Boston, MA – MassNZ made the trip into Boston to the legendary Walter Brown Arena for a special pair of games. This is the Junior Beanpot Tournament, hosted by Brookline HS and organized by the Gurdin family since 2017 and this year the venue has changed to honor Travis Roy at his former home rink. All proceeds from today’s games benefit The Travis Roy Legacy Quality of Life Grants Program at SCI Boston and Journey Forward and the tables in front of the venue were adorned with silent auction items including paintings made by Travis as well as other notable prizes. The games here were the second of back-to-back contests as Lexington took on Newton North in the Consolation Game and Brookline took on Bishop Feehan in the Final.
Championship Final: Bishop Feehan vs Brookline
Following a very heartfelt ceremony where the Gurdin family recognized all four teams participating, guest speaker Jake Thibeault and the tournament venues for donating their ice time, we were underway in the final showdown of the day.
In the first period, Bishop Feehan came out guns blazing, playing with speed, tenacity and power. They were peppering shots on net with regularity and it didn’t take long for them to break the ice. Two and a half minutes in senior captain Ryan Eldridge found a loose puck on the half wall and turned to fire it on net and it slipped through the netminder to make it 1-0 Shamrocks. Feehan continued to create chances in the early going and three minutes later they would add another. Sophomore Gabe Visnicky curled off the wall and found fellow sophomore Cam Moura who fired it quickly through the five hole to make it 2-0 Bishop Feehan. After that, junior goalie Jack O’Connor came up with three big saves: one on a breakaway and two others on 2-on-1 chances. The score would remain the same but the ice was tilted in the Shamrocks’ favor. Shots favored them 14-6 after one.
In the middle frame, things began to tilt Brookline’s way. Bishop Feehan still carried the play early, but they were whistled for more infractions in the second and the Warriors were able to take advantage. Seven minutes in the Shamrocks were called for a five-minute major for cross-checking and that’s where Brookline would strike. Senior assistant captain Henry Ames picked up a loose puck and threw it on net and it deflected off a Shamrocks defender to cut the lead in half at 2-1. After the major had elapsed, Bishop Feehan was whistled for a minor penalty and Brookline would tie the game with three minutes to go. It was senior captain Noah Gurdin who walked the blue line and fired a puck from the point off sophomore forward Owen Lacy in front: we were all tied up at two, which is how we wrapped the period. It was anyone’s game heading into the third.
In the final frame, Bishop Feehan started strong and made the initial push by using their team speed to attack. They were getting pucks deep and not only chasing them down but finding opportunities to flip pucks to space where they could skate into it. They created most of the early shots before Brookline started to level the ice. The waters seemed calm…until they weren’t. In one fluid movement, Visnicky pulled the puck off the wall, curled to space and fired a bullet short side past the goalie: 3-2 Shamrocks halfway through the period. The Warriors responded and put in more work to break through heavy traffic to generate looks in front of the net and three minutes later they would cash in. Just past the 10 minute mark, Brookline freshman Jameson Young saw a lane and fired the puck on net. It created a juicy rebound that Connor Erdman collected at the back post and shoveled home while falling to make it 3-3. Both teams had five minutes to get the game-winner and both teams went all out looking for the dagger, but it never came. The best chance came off a point-blank look in the slot for Eldridge but O’Connor robbed him with a glove save and just seconds remaining. To OT we went, and to make things even more interesting, Brookline would be on the power play.
In the extra session, the Shamrocks did a great job of owning the possession and using active sticks to deny passing lanes. They were able to kill off the penalty and then were off to the races. Both teams were trading chances in the first four minutes of the period, until the Shamrocks called game. Eldridge stole a puck at the top of his defensive zone and saw open ice ahead, leading to a 2-on-1 rush with sophomore defender Luke Schell. Eldridge was smart to look Schell’s way and feign interest in the pass before turning back towards goal and wiring a wrister home. Bishop Feehan won 4-3, to take home the Junior Beanpot Championship, with exactly one minute remaining on the clock.
Three Stars:
- F Ryan Eldridge, Bishop Feehan
- F Gabe Visnicky, Bishop Feehan
- G Jack O’Connor, Brookline
Consolation Game: Lexington vs Newton North
This one started off a little slow as both teams struggled to maintain possession. As the period wore on, Newton North began to own the majority of the chances. They were willing to throw pucks on net from anywhere and crash the net looking for loose change. Goalie Luke Dinsmore of Lexington stood tall and kicked them all back as the Minutemen began to tilt the ice in their favor. They were getting more consistent scoring chances and ultimately drew a penalty as the period ended on the man advantage. Shots were 11-8 in favor of Newton North after 1.
In the second period, Lexington took full advantage of their power play just over a minute into the proceedings. Senior Dorian Hu delivered a pass to senior forward Andy Yang at the point and he wired one through traffic to give the Minutemen a 1-0 lead. Lexington was vibing early but Newton North refused to sit idly by and began to make a push of their own. It culminated in a great play by senior forward Luke Tenaglia. He charged into the attacking zone, stole the puck in front of the Lexington net and fired it top shelf to make it 1-1, a nice individual effort. After that goal, the play was far more even for the balance of the period. Each team got their chances at either end, but the Minutemen accrued more shots on goal. As we got late into the period, a 2-on-1 emerged as senior Nolan Kingsbury broke in with Yang. He feathered a nice pass over the defender’s stick and Yang finished to make it 2-1 Lexington with just over a minute remaining. That would be our score headed to the locker room after two. Shots after two were 18-17 in favor of Lexington.
In the final frame, Newton North came out with steadfast dedication to get pucks into the zone and bodies to the net. They were able to create a couple of strong looks throughout this period, but Lexington was able to protect the area around the crease and those opportunities went by the boards. This period featured minimal whistles and a lot of back-and-forth action. Ultimately we remained at the same score until 48 seconds remained and Newton North called a timeout to pull their goalie. They generated a sparkling chance at the netfront but it was kicked out yet again by Dinsmore: the Consolation Final was 2-1 Lexington. Final shots were 26-23 Newton North.
Three Stars:
1. F Andy Yang, Lexington
2. G Luke Dinsmore, Lexington
3. F Luke Tenaglia, Newton North