MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – St. George’s top players came to play Wednesday afternoon as the Dragons held serve on home ice for a 3-1 victory over Winchendon.
Yale commit Julian Frias (Hudson, Mass.) scored twice sandwiched around a goal from Holy Cross commit Matt Kursonis (West Boylston, Mass.). Another Yale commit, Donovan Frias (Hudson, Mass.) had two helpers. Kursonis, fellow Crusader commit Ryan Buckley (Warwick, R.I.) and Troy Hayes (Windham, N.H.) picked up single assists.
With the win, St. George’s improves to 3-1-1. Jeff Dwyer’s team hasn’t lost since an opening night setback at Thayer. The loss dropped Winchendon to 1-5-0 on the season. Brock Bergeron (Lewiston, Maine) was the lone goal scorer for the Wapitis.
Julian Frias gave St. George’s the 1-0 lead in the first period when he showed good hands to the right of the goalmouth to flip one past Winchendon goaltender Matt Pierce (Lincoln, R.I.). The puck came to him after good cycling below the goal line from Donovan Frias and Hayes.
The Dragons took a 2-0 lead in the second period when Donovan Frias got the puck up to Kursonis, who entered the zone down the right wing. On his offside, he rifled a wrist shot past Pierce.
Julian Frias picked up his second of the night late in the second period from a similar spot around the crease. There was great puck movement on the scoring play with Buckley and Kursonis quickly touching it before getting it to Julian Frias.
Bergeron scored on a fluke goal that somehow squeaked past St. George’s goaltender Matt DellaRusso. The goal cut Winchendon’s deficit to just two, but the Wapitis were unable to muster much in the way of a charge after that.
I was impressed with the play of Donovan and Julian Frias, twin brothers who committed to Yale this past September. The late '04s aren’t eligible for the NHL draft until 2023. The Frias brothers both stand at 6-feet-4 and complement each other well. Julian is a goal scorer with good hands in tight and a propensity to bring a physical presence. He took two penalties in the game. Donovan has length, protects pucks, drives possession, and makes plays. Even outside of his two assists, there were a handful of plays that he made on Wednesday.
Three uncommitted stars
Jake Freelove
Winchendon, 1/4/05, D, right shot, 6-2/175
Freelove, from Tyngsboro, Mass., is the top Division 1 prospect on Winchendon’s roster. His size, stick and vision are all positive attributes. I liked that his puck touches ended up on the tape of awaiting forwards on the breakout. Freelove jumps into the rush and activates often. He does a good job of taking away time and space and using his stick to break up plays and force action to the perimeter. For him to get even better, he’ll have to make quicker decisions with the puck and chase the play a little less. He’s a Division 1 talent with increasing amounts of interest from Hockey East programs.
Ben Buckley
St. George’s, 2/8/05, C, right shot, 5-10/165
Buckley is the middle of three brothers playing for the Dragons. He centers the second line and plays the top on the first power-play unit. He’s gritty, plays with an edge, and forces turnovers. He made a couple of plays in the game, including a nice pass from below the goal line that gave Kursonis a great look at a scoring chance. Buckley’s skating and complete game will allow him to play Division 1 hockey.
Troy Hayes
St. George’s, 1/5/06, LW, left shot, 6-1/170
Hayes is the left wing on the top line with both Frias brothers. His skating and pace are getting better, but he still needs to keep improving in that regard. I like that he gives an honest effort, backchecking and engaging physically. He picked up an assist on the team’s first goal. If he improves his skating and ability to play with pace, along with playing to his identity as a power forward, he has the potential to get to Division 1.
St. George’s lines
Hayes - D. Frias - J. Frias
Kursonis - B. Buckley - Almeida
Mulhern - D. Buckley - Worrell
Lucas - xx - O’Brien
Parker - R. Buckley
Pace - McIntosh
Melvin - Biafore
DellaRusso
Winchendon lines
Bergeron - Richards - Roenick
Dumais - Mahoney - Coughlin
Calvanese - Deener-Chodirker - Baldassare
Laurencic - McNeice - O’Donnell
O’Malley - Forsyth - Caparco
Logan - Duffy
Andersen - Van Valkenburgh
Lyons - Freelove
Pierce
