BROOKLINE, Mass. — Holderness senior forward Maxime Charbonneau fired a pass across the Dexter Southfield zone to junior forward Caden Wells.
With the goalie pulled and Holderness down a goal, Wells fired a shot that snuck through Dexter goalie Max Gatti's (Winchester, Mass.) left side to tie the game, 2-2, with 1:19 left to play.
That score stood through the rest of regulation and overtime, as two teams that badly needed a win to gain ground in the Elite 8 race failed to do so.
The scoring started in the first period when Dexter sophomore forward Michael Minchello (Braintree, Mass.) drove the net and smacked in a rebound.
After a scoreless second period, the third featured some fireworks.
With just under 14 minutes to play in the game, Dexter senior defenseman Mick Frechette (Weston, Mass.) went on an end-to-end rush through the neutral zone and into the Holderness end. He cut middle and sifted a shot through traffic, beating Holderness netminder Evan Plunkett to make it 2-0 Dexter.
Holderness answered just over two minutes later when Wells drove the net and batted the puck in from right in front of the crease to cut Dexter's lead to 2-1.
Let's dive into some standout players and takeaways from the game. The standouts are going to be focused on uncommitted players.
Caden Wells
Holderness, 1/13/2005, C, left shot, 5-11/161Â
Wells picked a great time to turn on the clutch factor, scoring two goals in the third period to give Holderness a tie instead of a loss. His play in the offensive zone was great, as he cycled the puck well and created chances for linemates junior Jake Boulanger (Barre, V.t.) and sophomore Jacob Duval (Andover, Mass.). There was one sequence in the second period when Wells' line hemmed Dexter in its own end and produced multiple shots from it.
Will Rob
Holderness, 8/2/2007, D, left shot, 5-9/165Â
Rob's confidence on the ice was obvious Wednesday night. He was outstanding on breakouts, consistently skating to space and finding teammates for a breakout pass. He led teammates on breakout passes in transition, too, which is always a sign of a great puck-mover. His shiftiness and ability to rush the puck were huge assets for Holderness. His team got a penalty with 29.7 seconds left in regulation and when he got the puck, instead of just icing it, he rushed it, ended up in the Dexter corner and killed a ton of time. He's an interesting prospect to watch.
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Michael Minchello
Dexter, 6/5/2006, RW, right shot, 6-0/173Â
His goal in the first period was nice, as he displayed good hockey IQ by going right to the net and cleaning up a rebound. But I really liked his ability to create off the rush and make things happen. He had a great sequence in the third period when he skated around Holderness defenders in the neutral zone and into the offensive zone, showing great poise with the puck. He finished the sequence with a nice shot on net.
Evan Plunkett
Holderness, 9/3/2003, G, catches left, 5-9/165Â
Plunkett's been hot of late and was stellar Wednesday night. He had some nice saves off tipped shots from the point. He had a slew of great saves in the first period, such as when an errant Holderness breakout pass ended up on Dexter senior right wing Joe Hurton's (Quincy, Mass.) stick in front of the net and Plunkett turned aside the point-blank chance. His aggressiveness in the net helped him cut down angles.
Nate Porter
Dexter, 3/10/2006, C, right shot, 5-10/170Â
Porter showed good offensive instincts Wednesday. He anticipated passes well (both from his own team and Holderness to try and intercept). He has a really good shot and when given time and space, he was great at making plays. He almost scored midway through the third period off a nice pass from linemate Henry Butte (Belmont, Mass.).
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Takeaways
- There were quite a few NHL scouts in attendance Wednesday night, presumably to watch Dexter defenseman and Harvard commit Sean Keohane. The Milton, Mass., native played well, showing good poise with the puck on breakouts and shutting opponents down in his own zone. He hit the post with a one-timer in the second period. While Keohane's NHL Draft stock has gone down throughout the season and his play isn't flashy, he's been getting the job done and he has great upside. Defensemen who are 6-foot-4 and can skate well don't grow on trees.
- Speaking of committed defensemen, Caeden Herrington (Manchester, Vt.), a University of Vermont commit, was impressive Wednesday night. He's a good skater, played with confidence and moved the puck well.
- As I said earlier, both of these teams really needed a win to stay in Elite 8 contention and neither got it. Still, both teams will be difficult opponents in the postseason. Dexter has the defensive core and puck-possession game to limit opposing teams. On the other side, while Holderness didn't win, a two-goal comeback in the third period on the road is impressive. Alan Thompson's team has great goaltending and some productive forwards. One thing I like about them is...
- Their mobility on defense. Holderness has some defensemen who skate and move the puck really well. Rob and Herrington come to mind the most on this.
- Frechette's play at both ends of the ice continues to be impressive. The goal was really nice, but the way in which he's always around the puck and impactful at both ends of the ice proves he's taken a massive step forward as a senior.
- Todd Angilly sang the national anthem and it won't surprise you to know he nailed it. A nice bounce-back performance from Monday at TD Garden.
- It was Dexter's senior night, so it's a good time to give props to forwards Brayden Naumann (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) and Hurton. Every time I've watched Dexter this year, both play extremely hard and with a high compete level. Both forecheck hard and do whatever it takes.
