BOSTON – Catholic Memorial erased a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered goals to defeat Delbarton, 4-2, on Wednesday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena.
The scrimmage between Massachusetts and New Jersey powerhouse programs was played as a real game with referees, but it won’t count in the standings for the Knights. A couple of college coaches and prep school coaches took in the game at the Boston Bruins’ practice facility.
After a scoreless first period, Delbarton, from Morristown, N.J., jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a power play tally from senior defenseman Tim Galvin. He finished off a nice passing sequence from Duncan Stewart and Trip Pendy.
The Green Wave took a 2-0 lead thanks to another great pass from Stewart, an '05 senior left wing. Senior center Nick Faccone was the beneficiary, as he tapped in a centering feed.
Catholic Memorial started its comeback with a late strike in the second period. Junior Connor Fryberger (Needham, Mass.) sniped home a wrist shot after sophomore Tyler Hamilton (Framingham, Mass.) won the draw at the left wing circle.
Senior captain Brendan MacNeil’s (Belmont, Mass.) snap shot from the left wing circle beat Delbarton goaltender Jason Cai to even the score at 2-2 early in the third period. Sophomore right wing Morgan Lenehan (Needham, Mass.) picked up the assist.
The wheels began to fall off the Delbarton train, as Catholic Memorial took the lead right after. Senior defenseman and Bowdoin commit Finn Burke (Newton, Mass.) came down the left wing and sent what looked like a harmless wrist shot on net, but it found its way past the goal line.
Freshman left wing Nick D’Olympio (Rockland, Mass.) gave CM breathing room when he stole a puck from a Delbarton defenseman and went in alone. He deked Cai and slid the puck into the net with a forehand finish.
While it was a scrimmage, it was a tale of two halves for Catholic Memorial. The Knights were sleepy through much of the first two periods, but came through in the third. Outside of Burke and MacNeil, CM is a young team that should continue to get better as the season moves along. One positive sign for me was that the Knights still won, despite its top two scorers not finding the back of the net. Larry Rooney’s team has solid depth and looks poised to be a top-three team in the state.
Below are evaluations of uncommitted players from both teams who caught my eye on Wednesday afternoon. I avoided writing about Hamilton, Joe Marchi and Burke, who I’ve given plenty of coverage to this fall already.
Nick D’Olympio
Catholic Memorial, 6/8/07, LW, right shot, 5-8/155
D’Olympio had a strong showing while skating on his off-wing on CM’s top line. He’s quick and has a good stick. Today, he was relentless in terms of hunting pucks and forcing turnovers. He did just that on the goal he scored, picking the pocket of a Delbarton blue liner. He showed his stick skill with a nice forehand finish. He has that quick twitch and could become a more well-known player as the year moves along. The freshman from Rockland, Mass., was the top player for the East Coast Militia 15O during the fall.
Connor Fryberger
Catholic Memorial, 10/25/06, C, right shot, 6-4/190
Fryberger is a big power forward, who skated for the Junior Eagles 16U during the fall. He showed off his hard shot on CM’s first goal. He wasted no time in ripping a wrist shot past the Delbarton goaltender off a won draw by Hamilton. The Needham, Mass., native had a physical presence along the wall on a few occasions. A north-south skater, he’s got the size to intrigue scouts and college coaches.
Liam McKinney
Catholic Memorial, 1/1/08, D, left shot
McKinney doesn’t always get a lot of ice time while playing varsity as an eighth grader. Wednesday, he got a regular shift and made the most of it. He’s on the small side and is obviously young, but he made good outlet passes. He skates with his head up and has a bright future. The Milton, Mass., native played for the Boston Advantage 14U in the fall.
Dante Rodriguez
Delbarton, 1/22/07, D, left shot, 5-7/180
Rodriguez is a smooth, puck-moving defenseman who showed tremendous poise in this game. He made a couple of nice slip passes and his puck touches were consistently strong and on the tape to promote the breakout and possession. He’s not the biggest blue liner, but he’s solid with the puck on his stick. He was a little overwhelmed physically, going up against a bigger CM team. The Jersey City, N.J., native is on the New Jersey Rockets 15 Only team, as well.
Duncan Stewart
Delbarton, 3/12/05, LW, left shot, 5-11/165
Stewart had the most productive game of anyone on either side. He had the primary assist on both Delbarton goals. His assist on the power play goal was nice, but he made an even better pass earlier on in the same shift that nearly resulted in a goal. He fed a teammate perfectly for a chance at a backdoor tap-in. On the second goal, he drove down the left wing and sent a perfect centering feed that resulted in a linemate getting to push the puck into a virtually wide-open net. A dual citizen, originally from Tampa, Fla., Stewart has been a member of the New Jersey Colonials organization for a few years.
Max Pendy
Delbarton, 5/30/06, LW, left shot, 5-11/160
Pendy could have played further up the lineup, but it was clear Delbarton coaches were trying to balance their lines. Skating on the third line left wing, he had a couple of good chances to score. He split the defense and rang the post in the second period. In the same period, he made a great pass through the legs of a CM defender to give a linemate a great look at the net. From Far Hills, N.J., he’s a familiar name to college recruiters, as he plays for the New Jersey Rockets 16U and is the younger brother of Brown commit Trip Pendy, Delbarton’s first line right wing.
Jack Gerne
Delbarton, 11/1/06, C, left shot, 5-6/140
Gerne was one of the smaller players on the ice, but he played big. He had a key backcheck in the second period to break up a CM scoring chance. While killing a penalty in the third period, he forced a turnover and got off a quality scoring chance. He didn’t get a ton of shifts, but he made the most of the ones he got. He was gritty, tenacious and noticeable throughout the game. The Montclair, N.J., native also skates for the New Jersey Colonials 16U.
Catholic Memorial lines
D’Olympio - Hamilton - Marchi
MacNeil - Fryberger - Lenehan
Koo - Birch - Grady
Curran - Mottau - Driscoll
Burke - Corbett
Kelly - Pellitteri
McKinney - Parker
Tattan - Donahue
Watson
Delbarton lines
Stewart - Faccone - T. Pendy
Bright - Olsen - Fidacaro
M. Pendy - Pasic - Ross
xx - Gerne - Lease
Galvin - Padula
Rodriguez - Shaffer
Cugno - Sedlak
Cai
