MIDDLETON, Mass. — St. John's Prep soared in its 6-1 victory over rival Xaverian on Saturday to capture its first Catholic Conference title since 2013.
Propelled by a booming power play, the Eagles peppered Xaverian's standout goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter (Wrentham, Mass.) all afternoon. One play in particular was a microcosm of Xaverian's day.
Miscommunications at the crease by the Hawks led to an opportunistic goal by SJP senior forward Hunter Steiner (Burlington, Mass.). Steiner's goal made the score 5-1 and was one of many times that the Eagles capitalized on Xaverian miscues.
Even in a 6-1 win, St. John's Prep head coach Kristian Hanson knows how hard it is to win the Catholic Conference.
“It's really difficult to win Catholic Conference titles," Hanson said. "There's a lot of great teams in the conference. I have a ton of respect for Xaverian. For it to come down today to this game against them, it’s kind of fitting. I know we won today. We keep everything in perspective, but you do have to enjoy these moments because they don't come around that often."
But things did not always look like they were going St. John's Prep's way to begin the game.
Less than four minutes into the first period, junior wing Sean Pohl netted the Hawks' first and only goal of the contest, sending home a puck in traffic at the crease. The Hawks' luck, however, seemingly ran out after that.
Unable to stop an onslaught of shots by St. John's Prep while a man down, Xaverian's penalty kill could not keep up with the Eagles' power play unit. Outshooting Xaverian 36-9 in the game, St. John's Prep senior captain Christain Rosa (Lynnfield, Mass.) believes the offense and the power play unit are coming together at the right time.
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"Beginning of the year, we kind of struggled in the power play. We've been working on it practice over and over, and we're starting to find that groove, and it's awesome to see the puck going in,” Rosa said.
Rosa certainly benefited from the power play on Saturday afternoon. Netting two goals on the man-advantage off textbook passes from senior defenseman Brady Plaza (Danvers, Mass.), Rosa and the power play made life miserable for the Hawks.
With a pivotal man-up goal to start the third period, Rosa and co. broke the game open and extended their lead to two.
After his score, the Eagles, buzzing with energy, never looked back. And Rosa knows positivity is what drives St. John's Prep and will continue to fuel them this season.
"We’re keeping everything positive," Rosa said. "We're working hard on all cylinders. I think the positivity keeps going."
Not to be overlooked was the Eagles' defense. Their forecheck and ability to make Xaverian uncomfortable was evident all game long. The Hawks' offense, a strong suit for them this season, looked discombobulated. As a result, the Hawks allowed six unanswered goals, including the final one by SJP defender JR Goldstein (Lynnfield, Mass.) late in the third period.
"We were willing to do the little things today," Hansen said. "We were willing to block shots. We were willing to sacrifice the body because we knew what was at stake. It's a huge conference game. And for us, it was to win the conference. That attention to detail really mattered to us today. That's the way you need to play if you want to win.
"Still got a long season to go, right? When I left the locker room today, I said, ‘We can't forget it's January.’ We’ve got a lot of tough hockey in front of us. There's a lot of big, meaningful games down the road. Can't get too far ahead of yourself and appreciate today."
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Let's dive into the three stars.
First Star: Christian Rosa, C, Sr., SJP
The captain of the Eagles made his presence known. On blisteringly fast one-timers, Rosa scored on two man-up occasions for St. John's Prep. Scoring on one of the best goalies in the state, Pouliot-Porter, Rosa was always there to make a big play.
Second Star: Brady Plaza, D, Sr., SJP
When the Eagles needed a play, Plaza was there to make it. On top of serving two assists to Rosa, Plaza played a clean game and stepped up when needed. In a game that was decided mostly on the power play, his passing and patience opened shooting lanes for St. John's Prep and chances for them offensively.
Third Star: AJ Farese, G, Sr., SJP
While the game was tight going into the third period, Farese steadied the ship for the Eagles. After surrendering a goal in the first period, Farese played lights out. Farese makes it as the third star as the even-keeled constant and an undersung impact player of the game.
