Xaverian and SJP skate to 1-1 tie

Middleton, MA – In a long awaited battle, the Eagles of St. John’s Prep officially got their season underway and they weren’t easing into the year, taking on the vaunted Hawks from Xaverian. The Hawks already had one game under their belt, taking on BC High on Wednesday but this was a very different type of contest.

The game was split into two 22:30 halves and the first half was a knock down, drag out battle for the entire stretch. Both teams came out swinging (figuratively) and there were some major body blows in the first few minutes which led to some hooting and hollering from the benches. Both goaltenders equally stood their ground well. Kevin McGrath of Xaverian turned away every shot he saw while Cam Smith for SJP turned away all but one, and that one shot was a bit controversial. With only two minutes remaining in the frame there was a crease crash which left Smith sprawled out on the ice face first in some discomfort but no whistle blew. As a result, Aiden Rodriguez fired a shot from the slot and it found the yawning cage to make it 1-0 Hawks. There was plenty of objection coming from the Eagles bench and coach Kristian Hanson argued that the play should have been blown dead, but to no avail. After a litany of icings, 1-0 was the score at the end of 1.

The second frame started out with a lot of stops and starts as a result of many, many penalty minutes being assessed early. Once all the penalty math had been tabulated the game pace really picked up and the whistles largely were put away. This was one of the better periods of MIAA hockey we’ve seen on the young season. Two teams really getting after each other, lots of physical play, active sticks, speed and skill, a little of everything. The scoreboard remained unblemished for most of the frame as McGrath and Smith continued to play well, but SJP would find twine at the 14:12 mark. Senior forward Owen Atkinson took a feed from senior forward Jake DiNapoli and darted up the left wing, firing a seed off the crossbar and in to tie the game: a great individual effort. The remainder of the period featured a couple of Grade A scoring chances for each squad, but ultimately these two were fit to be tied.

A short 4-on-4 OT was played after the second half, but it did not yield a victor as both teams did a great job of limiting chances and making timely saves. 1-1 was your final.

Three Stars:

  1. F Owen Atkinson, St. John’s Prep
  2. G Kevin McGrath, Xaverian
  3. G Cam Smith, St. John’s Prep

NZ Notes:

  1. As noted above: this was one of the best MIAA games we’ve seen all season, both teams came to play today and left it all out on the ice. This game easily had the most real animosity we’ve seen all year as well.
  2. Xaverian has a great deal of skill and a balanced defense core: it’s hard to find a lot of faults with their roster. As they get more games under their belt they are going to only get better.
  3. St. John’s Prep did exactly what they always do: battle for every puck, show great discipline at both ends of the rink and have the team speed that allows them to capitalize on mistakes. Very impressive given that this was their first game of the season against a very good opponent
  4. Xaverian D Nolan Dion looks even better than he did last season: super smooth, quick decisions and good positioning. Don’t be surprised if he takes on a bigger role this season.
  5. St. John’s Prep junior forward Tommy Sarni was a complete pain in the neck to play against today, using his big frame to exert his will and send messages: the Eagles aren’t going anywhere.