Groton Loses Barn Burner to St. Mark's

From www.USHR.com
St. Mark’s Edges Groton, 7-6, in Barn Burner Groton, Mass. –

A Trevor O’Brien shorthanded goal midway through the third period lifted St. Mark’s to a 7-6 road win over rival Groton Wednesday afternoon. O’Brien’s goal, his second of the game, was assisted on by defenseman Tucker Hartmann -- his fourth helper of the day -- and put a ribbon on a game that featured a half dozen lead changes, fast-paced play, plenty of action, and a come-from-behind win. We couldn’t have asked for more from an early-season game between the two rivals. St. Mark’s, the better team for most of the game, found themselves down by a goal at both the first and second intermissions, but scored three of the game’s four third-period tallies to put this one, their season opener, in the win column.

Both goalies – Groton senior Kevin Clark, from Manchester, Mass., and St. Mark’s senior Will Bundy, a Westport, Conn. native – played better than the final score would indicate. Many of the goals were either on screens or rebounds. “There was so much pressure put on both goalies early,” said St. Mark’s coach Carl Corazzini. “They were a little overwhelmed.” St. Mark’s stellar junior defenseman Ian Moore, a Harvard recruit, opened the scoring with a power play goal early in the first, firing a shot from the top of the umbrella, through traffic, and into the top corner. Groton tied the game at 1-1 minutes later, taking advantage of a bad defensive decision by St. Mark’s that led to a breakaway for forward Colin Rosato, who was denied by Bundy, but Ronan Doherty, alertly following the play, banged home the rebound.

Groton took the game’s first lead, 2-1, halfway through the first when Luke Beckstein chipped the puck out of the Zebras’ zone to senior forward Marc Borghi, who skated the puck through the neutral zone to the top of the circle. Borghi’s initial shot was stopped. But the rebound struck a St. Mark’s defender and ended up in the back of the net. St. Mark’s tied the game moments later on another power play goal, this time from senior Danny Ciccarello. The Quebec native – St. Mark’s leading scorer last season and their top forward Wednesday – tied the game at 2-2 with 2:42 left in the first.

In the final minute of the period Groton, on a hard Max Noll shot from the slot following an errant breakout pass by St. Mark’s, took a 3-2 lead. O’Brien, at 3:46 of the second, tied the game at 3-3 when, off a 2-on-1 zone entry, he converted a nice back door saucer pass from Ciccarello. Later in the second, at 13:39, Groton retook the lead, 4-3, on a power play goal from senior Gabriel Lamothe. But less than a minute later, St. Mark’s tied the score again, 4-4, on a rebound knocked out of the air by sophomore Dom Murphy. It would not last, as Groton came right back and, with 12 seconds on the clock, took a 5-4 lead on an Aidan Garcia goal, sophomore D Bryan McLachlan getting an assist. Not to be outdone, St. Mark’s came out strong in the third and took a 6-5 lead on consecutive goals from sophomore Eamon Connaughton and junior Brendan Gibbons. But the lead change did not deter Groton, as sophomore Wes Turner tied the game at 6-6 with a power play goal at the 6:52 mark, assisted by McLachlan. The tie would not last for even two minutes, however, as O’Brien came up with the game-winner at the 8:29 mark, knocking a rebound out of the air for St. Mark’s seventh and final goal, much to the chagrin of the home fans, who felt it was a high stick.

Groton had chances to tie the game after pulling their goalie, but Bundy and the Lions’ defenders prevailed with key saves and blocks to eke out the 7-6 road win. “It was not a defensive battle, that’s for sure,” Corazzini said. “You could tell it was an early-season game. A lot of turnovers on both teams – and both teams capitalized.” Groton head coach Bill Riley concurred. "It was a wild game," he said. "I wanted to see us play more disciplined, and stay out of the box. But in the first period we gave up two power play goals." "We worked, though, and we battled back from a deficit to tie it up. It was a heartbreaker at the end."

Notes: -- The game was played at the old Pratt Rink, as the newer O’Brien Rink was down due to mechanical issues. Speaking of the O’Brien Rink, St. Mark’s F Trevor O’Brien is the grandson of the late Frank “Junie” O’Brien, a legendary teacher and coach at Groton, and the man for whom the rink is named. Trevor O’Brien is also the younger brother of Jay O’Brien, a former star at Dexter and Thayer. Jay is playing this season with the Penticton Vees (BCHL) and is currently the league’s second-leading scorer. A first round Philadelphia Flyers draft pick, he will be transferring to BU for the start of next season. --

Groton coach Bill Riley has five Californians on this year’s squad, three of whom are new Zebras. Riley also has one player from Alaska, one from Florida, one from Michigan, and three from Quebec. --

St. Mark's hosts Winchendon Saturday at 5:00 pm. Groton will be at Deerfield Saturday night at 6:00 pm, then back home on Monday for a 4:00 pm start vs. North Yarmouth Academy. -- GJM