BROOKLINE, Mass. — It didn't take long for Nick D'Olympio (Rockland, Mass.) to make a statement.
Within the first 3:30 of Wednesday's matchup between No. 1 Dexter Southfield and St. Paul's, the Dexter forward sniped two shots past St. Paul's goalie Blake Truchon (South Burlington, Vt.).
Dexter never looked back, pouring it on with a 9-3 win.
After D'Olympio's two goals, Dexter forward Jack Fitzpatrick sniped a shot from out high, making it 3-0. And even though St. Paul's forward Callum Green scored one on the power play to cut the lead, Dexter added three more goals (two from Noah Survilas, one from Max Prudovsky) before the end of the period, taking a 6-1 lead into the first intermission.
Dexter forward Tom Moore (Milton, Mass.) batted a rebound from defenseman Kurt Beck's (Arlington, Mass.) dump-in from center ice past St. Paul's goalie Matteo Vessella, who came in to start the second. St. Paul's best sequence came right after when forwards Carter Doherty (Concord, N.H.) and Green cut into Dexter's lead.
But Dexter forward Joe Marchi (Foxboro, Mass.) extended the lead to 8-3, and forward Tyler Hamilton, who finished with five points, tallied the only goal in the third.
Dexter moved to 20-2-3 with the win, while St. Paul's fell to 16-9-1.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Nick D'Olympio
Dexter Southfield, 6/8/2007, F, right shot, 5-9/165
Hometown: Rockland, Mass.Â
D'Olympio's two early goals were beauties. His first came when he used his speed to get past a defender and put one over Truchon's glove. The second came similarly, but on the other side of the ice — D'Olympio burned a defender and showcased a quick, in-tight release over the blocker. D'Olympio's mix of speed and his release makes him such an intriguing prospect. His vision was on display, too, when he was finding linemates Hamilton and Fitzpatrick off the rush. D'Olympio, a senior, makes perfect sense for a Division 3 school.
READ MORE:Â What would a boys prep Olympics look like?
Max Prudovsky
Dexter Southfield, 7/29/2011, D, left shot, 5-8/145
Hometown: Newton, Mass.Â
The more I've watched Prudovsky this season, the better he's gotten. His goal was nice, as he read the play well to get the puck in the high slot and fire one into the net. But his combination of compete, vision and IQ is...special, which is a word I don't find myself using often. He was consistently moving his feet to get open and create off the cycle and the rush. Even under pressure with the puck around the net, he found ways to dish out passes to teammates. And his compete resulted in him drawing a penalty. It's still early, but I'd imagine the U.S. National Team Development Program has his name circled for next season.
Noah Survilas
Dexter Southfield, 12/27/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/170
Hometown: Winthrop, Mass.
NCAA: NortheasternÂ
Survilas tallied two goals in the first period, and he has two defensemen to thank. The first came from him tipping a shot by senior Matt Hines (Hingham, Mass.), while the second was off a Myles Brosnan (Winchester, Mass.) one-timer. Brosnan's rocket slipped through Truchon and lay on the goal line, and Survilas slid it in. Survilas' hands were on display in cycles as he stick-handled away from danger and extended possession.
Mitchell Smith
St. Paul's, 11/9/2008, F, left shot, 6-0/185
Hometown: Thunder Bay, OntarioÂ
Smith tallied assists on all three of St. Paul's goals. What stood out most with Smith was his speed. The acceleration on his first three steps was impressive, allowing him to hit top speed quickly. His compete was on display late as he fought for loose pucks and tried to force turnovers. His skating created scoring chances, too. He should be someone junior teams hone in on for drafts this spring.
READ MORE: Top boys prep performers from Feb. 11-17
Takeaways
- Dexter looked like the best team in the region. The Shields smothered St. Paul's and interrupted breakouts. Head coach Danny Donato's team's speed off the rush caused issues and was difficult for St. Paul's to contain. A night like Wednesday night showcased how dangerous Dexter is offensively when it's on its game. The Shields continue to have the deepest forward core in the region.
- Plain and simple, it wasn't St. Paul's night. But that doesn't take away from the great season the Big Red have had so far. After a 12-win season last winter and in head coach Scott Harff's second season, St. Paul's has 16 wins and entered the Dexter game at No. 14 in JSPR. Progress isn't linear, and nights like this happen. St. Paul's is still trending up fast.
- A defenseman I like: St. Paul's junior James Buchan. The '09 showcased patience and an ability to slow the game down on breakouts. On a rush by Brosnan, Buchan played him well, read the shot and got down to block it. His good skating helped him at the offensive blue line with pucks to change angles. He's tied for second on St. Paul's in points with 21.
- St. Paul's senior defenseman Quinn Brandell makes a lot of sense for a junior team next season. The 6-foot-2, steady, left-shot defenseman can play in any situation. Another intriguing defenseman is junior Colin O'Leary (Winthrop, Mass.). His pass to Green on his first goal was a thing of beauty, as he hit him with a fantastic, cross-zone pass at the far post.
- With the win, Dexter moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in JSPR and projected JSPR. The Shields have a difficult rest of the season, however, going to Winchendon this Friday and then taking on Kents Hill, No. 8 Holderness and Brunswick. Nothing is guaranteed.
- As much as I say Dexter looked like the best team in the region on Wednesday, No. 2 Salisbury had quite the win over Brunswick, taking down the Bruins, 6-0. Dexter and Salisbury look to face each other in the Elite 8 tournament again, this time just much later in the week.
- St. Paul's dropped to No. 16 in JSPR and is projected to be No. 7 in the Large School field. The Big Red have Tilton, No. 8 Holderness and the Lakes Region tournament left.
