NEEDHAM, Mass. – In a rivalry game between two prep schools separated by just under two miles, Nobles came away with a 5-2 win against St. Sebastian’s at Lane Rink on the latter’s campus.
It was an entertaining game with creative playmaking, intensity, physicality, and raucous student sections. The referees did a great job of staying out of the way and allowing the players to decide the outcome.
In addition to the packed house of fans, a handful of Hockey East coaches took in the game.
Sophomore center Dennis Davidson (Newton, Mass.) led the way for Nobles, scoring two goals and adding an assist. His linemates, Teddy MacAusland (Westwood, Mass.) and Ethan Cox (Westboro, Mass.) also had multi-point games for the Bulldogs. Sophomore goaltender Thatcher Bernstein (Brookline, Mass.) wasn’t tested often, but he made a couple of key saves when the game was still in doubt.
Nobles coach Brian Day’s team will go as far as Bernstein, the best goaltender in prep hockey, will take it this season. Three older, experienced defensemen and a handful of talented forwards help the cause. The Bulldogs aren’t in the same class as Avon Old Farms, Cushing, and Salisbury, but they’re in the mix after that.
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St. Sebastian’s sophomore center Ben Merrill (Hingham, Mass.) had a goal and an assist to provide the lone highlights for the Arrows. Coach Sean McCann’s team has the horses up front to win a significant amount of games, but the team is thin after that. That’s the reason the Arrows are outside of the top 10 right now.
Below are notes on 10 players who stood out in Wednesday’s game:
Dennis Davidson
Nobles, 5/15/06, C, right shot, 5-9/155
Davidson, the team’s leading goal scorer, had a strong outing Wednesday. He was around the puck a lot, went to the greasy areas and generated offensive chances on a consistent basis. From the left wing circle, he made a nice crossing feed to MacAusland for a power play goal. His nifty backhand finish gave Nobles a 3-1 lead. He went to the weak side and found a soft spot on the fourth goal, as well. He nearly had a hat trick, ringing the post earlier in the game. He’s on the smaller side, but he has the chance to play Division 1 if he keeps progressing over the next three to four years. He’s better than some other players from the region who currently have a college logo next to their name.
Thatcher Bernstein
Nobles, 7/17/06, G, catches left, 6-3/200
Bernstein made 23 saves and probably would like one of the goals back, but he made a couple of saves that were necessary to keep his team ahead. Expectations are high for Bernstein and he’s been very good so far this season. Nobles is a vastly better team with him between the pipes.
Ben Merrill
St. Sebastian’s, 11/4/05, C, right shot, 6-3/190
This was my best viewing of Merrill to date. It’s often said in hockey that when you play well, good things happen and you’ll eventually get rewarded. That was true on Wednesday, as his strong play eventually led to an assist and a goal. He strung together three or four consecutive shifts in the second period that were positive. It finally paid off, as he had an assist late in the middle frame. He snuck a pass out front for Nolan Flynn’s (Natick, Mass.) goal. In the third period, he scored a goal late in the game from the slot. A late birthday, he skates well, is long, and has an above-average stick. He isn’t flashy, but he makes subtle hockey plays.
Casey Mutryn
St. Sebastian’s, 7/5/08, RW, right shot, 5-10/150
Mutryn had the secondary assist on his team’s first goal in the second period. He’s a dynamic skater who doesn’t look like an '08 when you’re watching him against defensemen as much as four years his elder. He did a good job finding soft spots and showed his hockey sense a few times.
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Ethan Cox
Nobles, 1/25/06, LW, left shot, 6-1/170
Cox had two assists and is a good north-south power forward with speed. His skating allows him to get to pucks quickly. He made a couple of nice passes after retrieving pucks on the wall and below the goal line. Cox has consistently improved over the course of the last 12 months.
Austin Tasca
Nobles, 3/14/04, C, right shot, 5-9/155
I’ve liked Tasca for a few years, but this was one of his best viewings to date. The Hope, R.I., native only had one goal, but he was around the puck and made a couple of nifty plays that didn’t result in scores. His goal gave Nobles a 1-0 lead. He spun around and fired a low wrist shot from the slot. He created offense on the rush and rang the post early in the third period on a deceptive shot release. The senior should be highly coveted by NESCAC schools.
Teddy MacAusland
Nobles, 1/13/06, RW, right shot, 5-7/160
MacAusland scored a power play goal and added an assist. On the man advantage, he started up top before sliding down to the wall on the right wing. He slipped in and buried a crossing feed from Davidson. On the team’s fourth goal, he made a pretty backhand pass while coming off the wall. MacAusland is quick and crafty, and should be getting attention from a few Ivy League schools.
Matt Cataldo
St. Sebastian’s, 5/19/05, C, left shot, 5-11/195
Cataldo delivered the biggest hit of the afternoon in a game that had no shortage of physical play. He crushed a Nobles forward in open, much to the delight of the home partisans. He’s strong on the wall and does a good job of protecting pucks. The team’s leading goal scorer didn’t get much in the way of production or puck touches on Wednesday. His skating, especially his first two steps, is the part of his game that needs continued improvement, in order for him to make it to the Division 1 level. As I’ve stated a number of times, Cataldo is the consummate team player and he should be given every opportunity to prove his skating can get to that level.
Kyle O’Leary
Nobles, 6/25/06, RW, left shot, 5-10/165
O’Leary had an assist on Tasca’s second-period goal. The Medfield, Mass., native made a couple of good plays offensively and showed off a good stick. He was slick and shifty in small areas. He’s another one of Nobles’ many talented young forwards.
Will Brophy
Nobles, 10/26/04, D, right shot, 6-5/200
Brophy (Worcester, Mass.) has the size to intrigue anyone watching the Bulldogs. He had a secondary assist on the second goal, a power play strike by MacAusland. He was active and jumped into the rush a lot. For him to take the next step in his game, he’s going to have to skate with his head up and make better puck decisions. He’s come a long way since I first watched him at St. John’s Shrewsbury. Division 3 coaches should be watching Brophy, a senior, closely.
Nobles lines
Cox - Davidson - T. MacAusland
McCarthy - Tasca - O’Leary
Heath - B. MacAusland - Kearns
Tully - Brophy
Grant - Hartwell
Munger - Gilbane
Bernstein
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St. Sebastian’s lines
Mitchell - Cataldo - T. Mutryn
Gorman - Hall - Keaveney
Flynn - Merrill - C. Mutryn
Stavaridis - R. Chudzinski
A. Connors - Harney
Leverone - Lynch
J. Connors - Barclay
Russo
