RANDOLPH, Mass. — Nolan Leonard played the role of hero on Thursday afternoon. The sophomore center’s goal with 29.3 seconds left in the game propelled Braintree to a 3-2 win over Natick in a Bay State Conference tilt at Zapustas Arena.
Leonard broke a 2-2 tie toward the end of an eventful second half. His primary assist on Matt Duane’s goal in the opening seconds of the second half started the offensive fireworks. Natick took a 2-1 lead on goals from Will Ganaske and Sean McWhinnie before Braintree answered with a Deni Takabu tally.
All five goals in the game were scored in the final 22:30 minutes of the game. Most Massachusetts high school hockey games this season are being played in two 22:30 halves. Thursday’s second half also included Natick killing off a five-minute major and a prolonged five-on-three power play.
Scoring summary
1-0 BHS: Duane gave his team the lead on the first shift of the second half. Leonard won the opening faceoff back to Billy Derrane, who then made a nice area pass back to the center. Leonard used his speed and agility to juke past a few Natick defenders and get a shot off on goal. It was stopped, but Duane was driving the net and deposited the rebound into the back of the net.
1-1 NHS: The Redhawks capitalized on a power play a few minutes later. Ganaske, camped out to the left of the goaltender, buried a centering feed from below the goal line. Assists went to McWhinnie and Max Gargurevich.
2-1 NHS: McWhinnie gave his team its first lead of the game on the next shift. Natick took the puck off the center-ice draw and brought it into the Braintree zone. It was somewhat of a broken play, but McWhinnie cashed in with a rebound goal. Gargurevich and Ganaske picked up the helpers.
2-2 BHS: Takabu took advantage of an errant pass from a Natick defender. He stole the puck at the attacking blue line and went in alone. He made a nice deke before sliding a forehand past the Natick goaltender.
3-2 BHS: Leonard picked up a puck in the neutral zone after a Braintree defender had flipped it out from his own zone. He took it wide to the left before cutting somewhat toward the middle of the ice. He showed nice deception on his release and used a defender as a screen. His wrist shot beat the goaltender on the glove side.
Game notes
Braintree was the faster and deeper team, but the Wamps made things more difficult than they should have been. It’s a challenging season for high school coaches across the state as they deal with a lack of practice time and players being in and out of the lineup, due to quarantining and other factors. David Fassano’s team has the depth and speed to be considered among the top five teams in Division 1 South.
Leonard, an ’04 sophomore, was the best player on the ice. He used his skating ability to create chances on the rush and made some solid plays in the attacking zone. Leonard has a good stick and skates well. There are areas of his game that he could work on improving, but he’s a player to keep an eye on as he develops.
Sophomore Nick Fasano did a good job on the forecheck, hunted pucks and made some plays after winning races to loose pucks. Derrane, a senior captain, had a solid game on the back end. His initial pass to Leonard that ended with Duane’s goal was pretty.
McWhinnie showed flashes of why I’ve liked him in the past. The big lefty is a power forward who has played wing in most of my viewings of him at the Midget level. He played down the middle Thursday. He can use his size and strength to win battles below the goal line as well as fight for position in front of the net. I’d like to see him compete harder and show a more consistent ability to dominate with his physical tools. He’s an ’03 junior who played split-season hockey for the Minuteman Flames 18-U this fall.
McWhinnie’s linemate, Ganaske, also had a strong game. He picked up a goal and an assist and played a pivotal role in killing off a couple of Braintree power plays. The ’03 senior skates well and could be a solid addition for a few prep schools who might be looking for a postgraduate student in 2021-22. Credit senior Alex Crook who was a factor on the penalty kill as well.
Braintree lines
Duane - Leonard - Leslie
DiMartino - Coughlin - Fasano
Purcell - Flynn - Hutchinson
Woods - McGuire - Takabu
Partosan
Derrane - Keegan
Norton - Ridge
Gaffney - Coady
Sullivan
Natick lines
Genaske - S. McWhinnie - Gargurevich
Duby - Crook - Polymeros
Tavilla - L. McWhinnie - Ihloff
Comeau - Leombruno - MacDonnell
Haswell - Nemitz
Tarlin - Rader
Gagnon
