Boys Hockey: Mounties Stay Hot with Big Win over LaSalle

With both teams jockeying for second place in Division I, Mount St. Charles traveled to Warwick to take on LaSalle. Mount was able to extend its winning streak and claim second place in the division with a 4-2 win.

MSC got off to a great start, lighting the lamp only 1:19 into the contest. Brandon Borges gave the Mounties the early lead, but they would not hold their lead for long. Matthew Botieri was given a point blank opportunity off a turnover and he was able to beat Brian Larence and find the nylon only 38 seconds after MSC scored.

LaSalle would claim its first lead moments later, when Jason Delisle cleaned up a loose puck in front of the net. The up-tempo pace of the game continued throughout the first period and MSC was able to tie the score at 11:56. Ryan Berard found Brian Belisle with a beautiful pass to beat Tyler Walsh stick side, knotting up the score at 2-2.

“The first period was little too loosey-goosey for our liking with their speed. But we settled down and tightened up our checking in the second and third,” Mount Coach David Belisle said.

The second and third periods were played much more methodically than the first, with an emphasis by both teams on puck control, finishing checks, and defense. But Mount got a little over aggressive in the second period and put itself in two difficult penalty kill situations. The Mounties faced a 5-on-3 early in the second period, and Callan Morriseau was called for a 5-minute major for boarding. But the Mounties clogged up the shooting lanes and were able to kill both penalties, keeping the score tied.

“Our penalty kill was the key to the game. It could have broken our back if they scored. Three out of the last four times we’ve lost were due to being in the penalty box, and there it was staring us in the face,” Belisle said.

Mount had momentum going into the third and with two early power play opportunities, looked as though they would regain the lead. But Tyler Walsh was phenomenal in net and the goal never came for the Mounties.

Both squads traded scoring chances in the third, but the decisive goal didn’t come until 12:31, when a centering pass from Berard bounced off a skate and found the net, giving Mount the lead back with under three minutes left.

The Mounties solidified their road victory a minute later with a highlight real play from Belisle and Brian Campbell. Belisle spun around his defender and found Campbell with a backhand pass. Campbell buried it top shelf to give MSC a 4-2 lead, which held until the final buzzer.

“What a pass and what a finish! Campbell and Belisle have been doing that all year. And we needed that goal, because we knew LaSalle was going to come at us hard in those last couple minutes. Definitely helps you breathe a little bit as a coach,” Belisle said.

Fantastic penalty killing and great teamwork on the offensive end propelled Mount St. Charles ahead of LaSalle on Friday and ahead of them in the standings. The Mounties now only trail Bishop Hendricken in the Division I standings and are peaking at the right time with the playoffs on the horizon.

“We’re playing great hockey and we’ve just got to continue doing that. That was a big win for us. That’s a great team. And it was great for us to notch a win against them before we get to the playoffs,” Belisle said.

Mount will finish out the regular season next weekend with games against top seed Bishop Hendricken on Friday, and Moses Brown on Saturday.