BROOKLINE, Mass. — With seven seconds left in the contest and down a goal, Dexter’s Sean Keohane (Milton, Mass.) got the puck and wound up. His slapshot is enough to put a dent in the end boards.
The shot never made it to the net. Nobles senior Bryan Kearns (North Easton, Mass.) laid out on his stomach and the puck met his skate and flew out of the zone. His foot may have been pulsating from the block, but it ensured a 2-1 win for Nobles in a gutsy road win.
His teammates made sure to help him up after the final buzzer.
In the heavyweight tilt between two of the best prep teams in the Boston area, Nobles opened the scoring with 3:45 to play in the first period. Nobles got the eventual game-winner off a 5-on-3 advantage to start the third.
Dexter’s lone tally came with 5:44 left in the game, giving the home crowd some life. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
Dexter struggled to generate offense, which has been a bit of a theme in the early going. Its best chances came in the second period when Nobles took a series of penalties, one of which was a major, and Dexter had extended time with a two-man advantage.
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In the final frame, Nobles did a really good job of thwarting Dexter offensively as the boys in red made push after push to get back in the game. Nobles played great team defense to keep Dexter to the outside and clear the zone.
Here were the standouts from Saturday night’s huge matchup.
Brian Grant
Nobles, 3/18/2004, D, right-shot, 6-1, 180 lbs
Hometown: Mansfield, Mass.Â
Grant scored the first goal for Nobles when, after killing off a penalty, he tore down the right side of the ice and sniped one over the glove of Dexter netminder Paul Dalessio (Burlington, Mass.). He shot it from an impossible angle and notched the opening tally. He showed no hesitation in jumping up into the rush and early in the second, he almost scored on a 2-on-1. He was also defensively sound, which, as a defenseman, is important. A great two-way night for Grant.
Matt Tully
Nobles, 6/4/2004, D, left-shot, 6-1, 185 lbs
Hometown: Foxborough, Mass.Â
Tully and Grant were often paired together during the game. Tully was great in his own end, breaking up Dexter chances and shutting down the opposition’s best players. He made simple plays when moving the puck out of his own end. Nobles head coach Brian Day gave Tully tough minutes like the long 5-on-3 in the second period and being out there, along with Grant, in the final minutes, and the senior responded with a solid showing.
Thatcher Bernstein
Nobles, 7/17/2006, G, catches: left, 6-3, 200 lbs
Hometown: Brookline, Mass.Â
This is the second-straight Saturday I’ve gotten to watch Bernstein and both times I’ve been thoroughly impressed. He’s so square to the shooter and covers up so much of the net, causing impending shooters to have to improvise on where to shoot. Dexter had the right idea in utilizing its strength on defense and sifting pucks through from the point with bodies in front. But those either missed the net or Bernstein turned them aside. Nobles was killing penalties for a large portion of the second period and Bernstein made life difficult on Dexter. He’s one of the best for a reason.
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Austin Tasca
Nobles, 3/14/2004, FWD, right-shot, 5-10, 160 lbs
Hometown: Hope, R.I.
Tasca scored the second goal for Nobles off a one-timer on a 5-on-3 at the start of the third period. But his solid play went past just scoring the eventual game-winner. He’s not the biggest player on the ice, but he’s shifty and played with patience. He was great at getting Nobles clean offensive zone entries.
Cullen Emery
Dexter, 8/2/2005, FWD, right-shot, 5-10, 185 lbs
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.Â
Dexter has a lot of promise down the middle on its first and second lines with Nate Porter (Hingham, Mass.) and Emery. Even in the loss, Emery was vital for play-driving on his line with Connor Sutherland (West Roxbury, Mass.) and Sean Leetch (Boston, Mass.). He scored Dexter’s lone goal, coming off the half-wall and rifling a wrister past Bernstein. He’s quick and hard on the forecheck. He has four points in five games so far. If he continues to play like this, expect that total to rise quickly.
