STONEHAM, Mass. — With a number of scouts from USA Hockey and the USHL at Stoneham Arena Monday night, the player they came to watch was a big factor in his team’s 5-0 shutout victory.
Arlington sophomore left wing Jack Sadowski scored two goals, including the game-winner, and added an assist to pace the Spy Ponders to a Middlesex League victory over Wakefield. The win improved Arlington’s record to 2-0 while the Warriors dropped their first of the season to fall to 2-1.
Sadowski, one of the top '06 forwards in New England, opened the scoring on a rebound goal close to the midway mark of the first period. Ryan Gilbert’s shot from the right point was stopped, but the puck sat precariously just outside the crease for Sadowski to swoop in and put it home.
A similar goal a few minutes later extended the Spy Ponders lead. Drew Fecteau redirected a shot from Stefanos Sotiropoulos to beat Wakefield goaltender Jon Guida.
The score would stay 2-0 Arlington into the second period. That’s when Sadowski scored his second of the night on a backbreaking goal for the Warriors. He was skating into the zone down the left wing and threw a harmless shot on net that somehow found its way past Guida.
Matt Alesse scored a power-play goal later in the second period to give Arlington a 4-0 lead. Sadowski and Reid Malatesta were credited with the assists. The fourth-line center finished off the scoring with a tally later in the game.
Wakefield was without two of its better players, who will both be rejoining the team sometime after the calendar turns to 2022. Senior center Joe O’Brien, junior left wing Matt Elwell and junior defenseman Joe Colliton were the top three players for Mike Geary’s team that came into Monday’s game with a 2-0 record.
Sadowski has been a standout performer for years with the Junior Eagles. In addition to his two goals and one assist, he made a couple of other nifty plays. He plays in all situations for John Messuri’s club. Nothing new was learned from this game. Sadowski, whose father John played at UNH, is a smart winger who can score goals. His skating won’t turn any heads, but his hockey sense, ability to be in the right place at the right time, and putting the puck in the net are all skills that will carry him to a Hockey East roster someday.
I haven’t seen every team in the MIAA to date, but it is hard to imagine there being a team more primed to win the Division 1 state championship than Arlington. The team has good depth up front. The first line, with Sadowski on the left wing and Malatesta centering, is obviously a good one. The second line featured sophomore Brendan Hirsch on the right wing with junior Jake Russell down the middle and Fecteau on the left side. Freshman Liam Gore and sophomore Killian Wright make up what has to be the best third line in the state. Gore and Hirsch both bring size and a physical element while I was impressed with the skating ability of Wright and Russell. Gore is one of the top '07s in the state.
Arlington lines
Sadowski - Malatesta - Alesse
Fecteau - O’Connor - Wright
Gore - O’Connor - Hirsch
Nigro - Mansfield - Snyder
Desmond - Dunning
Sotiropoulos - Gilbert
Flynn
Davies
Martin
Wakefield lines
Elwell - O’Brien - Defeo
Curran - Pellegrino - Mailhot
Roycroft - Rossini - Wickwire
Colliton - Simoneau
Parent - Purcell
Burns
Guida
