MIDDLETON, Mass. — St. John’s Prep had to rally from a couple of one-goal deficits and overcome a sluggish start to defeat Catholic Conference rival Malden Catholic on Monday afternoon at the Essex Sports Center.
St. John’s Prep improved to 11-2 with a 6-3 win over Malden Catholic. It was a bounceback game for SJP after losing 2-0 to Xaverian in its last outing. MC fell to 5-6 with the loss. The game was played in front of a good crowd of students, family, fans and a couple of college coaches.
Sophomore left wing Seamus Condon staked Malden Catholic to a 1-0 lead in the first period while the Lancers were skating on a five-on-three power play. He redirected a shot from the point that hit a few sticks on the way to the net. Evan Foskett and Joseph Gaffney had the assists.
Sophomore right wing Jake Vana scored his first of two on the day to even the score. He tipped in a shot from senior defenseman Zack Raposa at the right point. The play started with a nice cycle and low to high pass initiated by sophomore center Christian Rosa.
Junior left wing Ben McGilvary gave SJP a 2-1 lead heading to the first intermission. After receiving a pass from senior defenseman Theo Vetere, he streaked down the left wing and unleashed a low wrist shot that snuck in just inside the far post. Vetere did a nice job of recovering the puck after SJP forced a turnover from the MC defenseman.
Malden Catholic scored the first two goals of the middle period to take a 3-2 lead. The visitors tied the score 2-2 when junior right wing Will Fosdick cleaned up a rebound on a transitional play. He did a good job of driving and stopping at the net. Condon and senior left wing Anthony Ghergurvich had the helpers.
The Lancers took a 3-2 lead when sophomore center Joseph Gaffney roofed a shot on a breakaway. Sophomore defenseman Owen Keefe made a nice pass to junior defenseman Trevor Strauss on the breakout. From there, Strauss banked a pass off the left wing wall that ended up perfectly on the stick of Gaffney.
The MC lead was short-lived as the Eagles scored the next two goals to take a 4-3 lead to the third period. Junior defenseman Aidan Holland sniped a shot that went right under the bar to move the score to 3-3. McGilvary and junior right wing Will Van Sicklin had the assists on yet another nice cycle play from the Eagles.
Vana’s second of the night gave SJP the 4-3 edge. He drove the middle lane on a three-on-two rush. The zone entry by junior left wing Cole Blaeser was a thing of beauty. He sidestepped a MC defender, showed patience and found Vana trailing the play in the slot.
Sophomore left wing Cam Umlah gave SJP a two-goal cushion early in the third period. He scored a rebound goal after Rosa’s initial shot. The secondary assist went to senior defenseman Tommy Tilas, whose stretch pass found a streaking Rosa. The cherry on top came from junior center Jimmy Ayers who tapped in a Van Sicklin rebound.
As I’ve said a few times this year, St. John’s Prep does a better job of cycling pucks down low than any other team in high school hockey in Massachusetts. Being heavy on pucks, a willingness to go to the dirty areas, and utilizing low to high passes were all on display Monday.
Another staple of SJP’s success this winter has been its depth. By my count, 11 different skaters registered at least a point. All three lines got in on the action and three different defensemen found the score sheet.
For Malden Catholic, this is a program and a coaching staff that won’t stand for moral victories. However, credit goes to the Lancers as the team looked better than my viewings earlier in the season. There was some strong puck movement on the power play and some less-heralded players left their mark on the game.
Obviously, Keefe is the clear-cut top prospect on Malden Catholic. I sound like a broken record by now, but he logs a ton of minutes and has to carry this team on his back. He wears an ‘A’ as a sophomore, which is unusual in high school hockey. He did a good job keeping pucks in at the attacking blue line, has the hockey sense and creativity as a rink rat to make some big-time plays on breakouts. He has a good, hard shot from the point. One such wrist shot rang off the crossbar and another whistled just wide.
I wanted to mention Gaffney. He had a goal and an assist, but also played an honest, 200-foot game. I noted a couple of solid backchecks and he was around the puck quite a bit.
Player of the Game
Jake Vana
St. John’s Prep, 9/1/05, RW, right shot, 5-11/165
Vana started out the game listed as the third line right wing. He scored a goal with his original linemates and was rewarded for his strong play by the coaching staff moving him up to the first line with his cousins, Cole and Pierce Blaeser. Vana scored another in the second period with his new linemates. In addition to his two goals, he had five big-time scoring chances. I’ve always liked Vana’s play, but I’ve never seen him have such an impact on the game, in terms of scoring chances. He still played his usual game, being heavy on pucks and winning battles below the dots and along the wall.
