NEEDHAM, Mass. — Both St. Sebastian's and Lawrence Academy knew what was at stake entering Wednesday night's matchup.
St. Sebastian's needed a strong showing to stay in the No. 8 spot in the Elite 8. Lawrence, on the other hand, didn't have a shot at the premier prep tournament but wanted a win to gain the highest seed possible in the Large School class and play spoiler for St. Sebastian's.
Instead, the teams tied, 2-2.
St. Sebastian's opened the scoring when defenseman Aidan Connors (Westboro, Mass.) found Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, Mass.) in the slot for the tip with just under four minutes to play in the first period.
The Spartans, however, controlled the second period.
Just one minute into the middle frame, junior forward Ty Wood cleaned up a rebound and put it past St. Sebastian's goalie Pelle Russo (West Newton, Mass.), tying the game.
The momentum swing really took into effect when forward Brendan Hirsch (Arlington, Mass.) and Owen Leahy (Providence, R.I.) got a shorthanded 2-on-1 halfway through the period. Leahy slid the puck over to Hirsch, who fired a one-timer past Russo, giving Lawrence Academy the lead.
When the third period began, St. Sebastian's looked like a different team. The Arrows had the momentum and it paid off when defenseman Jack Harney's (Needham, Mass.) shot from the point was stopped by Lawrence Academy goalie Kolin Belliveau (Andover, Mass.), but forward Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) knocked in the rebound, tying the game.
Overtime didn't produce a winner. Lawrence Academy had a power play, but couldn't generate much on it. The best chance in the extra frame came when St. Sebastian's forward Teddy Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) got a shorthanded breakaway, but was robbed by Belliveau.
St. Sebastian's moved to 18-6-2 with the tie and held onto the No. 8 spot in the Elite 8, while Lawrence Academy's record stands at 15-9-2. The Spartans held the No. 2 spot in the Large School Tournament as of Wednesday night.
THE END: The final boys prep rankings of the regular season
Let's dive into the uncommitted standouts from the game.
Kolin Belliveau
Lawrence Academy, 9/14/2005, G, catches left, 5-10/174Â
Belliveau stood up to St. Sebastian's full-throttle offense, making 25 saves. That was turned up to a different level in the third period. His best stop in the third period came when he gloved down St. Sebastian's senior defenseman Ben Stavaridis' (Wellesley, Mass.) shot from the point. Belliveau also robbed Mutryn on the overtime breakaway.
Aidan Connors
St. Sebastian's, 8/9/2005, D, left shot, 6-0/161Â
Connors' play on Cataldo's goal was outstanding. The shifty defenseman walked the point well and faked out the forward covering him. That was when Connors created a lane to perfectly fire the puck at Cataldo's stick for the tip and the goal. Connors also recovered well midway through the first period. Leahy took the puck from him and on the shot that followed, Connors got down and blocked it, preventing a high-danger chance.
Laz Giardina
Lawrence Academy, 6/29/2006, LW, left shot, 6-4/198Â
I noticed Giardina most in the third period. The Reading, Mass., native drove play and had a couple of offensive zone entries. His best chance came early in the third period from a St. Sebastian's turnover when he got the puck in the slot and fired it on Russo, but the Arrows netminder made the stop. I'm curious to see how Giardina's game progresses next season when he's a senior.
Brendan Hirsch
Lawrence Academy, 4/17/2005, LW, left shot 6-1/181
Hirsch was always around the puck. The goal was clutch, as the senior recognized when to join Leahy on the shorthanded rush. Hirsch had other chances, specifically in the third period, that required Russo to be at his best. Hirsch also showcased a high compete when going after loose pucks.
Casey Mutryn
St. Sebastian's, 7/5/2008, C, right shot, 6-0/180Â
Mutryn has been tasked with centering St. Sebastian's top line this season and has thrived. That continued Wednesday night. Mutryn's line was switched up towards the end of the second period when head coach Sean McCann paired Teddy Mutryn with Casey Mutryn and Cataldo instead of Merrill. Casey Mutryn opened the third period with a nice zone entry and dish to Cataldo for a chance. But Mutryn's biggest impact came in the form of sustained offensive zone time in the third period, which helped swing momentum in the Arrows' favor.
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Mutryn, with 40 points in 26 games this season, looks more and more like a U.S. National Team Development Program Evaluation Camp candidate.
Pelle Russo
St. Sebastian's, 3/9/2005, G, catches left, 6-0/176Â
It's been an up and down season for Russo, who has had his reps split with fellow senior Kam Carkner. Russo looked to be at his best on Wednesday, however, turning away a number of prime chances from Lawrence Academy. He robbed senior forward Spencer Hirsch twice — once on a 5-on-3 late in the first period and with his glove in the second period. His save on Brendan Hirsch late in the third period was also big. He also tracked pucks well through screens.
