LYNN, Mass. — Austin Prep rallied from down two goals to earn a hard-fought 3-3 tie against St. Mary’s on the road at Connery Rink on Wednesday.
Colby Magliozzi, Kyle LoNigro and Dante D’Ambrosio paced the host Spartans to a 3-1 lead midway through the second period. Jacob Duval scored twice and Robert McDonald also found the back of the net for the visiting Cougars.
It was a matchup between two teams that have stayed close to the top of the standings in the Catholic Central League over the past decade. The game had its positive moments, but it was also riddled with sloppy play that you’d expect in a season that has been disjointed due to stoppages and lack of practice time due to the coronavirus.
Scoring summary
1-0 SM: The Spartans took a 1-0 lead with two minutes left in the first period. Magliozzi scored a rebound goal with the puck just sitting precariously in the crease. The initial shot came from LoNigro at the left-wing wall. The scoring play came off a draw at the right-wing circle. Magliozzi won the puck back to LoNigro, who zipped a shot on net. He outraced several Austin Prep defenders to the puck at the far wall.
1-1 AP: The Cougars evened the score 3:19 into the second period on a shorthanded tally by Duval. The St. Mary’s goaltender came out to play a cleared puck, but Duval scooped it up in back of the net and finished the wraparound into an empty net. It was the second good scoring chance on the same kill for AP. The goal was unassisted, but Ty Wood deserves credit for his persistence earlier in the shorthanded sequence.
2-1 SM: LoNigro scored an unassisted goal with 6:10 left in the middle period. After forcing a turnover, his wrist shot beat the goaltender from the high slot. Austin Prep had three or four chances to clear the zone, but failed to do so. Defenseman Kory Ouellette did a nice job keeping the puck in once and LoNigro was buzzing the whole shift.
3-1 SM: D’Ambrosio gave the Spartans a two-goal lead on the next shift. He was waiting at the far post and put home a centering feed. The play started as a result of an Austin Prep turnover in the neutral zone. Brady Bullock made a nice pass to Tad Giardina for the zone entry. Giardina’s initial shot was blocked, but he got it back toward the net, where D’Ambrosio finished it off.
2-3 AP: Just over a minute later, the Cougars got one back. McDonald’s wrist shot from the left point deflected off a St. Mary’s defender and beat the goaltender high glove. Nick Saunders made the low to high pass back to McDonald. Credit also goes to Matt Chatelle, who pinched down the right wing to keep a puck in just prior to the goal.
3-3 AP: With 46 seconds left in the second period, the Cougars evened the score for good. A solid backcheck by Trevor Lundy helped force a St. Mary’s turnover on zone entry at the other end. The puck was picked up by Duval, who raced down the right wing and looked off a pass before firing a wrist shot from the right-wing circle on the two-on-one. The shot went between the goalie’s glove and the post on the short side.
Prospect notes
Brady Bullock
St. Mary’s, 2/25/05, LW, left shot, 5-7/165
Bullock had an assist on his team’s third goal. He wasn’t his best, but he forced turnovers, made some good looks and was around the puck a good amount. This was the first time I’ve seen him play down the middle for the Spartans. He’s typically played left wing for Mark Lee’s team.
Jacob Duval
Austin Prep, 9/1/06, LW, right shot, 5-10/160
Duval, an eighth-grader, is a goal scorer. He’s physically mature, rugged and heavy on pucks. He doesn’t have blazing speed or flashy skill, but he shoots the puck hard and has the hockey sense to know where to be at the high school level. He played in all situations Wednesday. The Andover, Mass., native spent the fall and most of his youth hockey with the Valley Junior Warriors.
Harrison Kinne
St. Mary’s, 6/12/05, D, right shot, 6-0/185
Kinne made some good puck touches but still could afford to do less at times. When he gets the puck off his stick quickly, he can be a dangerous weapon on the breakout and the transition game. Kinne sometimes gets in trouble when he forces plays or tries to do too much. The Swampscott, Mass., native has good size and has above-average vision. Kinne played this fall for the Boston Junior Eagles.
Ty Wood
Austin Prep, 11/3/05, C, left shot, 5-11/175
I really like Wood, a late ’05 from Gloucester, Mass. He had a good eighth-grade season for the Cougars in 2019-20 and was solid this fall for the Valley Junior Warriors 15-U. I don’t think this was his best game. He competed hard and had his moments where he was hard on the forecheck. The one area of Wood’s game that he needs to continue working on is his skating. Nonetheless, he’s a player who brings a solid effort night in and night out.
Austin Prep lines
Duval - Wood - Regan
Russo - J. Thibodeau - Saunders
Toohey - Pineo - D. Thibodeau
Lundy - xx - B. McGrath
Elkins - C. McGrath
McDonald - Chatelle
DeMarco - Griffin
Williams
DeRoche
St. Mary’s lines
Foley - Bullock - D’Ambrosio
LoNigro - Magliozzi - Moran
Carpenter - Iacoviello - M. Giardina
Toto - Kinne
Ouellette - Bott
T. Giardina - Domeniconi
Giangrande
