Winchendon School at the St. Mark’s School ; December 7, 2019.
St. Mark’s Outlasts Winchendon, 4-2
Southborough, Massachusetts: St. Mark’s rallied twice from one-goal deficits, then exploded for three unanswered tallies in the third for a 4-2 win against the Winchendon School. Senior Danny Ciccarello was a factor from the drop of the puck, which included both game-tying goals and an empty-netter to close the door on the Wapitis.
Winchendon showed some jump early on the second night of a back-to-back, striking first on a goal from Dorchester’s Nolan McDonough. St. Mark’s was the better team all night, especially at even strength, but went into the first intermission down a goal. The Wapitis fatigue started to show in the second frame, but junior goaltender 2003 Jake Fillion slammed the door on several Lion scoring chances. St. Mark’s parade to the box allowed Winchendon to hang around until Ciccarello finally cashed in with while the Lions were short-handed, snapping one under the bar to level the game after two periods.
St. Mark’s continued to pressure the Winchendon defense with speed and physical play. As the physicality increased with every shift, so did the Lions scoring chances. Fillion continued to stand tall for the visitors, waiting for a Lions miscue. The opportunity presented itself as sophomore Jacob Bernadet collected the puck and held off a defender to beat St. Mark’s big goaltender, Will Bundy. The lead was short lived thanks to Ciccarello who jumped on a loose puck in the slot, and buried it stick side on Fillion. Tired legs and fatigue resulted in the game-winning goal when pressure below the goal line gave junior and 2003 Jackson Coutu time to shovel one past Fillion, making it 3-2 St. Mark’s. Couple late penalties against the Lions never amounted to any zone time for Winchendon, allowing Ciccarello to cap off his big night, stealing a puck deep in the zone and sliding into the open net. Final: St. Mark’s 4 Winchendon 2
Three ⭐’s
- Danny Ciccarello, St. Mark’s Forward
- Jackson Coutu, St. Mark’s Forward
- Jake Fillion, Winchendon Goaltender
NZ Notes: St. Mark’s – Winchendon played back-to-back games, the Lions controlled all three zones, especially even strength. Speed and physical play created space for the St. Mark’s forwards, specifically Ciccarello. Great motor with skill and IQ that was not match for the WInchendon defense. Sophomore Cam Sullivan displayed showed offensive upside, creating a few chances in transition. Southborough native is still on the lean side, but skating ability and vision allow him space and time to make plays. Senior defenseman Tucker Hartmann showed poise and some explosiveness on the rush. Reliable in his own end, and works the blue line with Harvard commit Ian Moore. Yes, Moore had his normal impactful game, controlling the game in all three zones. His ability to slow the game down and get pucks through from the point, creates chance after chance for teammates.
Proctor- Looked like a team on the backend of a back-to-back, but kept the game close thanks to Fillion. Consistent with rebound control and not providing second chances. He was Winchendon’s best player. Junior defenseman William Cohen was a bright spot on the blueline. Billerica native showed strong stick and was opportunistic on the rush. McDonough and Bernadet provided the offense, creating a majority of the chances for Winchendon. Bernadet showed good separation speed and nice touch on his breakaway.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images