2/13/04
#5 Thayer Too Much for #6 Belmont Hill
Belmont, Mass. – Thayer Academy broke open a 2-2 game with three goals in the final three minutes of the second period en route to a decisive 6-3 win over Belmont Hill here this evening.
Freshman LW Max Gratchev (2g,1a), junior RW Pierce Norton (2g,1a), senior RW Jimmy Russo (1g,1a), and junior defenseman Ryan Joyce (2a) led the scoring parade for the visitors. Freshman defenseman Kevin McNamara had two assists for Belmont Hill.
Thayer’s three-goal explosion, which gave Thayer the lead for good, started with a powerplay tally off the stick of Norton – his second of the game. The South Boston native broke down the right side and, possibly utilizing a screen, snapped it by Belmont Hill sophomore goalie Wes Vesperini low to the stick side with 2:58 left in the period. Freshman center Brian Gibbons and senior d-man Ryan Feldoff picked up assists on the play.
Belmont Hill’s Matt Gordon had a great chance to regain the tie when the play went back down to Thayer’s end, but couldn’t convert.
With 53 seconds left, Thayer’s Gratchev fired a shot from the left point that beat Vesperini over his right shoulder.
Then, with 4.7 seconds on the clock, and Belmont Hill struggling to get the puck out of their end, Thayer junior LW Greg Collins swept home the rebound of an Anthony Aiello shot to put Thayer up 5-3 going into the second intermission.
Thayer upped their lead to 6-2 with a third-period goal by Jimmy Russo, with assists going to Gibbons and Norton.
That put the game out of reach.
Belmont Hill freshman LW Mark Dube scored with 3:14 remaining to account for the final 6-3 margin of victory.
Prior to Thayer’s late-second period outburst, this was a tight game, with good up and down action, a quick tempo, and some rugged physical play, particularly by Thayer.
Thayer scored the only first-period goal when defenseman Ryan Joyce nudged the puck from inside his own blue line to Gratchev in the neutral zone. Gratchev got it up to Norton who put it past Belmont Hill goaltender Chris Mannix (he and Vesperini split games 50-50 for Belmont Hill, and today was no different).
In the second, Gratchev made it 2-0 Thayer at the 4:39 mark, tucking the puck past Mannix from a few feet out.
About a minute later, Belmont Hill cut it to 2-1 when junior defenseman Brian McCafferty took a high shot that looked like it was going over the net. Thayer goaltender Dan Beauregard got a piece of it with his glove, but it appeared to roll down his arm and bounce into the net.
Belmont Hill tied it up when Chris Galvin got the puck to junior John Balben, who redirected it past Beauregard with 5:46 left in the period.
Several minutes later, Thayer exploded for three and put the game out of reach.
Thayer took 10 penalties (three to Norton), while Belmont Hill was whistled for six.
Thayer outshot Belmont Hill 34-21.
Afterward, Thayer coach Larry Rooney said his players “played a sound game -- We forechecked, we backchecked, and we got the puck to the net.”
“We got guys who were in a slump, like Gratchev and Norton, back on track. We hit when the hits were there. We blocked shots. We won the little battles.”
The key to the game, Rooney said, was the powerplay goal that made it 3-2. “Joe Rosano drew a penalty when he drove to the net and was hauled down. I told him he deserved an assist on the goal.”
Rooney said his team had come out slow the previous few games. Today, he said,“I saw us play with intensity and a sense of urgency.”
