Central Catholic's Brothers, Andover's Quill battle to draw

David Willis, The Eagle-Tribune, North Andover, Mass.
·3 min read

Feb. 3—SALEM, N.H. — It wasn't ideal, but just over three weeks removed from a three-goal loss to to his team's archrival, Andover boys hockey coach Kevin Drew wasn't going to complain about a tie.

"It was a great effort," said Drew. "We knew we were going to be the underdogs against Central Catholic. We really competed, and we'll take the tie. You don't want a tie, but I'm very happy to get the point (in the standings). Our goalie had a strong game, and their goalie played very well, too."

Behind stellar efforts for goalies Michael Brothers (25 saves) of Central Catholic and JJ Quill (28 saves) of Andover, the Raiders and Golden Warriors played to a 1-1 overtime tie on Wednesday at the Salem ICenter.

Central won the previous matchup 4-1 on Jan. 8. The Raiders also won both matchups last year, 4-2 and 4-1

"We had a hard time gaining momentum with the puck and we took too many penalties today," said Central coach DJ Conte. "Their goaltender did a great job controlling the puck. Our goalie was also very solid. He's a senior captain and stops a lot of pucks to keep us in games."

After three years of facing off in the rivalry, senior netminders Brothers and Quill embrace the head-to-head battles.

"JJ had an amazing game today," said Brothers. "Me and JJ have been going back-and-forth for years. After the game he was joking around with me. It's a great rivalry. We're good friends off the ice. We keep it loose. We just formed a bond competing against each other over the years."

Both goalies came up with some huge saves late on Wednesday. Brothers made a few massive stops at the end of regulation. His best was a pad save, then using his stick to knock away the loose puck that was just inches from the goal line.

Central delivered a pair of fierce attacks in the final two minutes of overtime, but Quill was there to preserve the tie. One shot looked destined for the top right corner of the net, but Quill used his shoulder to knock it away.

"Being on the smaller side, I have to rely on my athleticism to bail me out of some spots," said the 5-foot-6 Quill recently. "I have to look around and get to a spot faster, where a taller goalie might rely on height and length. I have to be speedy, flexible and athletic."

Andover took the lead with 3:30 left in the first period. Tyler Lareau played the puck into the zone to Carter Hillson, who fired a pass to Jonnty Lynch, who slid it into the net.

Central Catholic evened the score with 8:34 left in the second. Aiden Pinet sent a pass out in front of the net to defenseman Cam Marzilli, who blasted home a slap shot high glove side.

Both teams had some opportunities from there, but the goalies would not relent.

"JJ and Brothers always battle back-and-forth," said Drew. "They're good friends. It's always a big game for both guys. JJ worked very hard to get ready for this one. We are confident anytime JJ is out there, and I'm sure their goalie was ready too."

Andover 1, Central Catholic 1 (OT)

Andover (6-6-1): 1 0 0 0 — 1

Central Catholic (6-5-2): 0 1 0 0 — 1

Goals: A — Jonny Lynch; CC — Cam Marzilli

Assists: A — Carter Hillson, Mike DiCenzo; CC — Aiden Pinet, Charlie Winship

Saves: A — JJ Quill 28; CC — Michael Brothers 26

TWITTER: DWillisET