WESTON, Mass. — It was a back-and-forth affair. But in the end, the better team won.
On Saturday, Rivers overpowered Groton, 7-4, getting a sizeable win in a competitive ISL Eberhart Division.
Rivers got off to a hot start. Freshman forward Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) notched the first goal on a shot from the slot, while junior defenseman Evan Handler (Walpole, Mass.) knocked in a backdoor feed on the power play. Sears added another on the power play before the halfway mark of the first period, giving the Red Wings a commanding 3-0 lead.
But Groton clawed back into the game. It started when senior forward Zach Baker (Williston, Vt.) tipped in a shot to cut the lead to 3-1. Then, with just over three minutes to play in the first, junior Owen Cronan (Ashland, Mass.) scored off the rush.
The Zebras tied the game less than four minutes into the second period when they got a bounce and sophomore forward Harrison Freelove (Tyngsboro, Mass.) finished a chance in front.
From there, it was almost all Rivers.
Junior forward Jonathan Rivard (Newton, Mass.) tallied a goal on a nice one-timer in front. Then, junior Stephen Rousell (Roslindale, Mass.) scored off a great individual effort, giving Rivers a 5-3 lead.
Before the period was over, Rivers freshman Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) scored a shorthanded goal to give Rivers a 6-3 lead. That caused Groton head coach Bill Riley to pull freshman goalie Alex Wang (Concord, Mass.) for junior Wes DiModica (Holliston, Mass.).
Rivers junior forward Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) scored in the third period to make it 7-3. Groton senior forward Cam Cirrone (Lunenburg, Mass.) responded, tallying the Zebras' final goal.
It was a nice rebound performance for Rivers, which lost to Thayer, 5-4, on Friday night. Rivers improved to 3-2-0 with Saturday's win. Groton, however, fell to 2-2-0.
Let's dive into the standouts and takeaways from this matchup.
Finn Sears
Rivers, 5/4/2009, F, left shot, 6-1/175
Hometown: Medford, Mass.Â
Sears started the game hot. His first goal came off a smart cut to the middle and usage of the screens in front of Wang. The second goal was a nasty one-timer that went top corner over Wang's glove. After that, it was like the Hockey Gods were conspiring against Sears getting the hat trick. He ripped a shot that went bar down but it landed in the crease and was cleared. He hit another post later in the second period. Early in the third period, Sears got a nice shot off that hit the knob of DiModica's stick.
Sears showed some unselfishness with just under seven minutes to play in the game. Off a 3-on-1, he had the puck at the side of the net and could've shot it for another chance at a hat trick, but saw Graf streaking down the slot and elected to pass it to the Merrimack commit for a goal.
It was one of the strongest showings I've seen of Sears. His passes and reads were crisp in the offensive zone and he continued to play with that same edge he's always had. He now has seven goals and 11 points in five games.
DOWN THE ROAD: What is Dexter Southfield doing with its hockey program?Â
Carter Meyer
Rivers, 4/10/2009, F, left shot, 6-1/170
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
With 8:53 to play in the second period, Rivers was protecting a 5-3 lead when Groton got a power play. Rivers boss Freddy Meyer sent out Carter and Sears as the two forwards to kill the penalty. Within 30 seconds, Carter pressured the Groton breakout hard enough to cause a turnover. Meyer got to the slot and fired in a shorthanded goal. Meyer's elite passing led to Sears' first goal and Graf's tally. Meyer leads his team in points with 13 through five games.
One thing that's become increasingly clear with Meyer is he's consistently two to three steps ahead of everyone on the ice. He anticipates the game at such a high level. It leads to him setting up teammates and, when he doesn't have the puck, stealing it back.
Stephen Rousell
Rivers, 3/31/2008, F, right shot, 5-9/185
Hometown: Roslindale, Mass.Â
Rousell's goal was all compete. He used his high level of speed to burst down the wing and gain separation before getting a shot off. He went straight to the front of the net and got two whacks at rebounds, putting the second one in. His speed is his biggest asset and it worked well with linemate Will Irving (Holliston, Mass.). Rousell also has an underrated shot, as he's able to get it off quick and use his high speed to generate a harder shot.
'TIS THE SEASON: Full schedules and results from boys prep holiday tournaments
Zach Baker
Groton, 4/3/2006, F, left shot, 5-9/175
Hometown: Williston, Vt.Â
Baker was impossible to miss on Saturday. The senior scored Groton's first goal, getting to the slot and tipping Alejandro Hassan's shot from the point. Then, Baker got the primary assist on Cronan's goal. On a 2-on-2 off the rush, Baker drew the weak side defender to him and dished it to Cronan who had enough space to beat Rivers freshman goalie Will Torres (Framingham, Mass.). He also assisted on Freelove's goal.
Baker could've had a second goal when he dangled a Rivers defenseman, went in and was robbed by Torres' glove. The Groton forward protected pucks well and showcased great hands. He leads Groton in points with five.
Freddy Meyer
Rivers, 10/16/2007, D, left shot, 5-10/160
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Say what you want about Meyer's size, but he consistently plays above it. He had a number of hard, impactful hits on Groton forwards along the boards that sent them down. Groton junior forward KJ Ni was at the very end of an impressive rush. He tried to dangle Meyer and the Rivers defenseman stepped up and knocked him to the ice. Meyer, a former forward, also might be the only defensemen in prep who takes the draw on the power play and then rushes back to quarterback the second unit. He continues to improve.
Alejandro Hassan
Groton, 2/10/2007, D, left shot, 6-0/188
Hometown: Orange, Calif.Â
Hassan made a great play on Baker's goal, as he got the puck at the point, shifted along the blue line and waited for a lane to open up. When the puck was on his stick, he typically made smart, poised plays, especially on breakouts. He kept good gaps when defending the rush, too. In his own zone, he was physical and wasn't easy to play against or beat in the corner.
BEST OF THE BEST: Top performers from the first week of the season
Leftover thoughts...
- DiModica stepped into a brutal situation — six goals against, Rivers' offense humming and half the game left to play — and showed really well. He made 20 stops. He denied a high-danger chance from Rousell midway through the third period that looked labeled for the back of the net. DiModica made another in-tight save late that hit his shoulder. DiModica, an '07, is in his first season at Groton after the last two at Worcester Academy.
- On defense, Rivers doesn't have a true shutdown presence. That might hurt the Red Wings against highly-skilled offenses. However, all of their defensemen can safely and intelligently move pucks. It was rare to see any of the defenders throwing pucks off the glass or clearing the puck without a purpose. Sure, there will be some early-season turnovers that lead to preventable goals. But those strategies develop good defensemen who will improve as the season progresses.
- It was a nice day for Graf, who potted the goal at the end and tallied three other assists. He leads the team in assists with nine and is tied with Sears for second on the team in points (11). He fits nicely with Rivard and senior forward Will Hatten (Wayland, Mass.).
- Groton junior defenseman Elliot Wood (Newton, Mass.) was super physical on forwards in his own zone and seemed difficult to play against. He was aggressive in the neutral zone in stepping up and not giving Rivers forwards a lot of time.
- Groton may have lost 7-4, but it showed a lot of compete and an ability to be a tough out on Saturday. To come back from 3-0 to make it 3-3 in the other team's rink was impressive. The Zebras were physical and never quit on pucks or battles. Once Wang, a high-end '09 goalie, settles in alongside DiModica in net, Groton should be a Small School Tournament contender.
