BRAINTREE, Mass. — Thanks to a three-goal outburst in about three minutes of the second period, Thayer skated past Nobles, 5-3, on Saturday afternoon at Valicenti Rink.
The game was scoreless for the half of the game, but the Tigers erupted for three quick goals in three different ways. Providence commit Joseph Kramer scored his first of three goals while at even strength. Monturio then capitalized on a shorthanded breakaway, before Kramer finished the flurry of scoring with a power-play strike. David Romaine added another goal at the end of the middle frame to give Thayer a 4-0 lead after 36 minutes of play.
Nobles cut the lead to three with a Drew Haxton tally early in the third period. Power-play goals from David Jacobs and Aidan Lyons got Nobles to within one goal. However, Kramer completed the hat trick with another power-play goal with just over a minute left to put the icing on the cake.
There was quite a bit of sloppy play, as one might expect, due to all the stops and starts of this prep school hockey exhibition season. However, it was good to see an ISL scrimmage with numerous future Division 1 college hockey players.
Thayer was without two of its top players — Providence commit Declan Loughnane and Boston University commit Nick Roukounakis. Loughnane, a late ’03, is out indefinitely with an upper-body injury. Roukounankis, an ’03 who is a potential 2021 NHL draft pick, missed the weekend due to being called up to play for USA Hockey’s NTDP U-18 team.
Even without two commits, Thayer had three players with college logos next to their names on the line chart. There undoubtedly are a couple of more players from Tony Amonte’s team who eventually will make a commitment.
Nobles has just one college commit, Jacobs, an ’01 left wing slated to play at Princeton. Many of the top players on Nobles are ’03s and ’04s. Thayer was a significantly better team, but it generally was an older group in key positions.
Scoring summary
1-0 Thayer: After a scoreless first period, the Tigers got the scoring started. Kramer fired a wrist shot on goal from a bad angle close to the right-wing circle. It hit off the Nobles goaltender and fell into the net. Zach Glass picked up the assist after picking up an errant breakout pass that was picked off. The goal occurred after a weird sequence that saw several turnovers and failed opportunities to get pucks deep or exit the zone.
2-0 Thayer: Monturio scored a shorthanded goal after a Nobles turnover at the attacking blue line. Monturio picked the puck up in the neutral zone and rushed down the left wing. He cut into the middle, waited out the goaltender, and slid it into the back of the net.
3-0 Thayer: Kramer zipped home a wrist shot from the left-wing circle while on the power play. His shot beat the Nobles goaltender to the short side above his blocker. Assists went to Michael Stenberg and Peter Kramer.
4-0 Thayer: Romaine scored a goal from the right point that ricocheted off a skate of a Nobles defenseman and into the net. Monturio gave him the low to high pass right before the tally. The secondary assist went to Matt Sullivan. It was a great shift for Monturio, who had a few chances to score himself. While he already was off the ice by the time of the goal, Foley’s zone entry started the attacking-zone time.
1-4 Nobles: Ben MacDonald pushed the puck ahead just slightly off an offensive-zone draw to the goaltender’s left. Jacobs took a swipe at it before Haxton buried the shot.
2-4 Nobles: Up two men, Nobles made it a two-goal game. Goalie Thatcher Bernstein stopped a clearing attempt and left it for defenseman Brian Grant on the retrieval. He skated it up ice and gave a pass right on the tape to Jacobs, who drove the net down the left wing. His first shot was stopped, but he followed it up and banged home the rebound.
3-4 Nobles: Lyons gave Thayer a scare with a goal on an end-to-end rush. He skated the puck up the ice on the right side and backhanded a shot that deflected off a Thayer defenseman and into the net.
5-3 Thayer: Joseph Kramer blasted home his third of the day from the top of the slot while manning the point on the power play. He received a pass from Foley, who slid it back to him after moving over toward the right-wing boards. The goal occurred with just over a minute to play in the game.
Five uncommitted standouts
CJ Foley
Thayer, 2/11/04, D, right shot, 5-10/155
Foley had an assist on the fifth goal, but his impact was felt throughout the contest. His skating ability makes him a factor at both ends of the ice. He executed retrievals and zone entries to perfection numerous times. The Hanover, Mass., native has some jam to his game and can bring it physically, as he did a few times Saturday. There isn’t a Hockey East or ECAC Hockey team that should not be coveting his services in a few years. I’d expect him to play one more season at Thayer then spend a couple of seasons in the USHL before jumping into a college lineup.
Brian Grant
Nobles, 3/18/04, D, right shot, 6-0/161
I was really impressed with Grant in this game, as I have been in several viewings of him recently with the Cape Cod Whalers. The Mansfield, Mass., native picked up an assist on his team’s second goal. He’s not overly flashy, but he skates with his head up, he moves pucks north, and he keeps pucks out of harm's way. Grant has good size, skates well enough, and can be reliable at both ends. I expect Grant to play Division 1 in either Hockey East or ECAC Hockey.
Ben MacDonald
Nobles, 2/24/04, C, left shot, 5-11/150
The Weston, Mass., native didn’t have his best game. He wasn’t a huge factor, outside of the assist he was credited with on Jacobs’ goal at the end of the second period. However, even when not on top of his game, there were things to like. He does a lot of little things, including winning draws, playing on the right side of the puck, and being responsible in all three zones. MacDonald certainly has picked up a step or two in his skating over the past 12 months. As I’ve stated before, MacDonald is a player who projects to play at an Ivy League school. I see him fitting in as a second- or third-line center.
Aidan Lyons
Nobles, 2/26/03, D, left shot, 5-10/170
Lyons is the definition of a high-risk, high-reward, offensive defenseman. The Brookline, Mass., native is gifted with the puck on his stick. His mobility allows him to jump into the rush and contribute offensively. That’s exactly what he did on his power-play tally in the third period. He’s got to reel it in at times, but he’s got the athletic ability to play at the college level.
Thomas Kiesewetter
Thayer, 1/2/05, G, catches left, 6-5/185
Kiesewetter has had an up and down fall and winter, but he was sharp and up to the task on Saturday. He stopped every shot that came his way over the course of two periods of action. The Plymouth, Mass., native is intriguing due to his size. He’s a goaltender who will get plenty of looks over the course of the next few years.
Thayer lines
P. Kramer - Glass - J. Kramer
Sullivan - Stenberg - Monturio
Seymour - Matlack - Reardon
Stuzynski - Foley
Freeman - Romaine
Collins
Kiesewetter
Haggerty
Nobles lines
Jacobs - MacDonald - Haxton
Canavan - Heath - Pickreign
Norton - Szpak - Tasca
Jamal - xx - O’Leary
Grant - O’Connor
Lyons - Logan
Tully - Friedman
Clarke
Bernstein
