Tewksbury, MA – In an early Saturday afternoon affair, two evenly matched teams faced off to start an exciting weekend of MIAA hockey. From the Breakaway Ice Center in Tewksbury, the game between the Austin Prep Cougars and St. Mary’s Lynn Spartans was played in three fifteen minute periods, and thanks to St. Mary’s great job of partnering with Pack Network on a livestream broadcast, we were able to get our eyes on the game today.
From the start of the first period, we saw just what type of matchup this was going to be: defensive, physical, and competitive. Both teams immediately began battling in the neutral zone, both attempting to gain entry into their respective offensive zones, but would be promptly shut down by the opposing team at the blue line. With around two minutes remaining in the first, Austin Prep’s sophomore forward Drew Thibodeau was able to get the game’s first tally on the board. A shot from freshman forward Noah Pineo squeaked through the five-hole of the St. Mary’s goaltender, and was banged in by a waiting Thibodeau in the goal crease to open the scoring. Less than a minute later, Austin Prep scored again to double their lead. A beautiful outlet pass from freshman forward Ty Wood near his own goal line sprung the young 8th grade attacker Jacob Duval for a breakaway, where he made a great move to his backhand to put the second goal of the game in the back of the net. The Cougars took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period followed the same script as the first. There was plenty of physical play: both teams were unrelenting in their efforts to keep the opposing side out of their offensive zone, forcing a lot of back and forth activity in the neutral zone. As a result, neither squad was able to crack the scoresheet. After another 15 minute period, the score remained 2-0.
In the third, however, Austin Prep was able to get a little bit more going. They were sustaining more and more pressure in their offensive zone than they had the entire game. These efforts would eventually lead to the game’s final goal. As the Cougars were preparing to enter the zone again, senior forward Doug Russo made a nifty behind the back touch pass to fellow senior forward Joe Thibodeau, who slipped around his defenseman and ripped a shot five hole, making the game 3-0. St. Mary’s did mount a comeback attempt of the strength of two power plays after this, but were unable to capitalize on any of their opportunities, and the game would end 3-0: a shutout for sophomore goaltender Nathan DeRoche.
Three Stars:
- G Nathan DeRoche, Austin Prep
- F Drew Thibodeau, Austin Prep
- F Jacob Duval, Austin Prep
NZ Notes:
- Despite how the score looks in the final box score, this game was a close, evenly matched contest. Both teams spent a ton of time battling in the neutral zone, forcing dump ins and turnovers. The second two Austin Prep goals came off of well executed passes on the tape that were able to find slim gaps in the defense.
- The St. Mary’s defense also stood out significantly. Their ability to stifle the advancing offense at the line and deny them from setting up in the offensive zone made things hard for the Cougars.
- Austin Prep is clearly unafraid of blocking shots. Every opportunity they had on defense and the penalty kill they were throwing themselves into shooting lanes, disrupting offense and causing turnovers.
