LYNN — A 22-save shutout from sophomore goalie Owen Giangrande and a combination of five different goal-scorers guided the St. Mary’s boys hockey team to a 6-0 Catholic Central League win over Arlington Catholic Saturday at Connery Rink.
Giangrande earned his fourth win in as many starts and his first shutout in stepping in for Spartans starter Sal Caruso.
“This win started with goaltending,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee said. “To have a sophomore come in and shut out a team like Arlington Catholic, he’s been really spot on for us. Sal’s out with pneumonia and Owen’s really making a name for himself.
“When you only have 21 games and your starter goes down for a couple weeks, to have Owen step in and play lights out is really all the difference in the world. That’s what we preach — everybody has to contribute. Owen has done a really great job for us.”
Offensively, it was a balanced St. Mary’s attack that took advantage of its opportunities. Davis Kinne scored two goals, both on power plays. Chris Kolodziej, Kyle LoNigro, Brady Carpenter and Max Giardina netted one goal each. Four of the Spartans’ goals were scored via power play.
Carpenter and Brady Bullock dished two assists each. Kinne, Dante D’Ambrosio, Colby Magliozzi and Owen Maguire logged one assist apiece.
“There’s a lot of guys that work hard and chip in,” Lee said. “It’s definitely not a one-man show on this team. We have a lot of hard-working guys. We’re a blue-collar team and we have to earn everything we get. We’re doing a really good job with that.”
After coming away empty on a power play just 22 seconds into the first period, the Spartans took a 1-0 lead when Kolodziej stumbled on a fortunate bounce his way and cashed it in. LoNigro fired home a rebound six minutes later, giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead. A couple key saves from Giangrande, including a few within seconds of one another as the period approached the 2-minute mark, allowed the Spartans to carry that 2-goal edge at the first intermission.
To Arlington Catholic’s credit, the Cougars held down the fort and kept St. Mary’s at bay through the start of the second frame. A pair of power plays came and went but the third Cougars penalty came back to haunt Arlington Catholic. With 1:52 left in the period, Carpenter found the back of the net on a slapshot from just outside the circle. It was 3-0 St. Mary’s at the second intermission.
A 5-minute major gave the Spartans a golden opportunity to put the game out of Arlington Catholic’s reach in the third period. And that’s exactly what St. Mary’s did.
First it was Kinne who stretched the lead to 4-0 with 13:55 remaining. Giardina tacked on another goal, with 11:41 to play. Kinne’s second tally of the night, a power play goal with 5:12 on the clock, iced the 6-0 win.
“Discipline matters,” Lee said. “Discipline’s the difference between winning and losing. We had one penalty. Anytime you play a high school game at this level with one penalty, I think that shows a lot.”
Still unbeaten at 8-0-1, the Spartans shift their attention to Tuesday’s (6) home game against CCL rival Austin Prep (4-3-2). St. Mary’s won its first meeting with Austin Prep, a 2-0 win in the opening round of the Christie Serino Tournament back in December.
“I think the target’s getting bigger but we’re going to continue to have the same philosophy and that’s one game at a time,” Lee said. “We need to come out and try to outwork our opponents.”
