NEEDHAM, Mass. -- It was a good day to be named Liam. All three goals scored by St. Sebastian’s in the team’s 3-2 win Wednesday afternoon over rival Nobles came by players named ‘Liam.’
Center Liam Gorman, a Boston University commit and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect, gave the Arrows a 1-0 lead just 3:57 into the game. After Nobles had taken a 2-1 lead on goals from Colby Bailey and Robert Lapsley, UNH commit Liam Devlin evened the score, 2-2 with 10:42 to play in the middle period.
With St. Sebastian’s up a man early in the third period, Boston University commit Liam Connors gave the home team the lead for good. He also assisted on the first goal scored by Gorman. Harvard commit Tommy Lyons, who had a really good game overall, was the other multi-point scorer with two assists.
Wednesday afternoon’s tilt was well attended by NHL scouts, including a few head scouts and other crossover scouts, who were there to watch Northeastern commit Jayden Struble. The Cumberland, R.I., native had a secondary assist on the game-winner.
It’s been said over and over, but Struble’s athleticism, skating, strength, and skill set are all undeniable. Wednesday, Struble did many good things with the puck on his stick. He’s electric everytime he’s out on the ice with his ability to push the pace and make plays.
However, what scares some NHL teams was on display at times Wednesday. He took an ill-advised penalty right after he had made a couple of nice plays on a power play sequence.
If Struble can consistently play with intensity without crossing the line, he’s unquestionably the top draft eligible defenseman in New England prep school hockey for the 2018-19 season.
Prospect Notes
Jack Hughes
#4 St. Sebastian’s, 11/2/03, LW, Left Shot, 5-10/151
NCAA Commit: Northeastern
Hughes continued to show why he’s well on his way to earning an invite to USA Hockey’s NTDP Evaluation Camp. He had an assist on Gorman’s first period tally and made a couple of other slick plays. While many ‘03s struggle to keep up at the prep level where they’re playing against kids two to four years older, Hughes has been very effective.
Will Elias
#5 St. Sebastian’s, 1/28/03, D, Right Shot, 5-9.5/155
Elias is really solid and rarely makes mistakes. He’s not flashy and he doesn’t have a ton of skill, but he makes smart breakout passes and can defend well. He's earning the confidence of his coaching staff as Wednesday might have been the most minutes he's logged in an Arrows uniform. Elias will absolutely play college hockey and he'll be a reliable, four-year performer.
Aiden Lyons
#10 Nobles, 2/26/03, D, Left Shot, 5-9/155
Nobles’ second goal was the result of a nice sequence that started with Lyons gaining the zone on the power play. After the puck was moved around some in the attacking zone, the puck came back to Lyons who fired a wrist shot through traffic that hit off Robert Lapsley and into the back of the net. He’s a little more high risk, high reward than Elias, but he’s another intriguing Division I prospect with plenty of interest.
St. Sebastian’s Lines
4 Jack Hughes - 15 Liam Gorman - 12 Liam Connors
19 Liam Devlin - 20 Tommy Lyons - 18 Connor Joyce
26 JP Milbury - 6 Tim Delay - 8 Brendan Dumas
17 Jacob Lavoie - 9 Cameron Collins - 16 Brendan Gorman
3 Jayden Struble - 2 Ryan MacDermott
24 Thomas Messineo - 14 James Davenport
5 Will Elias
31 Luke Garrity
Nobles Lines
25 Ryan Stevens - 19 Casey Severo - 9 Jack Cronin
12 David Jacobs - 11 Will Zink - 7 Robert Lapsley
14 James O’Connor - 15 Owen O’Connor - 4 William Keating
18 Chris Pickreign - 15 Owen O’Connor - 16 Christian DiPietrantonio
3 John Murray - 23 Pierce Kenney
10 Aiden Lyons - 27 Colby Bailey
1 Marc Smith
