SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. — There’s a reason the collars on Milton Academy’s white sweaters are blue.
Yes, blue is the Mustangs’ primary color on their dark jerseys. And yes, blue matches well with the white and orange on the rest of the sweater. But on Wednesday night, Milton Academy gave meaning to those uniforms with a blue-collar effort to take down high-flying St. Mark’s, 4-3, on the road in the season-opener.
Milton Academy set the tone early in the game, with senior forward Henry Cohen (Sudbury, Mass.) ringing a shot off the iron just over a minute into the contest. The Mustangs followed that up with their first goal of the game just a few minutes later when Jacob Pohl slapped home a rebound to make it 1-0.
St. Mark’s forward Andrew Gibbons (South Kingstown, R.I.) tied the game, 1-1, shortly into the second period when he one-timed a pass from senior forward Sebbie Johnson past Milton goalie Harrison Brown.
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Even though St. Mark’s had the advantage with skill, coach Paul Cannata’s (Milton, Mass.) team didn’t back down.
Instead, Milton went on the attack. First, it was senior blueliner Mason Chen ripping a slapshot through St. Mark’s goalie Charles Watson to make it 2-1. Just over two minutes later, Milton forward Mikka Kelechian got the puck at the point and sniped one over Watson’s blocker to extend the lead to 3-1.
Gibbons, an Air Force commit, scored off the rush again with 41.4 seconds left in the second period to cut Milton’s lead to 3-2. Calvin Beard (Southborough, Mass.) got the primary assist.
To start the third period, Milton senior forward Brendan Maher scored off a rebound to make it 4-2.
St. Mark’s found some life towards the end of the final frame. With just over five minutes to play, the Lions got a power play goal from Johnson to make it 4-3.
Despite taking a penalty with 1:46 to play in the game, St. Mark’s found a way to press for one final assault, but Milton held it off, which we’ll get to in a minute, to beat a Richard Gallant-less St. Mark’s team. Gallant is out with an injury.
Let’s dive into the standout players and some thoughts from the thrilling season-opener.
Milton Academy’s play in the defensive zone
I know, I know. “Milton Academy’s play in the defensive zone” isn’t one particular player. But it was the reason the Mustangs rolled into St. Mark’s and secured a win.
Even without Gallant, the team’s leading returning scorer, the Lions stepped onto the ice a much more skilled team. They play exactly how bench boss Carl Corazzini (Framingham, Mass.) described them prior to the season: it’s all about offense and they have the cast to do it. Instead of trying to out-skill St. Mark’s, Milton Academy made life difficult for the opposition when the Lions were attacking.
For starters, they held St. Mark’s to the outside, limiting the number of Grade A looks sent Brown’s way.
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When St. Mark’s did get the puck to the high-danger areas, the Mustangs did the Zamboni driver a favor with how much they were sliding on the ice to block shots. Junior forward Will Cannata (Milton, Mass.) set the tone with this while killing a penalty at the end of the first period when he laid out to block a shot from Gibbons as time expired. That got the Milton Academy bench riled up. Midway through the third period, junior defenseman Curt Heath went down and blocked a point-blank St. Mark’s chance. Cohen had a huge blocked shot in the final minute, as Milton Academy players dove everywhere to protect the one-goal lead.
It’s a phrase that gets tossed around a lot these days, but this really was a high-character win from Milton Academy. They played like they had lunch pails next to their water bottles on the bench.
Standouts
Brendan Maher
Milton Academy, 3/10/04, FWD, left-shot, 5-9/165
Hometown: East Northport, N.Y.
Milton Academy’s best line was Maher, Kelechian and Pohl. It’s not the biggest trio of players, but they’re fast, hard on the forecheck and seemingly annoying to play against. Every time Milton had sustained attacking zone time, it was those three causing havoc. Maher scored the eventual game-winner after penetrating the slot and slipping a rebound past Watson.
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Jacob Pohl
Milton Academy, 8/13/04, FWD, right-shot, 5-9/170
Hometown: Chicago, Ill.
Pohl was a huge part of that trio, notching the game’s opening goal and being vital in transition. Pohl started a number of plays in the neutral zone and used his feet well to create space from St. Mark’s defenders. The senior has a ton of speed, which fits well on that line.
Mikka Kelechian
Milton Academy, 9/24/04, FWD, left-shot, 5-9/170
Hometown: L’Ile-Bizard, Quebec
The center of the trio, Kelechian started his 2022-23 campaign with a bang. A snipe from the point and two assists for a three-point night. He fits the identity of the line well — speed, closing on opponents quickly and cycle work below the goal line. It was a great night for the senior.
Jim Lyver
St. Mark’s, 2/12/05, FWD, right-shot, 5-11/170
Hometown: Grafton, Mass.
Lyver, a Holy Cross commit, was the Lions’ most dynamic player Wednesday night. He carried the puck well and created chances for his teammates. The only knock on him was he sometimes tried to do too much. With Gallant out for the foreseeable future, Lyver will be one of the top weapons Corrazini turns to in crunch time.
Andrew Gibbons
St. Mark’s, 1/3/05, FWD, right-shot, 5-9/180
Hometown: South Kingstown, R.I.
Gibbons is headed to Air Force to play hockey for a reason. The right-shot forward scored both of his goals off the rush. He wasn’t the flashiest player on the ice, but there’s a reason he posted 18 goals and 36 points in 28 games last season.
Damon Myers
St. Mark’s, 3/28/05, FWD, left-shot, 6-2/185
Hometown: Worcester, Mass.
Myers notched an assist on Johnson’s power play tally late in the third period. That was indicative of how Myers played all game — he was constantly playmaking. He showcased great hands in transition and was effective at sifting through the neutral zone.
