BELMONT, Mass. — Give credit where credit is due: St. Sebastian's came back at the end and made it close.
But it was all Belmont Hill for the majority of Wednesday night, as the Sextants took down the Arrows, 6-4, in a big ISL win.
The scoring started early, as Belmont Hill senior left wing Mason Daignault (North Providence, R.I.) scored right in front of the net on a sweet feed from linemate Dane Carter (Concord, Mass.) to make it 1-0. Then, just over a minute later, Belmont Hill senior defenseman Matt Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) scored on a terrific, individual effort (which we'll get to in a bit) to make it 2-0 at the 13:21 mark of the first period.
Shortly into the second frame, Belmont Hill senior defender Lenny Greenberg tapped in a pass from sophomore left wing Michael Sullivan (North Andover, Mass.) to make it 3-0.
The Arrows responded on the power play less than two minutes later when freshman right wing Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) one-timed a shot from the side of the net past Belmont Hill goalie JJ Thibodeau (Waltham, Mass.) to cut the Sextants' lead to 3-1.
It was mostly all Belmont Hill for the rest of the period.
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Senior left wing Daniel Markham (Winchester, Mass.) tapped in a rebound off a shot from senior center Brock Cummings to make it 4-1 Belmont Hill with 8:53 to play in the period. Less than a minute later, freshman left wing Patrick Woods (Charlestown, Mass.) drove the net, scoring a goal and taking down St. Sebastian's goalie Pelle Russo (West Newton, Mass.), who left the game after the collision and was replaced by junior netminder Kam Carkner.
Later in the frame, Cummings knocked in a rebound off a shot from Biotti to make it 6-1.
St. Sebastian's did strike on the power play at the end of the period, as junior left Isaac Mitchell (Harvard, Mass.) sifted a shot in along the ice to cut the lead to 6-2.
The Arrows fought back hard in the third period, keeping onlookers watching. First, it was Mitchell scoring off a pass from sophomore right wing Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) to make it 6-3. Then, moments later, Teddy sniped a power play goal with 10:17 to play.
In the end, however, Belmont Hill kept St. Sebastian's off the board to come away with a big win.
For Belmont Hill, Wednesday provided it with a nice dose of revenge — the last time the Sextants lost a game was on Jan. 7 against St. Sebastian's. They've gone 9-0-1 since. They scored the No. 5 spot in our latest power rankings and they proved that was the right decision Wednesday night. As for the Arrows, they're now 1-3-2 in their last six games.
Interesting note: Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo (Winchester, Mass.) was in attendance.
Let's jump into the standouts.
Matt Biotti
Belmont Hill, 8/27/2004, D, right shot, 6-4/181
NCAA: Harvard
Biotti's first-period strike was excellent. He got the puck at his own blue line, skated through the neutral zone, went 1-on-1 with a St. Sebastian's defender and fired the puck through the Arrows defenseman's legs, beating Russo over his blocker. Also in the first period, he made a great defensive play on St. Sebastian's No. 1 center Matt Cataldo. He defended him well behind the net and when Cataldo tried to emerge to the front and shoot the puck, Biotti made a great defensive play to neutralize him. He's committed to Harvard and he showed why against St. Sebastian's.
Ronan O'Donnell
Belmont Hill, 2/26/2004, RW, right shot, 6-2/174
NCAA: YaleÂ
O'Donnell could've had multiple goals Wednesday night. In the second period, he hit the post twice on one shift, but that's not what stood out the most. O'Donnell made a great play by getting above the puck in the offensive zone and anticipating where it would go, intercepting the breakout pass and gaining possession. He forechecked hard and when he was the F1, he made life really difficult for St. Sebastian's defenders.
Brock Cummings
Belmont Hill, 3/23/2005, C, left shot, 6-2/194Â
Cummings always seemed to find himself in the right place around St. Sebastian's net. He scored a goal and created chances for his teammates. He worked well in the cycle game and put pressure on St. Sebastian's in the offensive zone. Cummings is developing nicely into a really solid No. 1 center for head coach Brian Phinney.
Teddy Mutryn
St. Sebastian's, 2/16/2007, RW, right shot, 6-0/196Â
St. Sebastian's looked down and out at the end of the second period and the beginning of the third. But Mutryn kept going, hunting pucks well, finishing checks and using his great hockey IQ to make the right passes. His hands are great and he processes the game so fast, which is why he was able to thread a sweet cross-ice pass to Mitchell for his team's third goal. His own goal was terrific, as he sniped a one-timer past Thibodeau. Right after that, he drew a penalty and then almost scored again on the ensuing power play. It wasn't the greatest game from St. Sebastian's, but Mutryn fought until the end and made a difference.
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Isaac Mitchell
St. Sebastian's, 2/28/2005, LW, left shot, 5-9/170Â
Mitchell is extremely quick and can finish goals, as was evident in his two lamplighters Wednesday night. He plays with pace and fits really well opposite Teddy Mutryn, who currently plays on his other wing (with junior Colin Gorman in the middle). On Mitchell's second goal, he blew past the Belmont Hill defense and earned himself the breakaway.
