BELMONT, Mass. — Brunswick spent most of the third period in Belmont Hill's zone.
The Bruins tried and tried and tried to score. They cycled, and they hustled for different shooting lanes. Defensemen pinched on every puck up the boards and kept most of them in. Sometimes they got clean shots toward the net. A few even got tipped.
But Belmont Hill goalie Ethan Bauer (Belmont, Mass.) wasn't going to be beaten on Friday morning, as he led the Sextants to a 1-0 win over No. 7 Brunswick. He made 42 saves.
The lone goal came midway through the second period when Brunswick fumbled a breakout. Belmont Hill freshman forward Nolan Boyle (Weymouth, Mass.) intercepted the pass behind the net and hit sophomore forward Robert DeKleine (Westboro, Mass.) in front. DeKleine absolutely sniped one past Brunswick goalie Zai Ferraro (New Canaan, Conn.).
Ferraro, whom we'll get to in a bit, was also sensational on Friday morning, making multiple Grade-A chances in the first two periods, keeping the Bruins in the game. He finished with 25 stops.
Belmont Hill improved to 6-1-2 with the win, while Brunswick fell to 6-4-0.
This game was the first of the Belmont Hill/Nichols Tournament, which runs through Sunday. But this was such a big matchup that it warranted its own story.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Ethan Bauer
Belmont Hill, 10/25/2008, G, catches left, 6-3/185
Hometown: Belmont, Mass.Â
After not being super busy in the first period, Bauer had to make some big saves in the second. He showed poise in stoning Brunswick forward Mason St. Louis (Old Greenwich, Conn.) on a breakaway, and later got across to stop forward Ben Lombardi (Cos Cob, Conn.) in tight. But in the third period, he was under siege. He was exquisite at tracking pucks from distance and seeing through screens. Brunswick junior defenseman Alex Zinman had a shot that was tipped, but Bauer still managed to grab it with his glove.
Bauer, who used to star for Belmont High in the MIAA, was outstanding at not giving up rebounds either. That was an eye-opening performance.
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Zai Ferraro
Brunswick, 3/4/2008, G, catches right, 6-2/196
Hometown: New Canaan, Conn.Â
In the first two periods, Ferraro was forced to make numerous big stops, and he did. Belmont Hill had the much better chances in the first period, and some of them were from Grade-A areas. Ferraro's positioning allowed him to calmly turn away shots. Midway through the second period, Belmont Hill had a chance at the weak side post, and Ferraro got his right leg out to rob the Sextants of a sure goal. He has good awareness, too. On a Belmont Hill power play, freshman forward Sam Lee (Woburn, Mass.) had the puck in the corner and had defenseman Evan Jones (Arlington, Mass.) uncovered at the far post, but Ferraro got his stick out to deflect the pass away.
Robert Dekleine
Belmont Hill, 3/21/2010, F, left shot, 5-11/154
Hometown: Westboro, Mass.Â
Dekleine's goal was a snipe with a quick catch and release in the slot. But Dekleine was noticeable in other areas, too. He drew a penalty in the defensive zone as he fought for ice to get out to cover the point off a face-off. He was physical, too, always finishing hits. Through nine games, he has four goals and seven points.
Evan Jones
Belmont Hill, 2/9/2007, D, left shot, 5-11/180
Hometown: Arlington, Mass.
NCAA: DartmouthÂ
When Jones had the puck in the offensive zone, it was like he was playing a different game. The Dartmouth commit was able to dance around the point with ease. In one early third-period sequence, he sifted to the slot and took a deceptive shot on Ferraro, but the Brunswick goalie managed to make the save. Jones is outstanding at area passes, throwing pucks into space for his teammates to skate into. Jones' best play, however, may have come in the dying seconds of the game. He pinned the puck against the boards as Brunswick pushed, killing the final 15 to 20 seconds.
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Takeaways...
- As good as Bauer was in the third period, Belmont Hill packed it in defensively and kept Brunswick mostly to the perimeter. The Sextants got in passing and shooting lanes and forced Brunswick to throw pucks on net from the outside or make another pass to the perimeter. Brunswick's offense has been struggling, as it doesn't have anyone over a point per game. A big sign of the Bruins having troubles was their inability to penetrate the interior.
- That third period should still be something to build on for Brunswick. It comes down to shooting even more and crashing the net for rebounds — especially when you're struggling.
- One thing Belmont Hill head coach Brian Phinney seemed to do quite a bit of was rotate pairs of wings with senior centers Patrick Woods (Charleston, Mass.) and Matthew Carolan (Stow, Mass.). Given the Sextants' youth, especially at wing, it's a smart move to have them flank two steady, do-it-all centers.
- There are several great young players on Belmont Hill's roster, but it's impressive that Phinney can roll out defenseman Emmett Aufiero (Winchester, Mass.) and Boyle, an eighth grader and a freshman, respectively, and have them not just hold their own, but actually be solid. Aufiero is a high-ceiling defenseman who skates well and moves pucks with confidence. Boyle made the heads-up interception to get DeKleine his goal, but also made numerous other important plays. Late in the first period, Brunswick had an offensive zone sequence going, and Princeton commit Hampus Vandenberg (Riverside, Conn.) had the puck at the point. Boyle showed no hesitation, staying with him and forcing him to the boards to snag the puck and clear it.
- Did this game change my postseason outlooks for either of these teams? Not really. The Sextants have a high-end group, but they're young, so inconsistency is to be expected. They're going to have some really good games, and some not-so-great ones. This was a really good day. As for Brunswick, its offense is struggling, but the talent is there. At some point, players like St. Louis, Lombardi, Ben Taylor (Greenwich, Conn.) and Keegan Kazan (Cos Cob, Conn.) should figure it out. Both teams are Tier 2 Elite 8 contenders.
