Weston, MA – Start on time. Dictate Pace. Play with urgency. All three were on the Berkshire School bingo card after a two-hour trip east for the NEPSAC Playoffs today in Weston. The Bears dominated play from start to finish using their physicality, depth, and smothering defense in a 5-0 victory at Rivers. Berkshire will play #1 Holderness this Saturday.
Berkshire turned up the pressure from puck drop, creating offensive chances, pressuring the Rivers’ defense, resulting in them being uncomfortable. Yale commit, and Red Wings goaltender Derrick Huang made save after save during the first period. Huang kept the damage to a minimum until senior forward Carter Johnson cashed in following a great individual effort from Dylan Chernoff off the faceoff to create space and make the Rivers goalie make a save. The Bears carried that one-goal lead into the intermission. Max Monroe had an impressive first period on the backend, using his speed and vision to break out the puck and escape some high danger situations with his feet.
Rivers’ effort and compete was evident to start the middle stanza, as they started to create some offense and force Berkshire to take a few penalties. Senior captain Evan Handler was a bright spot for the Red Wing defense, showing great poise on the blue line, including a few long-range chances after finding shooting lanes. The Rivers’ power play created offense, but nothing to show on the scoreboard. Berkshire capitalized on a risky pinch that sprung Jonah Rainisch and Chernoff, resulting in a meaningful first shot and second rebound goal. Rivers went to the power play once again, but a Bears clear into the neutral zone handcuffed the opponent, forcing a delayed penalty, which resulted in a clean break by Matt Lacombe, who made no mistake and cashed in on the short-handed tally.
Any chance Rivers had to respond quickly and gain momentum was stalled 22 seconds into the third, on a nice passing play that resulted in a goal by Amherst College commitment James McMurray, making it 4-0. Lacombe and Erion Milla chipped in with helpers. McMurray has a high motor and showed his value in all three zones. He’ll be a good fit in the Pioneer Valley at Amherst. Berkshire completed their scoring on the power play as Milla converted a slick feed from Lacombe, giving the Marlboro, Mass native three points on the day.
Bears goalie Alex Kim didn’t have a ton of work, but there were flurries in the third by Rivers that kept him honest while earning the shutout. Kim is blessed with a defensive core that can skate, play physically, and protect the house. Harrison McLean, recent Army commit Dominic Somma, and others forced the Red Wings to create offense outside of the dots and never let them get inside of them. McLean showed impressive speed when activated and joined the rush. He plays a simple and honest game. Somma, a former Mount St Charles Academy player, showed an edge around the net while winning crucial one-on-one battles.
Though the offense was anemic at times, a lot of that was the Berkshire defense and their attention to detail. Rivers blueliners Will Pratt and Tavian Mandeville showed some offensive promise throughout the game, especially on the first power play unit. Carter Felt, one of the top 2010 birthdates, plays a heavy game but also possesses the skill, skating, and IQ. He hits anything that moves, but allows himself to stay in the play. Plays all three zones with pace and makes plays while at full speed. No surprise he’s one to watch in his age group.
With the win, Berkshire draws the #1 seed, Holderness, this Saturday. Two schools that are a little older and have tons of experience. It should be quite the battle with a trip to the championship on the line.
Final: Berkshire School 5, Rivers School 0
Three Stars
First: Matt Lacombe (Berkshire)
Second: James McMurray (Berkshire)
Third: Derrick Huang (Rivers)
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images