Malden, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance virtually to watch a Catholic Conference matchup between BC High and Malden Catholic at the Valley Forum on Wednesday night. The Catholic Conference is playing a league-only schedule this year comprised of 10 games (home and home versus each team). The games are broken into two 22.5 minute halves. The game was a fast-paced physical contest, with each team playing lock-down defense. The game went down to the final buzzer before MC pulled away with the 1-0 win.
The first half saw good chances by both teams, however it was Malden Catholic who would break through first. The goal would prove to be the game winner. Nick Julian (Lynnfield, MA) skated down the right side of the ice, got around a defender and snapped the puck over the goalie.
BC High came out strong in the second half and controlled most of the play. They even got a few breakaways in penalty kill situations. Lancer goaltender Brady Roux (Salem, NH) was strong and shut down all chances. The Eagles had a power play with less than three minutes remaining in the game but were limited to perimeter chances. Malden Catholic penalty killers got in lanes and blocked shots. The Lancers would skate away with a hard-fought win at home.
Three Stars:
- G Brady Roux, Malden Catholic
- F Nick Julian, Malden Catholic
- G Andrew Webb, BC High
NZ Notes
The game was played primarily in transition with each team breaking free for some odd-man chances. Both goalies, Brady Roux (Salem, NH) and Andrew Webb (Hingham, MA) played well and shut down some point-blank chances. BC High made a push in the second half but was not able to solve Roux and would fall by the score of 1-0.
For the visiting team, Brian Bulger (Norwell, MA) had a strong night. He was all over the puck and used in all situations. He uses his body well to protect the puck and drive the puck wide. He has a good set of hands and good patience to out wait pressure and find the right read. He got pucks to the net and got to the blue paint. James Marshall (Weymouth, MA) was also strong. He is getting more comfortable with the puck and made some nice carries through the middle of the ice. He is calm under pressure and doesn’t force passes. He plays with pace and works hard in each end of the ice. Nick Martin (Milton, MA) was again strong on the back-end. He is used on the PK, PP and plays a lot of minutes five-on-five. He keeps it simple and looks to stretch the ice. He kept forwards to the perimeter and used an active stick to cut down angles. In net Webb was strong, being beaten once in the first half. He battled and kept the Eagles in the game. He was the tough luck loser in this one.
For the Lancers, Brady Roux earned the shutout. He was not overly tested but made big saves when it counted. Namely he stopped Bulger and Ryan Flaherty (Milton, MA) consecutively on breakaway chances to keep the game at 1-0. He was calm under pressure and steered rebounds away from pressure. He has a quick glove and made some nice saves in tight. Nick Julian was strong and contributed to the offense each time out on the ice. He has a quick stick and good hands. He makes defenders miss in space and gets the puck to the net. He sees passing lanes through the neutral zone which create easy zone entries. Joey Tranchina (Stoneham, MA) also had a nice night. He was always around the puck and kept his feet moving. He is quick and tough to track down below the dots and is effective off the cycle. On the back-end, Owen Keefe (Saugus, MA) and Sammy Ohannesian (Lynn, MA) played big minutes for the Lancers. Both made simple plays to escape their zone and did a good job in the final minutes locking down on BC High forwards and keeping them away from the net.
