BROOKLINE, Mass. — Playing its third game in three days, Dexter Southfield did just enough on Wednesday at Thorndike Rink to shut out Pope Francis, 3-0.
All three goals were scored in the second period. Grayson Badger had two assists while Vincent Gould, Connor Sutherland and Jonathan Lanza scored for Dexter Southfield. The bright spot for Pope Francis was the play of senior goaltender Ben Zaranek.
On paper, Dexter Southfield held a huge advantage over Pope Francis, a perennial power in Massachusetts high school hockey. Danny Donato’s team has close to a dozen players who will likely play Division 1 college hockey, while Pope Francis has just one or two.
The marquee matchup within the game was Dexter Southfield center Will Vote and Pope Francis center Ryan Leonard. Both are highly touted 2005-born prospects. Vote is a lock for the NTDP U-17 team for 2021-22 while Leonard likely will join him. He’s a 40-man camp invite at the very least.
Below are notes on prospects from the game, focused a little more on Pope Francis, given that I had seen Dexter Southfield four times over the past week.
Will Vote
Dexter Southfield, 2/22/05, C, right shot, 5-8/145
Vote didn’t play as well as he had the past couple of games, but nor did a lot of players on Dexter Southfield. It was the third game in as many days and a step down in opposition from the Whalers and Eagles. Still, Vote did a lot of good things. He made a couple of nifty passes that led to good scoring chances. I also noted that he was always on the right side of the puck, finding soft areas in the opposing defense, and protecting pucks. There’s not really much more to say. He’s a sure thing for the NTDP and he’ll commit to whatever big school he wants.
Ryan Leonard
Pope Francis, 1/21/05, C, right shot, 5-9/170
Leonard didn’t find the scoresheet, but he rang the post twice and had a couple of dekes that made Dexter Southfield players look silly. His stick is very good and his offensive instincts are notable as well. He got a little frustrated Wednesday, even taking a 10-minute misconduct for arguing a penalty call on a teammate. The Amherst, Mass., native could make the NTDP and is almost certainly going to commit to UMass on Aug. 1.
Grayson Badger
Dexter Southfield, 5/9/04, RW, right shot, 6-1/180
Badger, from Hyde Park, Mass., had a pair of assists. He made a good pass across to Gould for the first score. Later, he capitalized on a bad change on a transition play before sliding it over to Sutherland. He competed hard, hunted pucks and was noticeable a lot.
Sean Keohane
Dexter Southfield, 11/4/04, D, left shot, 6-3/195
Keohane keeps impressing me while playing big minutes for Dexter Southfield. After not getting any action last winter, he got better and benefited from a couple of key blueliners graduating. He’s got good size, is smooth and smart and made efficient plays. Keep in mind he’s a late ’04. Keohane is a good player who is trending upward.
Ben Zaranek
Pope Francis, 5/1/03, G, catches left, 5-10/170
Zaranek made a couple of real good saves and held Dexter Southfield at bay except for a flurry in the second period. He’s not overly big, but he has grown considerably from his freshman year at Pope Francis. He skates well, has quick reflexes and cuts away at shooters’ angles. I’d like to see him move around a little less and be a little quieter. Overall, NCDC, BCHL and NAHL teams should be keeping an eye on him as a possible goaltender for their junior teams in 2021-22.
Ryan Shaw
Pope Francis, 1/29/05, C, left shot, 5-9/150
I usually see Shaw playing left wing, whether it be with the Springfield Rifles or last year with Pope Francis. He centered the team’s second line Wednesday. He didn’t get much going, but I’ve seen him have success against his own age.
Brandon Spaulding
Pope Francis, 8/8/03, LW, left shot, 5-11/170
Spaulding was around the puck as much as anyone on Pope Francis, outside of Leonard. He typically plays center, but has moved to left wing with Leonard switching from right wing to center. He’s a player who could make a good PG for a prep school team or potentially make a NCDC or BCHL team in 2021-22.
Matt Hanscom
Pope Francis, 1/25/05, D, left shot, 6-1/180
Hanscom is the best defenseman on Pope Francis, but he was the victim of one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen Wednesday. He was thrown out of the game early in the first period for a clean hit. He’s a player to keep an eye on when watching the Cardinals.
Dexter Southfield lines
O’Neill - Copponi - Hughes
Sutherland - Vote - Badger
Blanchard - Landry - Gould
Kwan - Larkin - Hurton
Keohane - Fusco
O’Keeffe - Morrissey
Kamke - Lanza
Mickanin
Pope Francis lines
Spaulding - Leonard - Phaneuf
Moltenbray - Shaw - Josh Iby
Calvanese - Jake Iby - O’Leary
Hanscom - Kennedy
Hemenway - Turowsky
Russ - Rougeot
Zaranek
