DEDHAM, Mass. — Thayer opened the second period on a power play. The Tigers had scored a goal to tie the game before the end of the first. They had all the momentum.
Nobles forward Kyle O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.) had other plans.
The Yale commit forechecked Thayer defenseman Peter Luecke so hard that the senior accidentally passed it back off goalie Tyler Moschella and O'Leary jammed in the rebound, giving Nobles a lead it never gave up.
In the end, the Bulldogs won, 6-3.
The scoring started midway through the first period when Nobles forward Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) tallied a goal off a passing sequence. Thayer's Tommy Anderson (Braintree, Mass.) responded a few minutes later, tying the game, 1-1.
O'Leary followed up his first goal of the game with another right before the five-minute mark of the second, making it 3-1 Nobles.
The Tigers did make things close roughly six minutes into the final frame when forward Kevin Delay (Hingham, Mass.) sniped one over Nobles goalie Justin Lee.
Nobles, however, replied with three straight goals. Davidson notched two to complete the hat trick and Teddy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) added a lamplighter, too.
Thayer defenseman Declan Devin (Norwell, Mass.) sniped one past Lee with under two minutes to play.
This was a big win for Nobles, as it looks to make a final push for the Elite 8. Thayer entered Wednesday in the Elite 8 if the tournament started that day, but now sits behind Nobles in the Large School Tournament.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
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Kyle O'Leary
Nobles, 6/25/2006, F, right shot, 6-2/185
Hometown: Medfield, Mass.
NCAA: YaleÂ
O'Leary was a straight-up beast on Wednesday night. His first goal was his dogged forechecking creating chaos on a Thayer power play. His second featured him dangling a defender and then stick-handling around Moschella, depositing the puck into the open cage. Head coach Brian Day put O'Leary at the point on the power play and it paid off, as his shot was deflected by Davidson for his second goal.
Justin Lee
Nobles, 6/28/2009, G, catches left, 6-1/165
Hometown: Newton, Mass.Â
The final score looks lopsided but the game wasn't. Thayer pressed for stretches and Lee was dynamite. The Tigers had a slew of shots early in the first period through traffic and Lee was able to see and stop them all. His best stretch was early in the third period when Thayer forward Ty Hymovitz (Needham, Mass.) had a clean chance from the slot and Lee turned it aside with his legs. Delay one-timed a shot moments later and Lee got across to make the stop. For an '09 to go into a game like that and make 34 saves was impressive.
Dennis Davidson
Nobles, 5/15/2006, F, right shot, 5-10/185
Hometown: Newton, Mass.Â
Never a bad night for a hat trick, right? Davidson scored the game's first goal from a nice passing sequence off the rush with linemates MacAusland and Ben Nakata (West Barnstable, Mass.). His second was all about getting to the top of the crease and tipping a shot from O'Leary, while the third came from him banging in a rebound on the power play. Late in the second period, he laid a good hit in the offensive zone and started a long sequence for his line.
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Billy MacAusland
Nobles, 8/4/2007, F, left shot, 5-10/170
Hometown: Westwood, Mass.Â
It's been an outstanding season for MacAusland and that continued on Wednesday. Nobles' No. 1 center drove play and facilitated multiple extended offensive zone sequences. He was able to force turnovers and late in the second period, he used his speed to zip past a Thayer defender and get a breakaway. His line with O'Leary and Ethan Cox (Westboro, Mass.) had multiple effective shifts. MacAusland finished with three assists, bringing his point total to a whopping 45.
Brian McFadden
Thayer, 1/2/2008, D, right shot, 6-5/181
Hometown: Holbrook, Mass.Â
It was McFadden's third game back after returning from injury. The big defenseman's top play was when he dangled two Nobles defenders and hit Delay across the zone for a goal early in the third period. McFadden was active in the offense, utilizing a give-and-go late to get a chance. Head coach David Hymovitz also had him on one of the two power play units. It's a shame McFadden missed the majority of the season given his upside.
Tommy Anderson
Thayer, 2/2/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/174
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.Â
Anderson was an offensive driver for Thayer. He scored on a 2-on-1, getting a pass from forward Mason Shea and depositing it past Lee. Anderson showcased a great shot in transition and was able to support his linemates deep in the offensive zone, as well as jumpstart plays from the neutral zone.
Mason Shea
Thayer, 11/8/2005, F, right shot
Hometown: Braintree, Mass.Â
Shea assisted on Anderson's goal, which was vital at the time. He played with power and consistently drove play, especially off the rush. The senior '05 has been a primary producer for Thayer this season with nine goals and 21 points in 19 games so far.
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Takeaways...
- Earlier this season, I mentioned the six best players in prep hockey. O'Leary has worked his way into that grouping. His size mixed with his 200-foot game and ability to produce put him in rare company. He's a great example of a committed prospect staying for his senior year and having it pay off.
- Billy MacAusland is tied for third in the region in points with 45. How is he still uncommitted for Division 1?
- Nobles sophomore defenseman Kris Soja is known for his puck-moving skills. But midway through the first period, he laid out and blocked two point-blank shots from Thayer. They were gutsy, respect-earning blocks from the Ludlow, Mass., native.
- Nobles will lose a whole bunch of its scoring after this season, which will certainly hurt. The good news for the Bulldogs is they most certainly have a starting goalie in Lee. Building from the net out will likely be the way to go next year. But that's next year.
- This loss hurt Thayer, who entered Wednesday's slate of games in the No. 8 spot in the Elite 8. The Tigers fell to No. 2 in the Large School Tournament, while Nobles took their spot in the Elite 8 (if it began Wednesday night) and No. 7 in the Elite 8 for the projected final Elite 8. Nobles' jump into the Elite 8 is stunning since entering Wednesday, the Bulldogs weren't even in the final projected JSPR, according to USHR.
- An Elite 8 forecast is coming on Thursday that will dive deeper into everything. But Thayer is likely going to have to take care of business against Governor's Academy and Belmont Hill down the stretch to get back into the Elite 8 field.
