NEEDHAM, Mass. — Overtime was necessary to decide the winner of Milton Academy and St. Sebastian's. It did not. The game ended in a 1-1 tie.
It was a sign of how close the ISL Keller division rivals are.
Despite the hit posts, shots that just missed the net and acrobatic saves, Milton Academy and St. Sebastian's couldn't muster more than one goal apiece.
If there was one definitive takeaway from the battle, it's that while St. Sebastian's might have more skill, Milton's compete leveled the playing field.
The scoring didn't start until the second period when St. Sebastian's junior left wing Nolan Flynn (Natick, Mass.) dished it to linemate sophomore Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) on a 2-on-1. Merrill sifted it back to Flynn, who deposited it into the empty cage to make it 1-0 for the Arrows.
It took the Mustangs a while to respond. There were some power plays in there with good chances, but nothing was getting past Arrows goalie Pelle Russo (West Newton, Mass.).
Milton, however, did finally break through with just over seven minutes to play in the third period when senior center Brendan Maher sniped one past Russo off the rush to tie the game, 1-1. Side note: Maher's speed, along with linemate Jacob Pohl's fleet feet, has the ability to cause nightmares for opposing defenders. The duo did it a few times Wednesday night.
In overtime, Maher almost scored the winner off a 2-on-1 but was denied by Russo. The closest chance came with one second left on the clock when Merrill got the puck in the high slot and fired one off the iron. The puck laid behind Milton goalie Sam Caulfield (Needham, Mass.), but the netminder covered the puck before a St. Sebastian's stick could get a good poke at it.
BEST OF THE BEST: Top performers from Jan. 25-31
Milton now sits at 12-4-3, while St. Sebastian's goes to 11-5-3.
St. Sebastian's has a big game coming up, as the Arrows travel to St. Mark's on Saturday. Next up for Milton is a road date with Roxbury Latin.
It's time for some standouts.
Sam Caulfield
Milton Academy, 8/29/2006, G, catches left, 6-1/180Â
Caulfield continued his sensational season Wednesday night with yet another great performance. The Needham, Mass. native was why Milton came out with a tie. He had some incredible saves. One that stood out was in the second period while Milton was shorthanded. The puck went across and a St. Sebastian's attacker looked to have a wide-open net, but Caulfield reached out and made an amazing glove save. Then, at the start of the third period, Caulfield denied St. Sebastian's center Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.) on a breakaway. Caulfield finished with 33 saves.
Matt Cataldo
St. Sebastian's, 5/19/2005, C, left shot, 5-11/194Â
Cataldo registered a secondary assist on Flynn's goal, moving Cataldo's team-leading point total to 31. He plays in every situation, as the team's primary center on power plays and penalty kills. He's great in his own zone, staying below the puck and doing a good job cutting off passing lanes. He's fun to watch shorthanded, as he always puts pressure on the defenseman trying to move the puck out of their zone. He's got a high level of compete. I know there's some concern about his skating, but given the production and two-way ability, I'm surprised he's still uncommitted.
Mason Chen
Milton Academy, 5/31/2004, D, left shot, 5-11/175Â
Chen has turned into a really strong two-way defender at the prep level. That was on display Wednesday night, as he was successful at shutting down scoring chances in his own zone and off the rush. He also rushed the puck a number of times, keeping his head up and gaining the offensive zone. His puck patience was impressive, too. Some plays were risky. An example of this was when he stepped up on St. Sebastian's star wing Teddy Mutryn as he was approaching the Milton blue line with the puck and a head of steam. Rather than going for the body, Chen went all puck, and while it worked and the defenseman successfully forced St. Sebastian's to reset, it was still an edgy play to make in the third period of a 1-1 game. But, Chen got the job done just as he did all night.
Casey Mutryn
St. Sebastian's, 2/1/2008, RW, right shot, 5-11/151Â
No, I'm not just doing this because it was his birthday. Mutryn continues to impress me with his hockey IQ and assertiveness at such a young age. The last freshman to do that at St. Sebastian's was...his brother Teddy last year. Mutryn had three scoring chances that were notable, including two where the puck almost went in. He had one in the third period where he used his speed to gain space and he flipped one right over the net. Division 1 colleges surely have his name circled for next Jan. 1.
COACHING NEWS: Paul Cannata to retire at the end of the season
Will Cannata
Milton, 5/17/2005, C, left shot, 6-0/175Â
It's Cannata week here at New England Hockey Journal. Cannata was extremely effective Wednesday night. Early in the first period, St. Sebastian's had Milton pinned in its own zone. Cannata's line hopped over the boards and fought back, pinning the Arrows in their own end. Cannata was great at factoring in on the cycle game in the offensive zone and protecting the puck. He was also solid in his own end.
