BELMONT, Mass. — It took five minutes for Belmont Hill to flip the game upside down.
Nobles forward Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) had just scored to give his team a two-goal lead with roughly five minutes to play in the second period.
From there, the Sextants scored four goals, re-taking the lead and holding onto it, beating Nobles, 5-3.
It started on the power play when defenseman Stephen Fabiano (Charlestown, Mass.) sifted a shot through from the point and past Nobles goalie Tyler Bloomfield (Hudson, Mass.), cutting the Nobles lead to 3-2.
Then, just nine seconds later, Belmont Hill captain Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.) grabbed the puck and took it, gaining a 2-on-1 and passing it across to freshman David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.), who tapped it past Bloomfield, tying the game, 3-3.
Bosco scored again with 2:25 to play in the period. The freshman drove the net and Fabiano's shot bounced off him and past Bloomfield, giving Belmont Hill a 4-3 lead.
Sophomore Jake Tavares (Belmont, Mass.) extended the lead with just over one minute to play in the second frame, depositing a pass from Bosco past Bloomfield, making it 5-3 Belmont Hill.
In the first period, however, Nobles held the advantage. Davidson opened the scoring midway through when Yale commit Kyle O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.) found him in front of the net. Sophomore Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) extended the lead to 2-0 when he muscled his way to a rebound and shot it past Sextants goalie JJ Thibodeau (Waltham, Mass.).
The lone Belmont Hill goal in the first period came from junior Andrew Waugh (Norwell, Mass.) who picked up a rebound and smacked it behind Bloomfield.
Belmont Hill improved to 17-8-2 with the win, while Nobles fell to 14-7-3.
Let's dive into the takeaways.
1. Not only does this loss hurt Nobles' record, but it puts a damper on its Elite 8 hopes. Entering the night, Nobles held the last spot for the Elite 8 in USHR's projected playoff seedings. St. Sebastian's recent surge put the Arrows right behind Nobles and on Friday night, the Arrows made their move, passing the Bulldogs. Nobles will need to take care of business in its final two games against Governor's Academy and Milton Academy and hope St. Sebastian's falters against Governor's, Lawrence Academy or Tabor.
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2. Belmont Hill's top line of McManus, Bosco and Tavares was outstanding. McManus is the heartbeat of Belmont Hill, showcasing a high level of compete and skill at all times. Tavares played like the game was life or death, constantly pushing the pace at full speed and winning 50/50 pucks. Bosco was his usual, productive self. All three of them have patience and have developed chemistry throughout the season. That chemistry led to any one of the trio holding onto pucks, displaying faith that one of their linemates would get open. They were the biggest reasons why Belmont Hill got back in — and won — the game.
3. Fabiano was a force on defense for Belmont Hill. The junior laid a hard, open-ice hit midway through the second period, which got a rise out of the Sextants student section. His goal was a heads-up play, as he brought it to the middle of the blue line, dragging Bloomfield with him and then sifting a wrist shot against the goalie's momentum. And then his shot that bounced off Bosco and in was Fabiano once again not being afraid to get pucks to the net. The Charlestown, Mass., native was a tone-setter.
4. Thibodeau wasn't always sharp throughout Friday's game. There were some errant rebounds and close calls. But down the stretch, the sophomore held it down. Early in the third period with Nobles pressing, he made a great stick save on O'Leary, who was alone in the slot. In a mad scramble midway through the third period, Thibodeau dove across the crease and kept the puck out with his stick. He robbed O'Leary again in the final minutes, as the Nobles forward had the puck at the top of the crease and Thibodeau stuck out his left leg and turned it away. In the end, Thibodeau was a giant reason the Sextants held onto their lead.
5. When Teddy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) has the puck on his stick, he makes it look like it's the hardest thing in the world to take it away from him. The 5-foot-9, 165-pound forward is a wizard with the puck and can seemingly get out of danger at any time. He made smart decisions when taking shots from the point on the power play, hitting the post on one of his chances. I know he's on the smaller end, but his skill and vision should make him a Division 1 candidate.
6. Little X's and O's I thought was interesting: Belmont Hill was good at using chip plays on the breakout. The defenseman would hit the strong side wing and either the center or the far side wing would swoop across, calling for it in the neutral zone. That strong side wing would chip it past the forechecker and that weak side forward would go for it. It worked on various occasions and made the Sextants' breakouts a bit safer.
7. If the rosters stay as is, both of these teams are going to be even better next season. Nobles will have Teddy MacAusland, O'Leary, Davidson and Ethan Cox (Westboro, Mass.) as seniors. Billy MacAusland will be a junior. On defense, Lou Munger (Dedham, Mass.) will be a senior, and Jack Hartwell (Cohasset, Mass.) and Tuck Gilbane (Chestnut Hill, Mass.) will be juniors. Kris Soja (Ludlow, Mass.), a promising, dynamic offensive defenseman, will be a sophomore. While the Bulldogs will lose Bloomfield, Tucker Monroe (Wellesley, Mass.) has shown flashes that he will be fine in the starting role.
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Over at Belmont Hill, losing McManus will sting, but Bosco and Tavares have shaped into some of the top young talent in the region. Jin Lee (Natick, Mass.) and Waugh will be seniors, while Patrick Woods (Charlestown, Mass.), who had a strong night on Friday, will be a junior. On defense, Grayson Cohen (Weston, Mass.), Lindan Verville (Needham, Mass.), Evan Dresser (Everett, Mass.) and Fabiano will be seniors. The goalie duo of Keagin Wilson (Hingham, Mass.) and Thibodeau will be in its third season.
