SOUTHBORO, Mass. — After falling to Roxbury Latin on Wednesday, St. Mark's desperately needed a strong bounce-back game.
The Lions did that, and more, in Saturday's matchup with Rivers, riding a six-goal first period to an 8-4 win.
St. Mark's senior forward Austin Borggaard (Worcester, Mass.) set the tone less than one minute into the contest, taking the puck off the half-wall in the offensive zone, finding space in the slot and firing a shot over Rivers goalie Brendan Nee (Arlington, Mass.) to make it 1-0.
Senior forward Jonathan Balzarini (Milford, Mass.) extended the lead, potting two goals in just over two minutes. The first came when he tipped senior defenseman Calvin Beard's (Southboro, Mass.) shot; the second took place when Balzarini grabbed a rebound and deposited it behind Nee, forcing Rivers bench boss Freddy Meyer to put in senior goalie Jason Delehoy (Brockton, Mass.).
Rivers temporarily stopped the bleeding when eighth grader Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) wired a shot in from the point on the power play, making it 3-1. But shortly after, Balzarini completed the hat trick when he smacked in a rebound, extending St. Mark's lead to 4-1.
Borggaard and senior forward Andrew Gibbons (South Kingstown, R.I.) added goals before the period ended, sending St. Mark's into the first intermission with a whopping 6-1 lead.
Rivers, however, got itself back in the game. Carter Meyer scored again in the second period, getting the Red Wings to within four goals.
Then, junior forward Will Hatten (Wayland, Mass.) scored within the first minute of the third period and Meyer got himself a hat trick two minutes later, getting Rivers to within two.
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But Borggaard and Gibbons didn't let Rivers finish the comeback. Both seniors notched goals, bringing St. Mark's total goals to eight.
St. Mark's and Rivers are two of the best teams in the ISL Eberhart, making this an important matchup. St. Mark's was the bigger and older team and it showed, especially in the first period. The Lions' forecheck caused fits for Rivers, as it created turnovers.
Saturday's game was the perfect encapsulation of what it's like to have a young team. Sometimes, it can be a bit of a rollercoaster. After going down 6-1 in the first period, the Red Wings actually outscored St. Mark's over the final two frames, 3-2.
Expect a closer score when these two teams meet again on Feb. 14.
Let's dive into some standouts.
Jonathan Balzarini
St. Mark's, 3/9/2005, LW, left shot, 5-8/150
Balzarini's three goals all had one thing in common: They came from getting to the front of the net. The Milford, Mass., native used his high IQ to find soft spots in the high-danger areas where he could get to loose pucks. He's a natural at producing offense — heck, he was on pace to finish with nine goals when the first period ended. Maybe next time.
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Calvin Beard
St. Mark's, 10/4/2005, D, right shot, 6-0/185Â
Beard is well-known as one of the best offensive defensemen in the region. Two of his first-period shots led to Balzarini goals. Beard, who is uncommitted, was extremely assertive with the puck in the neutral and offensive zone. When Rivers started hanging a wing in the neutral zone on breakouts in the third period, Beard read the opposition well, stepping up to intercept passes. Head coach Carl Corazzini leans on Beard quite a bit — and for good reason.
Austin Borggaard
St. Mark's, 1/15/2005, C, left shot, 5-11/175
NCAA: Sacred HeartÂ
Borggaard potted two goals in the first period and then one in the third, completing the hat trick. His strength and confidence consistently put him in good positions in the offensive zone. He was able to use his size to get him into high-danger areas. His final two goals came when he muscled his way to get open.
Andrew Gibbons
St. Mark's, 1/3/2005, C/RW, right shot, 5-9/180
NCAA: Air ForceÂ
The two biggest things that stand out with Gibbons are his compete and high IQ. When Rivers looked like it might complete the comeback early in the third period, he forced a turnover in the Rivers zone that led to Borggaard's third of the night. He was able to create off the rush, too, scoring both of his goals that way. Corazzini needed his veterans to step up on Saturday, and they heeded the call.
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Carter Meyer
Rivers, 4/10/2009, LW, left shot, 5-11/153Â
Meyer has impressed all season, but his performance on Saturday was his best that I've seen. As his team was being dominated by '05s, it was Meyer, an '09, who stayed true to his game and notched a hat trick. His first goal was a snipe from the point on the power play. His next two came off of passes from fellow eighth grader Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) behind the net. Sears displayed high levels of patience with both passes, while Meyer used his high hockey sense to get open in the slot and his silky hands to score the goals.
