Lynn, MA – The 6th-ranked Xaverian and St Mary’s Lynn clashed on New Year’s Day and the Hawks came away victorious. St Mary’s came out strong, putting shots on net but Xaverian junior goalie Connor Kotwicki made some big, timely saves to keep the game scoreless. St Mary’s took back-to-back penalties and with 2:12 left in the first frame Joe Von Handorf took a Spartan turnover and buried a nice shot to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead to end the first period. First period shots were Xaverian 9 and St Mary’s 9.
St Mary’s tied the game just two minutes into the second period when senior Caleb Racki lit the lamp on a nice shot. At the 8:39 mark of period Xavierian would take the lead for good when senior Ryan Guevremont took a pass from Braden Pinkham and scored on a nice shot from the slot making it 2-1. Just 2:36 later Daniel Gentile was sent on a breakaway from senior Ethan Searle and he scored a nice five-hole goal making it 3-1 Hawks at the end of the second. Shots at the end of the period were Xaverian 10 for a two period total of 19 and St Mary’s 11 for a two period total of 20.
Senior Ryan Bello scored after a big hit in the offensive zone, icing the game for the Hawks at 13:54 of the third period. St Mary’s would score with 5:36 left when Cole Alexander scored on a rebound from senior JJ Avery which made the final score Xaverian 4, St Mary’s 2. Final shot totals: Xaverian 8 for a total of 27 and St Mary’s 6 for a total of 26.
Three Stars:
- F Ryan Bello, Xaverian
- D JJ Avery, St Mary’s Lynn
- G Connor Kotwicki, Xaverian