READING, Mass. — Pope Francis waltzed into Burbank Ice Arena on a cold and snowy day and made a statement.
The Cardinals took down Reading, 3-0, in a battle between the two teams atop the MIAA's latest power rankings.
After a scoreless first period, Pope Francis got on the board with just under five minutes to play in the second. Junior forward Liam Dolan rushed down the right side and threw a pass middle to junior Joe Orszulak, who pitched it over Reading senior goalie Owen Holland.
Pope added to its lead late in the third. With just under six minutes remaining, junior forward Matteo Cuccovia deposited a chance in front to make it 2-0. Then, with 18.9 seconds left, junior Matt Regan ripped one in, extending the lead to 3-0.
The game, however, won't impact records since it was an MIAA endowment game. It also won't count towards MIAA power rankings, so Pope Francis stayed at 10-2-0, while Reading is still 7-1-1. For our rankings on Thursday, their records will include this game.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Nick Ritchie
Pope Francis, 1/19/2007, G, catches left, 5-7/146
The biggest reason why Reading couldn't score on Monday was because of Ritchie — and not for the obvious reason. Yes, of course, Ritchie stopped every shot. But Ritchie also never really gave the Rockets any rebounds. Many of Reading's shots came from the outside and they crashed the net. Because Ritchie had outstanding rebound control, the Rockets were left to skate to the face-off dot. Late in the third period with Reading pressing, Connor Leminen's shot from the point went through a screen, but Ritchie reached up and gloved it. It was a great day for Ritchie.
Liam Dolan
Pope Francis, 2008, F, right shot, 5-8/165
Dolan showcased his speed when he zipped down the right side and created a 2-on-1 on Orszulak's goal. On Cuccovia's goal, Dolan won a puck battle behind the net and then found his teammate open at the far post. Dolan was also impactful in his own zone. Reading had some pressure midway through the first period and Dolan laid out to block a shot at the point (we'll get to the topic of blocked shots later). Dolan was everywhere on Monday.
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Mike McGrath
Pope Francis, 3/14/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/175
There's no doubt that McGrath is the offensive leader for Pope Francis. While he didn't score against Reading, his confidence with the puck and overall skill helped drive his line with Regan and sophomore Troy Hamelin. That line accounted for a lot of Pope Francis' offensive zone time and it was McGrath who was instrumental on the cycle. McGrath used deception on his passes, often trying to go where Reading wasn't expecting.
Max Monroe
Pope Francis, 3/11/2008, D, right shot, 6-0/175
Monroe ran the show on defense for Pope Francis. The junior is one of the most effective two-way defensemen I've seen in the MIAA this winter. On breakouts, he took his time with the puck and used his frame to shield oncoming forecheckers. Late in the first period, he rushed the puck, got an offensive zone entry and ripped a shot that was labeled for the back of the net, but Holland got a piece of it with his glove.
Owen Holland
Reading, 7/23/2006, G, catches left, 5-11/185Â
Pope Francis controlled most of the first period and got numerous chances. Holland was the biggest reason why the first period ended scoreless. He was able to track pucks and cut down angles. McGrath had a golden chance at the end of the first period from the high slot and Holland knocked it down with his helmet. The Cardinals also had a power play in the second period where they got a plethora of chances and Holland was able to go post-to-post to rob Orszulak on a one-timer. The first goal allowed was a 2-on-1 pass that got through and the second was fumbled net-front coverage.
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Connor Leminen
Reading, 2009, D, right shot, 6-0/165Â
Reading's defense had a good game (we'll get into that), but specifically Leminen. He had good poise with the puck and was instrumental in getting passes cleanly to Reading forwards. Around his own net, he played the front tough, battling hard with Cardinal forward to gain positioning. He's someone I'm intrigued to watch more of as the season goes on.
Takeaways...
- Sometimes, Reading forechecked hard. But the Rockets often sat back and waited for Pope Francis to make a mistake on the breakout. Early in the first period, head coach Mark Doherty's team appeared to trot out a 1-3-1, putting three forwards at the opposing blue line while the Pope defenseman held the puck behind the net. There were a handful of times when Reading forced a mistake and shifted play the other way. So many goals at the high school level are scored off of breakout mistakes, so I liked this strategy from Doherty.
- I can't stress enough how much Ritchie's rebound control stifled the Rockets' offense. Reading forwards crashed the net hard, but were denied any shot at getting secondary chances because of the senior netminder's rebound control.
- Pope Francis forward Troy Hamelin and defenseman Joe Chianciola were two '09s who were hard to miss on Monday. Up front, Hamelin had a lot of confidence with the puck and helped his line get sustained attacking zone time. He was hard on his stick and hard to knock off pucks, as he fought through physicality. He made hard passes with purpose, especially off the rush. His chemistry with McGrath was apparent, especially deep in the offensive zone. On defense, Chianciola moved pucks well and defended the rush adequately with good gaps. Both are intriguing prospects to track.
- While Ritchie was great in net, Pope Francis also blocked a whole lot of shots. In the first period, when Reading got the puck in the slot, it felt like there was always a Cardinals player laying out. I mentioned Dolan's big block earlier. But right after that, sophomore defenseman Brayden Bousquet blocked a Grade-A chance in the slot.
- This was my first time seeing Reading this season and I thought the Rockets played well. They couldn't get much going offensively, but they were structured well and played a hard, physical game in their own zone. While there was a clear breakdown on Cuccovia's goal, the Rockets defense was otherwise strong in front of their own net. They made life difficult on Cardinal forwards trying to get to the slot. As a team, Reading was tough to play against.
