ARLINGTON, Mass. — Revenge was on the mind of Spy Ponders coaches and players entering Wednesday night’s rematch with Reading.
After losing, 6-4, to the Rockets a week earlier, Arlington turned the tables with a 3-0 win and earned a series split of the clash between the storied Middlesex League foes. Junior Reid Malatesta, senior Dominic Laiosa and sophomore Drew Fecteau scored goals, and sophomore Mike Hayes recorded the shutout.
The game was played in front of no spectators at Ed Burns Arena, due to a Middlesex League rule that bars parents from watching their kids compete on the ice this season. In a normal year, the rink would have been packed with parents, students, fans and scouts. Both the Spy Ponders and Rockets have some good, young talent.
Scoring summary
AHS 1-0: Malatesta got the scoring started in the first half (MIAA is choosing to play two 22:30 halves this season, due to the coronavirus) on a nice individual effort. A righty, he picked up the puck on a turnover in the neutral zone. He cut across, left to right, before protecting the puck, fending off an opposing defender, and shooting a low wrist shot on net. The puck slid along the ice and beat Reading goaltender Franklin Zessis down low.
AHS 2-0: The Spy Ponders pushed their lead to a two-goal edge midway through the second half. While on the man advantage, Laoisa blasted home a one-timer from the left-wing circle. There was some nice puck movement on the play off an offensive-zone draw, won by freshman Jack Sadowski. The other assist went to Killian Wright.
AHS 3-0: Fecteau scored an empty-net tally with a shot from the red line.
Arlington notes
The best player in the game was Sadowski, an ’06 freshman who also plays for the Junior Eagles 14-U. Sadowski is a big-time player who has been on quite a goal-scoring clip of late. He didn’t score tonight, but he made quite a few plays. The best part of Sadowski’s game right now is his hockey sense. He sees the ice extremely well, which allows him to make some nice passes and set up teammates. He was around the puck a lot and appears to be more confident than when I saw Arlington earlier in the season. In the offensive zone, he was in the right position and recovered a couple of pucks. I’m nitpicking because he is such an elite talent, but I’d like to see him cheat a little less in the defensive zone. Every program in Hockey East should plan on contacting Sadowski next Jan. 1.
This is a young Arlington team, rebuilding after losing a huge senior class that helped the program win state championships in 2017 and 2020. Freshman right wing Brendan Hirsch isn’t on Sadowski’s level, but he’s another solid first-year player on the high school circuit. He has good size and strength.
Malatesta, a junior, scored a goal and was involved in the play throughout the game. While he didn’t get on the scoresheet, I noted sophomore Jake Russell’s speed a couple of times. Junior Mike Dunning played right wing on the team’s top line, but also got a couple of shifts on defense.
Defensively, Laiosa logged a ton of minutes. He’s a little on the smaller side, but he has above-average mobility and has a good stick for this level. A good student, he’d be a smart pickup for an academically inclined prep school for a postgraduate year in 2021-22.
Hayes didn’t get tested much, but he stopped all the shots he was supposed to and didn’t allow any soft goals. It was the first shutout of the season for the Spy Ponders.
Reading notes
Freshman center Cullen Emery, a right-shot ’05, is a Hockey East-caliber player. However, it wasn’t his best showing on Wednesday night. Still, he had a couple of flashes where he made some plays. His passing, skating and willingness to be heavy on pucks are all notable assets.
A pair of ’05 defensemen logged more ice time in this game than they did earlier in the season during my first viewing of Reading. Sophomore Maxx Owens and freshman James Lawhorne are different players, but both showed why they’re being counted on more by Mark Doherty and his assistant coaches. Owens has good size, is strong and is confident with the puck on his stick. He’s not going to make too many flashy plays, but he did a good job getting the puck up ice quickly. Lawhorne isn’t quite as big as Owens, but he has mobility and a good stick. Both are youngsters worth watching over the coming years.
Arlington lines
Dunning - Malatesta - Gilbert
Wright - Sadowski - Alesse
Fecteau - Russell - Hirsch
Flynn - Laiosa
Desmond - Bradlee
Sotiropoulos
Hayes
Reading lines
Greatorex - Emery - Vedder
Boyle - Mulvey - Pennucci
Dufton - Donovan - Goodwin
T. Owens - Picano - Fahey
Sumner - C. Miele
Palermo - Micciche
J. Lawhorne - M. Owens
Zessis
