Waltham, MA – This was the much-anticipated Championship game of the Jake n Joes Tournament between North Andover and Waltham, played before a raucous crowd cheering on the home team. And the fireworks started early: before people even got to their seats the Hawks took a 1-0 lead 13 seconds in as senior Cam Antonellis fired one home. The assist went to his linemates junior Justin Moran and senior JT Logue. A good faceoff win led to possession, entry and the finish. North Andover pushed back later in the period as they have some team speed but they never really challenged freshman Waltham goalie Jack Perry as he fended off the few chances with ease. Waltham carried the play in this frame and came close to adding a second but the period ended 1-0 before additional damage was done.
In the second, the Scarlet Knights showed they can skate with the defending D1 champs, so they curbed their first-period nerves and got to work. Early in the period they won more puck races and forced Waltham to play in their end more. With 10:20 left, senior defenseman Jake Sitak picked up a loose puck after a big hit in the neutral zone by Waltham, took off into the offensive zone and fired it home. Jimmy Boyle and Nick Herold grabbed the assists. Then with 6:05 left, big freshman forward Andrew Perry went to the net and tipped home the go-ahead goal for North Andover. Senior Nolan Whitlock assisted. The period ended 2-1 for the road team with what felt like a lot of confidence building on the North Andover side.
In the third period the Scarlet Knights had all the momentum, but Waltham’s Jack Perry made a huge save early on to keep the score locked at 2-1. But, the Hawks couldn’t hold them off for the whole period. With just under five minutes to go, freshman Charlie Dean took a pass on the wing, slid down along the wall, swiveled his hips to avoid a check, took the puck behind the net, went outside in around a defender, popped out into the slot and banked a shot post and in. It was a very skilled play by a skilled player and it really took the wind out of Waltham’s sails. That was the final tally with the game ending at 3-1.
NZ’s Take:
We have scouted a number of games this season from a number of very good teams, but this game was easily one of the most competitive that we have seen on the young season. Many of the games we’ve watched have been blowouts or heavily favored one team but this game was well-paced, well-played and each team really competed: it was impressive.
It should also be noted that in the early going, the strength and poise of Waltham’s top line caused matchup problems for the top line of North Andover. But as the game went on, North Andover moved away from that matchup and started putting other lines up against Waltham’s top line, which tilted the scales in the Scarlet Knights’ favor and changed the complexion of the game. We also noticed that Coach Marfione of North Andover was more than willing to let his younger players play in big moments of a Championship game, and they rewarded him with solid play.
In terms of notable players we should start with North Andover freshman Charlie Dean, who continued to earn more ice time as the game progressed. He played with his head up and showed very good hockey sense. The plays he made were equal to what you might see in an upperclassman, he will be a must-see MA HS player before the year is out.
Also for North Andover, defense pair Keegan Hughes and Nolan Whitlock were a steady force on the back end, they finished the game off by playing consistently in their own end: a valuable asset for any team to have. We were impressed by freshman forward Andrew Perry, who is quite tall but also athletic: he gets around the sheet well for a player his size. We also took note of the play by forward Jimmy Boyle, a junior who moved well laterally and played all 200 feet with physicality and of defender Nick Herold who has both speed and skill on the back end and is not afraid to take chances to make plays.
For Waltham, we were most impressed by the freshman in net, Jack Perry, who fought for pucks and was consistent all game long. It’s tough to blame him on the goals that were scored, we see him having more success as the season rolls along. Freshman defender Justin Cormier played big minutes, can handle the puck and skated it effectively. Senior forward JT Logue is already well known, having played on the State Championship Waltham team last year. The puck really jumps off his blade and he knows how to use the screen when he fires it. A few others that stood out included junior Justin Moran, who centered Logue. He has good vision below the goal line and works the touch pass well. There was also stout defenseman Mike Burke who played in all situations for Coach Maguire and got pucks deep when the team needed to relieve the pressure.
Three Stars:
- F Charlie Dean, North Andover
- D Nolan Whitlock, North Andover
- G Jack Walsh, North Andover
