BRAINTREE, Mass. — Despite a hot start from Milton Academy and a fierce comeback from Thayer, the rivals tied, 3-3, on Wednesday night.
So is life in the ISL Keller.
Milton senior forward Brody Sharpe (Wellesley, Mass.) opened the scoring on a late first-period power play. Sharpe got the puck in the bumper after a sweet passing play by junior forward Noah Keeler (Milton, Vt.) and senior forward Joe Feinberg (Needham, Mass.).
Sharpe extended the lead midway through the second when he was left all alone in front to jam a rebound past Thayer goalie Quinn Devin (Norwell, Mass.).
Thayer stormed back. And it was largely due to sophomore forward Jack Funk (Duxbury, Mass.).
With three minutes left in the second period, junior defenseman Brian McFadden (Holbrook, Mass.) took a slap shot that struck Milton junior goalie Eli Zucker in the mask. Funk grabbed the rebound and pushed it past Zucker.
Just over two minutes later, Funk got the puck in the slot again and ripped one past Zucker, tying the game.
Funk completed the hat trick midway through the third period when he cut to the slot, dangled a defender and roofed a shot, making it 3-2 Thayer.
Milton tied the game two minutes later when junior forward Cooper Hosmer (Andover, Mass.) drove the net and tipped a shot from junior defenseman Chance Bolton past Devin.
Five minutes of five-on-five overtime solved nothing.
Thayer went to 13-9-4 with the tie, while Milton is 12-14-2.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Jack Funk
Thayer, 3/12/2009, F, left shot, 5-7/150
Hometown: Duxbury, Mass.Â
It was the Funk Show on Wednesday night. His ability to bear down and drive the net was outstanding, leading to chances and goals. His first two goals were all about him reading rebounds and being unafraid of the slot. Funk's third goal was about his hands and ability to use his skill to get into the slot, finishing it off with a snipe. He was buzzing and was so fun to watch.
READ MORE: The local ’10s with a shot at the U.S. NTDP
Brody Sharpe
Milton, 10/23/2006, F, right shot, 5-11/176
Hometown: Wellesley, Mass.Â
The senior captain was everywhere for Milton. He was perfectly in the bumper for a power play goal to open the scoring. On his second, he found a soft spot at the top of the crease off a face-off to knock one past Devin. These goals weren't flukes. Sharpe plays a hard-nosed game in which he doesn't mind barrelling to the front of the net. With time winding down in the game, he entered the offensive zone and muscled towards the net, passing one to the middle that almost led to a goal. Sharpe was also effective high in the zone on penalty kills.
Brian McFadden
Thayer, 1/2/2008, D, right shot, 6-5/181
Hometown: Holbrook, Mass.
NCAA: NortheasternÂ
With NHL scouts in attendance, McFadden was on his game. He consistently made smart, patient decisions with the puck on breakouts. Thayer's wings typically flew the zone, forcing Milton's forecheck back a bit, but McFadden had no issue making the right read on his passes up ice. I don't think he chipped one puck off the glass or threw one puck around the boards. In the neutral zone, he was aggressive at stepping up to intercept second passes off a breakout. He even got a breakaway at one point. He deservedly got two assists.
More on his NHL Draft stock in a bit.
Justin Garvey
Milton, 3/7/2007, D, right shot, 5-11/155
Hometown: Rye, N.YÂ
Garvey was impossible to miss because of how dynamic he was. He consistently used his quick feet to skate pucks, sifting through forecheckers. He has really good hands, which allowed him to stick-handle through Thayer forwards. On one breakout, he wheeled around the net, cut to the middle and two Thayer forecheckers crashed into each other. Garvey is a senior and would make a lot of sense for a junior program next season.
Cooper Hosmer
Milton, 11/7/2007, F, right shot, 5-7/150
Hometown: Andover, Mass.Â
Hosmer's compete was on display Wednesday night. On his goal, he won some board battles along the half wall and dished the puck up to Bolton at the point. Hosmer was intelligent in going straight for the net, where he got a stick on the shot. He showed off his speed on one rush in the first period when he sifted through the neutral zone, split the defense and got a scoring chance. He recovered the puck and dangled to space, where he hit a defenseman with a pass at the point.
READ MORE:Â The final boys prep top 10 before the playoffs
Takeaways
- Thayer had been struggling to score. The Tigers lost to Milton, 4-1, last week and then fell to Tabor, 3-1. While they started slow and sloppy in the first one and a half periods, the Tigers picked it up on Funk's goal and seemed to find a groove.
- The game lacked juice until there was a scrum after Funk's first goal. That seemed to wake both sides up, as there was another scrum at the end of the second period. The game got a lot more physical in the third.
- Milton freshman forward TJ Petropoulos (Brockton, Mass.) is a future pillar of that team. He had a couple of shots from in tight in the first period. In overtime, he had a point-blank shot from the slot that Devin stopped. He's feisty and has such a high compete. He's a '10 who should take time developing in prep, which is the perfect kind of player for head coach Jim Gaudet to build around.
- McFadden's draft stock has gone up this winter, and it was evident as to why on Wednesday. A big, right-shot defenseman is something NHL teams are hot after to begin with. But McFadden has legitimate skill, poise with the puck and outstanding vision. He will fill out in the coming years, grow into his body and become more physical. But to be that size with those puck skills? As of now, I'd expect an NHL team to take him in the fourth or fifth round.
- As things stand on Wednesday at 11:01 p.m., Thayer would be the No. 2 seed in the Large School tournament if it began right now and is projected to finish as the No. 3 seed. Thayer has two games left against St. Sebastian's and Rivers. Neither will be easy, and USHR projects them to go 1-1-0.
- Milton isn't in the playoff picture if the playoffs began today. The Mustangs do, however, sneak into the projected Large School tournament field as the No. 8 seed.
READ MORE: Top boys prep performers from Feb. 18-24
