It was fitting that Mount St. Charles and Shattuck St. Mary's — the two best 14U programs in the country — needed overtime in the national championship game.
As Mount St. Charles forward Colton Sommer brought the puck down the left side of the ice and into Shattuck St. Mary's zone, he spotted linemate Braiden Scuderi coming from the opposite direction.
Sommer laid a perfect drop pass to Scuderi, who corralled the puck. Shattuck St. Mary's defenders sagged just enough to give Scuderi room to snipe a shot over Shattuck St. Mary's goalie Hagan Bach's glove, giving Mount a 2-1 national championship victory.
Scuderi scoring the winner was fitting, too. The high-flying right wing finished the tournament tied with linemate Rocco Pelosi for the most goals (9).
Mount's win didn't always look so sure.
With 50.7 seconds left in regulation, Shattuck St. Mary's defenseman Diego Gutierrez had a shot blocked, but forward Braden Horton snagged the loose puck and fired it past Mount St. Charles goalie Nate Chizik, tying the game, 1-1.
The first period was scoreless. But in the second period, Mount took control when it got a power play tally from Stephen Cover. Pelosi had the puck near the top of the zone and sifted a crisp pass across the zone to Cover for a one-timer. The shot bounced off Bach and in.
Until Horton's tying goal, Mount controlled most of the game.
It was a low-scoring affair, which came as a bit of a surprise. Mount entered Sunday having averaged an incredible 8.4 goals per game over its first five games in the tournament, while Shattuck hadn't scored less than five during its time in Plymouth, Mich.
Let's dive into some standouts from the game. We will have more coverage on the full tournament throughout the week.
Hagan Bach
Shattuck St. Mary's, 4/17/2009, G, catches left, 6-0/165Â
Horton got Shattuck St. Mary's to overtime with his goal. But Horton never would've been able to do that had Bach not been a brick wall at the other end — especially down the stretch. With two minutes to play, JR Gualberto (Mendon, Mass.) got a breakaway and looked to have an open side of the net, but Bach stretched across and got it with his right pad. Earlier in the third period, he dove out to rob Scuderi of a power play goal, extending his glove and keeping Shattuck a goal away from tying it. He finished with 26 saves.
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Nate Chizik
Mount St. Charles, 2/15/2009, G, catches left, 6-2/165Â
This game wasn't so much a defensive showdown as it was a goalie duel and Chizik proved up to the task. He opened the game by robbing Shattuck St. Mary's forward Nolan Fitzhenry with his right pad. Later in the first period, he stoned Ethan Sung on a breakaway. His most impressive save came early in the third period while his team was killing a penalty. Shattuck St. Mary's shot from the point was tipped and Chizik athletically, while going one way, kicked his left pad out the other and made the save. Also, after giving up the goal to Horton, he made two key saves with his blocker with under 20 seconds to play.
Stephen Cover
Mount St. Charles, 4/19/2009, RW, right shot, 5-9/152Â
It was a tournament to remember for Cover, who finished with the most points (16) in his age group. His second-period goal was clutch, rifling a one-timer on net at a time when Mount was having trouble getting shots through to Bach. Cover slowed play down well and was able to find soft spots around the slot. He had a big chance off a pass from Gualberto in the second period and showed great vision in finding a seam to Scuderi on the aforementioned chance that was robbed by Bach.
Owen Kailher
Mount St. Charles, 4/7/2009, RW, right shot, 5-7/135Â
Kailher may not have shown up on the scoresheet, but the Plymouth, Mass., native was outstanding at making small, impactful plays. He drew a penalty early in the third period when he denied a zone entry by Gutierrez. Kailher read the play well, stepped up and was tripped as he took the puck the other way. Kailher did everything with speed, especially later in the third period when he darted at a Shattuck St. Mary's defender who had the puck. The defender panicked, throwing the puck over the glass and giving Mount an offensive zone draw. Kailher was also strong as the third forward high on the forecheck, helping to keep pucks in the Shattuck St. Mary's end.
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Braiden Scuderi
Mount St. Charles, 3/31/2009, RW, right shot, 5-7/130Â
Scuderi's game-winner showcased so much of what makes him a special prospect. He had the sense to know to cross and collect the drop pass from Sommer, recognizing the Shattuck defenders were deep and then the shot into the top corner of the net. He's small, but his compete and skill make him a must-watch prospect at the 15O level next season.
Ethan Sung
Shattuck St. Mary's, 8/15/2009, C, right shot, 5-3/123Â
Speaking of must-watch prospects, this was my first viewing of Sung. And while he didn't register a point, his speed, skill and shiftiness were impossible to miss. Every time he had the puck it felt like he could do something special. It's no surprise that he was Shattuck St. Mary's leading point-getter this season despite only being 5-foot-3.
Maksim Yakub
Mount St. Charles, 7/16/2009, D, left shot, 5-9/154Â
Yakub was stout on Mount's blue line. He showcased a great stick and moved well for someone with a little bit of size at this level. He made smart reads when stepping up at the offensive blue line to keep pucks active. While he registered a secondary assist on Cover's goal, his biggest play was blocking a high-danger chance from Sung early in the second period.
