NEEDHAM, Mass. — In a game St. Sebastian's desperately needed to win, Matt Cataldo brought his best.
The senior captain notched four goals and led his team to a 6-3 victory over rival Nobles. He set the tone early in the first period, scored the eventual game-winner and secured a win for the Arrows when he potted an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Early in the first period, St. Sebastian's sophomore Casey Mutryn (Norwell, Mass.) found Cataldo at the top of the slot. He fired a shot through a screen and over Nobles goalie Tyler Bloomfield (Hudson, Mass.) to make it 1-0.
Mutryn continued his offensive outpouring, finding linemate Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) on a nice pass from the slot. Merrill, a Harvard commit, one-timed a shot past Bloomfield to extend the lead to 2-0.
Nobles got on the board in the second period when junior forward Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) one-timed a pass from junior Kyle O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.) past St. Sebastian's goalie Kam Carkner (Needham, Mass.).
Shortly after, Nobles went on a power play, but fumbled the puck at the point and St. Sebastian's senior forward Brian Hall stole it and drew a penalty shot. The Sudbury, Mass., native went in slowly on Bloomfield and sifted one right under his pads to extend the Arrows' lead to 3-1.
Davidson scored his second of the game off a scramble in front of the St. Sebastian's net to bring Nobles to within a goal. But then Cataldo thwarted all Nobles momentum with two more goals. The first was cleaning up a rebound, while the second was a snipe on the power play, giving the Arrows a 5-2 lead heading into the third period.
Nobles pressed hard in the third period. On a power play halfway through the frame, Nobles head coach Brian Day pulled Bloomfield to gain a two-man advantage and was rewarded for it when a Ted MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) shot went off of Kyle O'Leary (Medfield, Mass.) and into the net, cutting St. Sebastian's lead to two.
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But then Cataldo squashed the comeback with 20.3 seconds left in the game when he potted an empty-net goal.
With the win, St. Sebastian's improved to 12-5-0, while Nobles fell to 10-5-2.
Let's dive into the takeaways from this one.
1. Last time these two teams met, Nobles was scrappy enough to come away with a 4-2 win at home. This time, St. Sebastian's overpowered Nobles for most of the game and finished chances. The Arrows had some very long offensive zone sequences. Midway through the first period, the St. Sebastian's line of Mutryn, Merrill and Cataldo held Nobles in its own zone for at least two minutes.
In the Arrows' end, the defense did a great job of keeping Nobles to the outside and being tough on the opposition when they tried to get to high-danger areas, especially the front of the net. Maybe it's the home-ice advantage, but St. Sebastian's brought a toughness that I didn't see when they played at Nobles.
2. The big story out of St. Sebastian's has been head coach Sean McCann giving the net to Carkner over fellow senior Pelle Russo (West Newton, Mass.). Carkner started against Middlesex and Governor's Academy, earning wins in both games.
In his first big test against Nobles, Carkner was up to the task, making some big saves throughout the game. The Needham, Mass., native was aggressive, especially on some of Nobles' shots from higher in the zone. He cut off shooting angles and showcased a good glove.
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Is Carkner's emergence the boost St. Sebastian's needed for the second half? It's not clear yet. But upcoming road matchups with Thayer, Tabor and Milton Academy will give the prep world a better idea.
3. Last time these two teams met, St. Sebastian's junior forward Teddy Mutryn injured his knee and has been out since, forcing McCann to shuffle the lines. He landed on putting Casey Mutryn down the middle with Cataldo and Merrill on his left and right, respectively. That line was lethal on Wednesday night, as their skill, ability to finish and high compete created chances. If that line can bring it like they did against Nobles, St. Sebastian's should have no trouble scoring goals.
4. One player I couldn't miss was Aidan Connors. The senior from Westboro, Mass., was the best St. Sebastian's defenseman. He was good at moving the puck and jumped into the rush when needed. He laid some big hits, using a low center of gravity to make an impact. In his own zone, he showcased a good stick, especially on one play when Nobles sophomore forward Billy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) had an open net on a rebound and Connors eliminated his ability to shoot it.
5. Even with St. Sebastian's playing as well as it did, Nobles' top line of Ted MacAusland, Davidson and O'Leary still produced. The trio played with pace and, like the Mutryn line, had some strong offensive sequences. All three play with high offensive IQs. A prime example of this was MacAusland's shot that went off O'Leary and into the net. MacAusland had the puck up high and faked like he was going to pass down low, but shifted towards the net and snapped a shot off.
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6. On paper, Nobles isn't as talented top to bottom as St. Sebastian's. But Day's team showed a lot of fight in the third period, doing everything it could to claw back into the game. That goes for Bloomfield, too, who elevated his play in the third period and made some huge, point-blank stops. They're a scrappy team that should be an Elite 8 contender — even with some younger players in elevated roles.
7. According to USHR's playoff seedings, Nobles entered Wednesday as the No. 1 seed in the Large School Tournament, while St. Sebastian's was the No. 8 seed. After watching Wednesday night's matchup, I expect St. Sebastian's to move up and, at the very least, host a Large School Tournament game.
