Rivers School 3 Groton School 1: December 14, 2019
Groton, MA- The Rivers School traveled 30 minutes up 495 to take on the Groton Zebras in an early Saturday afternoon match up. Rivers was able to jump out to an early lead coutesy of Matt Cormier as he was able to beat Groton’s Goaltender Kevin Clark. Both sides played a tight game through the second before Rivers School’s 2004 Mel Mortarelli was able to put his team up by two. Groton answered back later in the second as Marc Borghi was able to capitalize on a Rivers broken play. Much of the third featured back and forth action, Rivers School sophomore goaltender Connor Sullivan shut the door on the Groton comeback and Bentley commit Pat Lawn added a goal to seal the victory for Rivers.
Both teams came out flying in a fast paced first period as both teams were battling to get an early advantage. Both sides had their fair share of chances early on but it was Cormier who was able to beat Clark first late in the first period. Groton tried to respond immediately after but the door was shut by Sullivan as he made several crucial stops throughout the period.
The second period was very similar to the first as both sides struggled to gain momentum. The Groton defense did a good job of neutralizing some of Rivers high scoring threats but Rivers were still able to jump out to a 2-goal lead as 2004 Mel Mortarelli was able create space for himself and show a nice finishing touch on his goal. It wasn’t until late in the second when Groton’s Marc Borghi was able to crack Connor Sullivan to cut the lead in half.
In the third period Sullivan became the difference as he was able to fend off the Groton attack. Rivers Pat Lawn was able to add another goal to his teams lead as he was able to use his quick release on the power play to beat Clark. Groton late in the third had a furious offensive attack but Sullivan was able to bail out his Rivers squad as he made a ridiculous cross crease blocker save to seal the victory for Rivers. Box Score
Three Stars
- Connor Sullivan- Rivers G
- Pat Lawn– Rivers D
- Matt Cormier- Rivers F
NZ Notes For the Rivers School; Late 2003 Connor Sullivan showed why he was a top ranked goaltender in the QMJHL draft and a USHL Futures pick. He is big, athletic, can move laterally with ease and is super clutch as he does not get rattled by pressure. Rivers is filled with high end skill as 2004 Mel Mortarelli showed a glimpse of what he can do offensively scoring a nice goal, he will gradually get more ice time as the year goes on. Phil Tresca had a quiet day but was effective as he plays a strong two-way game always. Matthew Cormier is always a scoring threat as he always wants the puck his stick and is continuing to improve away from the puck. Most impressive was 2004 Defensemen Ollie Chessler who is a good combination of offense and defense. Chessler plays the game with an edge and is utilized in every situation for his Rivers Squad, the future is bright for Chessler. Groton is a well-rounded team that will always be a tough out for anyone on a given night. They play with a lot of structure as they their team defense is hard to beat. Defensively 2003 Weston Turner looks to have developed a lot over the off season as he was able to neutralize some of Rivers high end talent. He brings some grit to his game and his skating ability allows him to defend with his feet. Late 2001 Thomas Dempsey his defensive partner is more of an offensive minded defenseman as he was relied upon to use his shot consistently on the power play. Up front Groton has a lot of two-way players who are not afraid to get to the greasy parts of the ice. Marc Borghi and Aidan Garcia were both guys that kept coming up with high percentage scoring chances tonight.
NOTE: Thanks to Groton and Rivers for having accurate rosters and box score. We are able to update player profiles with heights and weight and add new players with accurate information. Well done!!
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images