SOUTHBORO, Mass. — With just under five minutes to play in the third period of a tied game, No. 3 St. Mark's tried to clear the puck.
It successfully got up off the glass, but No. 7 Rivers freshman phenom Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) was there to knock it down. He dished it down low to fellow freshman Sam Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) and got open, as Pandolfo hit him in his wheelhouse for a one-timer.
Meyer's shot zipped past St. Mark's goalie Justin BriseBois, giving Rivers a lead it never gave up. Pandolfo added an empty-netter to ensure the Red Wings got a 4-2 win.
The scoring started early in the first period when sophomore forward Thomas Birks converted off a nice pass to the front of the net by sophomore forward Cam MacPherson (Hopkinton, Mass.).
Momentum shifted, however, midway through the period when St. Mark's junior forward and leading scorer Evan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) was kicked out for a slew foot and given a five-minute major.
Rivers responded with a goal as senior forward Will Irving (Holliston, Mass.) knocked in a chance in front, tying the game, 1-1.
Late in the second period, St. Mark's was on the power play, but Meyer stole the puck off a breakout and got a breakaway against BriseBois. He faked out the netminder and put the puck behind him, giving the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.
The Lions wasted no time responding once the third period started. Just over two minutes in, MacPherson potted a goal off a rebound, which made it 2-2.
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This was a massive win for Rivers, as the Red Wings are now back in an Elite 8 spot (and should likely hold onto it).
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Carter Meyer
Rivers, 4/10/2009, F, left shot, 6-1/170
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Meyer's two goals were huge Wednesday night, and both were all about his play away from the puck. The first was about taking a smart route shorthanded; the second was about reading the clear, making a smart pass and then getting to open space. He could've had more goals, as he hit the crossbar twice in the second period on wicked wristers. He also had smart positioning in his own end of the ice to force turnovers. If WAR (wins above replacement) was tracked in prep, Meyer would likely lead the region alongside Brunswick's Joe Salandra (who also had a two-goal night and leads Meyer by one point for most in the region).
Derrick Huang
Rivers, 6/8/2007, G, catches left, 5-11/170
Hometown: Carlisle, Mass.Â
Huang came up with some massive saves that kept his team in the game. Late in the second period, St. Mark's was pressuring hard. He made a terrific glove save on freshman forward Caiden Pellegrino (Uxbridge, Mass.) and covered it for a whistle. Moments later, he absolutely robbed junior forward Teddy Drury of a high-percentage scoring chance with the glove. Early in the third period, Huang stoned junior forward Max Santos on a breakaway. When it comes to reasons why Rivers won, Huang is near the top.
Freddy Meyer
Rivers, 10/16/2007, D, left shot, 5-10/160
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Meyer has been one of the biggest breakout defensemen in prep this season. He was vital to Rivers winning on Wednesday. He assisted on Rivers' first goal with a nice shot from the point. His biggest play, however, came in the final seconds. St. Mark's pulled BriseBois to get the extra man. MacPherson had the puck in the slot and an open shot, but Meyer slid across and blocked the shot down, negating the chance and eventually leading to Pandolfo's goal. Meyer is also a rare case of a puck-moving, chance-taking defenseman who somehow doesn't make vital mistakes.
Cam MacPherson
St. Mark's, 6/19/2008, F, left shot, 5-7/145
Hometown: Hopkinton, Mass.Â
MacPherson made a great pass to Birks on his goal. On his goal at the start of the third, MacPherson drove the net well and followed the play well after great plays from linemates Bishop and sophomore Will Manchuso (Stow, Mass.). The Lions took a huge hit when Nee was shown the door, but MacPherson stepped up offensively. The '08 quietly had a great freshman year and has been even more productive as a sophomore with 11 goals and 31 points in 24 games.
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Moussa Seydi
St. Mark's, 5/14/2007, D, left shot, 6-2/175
Hometown: Beaconsfield, QuebecÂ
Seydi has been an anchor on defense all season, and that continued on Wednesday. He made life tough on Rivers' top players. Just like in their first meeting, he made sure to play hard and physical on Meyer, Pandolfo and Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.), going after them constantly. Midway through the third period and with the game tied, Sears took on Seydi 1-on-1 off the rush. Seydi played it well, forcing Sears to the outside and blocking the shot. Seydi also hit the post with a one-timer late in the second period.
Takeaways...
- Losing Nee hurt St. Mark's quite a bit, which goes to show how important he's become for them. He was a nice secondary scorer for the Lions as a sophomore but has turned into a go-to guy as a junior. He's a nice piece for head coach Carl Corazzini to build around entering next season.
- This was a huge win for Rivers. The Red Wings entered the night as the top seed in the Small School Tournament and ended it as the No. 7 seed in the Elite 8. Rivers has two games left against Middlesex and Brooks. It should take care of business in both games and USHR's algorithm thinks so, as the Red Wings are projected to end the season as No. 7 in the Elite 8.
- In my Elite 8 forecast on Feb. 6, I wrote that given its losses, Rivers would likely be a high seed in the Small School Tournament. Rivers had won five straight games to that point. Since that story, the Red Wings added five more wins to that streak, notably taking down Belmont Hill, St. George's and St. Mark's.
- I also had my doubts about Rivers being an Elite 8 team earlier in the season. Sure, they had the best line in prep, but they're all '09 freshmen. How on Earth would they do against older, stronger talent? Well, they've done just fine. Players like Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) and Will Hatten (Wayland, Mass.) have been high-end scorers, too, and Huang has been terrific in net. They're going to be a difficult out.
- St. Mark's fell from the No. 3 seed in the Elite 8 to No. 6 with the loss. The Lions are projected to move back up to No. 4 when the season ends. They have five games left: Berwick, Lawrence Academy, St. George's, BB&N and Groton. While they are favored in all five games, those aren't layups.
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