CANTON, Mass. — BC High erased a one-goal deficit by scoring four unanswered goals to skate past Xaverian, 5-2, on Wednesday evening at Canton Ice House.
For a second straight game, the combination of sophomore center Ryan Flaherty and freshman left wing James Marshall proved to be a lethal one for the Eagles. Flaherty scored two goals and added an assist while Marshall had two primary assists. Sophomore center Jackie Murphy, junior right wing Aidan McDonnell, and junior center Brendan Burke were the other goal scorers for BC High.
John Flaherty’s team moved to 2-0 on the young season after Sunday’s 7-1 win over Catholic Memorial. The Eagles had a much better second half, shoring up their own zone after an uncharacteristically sloppy first half. While Flaherty and Marshall will be the offensive stars, the entire forward group as a whole did a good job on the forecheck.
Both Xaverian goals came off the stick of junior center Max Lockwood. Junior right wing Jack Silva picked up the assist on Lockwood’s first tally. While Dave Spinale’s Hawks came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard, the team has good size, physicality and a few goal scorers. I expect Xaverian to win more than it loses this season.
The game was missing the student sections, but it was still good to see a high school game with some spectators, including parents, NHL agents and Division 3 college and junior coaches. Even with all that is going on and fewer fans than usual, there was plenty of emotion and intensity. Kudos to the players and coaches of both teams for bringing it from the opening faceoff.
While there might have been a couple of offsides missed, I loved the way the refs called this game. By my count, there was just one penalty called. The two refs let the teams play, which allowed for good flow to the game. I wish more refs in this region were like these two.
Scoring summary
1-0 BC High: The Eagles’ most effective offensive line was doing a good job cycling the puck down low. Marshall was skating from left to right behind the net and found Flaherty driving toward the goal. Marshall made a great pass right out to Flaherty, who finished it with a quick release. The puck was hardly on his stick before it ended up in the back of the net. Credit goes to McDonnell, whose physical play down low forced a turnover right before the score.
1-1 Xaverian: Silva fired a shot on net from close to the right-wing wall. Lockwood was fighting for position in front of the net and redirected it past the BC High goaltender. The scoring play was the epitome of how Silva plays. A big power forward who can score goals, he’ll shoot from anywhere.
2-1 Xaverian: Lockwood scored his second of the game to give the Hawks the lead in the first half. He followed up his initial shot and deposited the rebound into the back of the net. It wasn’t a pretty play for BC High’s defense, which had a few breakdowns in the first half of play.
2-2 BC High: The Eagles tied it when sophomore defenseman Cormac Joyce threw a shot on net from the right point. Murphy tipped the puck out of midair and then slid it past Xaverian goaltender Kyle Harvey. For a more unheralded player skating on the third line, Murphy was around the puck quite a bit on Wednesday night.
3-2 BC High: Talk about transitioning from defense to offense. Flaherty won a faceoff deep in his own zone. Nick Martin picked it up in the corner and fed it across the ice to McDonnell, who was streaking down the right wing through the neutral zone. McDonnell caught the pass and went in on net. He fired a wrist shot from the top of the right-wing circle, beating the goaltender on his blocker side.
4-2 BC High: Flaherty scored his second of the night, this time on the power play. Marshall was skating right to left in the high slot. He took a slap shot that was partially blocked by a Xaverian defender. It was a fortuitous bounce for BC High and Flaherty cashed in, burying it into a virtually open net. While it might have been an easy finish, it was a good job by Flaherty being in a scoring area and looking for either a pass or rebound.
5-2 BC High: This was a fluke goal that you could probably watch a few times on video and have a hard time figuring out how it went in the net. It was a transitional play and the goal was credited to Burke. Assists went to Murphy and Joyce.
Standout prospects
Ryan Flaherty
BC High, 4/25/05, C, right shot, 6-1/160
Flaherty had two goals and an assist to bring his season total to three goals and three assists through just two games. The Milton, Mass., native centers BC High’s top line and he’s really made great strides in his overall game. Flaherty was a hard-nosed player who played with a chip on his shoulder as a freshman. On Wednesday, he did a good job of playing more in control and displaying confidence. He didn’t just run around looking for physical play, but he brought it when the time was right. His first goal was a nice one, showing off his quick release and willingness to play between the dots. The second goal was a little less flashy, but still a nice finish after being in a soft spot. Flaherty won more faceoffs than he lost and was on the right side of the puck more often than not.
James Marshall
BC High, 4/5/06, LW, left shot, 5-9/145
Marshall showed why he’s one of the most gifted offensive players in his birth year. The Weymouth, Mass., native had the primary assist on each of Flaherty’s goals. The first one was a thing of beauty. Marshall skates well, has good touch on his passes, and can finish. He’s on the smaller side and will become an even better player as he bulks up. His game away from the puck has come a long way, but there is still room for improvement there. At the end of the day, he’s a top five offensive player in Massachusetts high school hockey this winter. Through just two games in his first year of high school, he has two goals and four assists.
Joe DiMartino
Xaverian, 5/16/05, RW, right shot, 5-10/150
DiMartino didn’t get as many shifts as I expected, but he had one notable shift in the first half. He delivered a hit and got a shot on goal. The Boston Advantage product isn’t the prettiest skater, but he plays hard, is a magnet to the puck, and isn’t afraid to shoot it from anywhere. It might not have shown Wednesday night, but he’s the best prospect on the Xaverian roster.
Aiden Rodriguez
Xaverian, 10/28/03, D, right shot, 6-1/165
Rodriguez is still raw and was out there for a couple of goals against tonight, but he has good size and above-average length and range for this level. He’s a solid defensive defenseman who will be relied upon heavily this season as a junior alternate captain.
Jack Silva
Xaverian, 6/14/03, RW, right shot, 6-2/180
Silva was around the puck a good amount and as I mentioned above, he gets a lot of shots on net. He has the size to be a power forward who drives the net. I’d like to see him keep his feet moving and not always just shoot from the perimeter. Silva is a proven goal scorer, but I think he can take his game up a notch with a couple of refinements.
Cormac Joyce
BC High, 12/27/04, D, right shot, 6-0/161
Joyce had two assists on Wednesday night. While it wasn’t a pretty first half for the BC High defense, credit Joyce for stepping into the offense and contributing at the attacking end for two goals.
BC High lines
Brian Bulger - Declan Joyce - Neil Murphy
James Marshall - Ryan Flaherty - Aidan McDonnell
Colin Oatway - Jackie Murphy - Brendan Coughlin
Luke O’Sullivan - Brendan Burke - Christian Bracher
Paul Terry - Nick Martin
Matt Cox - Cormac Joyce
Nick Perniola
Andrew Webb
Xaverian lines
Braden O’Hara - Max Lockwood - Jack Silva
Gavin Moynihan - Kevin Parrish - Brock Casey
Jesse Peck - Jake Curley - Joe DiMartino
Will Fondo - Pat Hart - Joe Crowley
Trevor Connolly - Aiden Rodriguez
Nolan Dion - Shane Spinale
Andrew Barton - Shane Heron
Kyle Harvey
