Needham, MA-Neutral Zone was in attendance in Needham, MA to watch St. Sebastian’s Arrows play host to St. Mark’s Lions. The home team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and looked to be in control of the game. A few minutes into the opening frame, Connor Joyce (Dedham, MA – Boston College) drove wide and sent a pass cross-zone to Ryan MacDermott (Norwell, MA) who snapped the puck into the net. Less than five minutes later, Brendan Gorman (Westwood, MA) cleanly won an offensive zone draw directly to Liam Connors (Westborough, MA – Boston University) who rifled the puck home. Soon thereafter, Brendan Dumas (North Attleboro, MA) sliced through two defenders before slipping the puck through the goalies five-hole. Before the frame was out, St. Mark’s would cut the lead to two. Ian Moore (Concord, MA Harvard) threaded a shot on net from the point and Dom Murphy (Worcester, MA) finished the rebound.
The second period was all St. Mark’s, as they scored the only three goals of the period. Murphy scored his second of the game, snapping a puck from the high slot through traffic. A few minutes later, the visitors tied the game as Moore walked down from the point and sent a shot under the bar. Before the period was out, St. Mark’s would take the lead for good as Brendan Gibbons (South Kingston, RI) corralled a puck in the high slot before sending one to the back of the net.
The third saw the Arrows make a final push but Will Bundy (Westport, CT) stood tall and made some big saves. St. Mark’s would get two empty netters by Gibbons and Danny Ciccarello (Kirkland, QC) to seal the game.
Three Stars:
- Dom Murphy (St. Mark’s)
- Brendan Gibbons (St. Mark’s)
- Brendan Gorman (St. Seb’s)
NZ Notes: For the home team, several players had nice nights in the losing effort. Brendan Gorman was assertive and made some nice plays in transition. He attacked directly and used his feet and hands to find space and create passing lanes. He was a constant factor shift-to-shift and created several chances for his linemates. Liam Connors was also a bright spot as he was always around the puck and worked well off-the-cycle. He is quick and bounces off contact well. He keeps his feet moving and looks to find open ice in the offensive zone. On the back-end, Thomas Messineo (Westwood, MA) had a strong night. He was physical in all three zones and closed on forwards quickly. He was smart in his own end and made strong tape-to-tape passes to easily get out of his end. He kept tight gaps through the neutral zone and used an active stick to cut down space. For the victors, Ciccarello and Gibbons play big minutes and are counted on in all situations. Both play direct games and protect the puck well. They are effective in the offensive zone down low and created several scoring chances. Dom Murphy was noticeable each time out on the ice. He plays with an edge and isn’t afraid to battle in front of the net and in the corners. He has a good set of hands and changes speeds well to create time and space. He finds the soft areas around the net and jumps on loose pucks. On the back-end, Ian Moore was strong and started the breakout seamlessly. He anticipates well and jumps routes through the middle of the ice. He plays physical when needed and uses his long body and stick to cut down angles. He looks to create offensive chances through seam passes and snaps passes to stretch the ice. As mentioned above, Bundy was strong in net. He made several big stops in a one-goal game. He was calm under pressure and controlled his rebounds.
St. Mark’s School hosts Brooks School on Wednesday, while St. Sebastian’s hosts Belmont Hill. Each time will look to finish strong as they to gain playoff berths.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
