WESTON, Mass. — In a marquee boys prep hockey matchup to start the season, St. Sebastian's proved its dominance, taking down Rivers, 7-3, on Wednesday night.
St. Sebastian's won by four goals, but the game was much closer than that, as the young Rivers team kept up with the No. 1 ranked team in prep hockey until the final minutes.
The game featured some of this year's best prep hockey talent. It also featured what may be some of the best prep hockey talent in future years.
This game had a lot of reasons to watch, which was why the stands were jam-packed at MacDowell Arena at Rivers.
The scoring started early in the first period when Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) rifled a shot off a pass from brother and linemate Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) past Rivers goalie Brendan Nee (Arlington, Mass.).
Rivers responded moments later on the power play when Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) slipped a shot through St. Sebastian's goalie Pelle Russo (Newton, Mass.) to tie the game. It came off a great, behind-the-back pass from teammate Stevie Rousell (Roslindale, Mass.).
St. Sebastian's went into the first intermission with a 2-1 lead after Nolan Flynn (Natick, Mass.) got a great pass in tight from Teddy Mutryn and put it over Nee's glove.
Jacob Kulas (Stow, Mass.) tied the game just 47 seconds into the second period when he finished a great play by Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.) who made a great pass from behind the net.
From there, the Arrows took control of the scoreboard.
It started with Brian Hall (Sudbury, Mass.) knocking in a rebound from Aiden Barclay (Dover, Mass.) midway through the second period.
In the third period, Flynn found the back of the net two more times, giving him a hat trick. Casey Mutryn and Rian Chudzinski (Needham, Mass.) tacked on goals towards the end of the game.
Carter Meyer (Winchester, Mass.) split the scoring from Seb's, getting Rivers its third goal of the game.
There was a lot to take away from this one, so let's dive in.
1. This game fascinated me because it was No. 1 St. Sebastian's against Rivers — an extremely young and intriguing team that counts four eighth-graders (Eben Alden, Sam Pandolfo, Finn Sears and Carter Meyer) among its rotation. I wanted to see how Rivers would fare against the older, stronger Arrows and for the first two minutes of the game, St. Sebastian's controlled the puck. After that? Rivers matched up well. Head coach Freddy Meyer's team played scrappy, finishing every hit and generating some strong chances off the rush. There were even a few instances when Rivers had St. Sebastian's on the ropes in their own zone.
Meyer's team responded well to St. Sebastian's first two goals, responding with one of their own each time. Their high compete level and infusion of younger players will be the reason Rivers makes noise this season. They have nothing to hang their heads about after this loss.
2. A theme in this game was young prospects proving their worth. Rivers has four '09s on the roster in forwards Carter Meyer, Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) and Sears, as well as Alden (Dover, Mass.), a defenseman. The biggest thing when watching those four: were they able to play their game while withstanding the physicality from older, stronger St. Sebastian's players? The answer was yes.
BAND OF BROTHERS: Inside the incredible bond of the St. Sebastian's seniors — and why the Arrows are our preseason No. 1 teamÂ
Meyer got stood up in open ice by St. Sebastian's defenseman Aidan Connors (Westboro, Mass.) on his first shift. On Meyer's next shift, he got a breakaway after St. Sebastian's turned the puck over. He scored late in the third period when he corralled the puck with poise off a 2 on 1 and ripped one past Russo. Sears had a goal on the power play. Pandolfo was strong on the forecheck and had some nice offensive zone entries. On defense, Alden had some nice keep-ins at the blue line and was able to move the puck out of his zone.
Were their games perfect? No. But for eighth graders to look like they belong against the best team in the region speaks volumes.
For St. Sebastian's, there are less younger players in the mix due to the high volume of seniors on the roster. But Ty Hymovitz, a freshman, was impactful on the Arrows' fourth line. He's known for playing smart, and that translated well to Wednesday's game, as he took intelligent routes on the forecheck to force turnovers. He even had a breakaway late in the second period and hit the post.
3. The Mutryn brothers playing on a line together is deadly. The two played such a smart, skilled game on Wednesday night. Casey looks poised to take a huge step in his development this year and as a sophomore, played with a lot of assertiveness in Game 1. His snipe over Nee's blocker was filthy. I counted four points for Teddy — a goal and three assists.
His playmaking and play-driving abilities should have him as one of prep hockey's leaders in points come season's end. He looked like he was on a mission Wednesday night.
Oh, and Flynn, the Sacred Heart commit, will benefit greatly from playing with the duo. He can finish (as was evident with the hat trick) and plays with a high level of speed — a perfect complement to his two linemates.
4. The Mutryns weren't the only brothers playing on a line together. Freddy Meyer (Winchester, Mass.), a freshman, centered a line with Carter Meyer on his left. Both are the sons of head coach Freddy Meyer. The Meyer brothers are far from the biggest players on the ice, but they played with such a high level of compete. Freddy finished every check and went out of his way to make life uncomfortable for St. Sebastian's puck carriers.
In the offensive zone, they work off each other well, playing with high skill and a ton of patience. Putting them with senior Cayden Miceli (Natick, Mass.) — a proven producer — is a smart move by Rivers' bench boss.
5. In the fall, Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) was always the best player on the ice for the 18U Cape Cod Whalers. Through one game, that's carried over to prep. The Harvard commit's size, speed and wicked hands gave him an advantage over everyone. He centered a line with Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.) on his left and Brendan Keaeveney (Westwood, Mass.) on his right.
6. So, did my viewpoints on either team change after one game? Not really. St. Sebastian's was dominant at times and they have what it takes to live up to being ranked No. 1. Head coach Sean McCann's team will never have to worry about scoring goals. The big thing for them is the defense and goaltending needs to be good enough. I'm curious to see how that holds up over the course of the season. As for Rivers, I had them as one of my nine under-the-radar teams heading into this season. If anything, Wednesday night strengthened their case to be in the group right outside the top 10.
7. It was amazing to have prep hockey back. MacDowell Arena was completely full. The student sections rivaled each other in numbers as they filled the spots near the glass. Everyone from parents to NHL scouts were there. The game was physical with scrums breaking out here and there.
The end of the fall hockey season is always a bit of a slog, as players have their sights set on the prep season. Games like Wednesday night are a reminder of why.
Related prep reading:
- Rankings: Our preseason top 10 | Nine under-the-radar teams
- Team-by-team breakdowns: ISL Keller  | ISL Eberhart | Housatonic | Lakes | IndependentsÂ
- First and Second Teams: All-ISL Keller | All-ISL Eberhart | All-Housatonic | All-Lakes | All-Independents
- Individual team previews: Kimball Union | Milton Academy | Taft | St. Mark’s | Nobles | Avon Old Farms | Belmont Hill
- Breakout players: 23 forward candidates | 17 defensemen and goalie candidates
- RinkWise podcast: Previewing the boys prep hockey season
