BRIGHTON – The eight-day layover for the Arlington boys hockey team, playing in its first game since losing to BC High, looked every bit of its length in the first period Tuesday night at Warrior Ice Arena.
But for as much time as No. 7 Catholic Memorial spent in the offensive zone, and for as much as it peppered goalie John Snider and the defense, it was the No. 5 Spy Ponders (4-1) that walked away with a signature 2-0 win to end 2024 with a bang.
Shot-blocking and Snider’s 33 saves were at the forefront of a standout, grind-it-out performance, eventually backed by third-period goals from JP Messuri and Nolan Russell in the final 10 minutes.
Must-win games don’t truly come until the state tournament, but this performance came at an important time following Arlington’s loss to BC High.
“We’re in the middle of BC High, CM, Pope (Francis), Hingham, Winchester, Reading – all within like 18 days,” said Spy Ponders head coach John Messuri. “So, we just want to try to win some of these games in this stretch. … I think that was the more important thing. You get worried when you lose the first one in that stretch. They’re like, ‘Hey, we may not win again for a while.’ So that was important there, to get a win.”
“It just shows that we can grind,” added senior defenseman Bobby Nigro. “We got pummeled in the first (period), but then we came back and showed we can play with these teams. We can play with anyone.”
Knights (4-3) head coach Larry Rooney didn’t think his group did the little things necessary to win a game like this. Shots-on-goal were 33-15 in favor of Catholic Memorial, but it didn’t get much from its attack in the dirty areas.
On two of the few times it did get a good shot off a rebound, Nigro was notably there to block or disrupt the bid. Catholic Memorial’s total shots is close to double that with how many blocks Arlington racked up, which played a vital role.
“We did some shot-blocking this week in practice,” John Messuri said. “We had them block coach’s shot this week. … We did what we had to win against a really good team.”
Arlington saw a major shift in periods, constantly fending off Catholic Memorial in the first before trading bids in the second and parts of the third. Eighth-grader Jaxon Fleming (13 saves) and sophomore defenseman Liam McKinney made standout plays to keep the Spy Ponders off the board, and the Knights successfully killed all three of their penalties.
But JP Messuri and Russell kept threatening and finally scored in the third period. Russell won a battle for the puck in front on the first, sending it to Messuri at the post for a back-door goal and a 1-0 lead with 9:23 left. Russell then picked off a pass in Catholic Memorial’s zone two minutes later and scored for some insurance.
Snider and the defense held on from there.
“(Snider) made a ton of big saves,” John Messuri said. “For him to play the way he’s been playing for us this whole year has been unbelievable.”
Catholic Memorial honored team manager Jack Aalto, who recently received a heart transplant, by dedicating the New Year’s Eve matchup to New England Donor Services. The school sold “Jack of Hearts” T-shirts before and during the game, and will donate all the sale and gate proceeds to the non-profit organization in Aalto’s name.
“It’s a good feeling for all of us,” Rooney said. “Jack, his family, Catholic Memorial, CM hockey, the greater hockey community, to be able to bring awareness to such a great thing. For somebody to be brave enough, step up, and maybe be able to donate an organ, or be on the receiving side of that, is a fantastic thing. … John Messuri’s the best (for being a part of it with Arlington).”