Canton, MA – MassNZ was in attendance at the Canton Ice House on Wednesday night to take in a Catholic Conference league game between Xaverian and Catholic Memorial. The home team (Xaverian) used a fast start, jumped out to a three-goal lead at the start of the second period, and cruised to a 5-2 win on home ice.
The rink was packed and the atmosphere was buzzing for a Wednesday night game featuring two of the better schools in Massachusetts HS. The game started fast-paced with each team setting the tone with some big hits early. Xaverian jumped on the scoreboard first, as Devin Gosciak (Easton, MA) stole a puck at the top of the faceoff circle and snapped it over the goalie’s glove for the 1-0 lead. Four minutes later, Xaverian would extend the lead to 2-0. Jack O’Neil (Mansfield, MA) corralled a pass that hit him in the stomach just inside the offensive blue line. He settled the puck as he cut in alone on the goalie, and in one motion, snapped the puck by the goalie. Xaverian would take a two-goal lead into the locker room.
Xaverian continued their strong play by starting fast in the second period. Less than a minute into the frame, Jackson Morse (Raynham, MA) finished a rebound at the net-mouth after a quick shot on net by O’Neil. Catholic Memorial would not go away quietly, however. They got to within two as Michael Corbett (Belmont, MA) picked off a clearing attempt at the blue line, walked in and snapped a puck over the goalie’s glove. Before the end of the period, Xaverian would restore their three-goal lead, as Colvin Callahan (Medfield, MA) drove hard to the net and finished a nice cross-ice feed from Jack Fitzpatrick (Canton, MA). Xaverian took a 4-1 lead into the second intermission.
Catholic Memorial would once again make things interesting, as Brian McFadden (Holbrook, MA) would thread a shot from the point through traffic that was tipped by Nick D’Olympio (Rockland, MA). That was as close as the Knights would get, as Morse finished the scoring on a two-on-one. He held the puck, outwaited the goalie and snapped the puck bar down for the 5-2 lead. The game got chippy towards the end and we saw a few scuffles that led to multiple players in the sin bin. The Hawks earned a big two points in-conference with a 5-2 final.
Xaverian travels to BC High on Sunday for another Catholic Conference tilt, while CM hosts St. John’s Shrewsbury at Babson College on Saturday.
Three Stars:
- F Jackson Morse, Xaverian
- F Jack O’Neil, Xaverian
- F Devin Gosciak, Xaverian