CANTON, Mass. — On Sunday, the six Catholic Conference teams all took to the ice at Canton Ice House.
All three matchups have strong implications on our boys MIAA top 10, as well as the MIAA's power rankings.
Here are the results from Sunday's matchups.
- BC High 4, Malden Catholic 2
- St. John's Prep 4, Catholic Memorial 1
- Xaverian 7, St. John's Shrewsbury 4
Catholic Memorial opened its matchup with SJP by scoring a goal 31 seconds into the game. After that, however, St. John's Prep controlled the play.
The Xaverian vs. St. John's Shrewsbury's game was a bit different. Xaverian led for most of the game, but head coach Michael Mead's team deserves credit for fighting back throughout, making it a one-goal game with under five minutes to play in the third period.
Admittedly, I only saw the third period in BC High and Malden Catholic's matchup, which is why there is only one standout prospect from that game.
Let's dive in.
Colvin Callahan
Xaverian, 2/9/2007, C, right shot, 5-10/154Â
Callahan continued to impress on Sunday. The Neponset Valley River Rats product scored a goal from behind the net in the first period, when he made a heads-up play and shot a puck off the back of St. John's Shrewsbury goalie Dylan Fanale. Callahan notched an assist moments later on junior Devin Gosciak's goal. Callahan's blend of skill and good skating helps him drive play. He makes for a strong top-six center for head coach Dave Spinale.
Nick D'Olympio
Catholic Memorial, 6/7/2007, RW, right shot, 5-7/134Â
It was a tough day for Catholic Memorial, but D'Olympio looked to set a better tone right from the start. D'Olympio made a really smart decision on the forecheck by taking away a passing lane and picking off SJP's breakout. D'Olympio utilized his quick release to score just 31 seconds into the contest. The East Coast Militia product showed off lots of offensive awareness, and his ability to play with pace drew a penalty in the second period.
Luke Gerardi
St. John's Shrewsbury, 8/5/2005, RW, right shot, 5-11/170Â
It's well-known that Gerardi can score goals with ease. That doesn't make it any less impressive when it happens. Late in the third period and on the power play, Gerardi toe-dragged around a Xaverian defender and ripped a shot over Hawks goalie Joseph Vanaria, bringing the Pioneers to within one goal of tying the game. The play showcased Gerardi's skill, patience and ability to shoot the daylights out of the puck.
Ethan Goodrich
St. John's Prep, 6/20/2007, LW, left shot, 5-11/154Â
When the puck was on his stick, Goodrich was able to find soft spots in the offensive zone and his good hockey IQ helped him find open linemates. Even when he had the puck in his own zone, his patience allowed him to find outlet passes to spring the rush. Along with sophomore Cooper Hosmer and senior Cam Umlah, Goodrich's line had a strong day.
Cooper Hosmer
St. John's Prep, 11/7/2007, RW, right shot, 5-7/150Â
Hosmer was great at creating offense on Sunday. Because he plays with such a high motor, he was able to be the first forward in on the forecheck and create turnovers. There was a sequence where he gained the offensive zone and chipped it past the CM defender. Hosmer took a smart route when chasing it, getting under the defender and re-gaining possession. His edgework and hands make up for his lack of size.
BATTLE OF THE BEST: 7 standouts from St. John's Prep's 5-2 win over Xaverian
Daniel Menyalkin
St. John's Shrewsbury, 2006, C, right shot, 6-2/185Â
Menyalkin is a leader for St. John's Shrewsbury and he came up big in the third period. With his team down two goals, the junior used his size and compete to bring the puck from behind the net to the slot and put one past Vanaria. He drove play all day, as he leads the Pioneers' top line along with Gerardi and Chase Warsofsky.
Jackson Morse
Xaverian, 2007, RW, right shotÂ
When it looked like St. John's Shrewsbury might complete the comeback, there was Morse, who grabbed a loose puck in the slot and fired in a goal, extending the lead to 6-4 late in the third period. Morse's speed allowed him to always be dominant on the ice. Along with being a force offensively, he came down low in the defensive zone, supporting his defensemen. An example of this came with the score tied, 1-1, in the first period when he intercepted an SJS pass into the slot.
Deuce Morton
St. John's Prep, 2/24/2006, D, right shot, 5-10/161Â
St. John's Prep is fortunate to have some strong, two-way defensemen and Morton is certainly one of them. In his own zone, he defended the front of his own net well, making sure to cover CM forwards that crossed into the slot. He's a good skater who made smart, simple plays with the puck in all three zones. He also knew when to join the rush.
Jack Tucker
Malden Catholic, freshman, D, right shotÂ
In the one period I caught of Malden Catholic vs. BC High, Tucker, a freshman, was impressive. He was fluid and mobile with the puck on his stick at the blue line. On one of his chances, he got a shot through to the net that fellow freshman Brody MacMaster knocked in on the rebound. Tucker was clearly trusted by new head coach Brendan Collier, as he was on the ice for the 6-on-5 late in the game.
LATEST RANKINGS: St. John's Shrewsbury flies up the top 10
Chase Warsofsky
St. John's Shrewsbury, 6/20/2009, LW, left shot, 5-7/145Â
Warsofsky has become a top-line staple with Menyalkin and Gerardi, which is an impressive feat for a freshman in the MIAA. Early in the first period, he picked off a Xaverian breakout pass, got a scoring chance and drew a penalty shot that he was eventually stopped on. Later in the period after a long defensive zone shift, he found space in the neutral zone for a teammate to hit him with a pass. He gained the offensive blue line, stickhandled to the slot and got a shot off. Mead even had him in the netfront on the power play and in the third period, he tipped a shot off the post. Warsofsky's No. 1 asset, in my opinion, is his skating. It's phenomenal and a big reason why he's having so much success.
