by making local and national select teams. He also played for the Minnesota Blades AAA Hockey Club.

"That's where he made his hay," said Mike McNeely, Matt's father. "It was no surprise. The surprise was that his high school coaches didn't play him like they should."

Three football players named to the Star Tribune all-metro second team last fall are getting college interest:

• DeLaSalle running back Evan Williams has received interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, North Dakota State, North Illinois, Northern Iowa and Wyoming.

• St. Thomas Academy offensive lineman Conor McFadden has narrowed his list to Holy Cross, Dartmouth, Princeton, Harvard and Iowa.

• Rosemount wide receiver Zach Vraa made a recent visit to Minnesota and remains in contact with Iowa, North Dakota State, Northwestern, Utah and Wyoming.

• Vraa's teammate, linebacker Max Busher, recently received a scholarship offer from North Dakota State. He also has a strong interest in Minnesota, Iowa, Northwestern, Northern Iowa, Wyoming and Harvard.

• Minneapolis Southwest receiver LeDarius Aaron, an all-metro third-team selection, lists Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State and Middle Tennessee State as his top schools. The Hawkeyes are sending Aaron four letters per week.

• Edina forward Ellie Sitek signed with St. Cloud State after helping the Hornets reach the state tournament for the first time this season.

• Mounds View senior defenseman Natalie Wedell will play hockey at Yale this fall on an academic scholarship.

Long-time girls' soccer coach Jeff Dennehy will be back to coach Burnsville this fall. Dennehy spent 18 seasons at Totino-Grace, where he led the Eagles to Class 1A titles in 2001, 2002 and 2007. He was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Soccer Association Hall of Fame in 2008.