CANTON, Mass. — Thayer capitalized on the power play three times en route to a 4-2 win over visiting Cushing on Wednesday afternoon at the Canton Sportsplex.
Excluding the empty net goal that sealed the victory, all Thayer goals came on the man advantage. Defenseman Nolan Hayes scored a first period goal and left wing Nolan Fitzpatrick scored once each in the second period and third period.
Cushing’s goals came from somewhat unexpected sources. Fourth line left wing Joe Noone picked up his first prep school goal and third line center Shane Zarcone scored on a flukey bounce in the third period.
In a fairly chippy game with plenty of penalty minutes, the result provided some revenge for a Thayer squad that lost to Cushing in the final of the Watkins Tournament on Dec. 30.
A few NHL scouts and college coaches from both Hockey East and ECAC Hockey were on hand to watch the game.
Scoring Recap
Hayes opened the scoring at the 5:26 mark of the first period. His wrist shot from the point sailed into the back of the net after a faceoff win. Zach Glass picked up the assist.
With 6:59 to play in the first period, the Penguins evened the score on an odd man rush. From the right wing circle Connor Wood slid the puck over to Noone who was driving the left wing post for an easy finish.
The Tigers regained the lead just 1:50 into the second period on Fitzpatrick’s first of two goals. Upon zone entry, he pulled up at the top of the left wing circle and sent a wrist shot past the outstretched glove of Cushing goaltender Joe Sharib. The play started on a nice outlet pass from Jake Flynn to Christian Hayes, who committed to Holy Cross on Monday afternoon.
With Thayer holding onto the slim margin, Cushing was the beneficiary of a crazy bounce to tie the score late in the game. Zarcone took advantage of a dump in that ricocheted off the end boards and right out into the crease for an easy tap-in with 3:51 to play in the game.
However, the momentum was short-lived for the Penguins. Just 19 seconds later, Fitzpatrick tallied the game-winner. Army commit Reilly Moran won a draw in the offensive zone and got the puck back to Flynn. He did a good job walking the blue line before sending a shot on net. It was saved, but Fitzpatrick was there and cleaned up the rebound.
Moran sealed the victory with an empty net goal at the 16:11 mark following a shot by ’04 Michael Stenberg that rang off the post.
Gavin Fitzpatrick, who made 24 saves, picked up the win in net for the Tigers. Sharib, a Union commit, was on the wrong end of the decision at the other end.
Of note, Northeastern recruit Sasha Teleguine did not play in the game. He has been battling injuries for much of the season.
Prospect Notes
Jake Flynn
#4 Thayer, 5/26/01, D, Right Shot, 5-11.5/161
The Bridgewater, Mass., native had a pair of assists on the evening. The first one was a terrific lead pass out of his own zone and the second was a shot through traffic from the point. Flynn, a definitive Division I prospect, is a very smooth skater with good feet that allows him to escape trouble on breakouts. He’s an impact player when it comes to moving pucks north.
Nick Roukounakis
#9 Thayer, 9/8/03, LW, Left Shot, 6-0/190
Roukounakis had another strong game before being the victim of a vicious hit from behind that inexplicably went uncalled. He’s big and strong, especially for an ’03, and is heavy on pucks.
Michael Stenberg
#14 Thayer, 9/22/04, RW, Right Shot, 5-10/170
Stenberg, an eighth grader, is starting to find his stride at the prep level. He has three points over his last three games and is getting more ice time. He’s big and physically mature for a late ’04. He had an assist on the empty net goal.
CJ Monturio
#7 Thayer, 2/21/03, LW, Right Shot, 5-8.5/159
Monturio still needs to learn some of the intricacies of the game, but he works extremely hard and made a great backcheck on the PK. He’s fast and hunts pucks. He didn’t generate much offensively on the third line yesterday, but he’s a player to watch.
Nolan Fitzpatrick
#18 Thayer, 6/25/00, LW, Right Shot, 6-0/170
The Norwood, Mass., native projects as a bottom six winger at the NESCAC level. He is somewhat of a glue guy on his line and does a good job away from the puck as well. The first goal he scored was a nice shot on a good offensive play. The game-winner was a good example of how he plays. He’s not afraid to go to the greasy areas — in front of the net or along the walls.
Jackson Dorrington
#16 Cushing, 4/13/04, D, Left Shot, 6-0/170
Dorrington continues to impress as he earns big minutes as a youngster in prep. From North Andover, he has great poise and athleticism. He doesn’t appear to get flustered at all even when trying to fend off pressure from opposing teams’ forecheck. Dorrington moves pucks north and has a good stick. He’ll have a big Division I commit before long.
Thayer Lines
18 Nolan Fitzpatrick - 24 Reilly Moran - 14 Michael Stenberg
9 Nick Roukounakis - 19 Christian Hayes - 22 Zach Glass
7 CJ Monturio - 16 Matthew Sullivan - 23 CJ Foley
4 Jake Flynn - 12 Nolan Hayes
6 Jack Murphy - 8 Cam Mannion
21 David Romaine
35 Gavin Fitzpatrick
Cushing Lines
5 Jacob Banks - 22 Max Bogdanovich - 11 Jake Hewitt
21 Patrick Borella - 14 Nick Cafarelli - 13 Connor Wood
12 Max Dorrington - 20 Shane Zarcone - 17 Brendon O’Donnell
18 Joe Noone - 7 Billy Norcross - 10 Anthony Cafarelli
8 Lukas Gustafsson - 3 Brad Zona
19 Pat Keegan - 2 Cody Sealey
16 Jackson Dorrington - 26 Bryce Montgomery
4 Tim Kippenberger
29 Joe Sharib
