Finals Recap
Saugus, MA – In convincing fashion, Melrose won the Kasabuski Christmas Classic 4-1 over Saugus on Thursday afternoon. It was all Melrose from puck drop as Saugus could not matchup with Melrose’s top two lines. Sophomore Quinn McCarthy got the scoring started for Melrose 4:52 into the game as he scored a nifty breakaway goal. Cam Marks got his first of two goals on the afternoon after Saugus turned a puck over at its own blue line. Marks took that puck to the net and beat Saugus goalie Jack Deveraux to make it 2-0 Melrose after one period. Deveraux was the story in this game for Saugus as he made forty saves for the Sachems including seventeen first period stops.
Brendan Fennell was excellent this afternoon for Melrose. Halfway through the second period, Fennell scored a power-play goal off some nifty puck movement from the Red Raiders. Saugus would get one back in the second period on a five-on-three power play. Joe Cross, a senior for Saugus, beat Melrose goalie Mark Dewling short side to cut the lead to 3-1. Saugus had quite a few chances on ensuing power plays after cutting the deficit to two goals, but could not capitalize.
In the third period, Cam Marks had the dagger for Melrose as he scored as the trailer off a rebound to make it 4-1 Melrose with 8:50 left in regulation. 4-1 was the final and Melrose is the Kasabuski Christmas Classic Champions!
NZ Take: Melrose is a very intriguing team. The Red Raiders have quite a bit of speed and skill along with shutdown defense. The goaltending looked solid today as well. Melrose could sneak into the conversation come Super 8 time after moving to 5-0-1 on the season. Brendan Fennell is a big left-shot forward who plays a complete game. He is hard on pucks, finishes his checks, and makes smart plays with the puck. He also happens to be the quarterback for Melrose’s football team. Cam Marks has the ability to get to spots and finds ways to have the puck on his stick quite a bit. Sean Sennier did not show up on the scoresheet tonight, but he did make quite a few plays. He has some wheels on him. Once he grows and gets stronger he will be a good prospect. Liam Crovo is a good puck moving defenseman on the back end. Crovo could add more physical play to his game, but he will be a good prep PG defenseman if he chooses to go in that direction.
Saugus goalie Jack Deveraux kept the game from being a blowout. He made some very athletic saves and had excellent rebound control. Deveraux will be the reason Saugus can make some type of tournament run come March. Senior defenseman CJ Graffeo is intriguing for Saugus. He had the puck on his stick quite a bit and was really the only player who made anything happen offensively for Saugus. He played about thirty-five minutes for Saugus today.
Three Stars
- Cam Marks, Melrose
- Brendan Fennell, Melrose
- Jack Deveraux, Saugus
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Consolation Recap
Saugus, MA – In the consolation game, Triton beat North Reading 3-0 in a very one-sided game. Triton got a goal from senior TJ Reagan 4:59 into the game and never looked back. Reagan scored on a slick backhand after receiving a pass as the trailer on a three-on-two odd-man rush. Both goaltenders were very good in this game especially Triton senior Ben Fougere who made sixteen saves for the shutout. In the third period, senior Sam Rennick took over the game scoring twice. His first goal came from a battle won in the corner which led to Rennick going to the net and finishing the rebound off his original shot. Rennick’s second goal of the third period came shorthanded after North Reading’s goalie turned a puck over to Triton’s Brad Killion who found Rennick on the back door to make it 3-0 Triton. Killion added three assists for the Vikings this afternoon.
NZ Take: Triton coach Ryan Sheehan has done a very good job of coaching this group early on in the season. The team is structurally sound and competes very hard. Here is what Sheehan had to say about Triton’s win “It was a great way to respond after a letdown game against Melrose yesterday. We bought in on committing to defense and ultimately that was the difference.”
Sam Rennick is a player to watch for the 2019-2020 season as he could be a good add as a PG or junior player. Brad Killion is a player to watch moving forward. He plays a heavy game and can make plays.
Three Stars
- F Sam Rennick, Triton
- F Brad Killion, Triton
- G Ben Fougere, Triton