In another busy week of MIAA boys high school hockey action, New England Hockey Journal attended three games, with each bringing a different style and flavor to what has been a strong start to the 2021-22 season.
St. John’s Prep held on for a 2-1 win against an opportunistic Reading Rockets team with a hot goaltender in a lively Thursday night game at Burbank Ice Arena. That same evening, Winchester pulled off a 2-1 overtime stunner against BC High on senior Liam Doherty’s quick strike. Then, on Saturday, Xaverian continued its recent success with a 2-0 road win over Malden Catholic at the Valley Forum in Malden. The Hawks got a late power-play goal from junior Gavin Moynihan (Norwood, Mass.), while senior Brendan Flanagan (Berkley, Mass.) was perfect in net, making 19 saves.
The big storylines and critical performances from the week reinforced our most recent MIAA power rankings, as we share our key notes and trends on who stepped up.
SJP-Reading atmosphere as good as it gets
Driving into the Burbank parking lot 30 minutes before game time, the front lot was already full, and the line to get in was out the door. As it turned out, that just scratched the surface of how much energy was in the building for the Eagles-Rockets matchup.
Between the St. John’s Prep students who traveled to represent their school, and the legion of Reading students and fans in attendance, the anticipation was at its peak when the puck dropped and the two teams went at it. SJP quickly established a territorial advantage, peppering Reading senior Alec Sullivan with shots from all over the ice. Sullivan put in a tremendous performance on the night, stopping 33 of 35 shots and giving the Rockets a chance to come away with an upset. Payton Palladino (Danvers, Mass.) secured the win for the Eagles, making 15 saves.
SJP forward Jake Vana (Boxford, Mass.) was both effective and productive in this one. The sophomore impressed in fall play with the North Suburban Wings team that took the Boston Junior Eagles to the Mass. Tier 1 state championship game. He scored the first goal of the contest in the opening frame by following his shot to the net and putting the rebound into the far side behind Sullivan after the Reading defense was a step slow to pick him up. He’s a skilled winger with a nose for the net. Junior Will Van Sicklin (Lynnfield, Mass.) was also noticeable for his pace, ability to hunt pucks and make quick plays.
Senior center and Eagles captain Pierce Blaeser (Boxford, Mass.) also had a strong showing in this one. He plays a smart, capable three-zone game and manages the puck well under pressure. He’s a leader by example who was easy to spot during his shifts, and while it didn’t translate on the score sheet, he’s a winning hockey player.
SJP coach Kristian Hanson has a deep, disciplined team that hunts pucks and makes you pay for mistakes. On this night, Reading weathered the storm and the crowd fed off their effort, making for a memorable experience. Credit to both teams and their coaches for instilling the kind of competitive spirit and drive on display this one. It was one of those rare times that you lamented that one team had to come away with a loss.
Tong comes up big in Winchester-BC High OT contest
Although Winchester-BC High lacked the regulation pace and energy of SJP-Reading, it picked up at the end of a 1-1 contest and carried over to the extra period.
Junior Max Tong had a strong game for the Sachems. He scored a highlight-reel goal to tie the game early in the third period, rifling a hard shot under the crossbar, and then made the primary assist on Doherty’s winning tally. Tong gained the offensive blue line cleanly, curled away from the defender and hit the trailing Doherty who had the time, space and a lot of net to hit. It was a big time set up and credit to Doherty for taking the ice in front of him to pinch down and then finish it off.
Tong’s goal and assist were both timely: he found the back of the net at a time when another goal by BC High could have put the game out of reach. He’s got a nice blend of size, skills and some soft hands that perhaps he doesn’t get enough credit for. Factor in the clutch plays, and it translates into a player worth watching as we go forward.
Xaverian showcases experience, depth in win
It was a goalie duel between Flanagan and the Lancers’ Brendan Zinck (Melrose, Mass.), with neither team able to find the back of the net until less than five minutes remained in regulation. A costly penalty gave Xaverian a late power play they cashed in on, with Moynihan getting to the net and converting a rebound in front to break the scoreless tie.
Xaverian has a balanced team that isn’t all that flashy, but plays a patient game and can counter quickly. Defensemen Aiden Rodriguez (Braintree, Mass.) and Nolan Dion (Marshfield, Mass.) played well, showing off the skating, first pass and three-zone ability to log a lot of minutes for coach David Spinale's 10-1-1 Hawks. Both seniors showed some puck poise and good judgment to activate and pinch at the right times, work shots to the net, and keep opposing forwards to the outside. Dion’s quick feet and superior balancing and edgework to make quit cuts and instant direction change reflected well on his overall performance.
Owen Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) is MC’s best defender as a young ’06 sophomore, and he tried to make plays on both ends of the ice and move pucks quickly, but the offense struggled to get out of second gear in this one. He is continuing to develop into one of the area's top two-way defenders in his peer group, but the nature of this game did not showcase his best assets on a consistent basis.
This one was about the goalies: Zinck and Flanagan were on top of their respective games. Save for a rebound that Moynihan was able to zip through the wickets before Zinck could react, that was the only goal he surrendered. Both netminders showed the mental focus and tenacity to battle through a largely scoreless game. It was the only goal given up in the close contest, as Xaverian senior right wing Jack Silva (East Bridgewater, Mass.) scored into the empty net to close it out.
Flanagan shows superior ability to track pucks and maintain visual contact through heavy traffic in front of his net. While he wasn’t tested as much as Zinck was at the other end, he made several tough saves look easy and is a big part of his team's success.
