LYNN, Mass. — In a battle of top-five MIAA teams on Monday afternoon at a packed Connery Skating Rink, Hingham and St. Mary’s played to a 1-1 tie.
It was a fun game to watch, as there was plenty of intensity. The contest was chippy at times with a few after-the-whistle scrums and big hits. It was clear this non-league game meant a lot to both teams, despite no natural rivalry.
St. Mary’s senior right wing Brady Bullock scored on the game’s first shift, but it wasn’t a foreshadowing of what was to come. It would be the only goal the Spartans scored. Hingham senior left wing Billy Jacobus evened the game up later in the first period on a power play goal.
Bullock’s goal came on the rebound of a shot from sophomore defenseman Jaiden Driscoll at the right point. The secondary assist went to freshman center Aidan Fitzpatrick, who made a low-to-high pass.
The real story of the game was the play of the two goaltenders, especially St. Mary’s freshman Anthony Palmer. His biggest save came in overtime when he made a huge blocker stop on a shot from point-blank range. At the other end, Harbormen senior Luke McLellan bounced back from the early rebound goal to keep St. Mary’s at bay for the rest of the game.
While neither Hingham nor St. Mary’s seems up to par with MIAA powers St. John’s Prep or Catholic Memorial, the two programs solidified my belief that they’re in the top 10.
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Tony Messina’s Harbormen have the third-most depth of any team in the state and benefit from 12 seniors. Mark Lee’s Spartans have a solid one-two offensive punch with Bullock and Fitzpatrick and boast one of the top goaltenders in the MIAA in Palmer.
Travis Rugg
Hingham, 7/18/05, C, left shot, 6-2/172
Rugg was the best skater on the ice in this game. He showed good size, length and ability to play in all situations while centering the top line for Hingham. He forced two turnovers on the same shift during a first-period penalty-killing sequence. In the third period while killing another penalty, he did a good job of hemming it in deep in the St. Mary’s zone and wasting time. On the power play goal, he was set up on the right wing wall. He snapped off a nice pass to Jacobus at the back door for the redirect goal. Rugg made a nice low-to-high pass from the right wing corner out to the left point later in the game. He showed off his north-south power forward style with a rush down the right wing before cutting into the middle for a chance.
Anthony Palmer
St. Mary’s, 10/28/07, G, catches left, 5-8/140
Palmer is one of the youngest starting goaltenders in the state and definitely the greenest of any on a contending team. The late '07 isn’t overly big, but he does a great job of tracking pucks and competing in the crease. He exudes athleticism and has quick reflexes. Hingham clearly emphasized getting traffic in front of the net and Palmer did a good job fighting through that to make the first save and cover up rebounds. The aforementioned blocker save in overtime was one that stood out. However, he made a handful of quality stops and kept the score even when Hingham started taking the play to St. Mary’s.
Brady Bullock
St. Mary’s, 2/25/05, RW, left shot, 5-8/165
Bullock started the game hot with the goal on the opening shift. It was a microcosm of Bullock’s style. He hunts pucks and gets to a lot of loose pucks. He’s often overmatched in terms of size, but he doesn’t shy away from contact. He hustled throughout the game, including one shift late in the third period where he beat out an icing.
Aidan Fitzpatrick
St. Mary’s, 2/10/08, C, left shot, 5-11/150
Fitzpatrick impressively centers the top line for St. Mary’s as an '08. He’ll have to continue working on his stride and getting a quicker first two steps. However, his hockey sense, compete and stick are all strong assets. He played in all situations, including manning the point on the first power play unit. He had a couple of nice shifts on the penalty kill, as well. For such a young player, it was impressive to see how he reloaded on top and stayed high when called upon.
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Billy Jacobus
Hingham, 7/2/05, LW, left shot, 5-7/150
Jacobus played power play, penalty kill and even strength for Hingham. He did a good job of going to the net, including on the power play strike. He’s a little undersized, but he has a knack for the net and continued his pace of scoring a point per game.
Ace Concannon
Hingham, 7/11/04, C, right shot, 5-11/183
Concannon is Hingham’s second-line center and sees the ice well. He made a couple of nifty passes and has the skating ability to cut and maneuver in high-traffic areas. He also played in all situations for the Harbormen.
Hingham lines
Jacobus - Rugg - Lasch
Garrity - Concannon - Brazel
P. Dzavik - Hennessey - Richardson
Dixon - Lemieux - Packard
Rakauskas - McKenna
Carroll - Even
A. Dzavik - Brennan
McLellan
St. Mary’s lines
McGonagle - Fitzpatrick - Bullock
Calder - Fry - Thornton
Jacobsen - Hall - Ayles
D’Alelio - Nason - Racki
Hilton - Driscoll
Giardina - Nerich
Chaisson - Baldassarre
Palmer
