Saturday, February 4, 2012
ESPN article
LYNN, Mass. -- After its one-goal lead was erased early in the second period, No. 4 St. Mary’s of Lynn regrouped and registered three goals during the final 25 minutes to secure a season sweep against No. 20 Austin Prep, as well as a 4-1 win on Wednesday at the Connery Memorial Rink.
The Spartans have now won two of their last three contests, and haven't lost a regular season match since losing to Malden Catholic in December in the first game of the season.
"We needed to win tonight to keep breathing room for the league, and Austin Prep is a very talented, tough team to play," St. Mary's head coach Mark Lee said.
The Spartans (13-1-2, 6-0-1 Catholic Central) earned their first lead of the contest with 52-seconds remaining in the opening period, as juniors Cameron Grenham and Bobby Mullins, (1 G, 1 A) connected with sophomore Jordan Manthorne, which gave St. Mary’s an one-goal advantage prior to the first intermission.
Austin Prep (6-5-3, 5-3-1) answered roughly two minutes into the middle frame when freshman Cam Russo notched the Cougars' only strike of the evening, after he wrapped around sophomore Bailey MacBurnie’s (15 saves) cage for the score.
However, the Cougars goal didn’t exactly provide the necessary spark for their offense, as St. Mary’s responded two minutes later with a goal from Mullins, who rushed the net and slapped the puck past freshman goaltender Elijah Harris (31 saves).
“Once you tie a game up, you want to sustain at least five-six minutes with no goals scored, so you can try to build up some momentum instead of giving them one right back again,” Austin Prep head coach Louis Finocchiaro said.
“I just took a shot on net, and it went in,” said Mullins, who now has seven goals on the season. “I was telling the guys, ‘just get shots on him, they’ll start to go in’.”
The Spartans followed Mullins instructions during the final period and constantly fired shots at Harris’s net before seniors Tim Aylward and Bryan Wilkins found the back of the cage for the teams third and fourth goals.
“I give my guys credit for weathering the storm, and finishing so strong,” said Lee. “We’ve been finding ourselves the last couple of games down, and there’s no panic on the bench, it’s all positive between the teammates. They’re patting each other on the back, keeping it going, and strong.”
Austin Prep finished the final frame with just three shots on net, and no goals.
“We hung in there, we competed, [and] played hard,” Finocchiaro said. “I thought our effort was good tonight.”
ONE-FOR-ALL MENTATLITY
Against the Cougars, Bobby Mullins registered a goal and an assist to give him 23 points on the season, but that particular statistic didn’t get in the way of the Spartans celebrating their 13th victory as a team.
“I’m not really looking at the 23 points,” said a humbled Mullins. “The team’s working well together, we’re having a good time, we’re like a family, [and] we’re all like a ‘band of brothers,’ like we say [because] we’re just having fun out there.”
Mullins has now tallied seven goals, and 16 assists through 16 games, but again, he’s not focused on his individual stat line, yet instead, his team.
“Coach is teaching us to play as a team. He said it a lot this season [that] it’s not all about the points,” he said. “We just want to win. We’ve got a lot of heart in the locker room. The seniors are all stepping up their game. We’ve got new guys all pitching in, everybody’s for the team, everybody’s just out there scoring, having fun, and we all just want to win.”
Besides Mullins, junior Cam O’Neill earned his 15th point of the season when he tallied an assist on Wilkins goal. Although, similar to Mullins, O’Neill didn’t steal the spotlight from his team’s gritty effort.
“We’re pretty happy about the attitude, and like I said, it hasn’t been perfect lately, [but] they’ve stayed with it and stayed with the game plan,” Lee said.
The Spartans have now won two of their last three contests, and haven't lost a regular season match since losing to Malden Catholic in December in the first game of the season.
"We needed to win tonight to keep breathing room for the league, and Austin Prep is a very talented, tough team to play," St. Mary's head coach Mark Lee said.
The Spartans (13-1-2, 6-0-1 Catholic Central) earned their first lead of the contest with 52-seconds remaining in the opening period, as juniors Cameron Grenham and Bobby Mullins, (1 G, 1 A) connected with sophomore Jordan Manthorne, which gave St. Mary’s an one-goal advantage prior to the first intermission.
Austin Prep (6-5-3, 5-3-1) answered roughly two minutes into the middle frame when freshman Cam Russo notched the Cougars' only strike of the evening, after he wrapped around sophomore Bailey MacBurnie’s (15 saves) cage for the score.
However, the Cougars goal didn’t exactly provide the necessary spark for their offense, as St. Mary’s responded two minutes later with a goal from Mullins, who rushed the net and slapped the puck past freshman goaltender Elijah Harris (31 saves).
“Once you tie a game up, you want to sustain at least five-six minutes with no goals scored, so you can try to build up some momentum instead of giving them one right back again,” Austin Prep head coach Louis Finocchiaro said.
“I just took a shot on net, and it went in,” said Mullins, who now has seven goals on the season. “I was telling the guys, ‘just get shots on him, they’ll start to go in’.”
The Spartans followed Mullins instructions during the final period and constantly fired shots at Harris’s net before seniors Tim Aylward and Bryan Wilkins found the back of the cage for the teams third and fourth goals.
“I give my guys credit for weathering the storm, and finishing so strong,” said Lee. “We’ve been finding ourselves the last couple of games down, and there’s no panic on the bench, it’s all positive between the teammates. They’re patting each other on the back, keeping it going, and strong.”
Austin Prep finished the final frame with just three shots on net, and no goals.
“We hung in there, we competed, [and] played hard,” Finocchiaro said. “I thought our effort was good tonight.”
ONE-FOR-ALL MENTATLITY
Against the Cougars, Bobby Mullins registered a goal and an assist to give him 23 points on the season, but that particular statistic didn’t get in the way of the Spartans celebrating their 13th victory as a team.
“I’m not really looking at the 23 points,” said a humbled Mullins. “The team’s working well together, we’re having a good time, we’re like a family, [and] we’re all like a ‘band of brothers,’ like we say [because] we’re just having fun out there.”
Mullins has now tallied seven goals, and 16 assists through 16 games, but again, he’s not focused on his individual stat line, yet instead, his team.
“Coach is teaching us to play as a team. He said it a lot this season [that] it’s not all about the points,” he said. “We just want to win. We’ve got a lot of heart in the locker room. The seniors are all stepping up their game. We’ve got new guys all pitching in, everybody’s for the team, everybody’s just out there scoring, having fun, and we all just want to win.”
Besides Mullins, junior Cam O’Neill earned his 15th point of the season when he tallied an assist on Wilkins goal. Although, similar to Mullins, O’Neill didn’t steal the spotlight from his team’s gritty effort.
“We’re pretty happy about the attitude, and like I said, it hasn’t been perfect lately, [but] they’ve stayed with it and stayed with the game plan,” Lee said.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Spartans topple Cougars, take back first
Spartans topple Cougars, take back first in CCL LYNN — It was probably as fine a third period as the St. Mary's hockey team has put together in a long time and it couldn't have come at a more opportune moment for the Spartans on Wednesday at Connery Rink.
Playing for first place in the CCL Large, the Spartans uncorked a 19-shot barrage on Austin Prep in the third period, as Tim Aylward and Bryan Wilkins scored to ensure a 4-1 Spartans win. St. Mary's now controls its own destiny for a second straight league title.
Click here for a photo gallery.
"That really was a solid third period," St. Mary's coach Mark Lee said. "We needed to come out of here with a win (Wednesday) and the kids answered the call in the third."
The Cougars (6-5-3, 5-3-1 CCL) were right there with the hottest team in Division 1 hockey for most of the game, but had no answer when the Spartans (13-1-2, 6-0-1) turned up the wick in the third.
"I thought that we played good for the most part," Austin coach Lou Finocchiaro said. "But we can't put things together for 45 minutes. We've played a good 40 minutes most of the season."
The Spartans easily could have blown Austin right out of the rink on Wednesday if not for the play of freshman goaltender Elijah Harris, who stood tall between the pipes in the face of the constant pressure.
St. Mary's controlled much of the play in the first period but neither team could score until the final minute when Jordan Manthorne one-timed home Bobby Mullins' pass from behind the goal for a 1-0 lead.
"That was a huge goal by Jordan," Lee said. "We had played a pretty good period there and it was nice to get that one late."
The Cougars picked up their game early in the second and got the equalizer when Cam Russo banked a shot off Bailey MacBurnie's stick at 2:11.
True to its nature this season, St. Mary's shrugged off the Cougars goal and came back with one of its own two and a half minutes later as Chris Butler made a perfect pass to Mullins in the slot for the go-ahead marker.
"It's been that way for us all season," Lee said of his team's depth. "It's not been just one player carrying the load."
Both teams had chances as the period wound down but MacBurnie and Harris kept it 2-1 through two.
The third period would be a different story as the Cougars were hemmed in their own zone for long stretches.
Harris did a superhuman job of keeping it a one-goal game but the law of averages finally bit the Cougars with 4:59 left when Aylward went to the goal and poked a rebound between Harris' legs for a 3-1 lead.
Wilkins capped the domination 1:45 later when his flutterball got past a startled Harris
Playing for first place in the CCL Large, the Spartans uncorked a 19-shot barrage on Austin Prep in the third period, as Tim Aylward and Bryan Wilkins scored to ensure a 4-1 Spartans win. St. Mary's now controls its own destiny for a second straight league title.
Click here for a photo gallery.
"That really was a solid third period," St. Mary's coach Mark Lee said. "We needed to come out of here with a win (Wednesday) and the kids answered the call in the third."
The Cougars (6-5-3, 5-3-1 CCL) were right there with the hottest team in Division 1 hockey for most of the game, but had no answer when the Spartans (13-1-2, 6-0-1) turned up the wick in the third.
"I thought that we played good for the most part," Austin coach Lou Finocchiaro said. "But we can't put things together for 45 minutes. We've played a good 40 minutes most of the season."
The Spartans easily could have blown Austin right out of the rink on Wednesday if not for the play of freshman goaltender Elijah Harris, who stood tall between the pipes in the face of the constant pressure.
St. Mary's controlled much of the play in the first period but neither team could score until the final minute when Jordan Manthorne one-timed home Bobby Mullins' pass from behind the goal for a 1-0 lead.
"That was a huge goal by Jordan," Lee said. "We had played a pretty good period there and it was nice to get that one late."
The Cougars picked up their game early in the second and got the equalizer when Cam Russo banked a shot off Bailey MacBurnie's stick at 2:11.
True to its nature this season, St. Mary's shrugged off the Cougars goal and came back with one of its own two and a half minutes later as Chris Butler made a perfect pass to Mullins in the slot for the go-ahead marker.
"It's been that way for us all season," Lee said of his team's depth. "It's not been just one player carrying the load."
Both teams had chances as the period wound down but MacBurnie and Harris kept it 2-1 through two.
The third period would be a different story as the Cougars were hemmed in their own zone for long stretches.
Harris did a superhuman job of keeping it a one-goal game but the law of averages finally bit the Cougars with 4:59 left when Aylward went to the goal and poked a rebound between Harris' legs for a 3-1 lead.
Wilkins capped the domination 1:45 later when his flutterball got past a startled Harris
Monday, January 30, 2012
St.Mary’s 2, Williams 2
In Braintree, Tommy Braswell’s goal with 3:58 remaining in the third period secured a point for the Spartans (11-1-2, 5-0-1), who twice came back from one-goal deficits to stretch their unbeaten streak to 13 games.
Jarrod Fitzpatrick scored in the second period and sophomore goalie Bailey MacBurnie finished with 15 saves.
It was the first league point surrendered by the Spartans, who remain firmly in control of their own destiny with two games in hand on co-leader Austin Prep.
“Bailey played another great game, stopping several quality shots.
“We lacked energy and left our work ethic on the bus. We need to play with more discipline and intensity,” said coach Mark Lee.
In Braintree, Tommy Braswell’s goal with 3:58 remaining in the third period secured a point for the Spartans (11-1-2, 5-0-1), who twice came back from one-goal deficits to stretch their unbeaten streak to 13 games.
Jarrod Fitzpatrick scored in the second period and sophomore goalie Bailey MacBurnie finished with 15 saves.
It was the first league point surrendered by the Spartans, who remain firmly in control of their own destiny with two games in hand on co-leader Austin Prep.
“Bailey played another great game, stopping several quality shots.
“We lacked energy and left our work ethic on the bus. We need to play with more discipline and intensity,” said coach Mark Lee.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
1/17/12 rankings
Below is our 2011 top 25 MIAA hockey poll, as selected by our panel of staff writers and correspondents. (Updated 1/17)
| Team Name | Last year's record | Last year's ranking | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Malden Catholic | (6-1-1) | 1 | It was close, but the Blue Blades shifted into another gear in the third period of the 7-4 win over Prep. Sophomore winger Pat Wrenn has scored some awfully big goals in the last two weeks. |
| 2. St. Mary's of Lynn | (9-1-1) | 2 | Junior Bobby Mullins (5-12-17) is very quietly leading the Spartans in scoring again. |
| 3. BC High | (6-1-0) | 3 | The Eagles looked rather efficient and rather flashy (with those gold jerseys) in a 4-0 win over Catholic Memorial at Frozen Fenway. |
| 4. Hingham | (9-2-0) | 5 | The Harbormen keep chugging along despite sweating out a 2-1 win over No. 22 Reading. Another Top 25 test against St. John's of Shrewsbury comes on Wednesday. |
| 5. St. John's Prep | (5-4-0) | 7 | The Eagles find themselves in much the same situation they did around this time last year, and it looks as though they've hit their stride again with a fairly good showing against MC and a 5-1 win over CM. |
| 6. Woburn | (7-2-1) | 4 | Once again showing how small the difference is between the Top 5 and the rest of field, the Tanners fall 3-0 to No. 11 Burlington, just when we thought they'd found some consistency. |
| 7. Central Catholic | (4-2-2) | 9 | The Raiders gained a little bit of leverage in the DCL/MVC Div. 1 race with a quality 5-3 win over No. 13 Chelmsford. |
| 8. Needham | (6-2-0) | 8 | Nothing lost, but certainly nothing gained by the Rockets last week with a tough Bay State League loss to Braintree (3-2) and an uninspired 3-1 win over Coyle-Cassidy. |
| 9. Springfield Cathedral | (6-3-1) | 15 | Panthers vault into the Top 10 for the first time this season on the heels of a 3-1 win over CM on Thursday. |
| 10. Catholic Memorial | (4-5-0) | 6 | Are the Knights headed for a repeat of last season? We'll find out in the coming weeks, but the message is clear, it's gut-check time for this group. |
Monday, January 16, 2012
Boston Globe
The Globe Top 20
The boys hockey poll as of Jan. 15, 2012. The teams were selected by the Globe sports staff.
| No. | Team | Record | Previous |
| 1. | Malden Catholic | 6-1-1 | 1 |
| 2. | Woburn | 7-1-1 | 2 |
| 3. | BC High | 6-1 | 3 |
| 4. | St. Mary's | 9-1-1 | 5 |
| 5. | Hingham | 8-2 | 6 |
| 6. | Marshfield | 7-1-1 | 9 |
| 7. | Cathedral (Springfield) | 6-3-1 | 11 |
| 8. | St. John's Prep | 4-4 | 4 |
| 9. | Central Catholic | 4-2-2 | 10 |
| 10. | Catholic Memorial | 4-4 | 8 |
| 11. | Needham | 5-2 | 7 |
| 12. | St. John's (Shrewsbury) | 7-3-1 | 12 |
| 13. | Franklin | 8-0-1 | 15 |
| 14. | Burlington | 5-1-2 | 18 |
| 15. | Austin Prep | 5-2-2 | 16 |
| 16. | Reading | 5-2-2 | 20 |
| 17. | Wakefield | 5-3-1 | 13 |
| 18. | Falmouth | 8-1-2 | — |
| 19. | Westford | 5-2-1 | — |
| 20. | Andover | 4-3-1 | 19 |
Updated: Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, 7:13 p.m.
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