GROTON, Mass. — Braden Doyle was rewarded for his strong play throughout as his goal with 9:42 left in regulation stood up as the game-winner in Lawrence Academy’s 3-1 win over Milton Academy on Wednesday evening at Grant Rink.
Doyle, a Lynnfield, Mass., native and Boston University commit, seemingly had the puck on his stick every shift he was on the ice. Doyle’s shot from the point deflected off a Milton defenseman’s skate and ended up in the back of the net to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead.
The game was knotted, 1-1, on goals from Lawrence senior defenseman Drew Bavaro, a Sacred Heart commit, and Milton sophomore center Jeffrey Lee. An insurance marker from Lawrence junior right wing Holt Oliphant gave the Spartans the 3-1 decision.
Lawrence, playing with seven NCAA Division I commits, was unsurprisingly forced to the brink by a Milton club that always plays hard. Over the years, Paul Cannata always seems to get the most out of his teams. Wednesday’s game was no exception as the Mustangs played a disciplined game and received strong goaltending from senior Erik Voloshin.
Lawrence took a 1-0 lead at the 8:36 mark of the first period on a goal from Bavaro, whose seemingly harmless shot from the right point trickled slowly over the goal line. Northeastern commit Sam Colangelo and Providence commit Riley Duran picked up the helpers.
Milton evened the proceedings at the 7:21 mark of the second period on a power play goal from Lee, a defenseman by trade who is playing center. He was coming down towards the net from the left side when he received a pass from Quinton Fox below the goal line. Lee caught the pass and took a stride or two before lifting it over Lawrence goaltender Brandon Milberg.
There were a few NHL scouts and Division III college coaches in attendance to watch a few of the key players in this game. Doyle and Lawrence’s top center, Providence commit Tyler Young, are both on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch List.
Doyle is one of those defensemen who sometimes gets knocked unfairly the more you watch him. However, there was very little to critique in Doyle’s game Wednesday afternoon. He seemingly had the puck on his stick every shift. He made several really good seam passes after retrieving pucks in his own zone. He has touch on his passes. One instance of this was on a great backhand sauce pass right on the stick of a wing waiting to go up ice. It took both forecheckers out of the play because they had bit due to his skating ability. Doyle is sometimes prone to making a turnover or two, but he was really good Wednesday night.
Young didn’t do much offensively, but he brought it physically. He took a penalty with one hard hit and made another one a few minutes after getting out of the box. Young is a smart player who is trending upward. His skating is good, but he still needs to figure out how to play at pace in order to get the most out of his skill set.
The Spartans have three players who are potential draft picks for the 2020 NHL Draft. Most notably, Colangelo could be a second round pick. The late ’01 has improved his skating significantly. He sees the ice well. On one instance in the third period, he made a really good look from the left wing to the trailer coming down the right side on a rush into the zone. He has a hard shot and can zip it off his stick quickly, but he ended up shooting a couple into the shin pads tonight. The one knock on him is he can sometimes float a little. He’s always had really good hockey sense in the offensive zone. Expectations have soared for the Stoneham, Mass., native so tonight’s game wasn’t his best. Still, it’s easy to see why he’ll be highly sought after come the 2020 draft.
Duran is still adjusting to prep school hockey after playing the last two seasons with Woburn High School and Malden Catholic. After seeing him play really well all fall with the Cape Cod Whalers 16-U, his performance tonight was a little underwhelming.
David Sacco was quiet for the first two periods, but his play picked up some in the third period. He delivered a huge hit deep in the left wing corner of the offensive zone and he made a couple strong plays with the puck. When he’s on his game, he can drive the net with explosiveness and he has a heavy shot. He’s fun to watch when he’s honed in as he plays through the puck and hits hard.
Milton senior defenseman Emmett Powell, the older brother of BC recruit and NTDP U-17 defenseman Eamon Powell, was a standout for the Mustangs. He’s on the smaller side and he’s not quite dynamic enough to play in Hockey East or ECAC Hockey, but he’s really good. He consistently made good, smart decisions with the puck. He made a few noteworthy passes, even just to hit the seam. He’d be a great commit for a NESCAC school. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for him to land at a school like Holy Cross in Atlantic Hockey.
Fox, a ’00 from Fonthill, Ontario, made a nice pass on Milton’s lone goal. He’s a smart player who sees the ice well and has a decent offensive skill set. He’s another player who would be a big time get for a NESCAC school, but he could absolutely play at a couple ECAC Hockey or Atlantic Hockey schools after a year or two of junior hockey.
One other Milton played who was noticed a few times was ’02 Max Andrade. He’s big and could be a power forward with his ability to drive with the puck. His hockey sense and skating need some work, but there’s something there.
Lawrence Lines
4 R. Duran - 9 T. Young - 16 S. Colangelo
20 C. Sweeney - 3 C. Lovett - 18 D. Sacco
12 J. Pierce - 10 E. Bastien - 23 H. Olifant
6 E. Burke - 24 J. Riggins - 17 J. Lucido
7 B. Doyle - 11 M. Connor
25 K. Furey - 22 D. Bavaro
2 G. Delaney - 15 R. Hubbard
33 B. Milberg
Milton Lines
23 Q. Fox - 6 S. O’Sullivan - 22 T. Crist
26 M. Andrade - 7 J. Lee - 11 Mitch Cassella
12 N. Garrett - 18 B. Tang - 21 B. Glennon
8 E. Powell - 4 W. Van Der Veen
25 B. Goddard - 5 Max Cassella
1 E. Voloshin
