BROOKLINE, Mass. — In a heavyweight matchup in the NEPSAC Stuart/Corkery Elite 8 Tournament, the visitors from Salisbury defeated the hosts from Dexter Southfield by a score of 3-1.
In a rematch of the 2020 final, Salisbury’s best players stepped up in a major way. The Crimson Knights jumped out to a 3-0 lead on goals from Dylan Hryckowian, Ryan Walsh and Ben Poitras. Dexter Southfield got on the board in the second period on a goal from Grayson Badger (Hyde Park, Mass.), but that was as close as the fourth seed would get. In an interesting tidbit, three of the four goals scored in the game came off the stick of Northeastern recruits.
While Dexter Southfield was the higher seed, Wednesday evening’s result can hardly be considered an upset. Salisbury, the defending prep champion, is talented, deep, experienced and extremely well-coached. Andrew Will’s team jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period to silence an overflow crowd in Thorndike Rink. The season-ending loss snapped a six-game winning streak for Danny Donato’s team.
Scoring summary
A great individual effort from Hryckowian gave Salisbury an early 1-0 lead. After recovering a Dexter Southfield turnover in the neutral zone, he deked his way into the zone and dangled around a couple of defenders on his way to sliding the puck past Dexter Southfield goaltender Alex Mickanin (Hopkinton, Mass.).
Another turnover gave Salisbury a 2-0 lead just a few minutes later. While killing a penalty, the Crimson Knights were able to clear the puck down to the Dexter Southfield end. Pressure from Walsh led to Mickanin turning the puck over. It was scooped up by Walsh and deposited into the empty net.
In the second period, Salisbury extended its lead to 3-0. On somewhat of a broken play, Poitras came down the right wing and won a loose puck battle. He took the puck to the net and finagled the puck past the goaltender.
Dexter Southfield’s only goal came later in the second period. Cullen Emery (Reading, Mass.), playing up with the first line with Will Hughes (Andover, Mass.) serving a 10-minute misconduct, went to work down low. From below the goal line, Emery sent out a centering feed to Badger who patiently waited for a sliding defenseman to pass. He then rifled a shot into the twine to cut the Salisbury lead to 3-1.
Officiating controversies
The third Salisbury goal was disputed, due to the possibility of the puck going underneath the net. A Salisbury goal was waved off for it allegedly being batted in with a glove when it appeared to inadvertently go off the chest of the player. Each team had a near miss when the referee blew the play dead too quickly with the puck still loose.
It wasn’t a great night for the stripes. While Salisbury was unequivocally the better team, the officials had a negative impact on the game. Both teams were victims of poor officiating. It’s not unexpected for refs to make a mistake here or there when working a high-paced game such as this one.
What is most disappointing is not the poor calls. It’s the fact that both referees refused to discuss calls with both Will and Donato. These referees are getting paid handsomely for these prep games. They shouldn’t be above communicating and showing respect, especially to two veteran and well-respected coaches such as the two behind the bench on Wednesday night.
Why did Salisbury win?
Outside of the obvious that Salisbury outscored Dexter Southfield, 3-1, on Wednesday, there were several factors that made the visitors successful. Will’s team came ready to play, executed its game plan, and paid attention to the finer details necessary to win in the postseason.
Salisbury’s top three forwards all scored goals. Hryckowian and Poitras, Northeastern commits, and Walsh, a former Brown commit, found the back of the net. When your best players are your best players, your chances of winning increase. That was certainly the case for Will’s group on Wednesday.
Sticks on pucks, clogging passing and shooting lanes, being the first to loose pucks, and winning battles were all areas of the game where Salisbury excelled. There were countless Dexter Southfield breakout passes and other passes and shots that were broken up by Salisbury sticks. The Crimson Knights did a great job of hunting pucks and being the first to those foot races. Will is such a great coach and his team clearly took to his coaching and made sure to have strong habits that help win games. No player exemplified that more than third-line center Trey Deere, a Syracuse lacrosse recruit.
Specialty teams are always important, but especially in the postseason. The Salisbury power play wasn’t plugged in like it sometimes is, but the team’s penalty kill came up in a big way. In addition to scoring a shorthanded goal, Salisbury killed off a couple of other Dexter Southfield power plays.
Senior goaltender Austin McNicholas wasn’t overly tested, but he made all the key saves he had to for his team to win this game. I expect that he’ll have to be even better against Kimball Union on Saturday.
I loved how Salisbury played for the first half of this game. I thought a little complacency crept in later in the contest, but between that and a lackluster power play, there will be plenty for Will to harp on heading into Saturday’s huge semifinal at Kimball Union.
Three stars
Dylan Hryckowian
Salisbury, 5/19/04, RW, right shot, 5-9/154
NCAA commit: Northeastern
I’ve liked Hryckowian since I first saw him a few years ago at the Junior Chowder Cup. His first-period goal showed off a few of his attributes. His hockey sense and ability to read the play allowed him to pick off an errant pass by a Dexter Southfield defenseman in the neutral zone. His hands and confidence with the puck on his stick were displayed as he made a defenseman look silly before sliding the puck into the net. He’s dangerous on the rush with his speed and he had a few great chances to score later in the game.
Ryan Walsh
Salisbury, 8/25/03, C, right shot, 6-0/170
Walsh scored a shorthanded goal, but also generated a handful of quality chances while playing at even strength. The Macedon, N.Y., native showed off his skill on numerous occasions. He’s a good stickhandler and can protect pucks in high-traffic areas. His shiftiness and craftiness were evident a number of times with the puck on his stick. According to multiple sources, he’s no longer committed to Brown.
Trey Deere
Salisbury, 2/19/04, C, left shot, 6-0/160
NCAA commit: Syracuse (lacrosse)
Deere didn’t have a point in the game, but he did everything else. The third line center played on the first power-play unit and killed penalties. He’s strong on his skates, heavy on pucks, and plays a disciplined, 200-foot game. He recovered a lot of pucks and seemingly hemmed the Dexter Southfield defense deep in their own zone on most shifts. Syracuse is one of the top programs in NCAA lacrosse so he’s obviously a heck of a player in that sport. However, there’s no doubt in my mind that the Kahnawake, Quebec, native could play Division 1 college hockey if he wanted.
Dexter Southfield notes
The season came to an end for Dexter Southfield, but there were some notable performances. Badger scored his team’s lone goal and had a few strong shifts, especially in the second period. He had a breakaway that he nearly connected on a shorthanded goal later in the middle period after his goal.
It’s no secret that junior defenseman Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.) is one of the best defensemen in prep school hockey. The late '04 had the secondary assist on Badger’s goal and did a good job on gap control and using his range to take away time and space from Salisbury forwards. He’ll be one of the top 2023 NHL draft prospects in all of New England.
The defensive pairing of junior Mick Frechette (Weston, Mass.) and sophomore Jonathan Lanza (Winthrop, Mass.) was solid for most of the night. Frechette, a late '03, did a good job bringing it physically. Lanza, an '05, did a good job of jumping into the rush. It was the best viewing of Lanza this hockey season.
Salisbury lines
L. Parks - R. Walsh - D. Hryckowian
C. Driscoll - J. Ebbott - B. Poitras
O. Frontini - T. Deere - C. Eichler
S. Latta - H. Hanes - M. Strapp
A. Zakrzewski - D. Westen
L. Chapman - T. Creech
S. Hall - H. Metz
A. McNicholas
Dexter Southfield lines
C. Wilson - W. Hughes - G. Badger
C. Sutherland - B. Landry - N. Larkin
B. Naumann - C. Emery - J. Hurton
H. Butte - N. Porter - M. Minchello
S. Dwan
S. Keohane - M. Fusco
M. Frechette - J. Lanza
L. O’Keeffe - J. Mullahy
A. Mickanin
