The Milton Academy Mustangs hosted the Lions of St. Mark’s in the first ISL game for both teams. Junior goaltender Sam Caulfield started between the pipes for Milton, while Justin Brisbois tended the cage for St. Mark’s.
If you were not in your seats for the puck drop, you missed it as Milton scored the first goal of the game on a power play just 33 seconds into the stanza. Junior forward and Mexican-Canadian Luis Valencia finished off a nice feed from senior Curt Heath. Milton carried most of the play throughout the period with very minimal from St. Mark’s. Another power play goal with 3:57 to go in the period made it 2-0 in favor of the Mustangs. A shrewd faceoff win by Senior Forward Will Cannatta to Junior Forward Anthony Sergeyev started the play. Sergeyev showed a quick release with snap shot off Brisbois’ pad, leaving the puck available for Senior forward Nick Shea to capitalize. The first period ended 2-0 Milton Academy.
While the first period was the story of Milton’s power play, the second frame showed Milton’s penalty-killing ability. A shorthanded goal by Cannatta at 12:29 of the period. Another shorthanded goal at 7:07 of the period by Cannatta assisted by Sergeyvev and Junior Defenseman Dylan Hunt made it 4-0 Milton. Carl Corrazzini, head coach of St. Mark’s, called a strategic timeout. It proved to be effective as St. Mark’s found their game. A quick snap shot by Senior Defenseman Calvin Beard to the top corner was a goal in any league. A nice assist by Sophomore Defenseman Jack Taylor started the play. The second frame ended with Milton up 4-1.
The final period saw some back-and-forth action, with Caulfield making big saves early to hold off a St. Mark’s rally. Valencia opened scoring at 14:54 of the period with assists to Sergeyev and junior defenseman Danny Li, making it 5-1 Milton. Despite the deficit, St. Marks continued a strong effort, leading to big save after big save by Caulfield. St. Mark’s found the back of the net at 11:49. A nice shot selection by Freshman Cam MacPherson tipped by Sophomore Forward Max Stanton slipped by Caulfield, cutting the deficit to 5-2. However, just 20 seconds later, Milton junior Ewan Cleary beat Brisbois off nice passing by junior Kyle Greene and Sophomore Jeremy Polzer. The score was now 6-2. Milton took the game over with strong rushes and effective forechecking. A final power play goal with just 20 seconds remaining was Milton’s icing on the cake. Hunt found the top corner off unselfish passing by Junior Nic Brandano and senior Jonathan Careri. The final score was 7-2.
It was a closer game than the score would dictate. Superb goaltending by Caulfield with the strong special teams of Milton proved to be too much for St. Mark’s—strong effort by both clubs, and looking forward to a rematch.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Three Stars
First: Will Cannata (Milton)
Second: Austin Borggaard (St. Mark’s)
Third: Sam Caufield (Milton)
