Catholic Memorial Will Meet Xavier (CT) in Christmas Tournament Final

Xavier (CT) 2

Bishop Fenwick 1

In the first of two games at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, MA, Xavier HS of Connecticut edged Bishop Fenwick 2-1. The first period ended scoreless as Xavier sophomore goalie Kellen Beauton made thirteen saves in the frame to hold off Fenwick’s attack. With 8:15 left in the 2nd period, Xavier got a power play goal from Luke Lappe who beat Fenwick goalie Jake Moniz with a shot from the point through a screen. Xavier made it 2-0 twenty-nine seconds later as Kevin Mooney banged home a rebound off a shot from the point. With 4:47 left in the second period, Nick Muzi scored on a back door pass from Derek DelVecchio to cut Xavier’s lead in half. Fenwick had quite a few chances in the third period, but Xavier was able to fend off Fenwick to move onto the Finals tomorrow.

Three Stars

1st Star: Kellen Beauton, Xavier

2nd Star: Kevin Mooney, Xavier

3rd Star: Nick Muzi, Bishop Fenwick

NZ Take: Bishop Fenwick is an intriguing team and will be a pain for many teams in the Catholic Central League. Senior goalie Jake Moniz was not overly challenged today. Nick Muzi, junior forward, was all over pucks today. He had a nice goal on the power play today, finished his checks, and makes his line mates better. Look for him to continue to get better throughout the season. Freshman forward, Patrick Roach, is a player to keep an eye on throughout the season. He played on Fenwick’s second power play unit, has very good skill set, and good IQ. Once he gets stronger look for him to take another step in his development.

Xavier goalie Kellen Beauton was excellent this afternoon. His rebound control along with how he attacked pucks was very good. He also has good leadership tendencies from the net that was a big help to his defensemen today. Trevor Earley is a top forward to Xavier. He finishes all of his checks and had three to five chances to score today.

Catholic Memorial 6

Bishop Feehan 1     

In the second game of the afternoon, the host Catholic Memorial Knights beat Bishop Feehan 6-1. Glen Considine got his first of two goals just twenty-eight seconds into the game as he went to the front of the net and banged home a rebound to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. Bishop Feehan made a push after the goal, but CM goalie Liam Kilgallen made some big saves to keep the Knights up 1-0 heading into the intermission. Bishop Feehan tied the game 1-1 just 1:23 into the second period as Cam Smith scored on a shot from the point. After the Bishop Feehan goal, it was all CM as Tommy Rooney scored a nifty goal beating a defenseman one on one and deking the goalie to make it 2-1 Knights. Gavin Havens scored twice to make it 4-1  including a nice breakaway goal. Chris Rooney added a power play goal in the final minute of the second period to make it 5-1 Catholic Memorial after two periods. The Knights would add one more in the third to win 6-1.

Three Stars

1st Star: Gavin Havens, Catholic Memorial

2nd Star: Glen Considine, Catholic Memorial

3rd Star: Chris Rooney, Catholic Memorial

NZ Take: Catholic Memorial continued its strong start this afternoon. CM has quite a bit of skill, speed, and size. What could catch up with the Knights is the team’s compete level and overall team work. If the Knights can play as a team and compete every shift look for them to be a Super 8 contender. Gavin Havens has been very impressive to start the season. The freshman is skilled and has wheels on him. Once he grows look for him to be a highly touted player. Glen Considine is another one of Coach Larry Rooney’s young players. He is natural goal scorer. If CM can keep these underclassman together look for the Knights to be a dominant team in the State for the next couple of years.

Schedule and Prediction

Saturday 12/29/2018 @ Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, MA

Consolation 1:30PM Bishop Fenwick Vs. Bishop Feehan Prediction: Bishop Fenwick Wins

Finals 3:30PM Xavier (CT) Vs. Catholic Memorial Prediction: Catholic Memorial Wins