Cougars dominate from start to finish in win over Spartans

LYNN – Austin Prep might not have the glitzy players like Malden Catholic or Catholic Memorial, but the Cougars have found a way to get the job done so far this season.On Wednesday at Connery Rink, the Cougars stifled St. Mary’s (5-3) for the second time in just over a week, holding the Spartans to 10 shots and scoring three shorthanded goals in a 5-0 whitewashing.Click here for a photo gallery.”We’ve talked about trying to play consistent hockey night in and night out,” Austin coach Lou Finocchiaro said. “And we got a great effort (Wednesday) from the goaltender right through our forwards.”Austin’s (5-1-1, 5-0-1 Catholic Central League/Large) dominant performance for 45 minutes left St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee nearly speechless after the game.”I almost don’t know what to say,” Lee remarked. “We just didn’t come to play (Wednesday) and couldn’t get it going.”For the Cougars, the dominance of the game was remarkable considering the fact that the Spartans had eight power play opportunities and failed to convert on a single one thanks to the Austin defense.”The kids did a terrific job of penalty killing,” Finocchiaro said. “They really shut down the angles and shooting lanes. Their effort was tremendous.”The Cougars held St. Mary’s to three shots in the first and grabbed a 1-0 lead when Brendan Silk scored on a rebound at 5:55.Silk struck again four minutes later when he intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and scored the first of the Cougars’ three shorthanded goals to make it 2-0 after one.St. Mary’s would get the first two power play chances of the second period, but Austin killed the first and then scored another shorthanded goal when Casey Miller intercepted a clearing pass and made it 3-0 at 9:33.Late in the second, the Cougar power play got into the act when Brandon Hartt fired home a Miller centering pass with 1:06 left to give AP a 4-0 lead after two.”We are not a super-skilled team, but these kids have committed to working hard, and that’s been the difference in every game,” Finocchiaro said.Hartt closed the scoring with 19 seconds remaining when he converted a Lou Caraglia pass into the Cougars’ third shorty of the night.