Tenth in a series in which the Globe profiles a varsity high school team from Eastern Massachusetts.
The St. Sebastian’s boys’ hockey team returned to its Needham campus late Tuesday night after a 5-4 Independent School League win over Tabor Academy.
For some teams, a gritty, hard-earned victory over a league rival — especially one that had handed St. Seb’s its only league loss of the season — would mean a bit of a break.
But the Arrows were flying around Henry T. Lane Rink on Wednesday afternoon, and that was before their scheduled weightlifting session.
Under the direction of head coach Sean McCann , hard work has placed St. Seb’s (20-4) atop the ISL standings with a 10-1 mark in the league. St. Seb’s has won 10 straight games.
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McCann, a former Harvard captain and Hobey Baker finalist who is a US history teacher at the school, is in his 10th season as head coach after a seven-year run as a Harvard assistant.
“It’s a matter of a lot of things coming together,” McCann said. “We’ve done well. We’ve been fortunate sometimes.”
A pair of senior captains, center Liam Gorman (32 points) of Wellesley and center Tommy Lyons (33 points) of Westwood, have been focal points for a program eyeing its first ISL title since 2003.
“We’re buzzing right now,” Gorman said. “Our team is just clicking all around.”
Here are five things to know about St. Sebastian’s boys’ hockey.
Centers of attention
Gorman and Lyons, close friends off the ice, are huge cogs for the Arrows.
McCann considers it a luxury to have his senior leaders set the tone and lead his top two lines.
“It’s great,” McCann said. “The amount of experience that they’ve had really solidifies things down the middle of the ice.”
The senior pair have also played a huge role in building team chemistry. Lyons, who plans to play at Harvard, calls it the closest group he’s played with in his four years at St. Seb’s, and points to bonding activities like team dinners.
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“It’s been unlike years in the past, where there were groups and guys that cliqued together,” added Gorman, who will play at BU.
Scorching hot
In their current 10-game win streak, the Arrows have netted 5.3 goals per game while allowing 1.9.
McCann credits recent scoring bursts to great team speed. He also says the coaches have focused on mimicking a game environment in practice, with an emphasis on quick decision-making.
“Our speed and ability to make plays has really translated,” McCann said. “You’re always trying to push the pace in drills.”
Gorman is flanked by junior right wing Liam Connors (39 points) of Westborough and freshman left wing Jack Hughes (Westwood), who has committed to Northeastern. Lyons centers a line with sophomore Connor Joyce (Dedham) on the right and New Hampshire-bound junior Liam Devlin (Needham) on the left.
Goalie tandem
McCann has rolled with a platoon in net, playing matchups and riding the hot hand.
Luke Garrity (2.50 goals against average), a junior from Duxbury, has played over 70 percent of the minutes, with senior Jack Moffatt (1.91 GAA) of Wellesley seeing the rest of the time.
“I’ve never seen two goalies so competitive against each other,” Gorman said. “But they’re great friends off the ice.”
No goalie succeeds without solid defenseman. Senior James Davenport (Needham) and junior Jayden Struble (36 points) have helped solidify the blue line.
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Coaching committee
McCann isn’t alone when the Arrows hit the ice.
Assistant Jed Doherty, a Seb’s alum, has been coaching the defense for 20-plus years. Curry College graduate Andrew Huntoon works with the goalies once a week. Alum Corey Ronan, who notched 43 points in a four-year career at UConn, is tasked with working with the forwards.
“[Corey] just has a great young energy,” Lyons said. “He’s very helpful with the small little details of the game.”
Ending the drought
The 2002-03 championship banner hangs in the back right corner of Lane Rink, just beneath the scoreboard.
For each player, it’s a reminder of what’s at stake this season — the chance to end a 16-year title drought.
“We definitely see that [banner] every single day when we walk in,” Gorman said. “We just look at each other like, we gotta do this.”
The Arrows have won five ISL titles since they entered the league in 1976. The 2002-03 title was the final leg of a three-peat.
“It’s good to remind everybody that this is what we’re playing for,” Lyons said.
Matt MacCormack can be reached at matthew.maccormack@globe.com.