BELMONT, Mass. — Once Carter Meyer stepped over the blue line, isolated the Belmont Hill defender 1-on-1 and cut middle, that was that.
The Rivers star rifled a shot low that beat Belmont Hill goalie JJ Thibodeau (Waltham, Mass.), breaking the tie and giving the Red Wings a lead they never relinquished.
Rivers added two empty-net goals from Meyer and Will Hatten (Wayland, Mass.) to earn a 6-3 win over No. 8 Belmont Hill. The score is far from indicative of how close the matchup was.
Sextants senior forward Luis-Maximillian Kuehberger (Hingham, Mass.) opened the scoring on a goal from the slot less than three minutes into the game.
Rivers responded 15 seconds into the second period when senior forward Will Irving (Holliston, Mass.) scored off some terrific passing from Hatten and junior Justin Graf (Lincoln, Mass.).
The Red Wings added to their lead midway through the middle frame when freshman forward Finn Sears (Medford, Mass.) threw a shot toward Thibodeau from the corner and it somehow went in.
Rivers carried a one-goal lead into a third period that turned into pure chaos.
Dartmouth commit and Belmont Hill forward Jake Tavares (Belmont, Mass.) tied things up on a one-timer less than five minutes into the third. Less than one minute later, Sears struck again on a snipe off an offensive zone face-off, giving Rivers another lead. The Sextants responded when sophomore forward David Bosco (Winchester, Mass.) one-timed a goal off the rush midway through the period.
With the win, Rivers improved to 15-5-1, while Belmont Hill fell to 16-4-3.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Carter Meyer
Rivers, 4/10/2009, F, left shot, 6-1/170
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Meyer's winning goal was filthy and his hustle led to his empty-netter. He assisted on both of Sears' goals, dishing it to him for his first and winning the draw back to him on his second. A four-point game has become the norm for Meyer. But he didn't just impact the game on the scoresheet. His puck movement and passing was subtle and he almost never made the play you'd expect him to make. One thing that Meyer does well is he holds onto pucks so long in the offensive zone that a second opposing player usually comes over to engage. That opens up a player, which Meyer usually has no trouble finding.
Finn Sears
Rivers, 5/4/2009, F, left shot, 6-1/175
Hometown: Medford, Mass.Â
Sears had a number of chances off the rush early. It was ironic that the shot that finally went in was one from the corner. He showed off his high-end shot when he rifled one past Thibodeau in the third period. On Sears' rushes through the neutral zone, he was shifty, always had his head up and was able to navigate through traffic with speed. The same was true in the offensive zone. He was never afraid to carry the puck up by the top of the zone if it meant a passing lane would open back down low.
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Sam Pandolfo
Rivers, 7/2/2009, F, left shot, 6-4/180
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
Pandolfo had two assists, but what I liked from him on Saturday were all the little things he did correctly. For a player at his size at his age, he moved pucks in tight so well, as he was able to keep the puck close to his body and make intelligent small-area passes. His chip off the boards from his own zone led to a Meyer and Sears 2-on-1 midway through the first period. Pandolfo was also physical in the corners, especially on forechecks.
Will Hatten
Rivers, 7/14/2006, F, left shot, 6-0/173
Hometown: Wayland, Mass.Â
Hatten drove his line with Graf and Irving on Saturday. He set up Irving's goal early in the second period, which set a tone for the rest of the game. Hatten also had a number of rushes where he used his speed to put Belmont Hill defenders on their heels. He sifted through defenders in the neutral zone and protected pucks well. He was vital on the penalty kill, as he showcased a great stick when defending the slot. It was a great day for Hatten.
Evan Handler
Rivers, 3/19/2007, D, right shot, 5-10/165
Hometown: Walpole, Mass.Â
Handler had a lot of confidence with the puck on Saturday. He had patience on breakouts, fending off forecheckers to find the right passing lane up ice. Sometimes, he held onto it and kept his head up on rushes. He was patient with the puck at the offensive blue line, too. In his own zone, he defended well, using his stick and his skating to put out fires and negate chances. Midway through the first period, Belmont Hill had a 2-on-1 and when the rebound popped out, Handler hustled back to knock it away.
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Jake Tavares
Belmont Hill, 1/27/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/174
Hometown: Belmont, Mass.
NCAA: DartmouthÂ
Tavares was quiet through the first two periods, but absolutely brought it in the third. It started by getting open for Bosco across the zone and one-timing a shot past Rivers goalie Derrick Huang (Carlisle, Mass.). What was more impressive, however, was how he set up Bosco's goal. It started with Tavares using his speed to get back and break up a Rivers rush. Seconds later, the puck landed on fellow Dartmouth commit Evan Jones' stick, who passed it across the ice to Tavares. That's when Tavares found Bosco on the other side of the zone for a one-timer.
David Bosco
Belmont Hill, 2/8/2008, F, right shot, 5-11/163
Hometown: Winchester, Mass.Â
His goal came on a sweet finish, as he rifled it in transition past Huang. But Bosco was more of the set-up guy on Saturday. His pass to Tavares for that goal was outstanding as Bosco brought it to the top of the zone, drew a lot of attention and sifted it back down low to his linemate at the far post for the score. He also fed Belmont Hill defenseman Grayson Cohen (Weston, Mass.) at the top of the slot who hit the crossbar shortly before Tavares scored in the third. While killing a penalty late in the second period, he blocked a one-timer from Graf that was labeled for the back of the net.
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Takeaways...
- Meyer now leads the region in goals (33) and points (57). His 2.71 points per game is the highest by far. Saturday's showing was yet another game in a long line of Meyer takeovers. Points per game wise, 2.71 is the most since Winchendon senior Matthew Fawcett (Lincoln, R.I.) and Thayer senior Jay O'Brien both posted a 2.67 in 2017-18. O'Brien's showing got him drafted 18th overall. Meyer's won't because he's only 15. A nice consolation prize is he'll likely wear a Red, White and Blue sweater next season.
- Rivers won this game on speed. The Red Wings were fast and aggressive on the forecheck, not allowing Belmont Hill defensemen any time with the puck. It worked, as head coach Freddy Meyer's team was able to force turnovers and elongate offensive zone possessions.
- This was the first time I saw Belmont Hill head coach Brian Phinney put Tavares with Woods and Bosco. Tavares and Bosco's speed on the wings worked well in tandem with Woods' gritty, two-way play. I wouldn't be shocked to see Phinney continue doing that, especially in big games.
- Rivers junior forward Jonathan Rivard can freakin' hit. The Newton, Mass., native absolutely laid out Belmont Hill's Brady Sloper (North Andover, Mass.) as the defenseman was moving the puck out of his zone. To Sloper's credit, he got right up and continued playing. There's certainly a place for Rivard's gritty, physical game on a roster known for skill.
- As of Saturday night at around 7:45 p.m., this win catapulted Rivers from a high seed in the Small School Tournament to being the No. 7 team in the Elite 8 if the tournament began now. USHR's projection for the end of the season also has Rivers at No. 7.
- Belmont Hill, conversely, fell out of positioning for the Elite 8 — for now. However, the Sextants are projected to be the No. 6 team in the Elite 8 at the end. They will have to take care of business against other postseason-caliber teams such as Thayer, Nobles and Tabor down the stretch.
