Needham, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at Henry Lane Rink in Needham, MA for an afternoon matchup between the visitor’s St. Mark’s and the home team, the Arrows of St. Sebastian’s. Both teams were looking to pull together strong performances in the season’s stretch run.
Pelle Russo (West Newton, MA) started in net for the Arrows, while Alex Tarves (Marlborough, MA) started for the visiting Lions.
The game started with each team trying to feel each other out. Seb’s had the early advantage in shots on goal, but St. Mark’s would even the chances before the period was out. The game would head into the first break knotted at zero.
In the second period, the Arrows gained control of the game and didn’t look back. Just seven seconds into the middle period, Matt Cataldo (Norfolk, MA) created a turnover off the opening faceoff, drove hard toward the net, and snapped the puck by the goalie for the 1-0 lead. The Arrows would continue to pressure and double the lead with just over four minutes to go in the frame. Isaac Mitchell (Harvard, MA) wheeled the net with the puck, came out of the corner with the puck on his forehand, and guided the puck toward the net. The puck snuck through the goalie’s legs and into the goal. The home team would take a 2-0 lead into the final period.
The third was much the same, with St. Sebastian’s generating most of the chances right off the hop. They would increase the margin to three goals a minute into the period when Casey Mutryn (Norwell, MA) hammered a one-timer from the top of the circle on the power play. The lead would stretch to four goals a few minutes later when Rian Chudzinski (Needham, MA) gained position in front of the net and finished a rebound on a centering pass. The Arrows looked to be headed to a shutout, but the visitors broke through with just over a minute to play. Max Santos (Evanston, IL) made a few nice puck possession plays, walked around a defender, and snapped a cross-ice feed to Drew Carr (Medway, MA), who finished the pass backdoor.
The game would end as a convincing win for the Arrows. They will look to maintain the strong performance as they host Belmont Hill on Wednesday. St. Mark’s will look to regroup as they host Brooks on Wednesday at 4:45 pm.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling
Three Stars
First: Casey Mutryn (St. Sebastian’s)
Second: Isaac Mitchell (St. Sebastian’s)
Third: Pelle Russo (St. Sebastian’s)
