Notre Dame set for rematch with Bishop Eustace in states
Payton Miller might have been new to the Notre Dame roster this season, but the way he has played down the stretch has become very familiar.
Miller, just a sophomore, has scored five goals and added three assists for the Irish in the last three games.
“He is a very gifted offensive player,” said Notre Dame coach Mike McVey. “He started the season on fire and then he hit a little slump in the middle, but he has been back to what we expected the last few games.’’
Miller is one of the players the No. 16 seeded Irish (10-9-2) will be looking to as they open play in the NonPublic State Tournament on Tuesday at Loucks Ice Center at 6:40 p.m. against Bishop Eustace (1-19).
No. 17 Eustace, which got their first win the last time out over Paul VI, qualified for the state tournament by virtue of playing in the Gordon Division, which automatically qualifies all teams.
The winner of the game will face No.1 seed Don Bosco (23-1) on Thursday.
These two are not strangers as they have played in the preseason and then a regular season game won by the Irish, 7-2.
Miller has 11 goals and a team-high 16 assists, Carson Skove, another sophomore, leads in goals with 19 and adds 12 assists. Jack Govan, who is just coming off an injury has nine goals for the Irish.
“Bishop Eustace is a team that has played against the best teams in the state all season,’’ said McVey. “So, I’m sure they’ll be ready to play.’’
The Crusaders, who have been shutout nine times, are led by Dylan Saracino with five goals and two assists, Rick Adams has the team lead in assists with five and Nick Gardyasz has four goals.
“We had a decent run in the county tournament,’’ said McVey. “We have to stay out of the box. We need to show up and be ready to play three periods.’’
The Irish have a solid goalie is Cameron Holbrook and the defense in front of him has been steady.
If the Irish can play disciplined, smart hockey and capitalize on their opportunities they should be able to move to the next round. NO. 20 PAUL VI (13-7-2) VS NO. 13 ST. JOSEPH’S (METUCHEN) (13-8-1)
Nick Miller, the Paul VI coach, wanted to upgrade the Eagles schedule to make them a tougher team come tournament time.
The Eagles probably deserved a better seed than 20, but a 1-5 record down the stretch and the lack of a signature win cost them.
“We put ourselves in this position,’’ said Miller. “We learned a lot playing St. Joe’s twice. We know we have to play a full 45 minutes and we need to play faster and smarter.’’
The Eagles won the Valley Division of the CVC and got a pair of crossover wins with Colonial Division teams.
They are led by Cameron Briere with 24 goals and 14 assists, Cameron Chandler adds 19 and 23 and Bailey Guetens has 13 goals and 18 assists.
One of the keys for the Eagles has been the play of Brendan Rodgers between the pipes.
“Brendan has been our backbone all season long,’’ said Miller. “His desire to win is unmatched and I think he’s easily one of the top tenders in the state. We need him to have another big game, but we need to play better in our own end to help him out.’’
Could the third time be the charm for Paul VI?