Seth Wolfe has his eye on a college scholarship - so much so that he left home early to get it.

Wolfe, 16, of Butler, will spend his junior year of high school in Burlington, Mass., while he plays goaltender for the Northern Massachusetts Cyclones of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.

He will be one of the youngest players on the team and in the AJHL.

"When the opportunity arose, I had to jump at it," Wolfe said. "A lot of players in this league wind up with scholarships to play in college and that's what I'm looking for.

"If I wind up playing pro hockey, that'd be the ultimate … I mean, that's everybody's goal, but it's way too early for me to be thinking about that."

Wolfe thinks about stopping pucks and he's pretty good at it. He played for the Junior Penguin Selects - the top team in the Junior Penguin organization - last season and was 13-8-4 with a 1.81 goals-against average and 91.18 save percentage.

The Junior Penguin Selects were 40-17-10 overall and reached the junior national tournament a year ago.

Wolfe played goal in a 3-2 loss at junior nationals. He made 41 saves in the loss.

"He was unbelievable in that game," Junior Penguin Select coach Brian Cerosimo said.

"A scout saw us play at nationals and invited three of us to try out for the Cyclones," Wolfe said. "Two of us wound up making the team."

Nick Davis, a 20-year-old defenseman from Moon Township, also made the Cyclone roster.

The Cyclones are a Junior A hockey program that has attained USA Hockey status this year.

"This is a couple of levels up from our Select team," Cerosimo said. "The majority of players in that league get Division I scholarships.

"It's awesome hockey. And Seth belongs there."

Wolfe stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 165 pounds, slightly small by high-level hockey goaltending standards.

"The mental aspect of the game is where he gets his edge," Cerosimo said. "Seth plays his angles very well and he knows how to read shooters.

"He anticipates things. He's always half a step ahead of the play."

Wolfe has been playing hockey since he was 6 and has been exclusively a goaltender since age 10. He played freshman hockey for Butler in seventh grade and played junior varsity hockey in eighth grade.

Since then, he's been in the Junior Penguins' organization.

"My older brother started playing when he was young and I just followed his path," Wolfe said. "I've always loved the sport."

Wolfe's older brother, Luke, was a defenseman for Butler for four years. He attends Grove City College now, but is not playing hockey there.

Wolfe will be living with Cyclones coach Bill Flanagan during the hockey season.

The team plays a 60-game regular season schedule, along with tournaments.

"There's only two other goalies on the team, so I'll get to play a lot," Wolfe said. "My goal now is to play well enough to move on to the Quebec Major Junior League next year, my senior year."

The Quebec Major Junior League is considered the premier amateur hockey league in the world and is a prime source for National Hockey League talent.

"If I ever get that far, fine, but I'll be thrilled to get a college scholarship out of this," Wolfe said.

Cerosimo figures he can bank on it.

"As he grows, the physical strength will come," Wolfe's former coach said. "He has a good build for a goaltender. He has the quickness and speed to adjust to each level he moves up.

"I have a feeling he'll be playing for a while."