USHS: Hayes Leads Nobles Over Andover

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Mark Fayne (NJ), D, Nobles

One of the top Prep players this year, Fayne controls the puck and makes smart decisions in all areas of the ice. He never panics under pressure playing in all situations for Nobles. Fayne knows when to join the rush and always finds the open man on the powerplay. He uses his stick well to block passing lanes and is rock solid on the penalty kill. The blueliner has an excellent shot, which he must use more often, sometimes electing to pass when the shot is there. Nobles coach Brian Day describes his defensive stud as "a real solid defenseman. He's a big, strong kid, competes real hard, distributes the puck well and also knows when to jump into the play. He generates a lot of assists and reads the ice well."

Jimmy Hayes (2007), F, Nobles

Hayes is a good skater with formidable size and strength. He is assertive along the boards and drives hard to the net. Just a sophomore, he has excellent hands and a solid shot. Hayes finds space and gets open in the offensive zone. His second goal was a tremendous individual effort battling through two defenders and he nearly scored two more.

Chris Huxley (2006), D, Nobles

Huxley is a solid defenseman who is not afraid to join the rush but remains an effective 1-on-1 defender. He pushes the puck up ice quickly with smart outlet passes and plays on both special teams. Likely to move up in the 2006 draft rankings, Huxley needs to be a bit more patient on the powerplay and avoid rushing plays if no teammate is open.

Michael Griffin (2006), F, Nobles

Griffin possesses size and speed, and he creates breakaway opportunities because he's so smart with the puck. He has a good shot, backchecks hard, rarely misses a defensive assignment and is a key penalty killer. The solid, all-around forward is a top 100 prospect for this year's draft but needs to crank it up offensively.

John Muse (2007), G, Nobles

Muse displayed quick feet and controlled rebounds well despite not being tested much through the first two periods. The young netminder was solid in the third, bailing out Nobles when they got into penalty trouble.

Ryan Maguire (2006), RW, Nobles

McGuire plays both special teams and possesses good speed. He works well with linemates Griffin and Hayes, cycling the puck and dominating almost every shift together. McGuire's one-timer is a key on the powerplay but he needs to find open space on the ice and become more physical down low in the offensive zone.

Andrew Glass (2007), C, Nobles

Glass has good hockey sense and is very smart with the puck. His forte is winning faceoffs, he's strong along the boards and boasts a decent shot. The pivot needs to shoot more though and get tougher in the corners.

Derrick Pallis (2008), D, Nobles

A good skater while carrying the puck, Pallis mans the point on the second powerplay unit. He displays a nice shot on the man advantage but must utilize it more at even strength. He plays a solid, if unspectacular game but has to improve offensively if he wants to establish himself.

Joe Smith (2006), C, Andover

A good skater, who forechecks hard, Smith plays in all situations and is a good shooter. Inconsistent at times, he rushes his passes in the offensive zone and needs to put in a better effort to live up to his mid-round projection for the upcoming draft.

Chris Cahill (2006), W, Andover

Smart with the puck and a dogged forechecker, Cahill is aggressive and strong along the boards. He possesses a nice hard shot and contributes on the penalty kill but needs to be more consistent throughout an entire game.

J.P. Martignetti (2006), C, Andover

Martignetti has imposing size and when his line is clicking he can be a physical presence. Unfortunately he tends to take the odd shift lightly and tries to be too fancy with the puck at times. The centre does a good job on the powerplay, using his body to screen in front but needs to work on faceoffs.

Hunter Thunell (2006), D, Andover

Prone to poor decisions in the defensive zone when under pressure, Thunell's best assets are displayed on the powerplay with his solid point shot and good, hard passes. He sometimes jumps up into the offense at the wrong time and tends to over-commit himself.

GAME RECAP:

First Period

All tied 1-1 after the opening period, Noble & Greenough controlled the balance of play but it was Andover Academy's goaltender Matthew Ward (Sr.) who kept the game close. Andover notched the first goal when Nobles' netminder John Muse (Jr.) mishandled a rebound before sniper Jimmy Hayes evened the match on a powerplay. Hayes battled his way to the front of the net through a goalmouth scramble, picked up a loose puck and fired it home. Ward was especially sharp in helping to kill off numerous Nobles powerplays – their top unit featuring stellar point men Chris Huxley (Sr.) and team captain Mark Fayne (Sr.). Ward also stopped two breakaways in a one-minute span.

Second Period

Nobles counted three goals in the middle stanza to earn a comfortable 4-1 lead. Fayne, Matt Rhone (Sr.) and Hayes all scored – the first two coming on powerplays and the back-breaking fourth with just 15 seconds left in the period. Fayne moved in from the point and snapped one top shelf from a faceoff dot, Rhone took a lovely pass from Huxley – stationed behind the net – and slid it five-hole, prior to a nice individual effort by Hayes. In the waning moments, the young forward grabbed the puck in the corner, fought off two checks and went to the net to push it under Ward with only one hand on his stick.

Third Period

Nobles killed a pair of 5-on-3s powerplays, plus another one-man disadvantage, to stave off a hard-charging Andover and win 4-1. Despite long stretches of inactivity during the first two periods, Muse made a series of nice saves and controlled rebounds in preserving the victory. Fayne, Huxley and Ben Shellington (Jr.) managed to keep most of Andover's shots to the perimeter and cleared the front of the net, allowing Muse a chance to see the puck.