Home
Xaverian Hockey Dominates in 7-2 Victory on Opening Night
After a long offseason, the Hawks returned to the ice on Wednesday night with a vengeance, taking down the Needham Rockets by a score of 7-2.
Last season, the Xaverian Hockey team compiled a strong 11-7-5 regular season, but fell to Braintree in the Division I South Semi-Finals. Although some key members of the team graduated and headed off to college, the Hawks come into this season with a powerful roster, led by the star-studded top line of 2017 All-Scholastic Josh Barton ’19, Ryan Pomposelli ’20, and Matt Ryan ’20.
“It is no secret we bring back a potent line, which will draw everyone’s top D pair and defenders,” said Coach Dave Spinale. “We hope to be in the mix and compete every night.”
After a long offseason, the Hawks returned to the ice on Wednesday night with a vengeance, taking down the Needham Rockets by a score of 7-2. The Babson Skating Center was packed with fans excited for the road ahead in the new season, and they were not disappointed. Xaverian’s win made a loud statement that the Hawks are going to have a relentless team this year.
Early in the first, Needham snuck a shot past goalie James Herring ’19 to put the Rockets ahead 1-0, but they would not enjoy this lead for long. Xaverian responded with a John Joyce ’19 goal, assisted by Jack Silva ’22, 8:26 into the period. The Hawks looked to be settling in after a bit of a slow start as they headed into the first intermission.
As the second period got underway, the Rockets answered back with another goal, but their exuberance didn’t last long. Six unanswered goals by your opponent can do that to a team, and that was exactly what Xaverian did. Less than five minutes later, the Hawks’ powerful top line came to life, as Ryan Pomposelli ’20 pounded the puck home on a pass by Barton.
With the game tied, both teams were desperate to be the next one to score, and it was once again the Xaverian top line that answered the call. Barton collected his first goal of the season 13:01 into the second, assisted by Silva and Matt Joyce ’19. However, the Hawks were not content only leading by one heading into the break, as Matt Talarico ’19, who had established his physical presence throughout the opening periods, scored on an assist from Matt Joyce.
The Hawks soared into the third period, where they put their foot on the gas and commanded Needham for every one of the final fifteen minutes. Barton tallied another goal 58 seconds in, establishing himself as a player to be feared across the Catholic Conference. One particularly exciting moment of the closing minutes was the impressive puck control of Doug Concannon ’19, who deked around a Needham player. A few minutes later, Pomposelli recorded another goal on the power play, assisted by -- you guessed it -- Josh Barton. With the game virtually out of reach for Needham, Robbie Barletta ’21 decided to play the role of the closer, scoring the final goal of the night with 2:43 left in the game on yet another assist by Barton.
“It didn’t take long for the guys to find their stride,” team manager Christian Brady ’19 said. “Pretty much after the first period, the pace started to pick up and we carried the play. We’re a quick team, so if we continue to set the pace and keep it up, there aren’t going to be many teams that can keep up with us for 45 minutes.”
The Hawks look to continue their winning ways on Saturday, December 15, when they head to Barnstable to take on the Red Raiders at 7:30 p.m. If the victory on Opening Night was any indication, it looks to be a special season for Xaverian hockey.
2018-2019 Roster and Schedule
Roster - Head Coach Dave Spinale, James Herring ’19, Josh Barton (Captain) ’19, Angel Montanez ’21, Mike Pitocchelli ’19, Trevor Connolly ’21, Andrew Barton ’21, Jack Silva ’22, Eric Wainwright ’20, Matt Joyce ’19, Matt Talarico ’19, Will Fondo ’21, Shane Spinale ’21, Ty Marchi ’20, John Joyce ’19, Robbie Barletta ’21, Joe Crowley ’21, Riley Stanley ’20, Matt Ryan (Captain) ’20, Doug Concannon ’19, Ryan Pomposelli (Captain) ’20, Stefano Lanci ’20, Kyle Harvey ’21, Anthony Scott ’19, and Manager Christian Brady ’19
Schedule - 12/12 @ Needham; 12/15 @ Barnstable; 12/22 @ Austin Prep; 12/27 vs. St. John’s Shrewsbury; 12/28 vs. Framingham; 1/2 @ BC High; 1/5 vs Catholic Memorial; 1/9 vs. St. John’s Shrewsbury; 1/12 @ St. John’s Prep; 1/16 vs. Malden Catholic; 1/19 vs. BC High; 1/21 @ Belmont; 1/23 @ Chelmsford; 1/26 vs. Duxbury; 1/30 vs. St. John’s Prep; 2/2 @ Malden Catholic; 2/9 vs. Moses Brown; 2/13 @ Marshfield; 2/16 @ Framingham; 2/19 @ Melrose
Xaverian Brothers High School
Xaverian is a Catholic, college-preparatory school for boys in grades 7-12. As an inclusive community, we embrace diverse experiences and perspectives, welcoming students and families from all faiths and backgrounds. Through exceptional academics, athletics, the arts, faith formation, and service opportunities, we help young men discover their unique gifts and talents so they can share them with a world in need.
