CANTON, Mass. — Catholic Memorial secured a big Catholic Conference win Saturday, taking down Xaverian, 3-1.
The Knights opened the scoring in the first period when senior Brendan MacNeil (Belmont, Mass.) notched a shorthanded goal off the rush, sneaking a shot through Xaverian goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter (Wrentham, Mass.).
Ultimately, the game was decided in the second period.
Roughly seven minutes into the middle frame, Pouliot-Porter came out to play the puck and fired one up the middle of the ice.
The only problem: Catholic Memorial center Tyler Hamilton (Framingham, Mass.) was in the way and knocked the puck down. Hamilton scored a goal that was handed to him on a silver platter, and he slid it into the open net. It was the eventual game-winner.
Xaverian right wing Liam Capplis (Milton, Mass.) responded six minutes later when he slipped a power play goal through CM goalie Owen Watson (Newton, Mass.) to cut the lead to 2-1.
CATHOLIC CONFERENCE SHOWCASE: 5 takeaways from some great hockey games
Xaverian’s momentum was halted, however, when it found itself shorthanded, and CM defenseman Anthony Pellitteri (Holbrook, Mass.) sifted a shot through from the point and into the back of the net to make it 3-1.
Catholic Memorial held on in the third, fending off the Xaverian attack in the final period.
It was a great atmosphere at Canton Ice House’s Blue Rink. The stands were packed with family and fans from both sides. The Xaverian student section showed up well and even when its team was down two goals late, they kept the chants and cheers going. Real student sections don’t leave until the final buzzer sounds and they mostly abided by that — props to them.
Also, most importantly, the warmup mix was good. That can make or break a high school hockey game fan experience.
It’s the second time these two teams have met this season. CM came away victorious in the first matchup, winning 4-0 on Jan. 4.
The Knights improved to 10-1-0. Xaverian fell to 7-5-0.
It’s time for standouts.
Owen Watson
Catholic Memorial, ‘05, G, Catches left, 5-11/157
Watson had a number of key stops Saturday. In the first period, he negated what looked like a sure goal from Xaverian as the Hawks jammed at a loose puck in the crease. But the Newton, Mass., native laid out and kept the puck out. In the second period, Capplis redirected a shot that looked labeled for the twine, however the goalie’s positioning and tracking of the puck made the save look easy. He did a great job of corralling rebounds and snatching up pucks quickly. While Catholic Memorial was the better team Saturday, Xaverian had a fair amount of chances. Watson was there to stop them.
Tyler Hamilton
Catholic Memorial, 12/7/2006, C, right shot, 5-11/146
A lot has been written about Hamilton on this website, so I will do my best to refrain from rehash. Hamilton is one of the two forwards CM head coach Larry Rooney turns to first to kill penalties (the other is MacNeil). Hamilton was extremely aggressive on the PK, using his terrific speed and first-step quickness to attack Xaverian’s puck carriers. He was great at patrolling the top of the defensive zone while killing penalties, using his good stick to take away passing lanes.
Nick D’Olympio
Catholic Memorial, 6/8/2007, C, right shot, 5-7/134
A freshman, D’Olympio centers junior Drew Mottau (Avon, Mass.) and freshman Whalen Chin (Weymouth, Mass.). D’Olympio was effective Saturday, often driving play through the neutral zone and gaining zone entries for his team. One of his best examples of this was in the second period when he sifted through center ice and drew a penalty. On his stomach, he knocked the puck to his linemates, who went in on a 2-on-1. D’Olympio also showcased a strong hockey IQ as the third player high in the offensive zone. During one sequence in the second period, he stayed high and intercepted two Xaverian breakout passes.
MIAA BOYS HOCKEY RANKINGS: The 12 teams with the best chances to win the title
Liam Capplis
Xaverian, 5/5/2005, RW, right shot, 6-0/190
Xaverian wasn’t great on the power play Saturday, but Capplis’ man-advantage tally was a nice one. With the puck to Watson’s right, Capplis had a fair amount of space. So, instead of passing it back to the point, he turned towards the net and tossed one off of Watson and in, finding the lone area the CM goalie didn’t have sealed up. That almost wasn’t Capplis’ only goal. In the first period, the Boston native drove down the wing and cut middle, finding space and almost slipping one past Watson. There was also the aforementioned redirection in the second period. In a not-so-great game for Xaverian, Capplis was a bright spot.
Jackson Morse
Xaverian, sophomore, C, right shot
Morse, a sophomore, may not have been on the scoresheet Saturday, but he showed some encouraging signs. He was hard on the forecheck and consistently found soft spots in the Catholic Memorial defense in front of the net. When he was the third player high, he was good at reading where the first CM pass was going to go. All of these traits are promising things for a young center. Eventually, the points will come.
