BELMONT, Mass. — The momentum seemed to be completely in favor of Belmont Hill.
With 2:24 left, Sextants senior forward Marco Beshere (Winthrop, Mass.) knocked in a goal from in front of the net to tie the game and put Lawrence Academy on the ropes.
Just moments later, however, Belmont Hill took a penalty. And with 39.8 seconds left in the third, Lawrence Academy senior defender Shawn Leary (Dorchester, Mass.) dropped into the slot and finished a chance, giving the Spartans the eventual 4-3 win.
It was Leary's second power play goal of the period. The first came earlier in the frame when he sifted a shot through from the point to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead.
The third period wasn't the only time the game was close.
Lawrence Academy senior forward Owen Leahy (Warwick, R.I.) opened the scoring early in the first period when defenseman Aiden MacIsaac's (Andover, Mass.) shot bounced off him and in. Then, just 19 seconds later, Belmont Hill freshman forward David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) intercepted a breakout pass, got a breakaway and scored, tying the game, 1-1.
In the second period, Belmont Hill got on the board first when defenseman Stephen Fabiano (Charlestown, Mass.) rifled a shot past Lawrence Academy goalie Otto McLaughlin (Peterborough, N.H.) on the power play, giving the Sextants a 2-1 lead.
Brendan Hirsch (Arlington, Mass.) tied the game with just under three minutes to play in the period when he finished a chance in the slot.
The win improved Lawrence Academy to 11-6-1 and gave it a bit of revenge from losing to Belmont Hill, 5-1, on Dec. 9. The Sextants fell to 12-6-2.
One interesting tidbit: there were multiple Division 1 schools in attendance, as well as NHL scouting eyes.
Let's dive into some standouts from the matchup.
David Bosco
Belmont Hill, 2/8/2008, RW, right shot, 5-10/150
I've liked Bosco's game for a while and Wednesday night was another example of just how good he is. He scored Belmont Hill's first goal, showing good hockey sense in anticipating where the breakout pass was going and then finishing his chance. But what was really impressive with Bosco was his vision. He was able to use his feet and skill to find open passing lanes both in transition and in the offensive zone. He just knew where his teammates were going to be. It's no surprise to see Bosco having success this season.
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Grayson Cohen
Belmont Hill, 10/18/2006, D, right shot, 6-1/206
Head coach Brian Phinney relies on Cohen as the team's No. 1 defenseman. He plays in all situations and even ran the point on the top power-play unit. He had good patience with the puck, although he did have two shots blocked from the point on the power play. He made up for those, however, when he made a really nice play on Fabiano's power play marker. Cohen curled with the puck down the boards, cut middle and found Fabiano open in the slot. Cohen, a Weston, Mass., native, has shown a lot of growth in his game since the fall season started.
Spencer Hirsch
Lawrence Academy, 1/7/2005, C, left shot, 6-3/201Â
Spencer Hirsch assisted on Brendan Hirsch's goal with a nice pass from the side of the net. But Spencer Hirsch's biggest impact was all the small plays he made throughout the game. Hirsch was aggressive on penalty kills, both at the top of the zone and while disrupting Belmont Hill's breakouts. He blocked shots, causing the Sextants to have to regroup. His size gave him an advantage, especially when protecting the puck and gaining space in the slot.
Owen Leahy
Lawrence Academy, 2/11/2005, C, left shot, 5-9/152Â
I'm shocked Leahy isn't committed to a Division 1 school yet. He is a gamer. He scored the game's first goal by going hard to the net. He started that sequence when he hustled on the backcheck and made a great read to intercept a Belmont Hill pass as the Sextants entered the offensive zone. That got play going the other way, which led to Leahy's goal. He always battled hard in corners and his line had various strong offensive zone sessions. He played a gritty game and produced, which is impressive in and of itself.
Shawn Leary
Lawrence Academy, 5/12/2005, D, right shot, 6-0/194Â
Leary is known for being dynamic offensively and that was evident in the third period. His first goal was a nice shot from the point, as he got it through a number of bodies on its way to the net. The second was most impressive. He made a smart decision in recognizing a lane to the far post and he took it, getting a pass from Brendan Hirsch who also made a very smart play. Leary is now averaging over a point per game with 19 points in 18 games this season.
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Patrick Woods
Belmont Hill, 7/5/2007, C, right shot, 6-1/174Â
While Belmont Hill's top line of senior captain Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.), sophomore Jake Tavares (Belmont, Mass.) and Bosco have done most of the scoring this season, Woods, a sophomore, did a phenomenal job centering the second line on Wednesday. He drove play between wingers Matthew Carolan (Stow, Mass.) and Beshere. He wanted the puck on his stick and in the offensive zone, he was able to make things happen, whether it be finding a route to the net or dishing a nice pass.
