#5 St. Sebastian’s Rolls Over #2 Lawrence Academy at Home; February 8, 2019
Needham, MA-In a game with big playoff implications, St. Sebastian’s started quickly and never looked back as they cruised to a 9-2 victory over visiting Lawrence Academy in front of a packed house at Lane Rink.
The game was never in doubt as St. Sebastian’s was faster, heavier and wanted the puck more. The Arrows beat Lawrence in every facet of the game and were it not for some big saves Brandon Milberg (Thornhill, ON) the score could have been much worse.
St. Sebastian’s got the scoring started with approximately 6 minutes to go in the first when Brendan Dumas (North Attleboro, MA) corralled a loose puck in the slot and ripped the puck past Milberg. Lawrence tied the game around two minutes later when Tyler Young (Lancaster, MA – Providence) finished a rebound on the Power Play. St. Sebastian’s took the lead for good less than a minute later when Liam Gorman (Wellesley, MA – BU) walked around the opposing center off the faceoff and fed Liam Connors (Westborough, MA – BU) backdoor. Before the period was out, St. Sebastian’s would add to their lead when Jayden Struble (Cumberland, RI – Northeastern) walked around a defenseman, cut to the net and fed Connor Joyce (Dedham, MA) backdoor for a tap-in.
The second period was all Lawrence as they tallied 5 times. Connors, Joyce, Gorman, James Davenport (Natick, MA – Brown), scored for the home team, while Young scored his second for the visitors. As the game got out of hand, Lawrence lost its composure and took several minor penalties. They did not have the answer for St. Sebastian’s Power Play.
The third was generally uneventful. Jack Hughes (Westwood, MA – Northeastern) capped the scoring with a nice one-timer from a feed from Timmy Delay (Hingham, MA – BC).
Lawrence will look to regroup tomorrow when they travel to St. Paul’s. St. The Arrows are off until Wednesday when they travel to Tabor. Both of these teams should have a good shot at the Elite 8 should they finish the season strong. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them match up again later in the season.
Three Stars:
1st Connor Joyce (St. Sebastian’s)
2nd Liam Connors (St. Sebastian’s)
3rd Liam Gorman (St. Sebastian’s)
NZ’s Take: The game was as one-sided as the score indicates. There weren’t many noteworthy performances turned in by the visiting team. However, it was interesting to see the effort of a few of Lawrence’s top players once the game started to turn in the wrong direction. St. Sebastian’s; got big performances from several players. Liam Connors was all over the ice and uses his quick feet and agility to make plays through the center of the ice. Jaden Struble was a one-man breakout on the back-end. At times he tried to do too much with the puck and forced some decisions but he controls the play from the back-end and pushes the pace offensively. Connor Joyce also had a strong night. He is constantly around the puck and finds soft areas in the offensive zone. He is always around the net and finishes whenever he has the opportunity.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
