WALTHAM, Mass. — The second round of Doherty Division action in the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament did not disappoint.
Arlington and Reading, bitter Middlesex League rivals, needed two overtimes to decide a winner with the Spy Ponders coming out on top, 2-1, after a Nolan Russell goal.
Once those two teams left the ice, Belmont upset Hingham, 2-1. The Marauders got two goals from star sophomore Liam Guilderson to beat the No. 2 Harbormen.
Here's a full breakdown of the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament second round:
Doherty DivisionÂ
- Winner’s bracket: Arlington 2, Reading 1 (2OT)
- Winner’s bracket: Belmont 2, Hingham 1
- Loser’s bracket: Tewksbury 3, Braintree 0
- Loser’s bracket: Winchester 4, Concord-Carlisle 1
Brinn DivisionÂ
- Winner’s bracket: Canton 5, Marshfield 2
- Winner’s bracket: Weymouth 2, Chelmsford 1
- Loser’s bracket: Walpole 4, Franklin 0
- Loser’s bracket: Wellesley 6, Norwood 5 (OT)
While Arlington and Belmont doing battle for the Doherty Division championship next Sunday at Tsongas Center is big, there were a lot of takeaways and things we learned about Arlington, Reading, Belmont and Hingham — four of the most interesting public school teams in the MIAA.
Let's dive in.
1. Belmont's top line dominated and should provide headaches come the tournament
Belmont coach Tim Foley was constantly sending his top line of senior Adam Bauer, junior Leo Packard and Guilderson over the boards. It was easy to see why.
The trio controlled play almost every shift. They generated chances both off the rush and deep in Hingham's zone on the cycle. They were defensively responsible and stuck to clogging up the middle. I don't have the time on ice stats, but I'd imagine the line was on the ice for roughly 18-22 minutes. In a 45-minute game, that's a lot and it's ultimately the biggest reason Belmont upset Hingham.
If they can do that to Hingham, it's plausible the best line in the MIAA can do that against anyone. Until a team figures out how to shut that line down, Belmont is going to be a ridiculously hard team to knock out.
2. Adam Bauer was a force
Bauer made that line go. As the team's No. 1 center, he played in all situations. Late in the first period and the game scoreless, Foley ordered Bauer to take a defensive zone draw with wings who weren't his linemates. Bauer won the draw and eventually took the puck on a rush the other way and almost scored.
While he assisted on Guilderson's second goal, it was the little things that Bauer did that made such an impact.
A great example came in the final minutes of the second period. Belmont was killing a penalty and Bauer pinned himself against the boards with the puck in Hingham's end. It killed 20 seconds off the penalty and Bauer still somehow came out with the puck.
FULL RESULTS: Click or tap here to access the full schedule for the entire Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament
He always got low in his own zone to support defensemen, he was physical on opposing players who had the puck and he regularly won puck battles.
Come the tournament, Bauer is a guy you want on your side.
3. What a goal from Nolan Russell
As Arlington sophomore JP Messuri cut across the offensive zone, he dropped a pass for Russell who faked a shot and dangled through a defender. The problem: Russell's dangle put him behind the net. Fortunately for him, it was a 4-on-3 in double overtime, so no Reading defender was chasing him. The next problem: Russell tried to go for The Michigan, but couldn't fully get the puck up. Reading goalie Owen Holland also read it well, getting his blocker up and his body to the right side of the net.
Russell, however, had a solution. He noticed Holland fully commit to his right side so Russell went to his left, wrapping the puck around and slipping it under his left pad.
Russell has been dealing with injuries for the last few weeks, but recently returned to the Arlington lineup. He has turned into Messuri's partner in crime. When the two are playing together, they create offense with ease.
For Russell to be back and making plays like that is a huge boost for Arlington. Especially against rival Reading.
4. Guilderson put on a show
Guilderson provided both of Belmont's goals. The first was a snipe off the rush. The Belmont sophomore entered the offensive zone and continued down the left side, pinpointing a shot right over Hingham goalie Mike Karo. Then, just 55 seconds later, Guilderson got a pass from Bauer and slipped a backhander through Karo's legs, giving Belmont a 2-0 lead early in the second period.
The winger's combo of his skating and hands is impressive as he was able to put defenders on their heels and stick handle through them.
Guilderson also was killing penalties for Belmont. I mentioned Bauer's great PK work earlier pinning the puck in the offensive zone. Well, it was Guilderson who intercepted a Hingham pass high in the defensive zone to spring play the other way.
ED BURNS FIRST ROUND: 16 standout forwards | 8 standout defenders, goalies
Guilderson is also the perfect example of why it doesn't hurt to stay in the MIAA instead of immediately jumping to prep. He was on the Boston Junior Eagles' 15O team that won a state title and has countless high-end prospects on it. He was at USA Hockey's Select 15 Camp last summer. He had a strong freshman season at Belmont last winter. Yet Guilderson opted to play for his hometown.
He gets to be a top player in all situations. He's putting up a lot of points. He gets to compete for an MIAA title and try to win one for Belmont, too.
Whatever Guilderson decides to do next, he will be in that much better of a position because he stayed for his sophomore year at Belmont.
5. Goaltending was strong across both games
Arlington's John Snider, Belmont's Ethan Bauer, Holland and Karo all had good days.
Snider was busy in the first period, having to make numerous saves. His most notable was a glove robbery off a shot from Reading forward Nate Mulvey.
Bauer made a plethora of key, game-saving stops for Belmont as Hingham pressed in the third period. Harbormen senior forward Matt McLellan had a great chance in the slot, but Bauer kicked the shot away. The Belmont goalie fought through screens to see pucks and positioned himself well to every puck-carrier. The lone goal against came off a brilliant tic-tac-toe play by Hingham's Colin Lasch, Conal Mulkerrin and Cam McKenna. If Belmont's top line was the 1A reason it upset Hingham, Bauer was 1B.
Even in defeat, Holland and Karo kept their teams in it. Holland tracked pucks really well and probably deserved to win, while Karo made an outstanding glove save on Packard to prevent Belmont from going up by three goals.
6. The margins between the top public schools are razor thin
Arlington and Reading last met on Jan. 15. It ended in a 2-2 tie. Sunday's win for Arlington goes in the books as a 1-1 tie since the win didn't come until the 3-on-3 overtime in the second session. Both teams traded momentum swings by period on Sunday with Reading dominating the first, Arlington storming back in the second and the third being relatively even.
The second game was much more run-and-gun with Belmont matching Hingham's speed. Both teams traded chances. Given Belmont's outstanding top line and Bauer in net, picking a favorite between Hingham and Belmont is a coin flip.
Every year, we see some public schools upset the private ones. Any of these four could do that this March — and I'm not so sure they would be upsets.
7. A tough weekend for Hingham
On Saturday, the Harbormen lost to No. 1 Pope Francis, 6-2, at the Olympia Center. Head coach Tony Messina's team followed that up with a 2-1 loss to Belmont on Sunday.
While the Harbormen will drop a bit in our rankings and likely the MIAA's power rankings, they aren't to be taken lightly. They are still a top team in the MIAA and I'd be shocked if they weren't a top seed come the tournament.
LATEST RANKINGS: Are the top 10 teams set less than a month from the tournament?
Leftover thoughts..
- Arlington sophomore defenseman Kurt Beck was a beast. He scored Arlington's lone goal in regulation on a great, hard shot from the point, capping off a phenomenal shift in the offensive zone. He was assertive with the puck and was. confident enough to make hard passes up ice or take it himself when he needed to.
- Mulvey was vital for Reading. The senior was impossible to miss and was instrumental to Reading's dominant first period. He got an early breakaway and drew a penalty. He was robbed by Snider's glove shortly after on a chance. His big play came when he got the puck in neutral ice, rushed down his weak side and cut middle, putting it under Snider to open the scoring late in the first period.
- Another key piece for Reading: junior defenseman Nate Vitarisi. The Reading defender was able to walk the blue line well and sift shots through. He also almost scored with under 10 seconds to play in regulation when he rushed the puck, dangled through an Arlington defender and put a shot over the net from in tight.
