There was a feeling going into Sunday that the MIAA boys hockey matchups were going to be...meh.
In Division 1, there was powerhouse No. 1 St. John's Prep against No. 11 Winchester. The Red and Black were a Cinderella team but...could they hang with the Eagles? Then, in Division 2, No. 1 Tewksbury, also a powerhouse, was taking on No. 11 Boston Latin. Again, a No. 1 vs. a No. 11. In Division 3, No. 1 Nauset was going to battle No. 6 Marblehead. The closest matchup looked to be in Division 4 with No. 5 Dover-Sherborn/Weston and No. 6 Hanover.
The Division 4 game ended up being the least dramatic.
Instead, it was a day full of upsets and almost upsets, along with a giant controversy. It was a phenomenal batch of hockey games to watch.
Here are the nine most memorable moments from the four boys games. Patrick Donnelly has you covered for the girls.
Let's dive in.
1. Johnny Tighe's controversial buzzer-beater to win it for St. John's Prep
What else was going to be No. 1?
This wasn't just the most unforgettable moment of this year's MIAA championships — it will be one of the most memorable moments from any MIAA championship ever.
When SJP senior defenseman Brady Plaza's shot went off Winchester goalie Aiden Emerick's pad and onto the stick of Tighe, the clock hit 0.0. But Tighe kept playing and fired it into the empty cage as the siren sounded. TD Garden went bananas, as Tighe did the Superman celebration across center ice. The referee at the net called it a goal at the time and after conferring with the other three officials, the call stood.
No, it shouldn't have counted. But it did count due to the MIAA not using video replay, meaning Tighe won a state championship game on a buzzer-beater goal.
MIAA GIRLS HOCKEY TITLES: St. Mary’s wins Division 1 | Duxbury wins Division 2
This play will always be both famous and infamous — it just depends which side you're on.
2. The puck lying on the goal line in Tewksbury-Boston Latin
Before Boston Latin scored three goals in the final five minutes to beat Tewksbury, the Redmen held a 2-1 lead. Jeremy Insogna threw a shot on Boston Latin goalie Oliver Murphy that trickled through the sophomore netminder and laid on the goal line for what felt like an eternity.
In reality, it sat there for a good two to three seconds as everyone frantically went for it. Tewksbury senior star Matthew Cooke famously dove for it, just missing by an inch or two. Other Tewksbury sticks were in the mix, too. Ultimately, Boston Latin's defense cleared it, keeping it a one-goal game.
Had Tewksbury been able to put that in, it probably would've been a much different result.
3. All the posts that Nauset hit
This is not meant to diminish Marblehead junior goalie Leo Burdge's performance. He was outstanding, leading his team to a 32-save shutout over the No. 1 seed.
But Nauset hit quite a few posts. I counted four, including a shot by Logan Poulin that dinged the crossbar early in the third period. Early in the second, senior forward Aaron Howard hit the crossbar. Junior forward Colin Ward hit the post later in the second period. Moments later, sophomore forward Brody Basset hit the post, too.
Those were all signs that it just wasn't Nauset's day.
4. The other goal that didn't count in SJP-Winchester
Because of the ending, it's easy to forget that towards the end of the second period, SJP senior star Jake Vana appeared to score, pitchforking a rebound past Emerick. But the referee blew the play dead prior to the puck going in, which is what SJP head coach Kristian Hanson said the official told him.
Had that goal counted, it's likely a different game entering the third period. Do the floodgates open for St. John's Prep after that? Who knows. But that was a big sign that the tide was beginning to shift in Winchester's favor.
5. Aidan Fitzpatrick scores the eventual game-winner for Boston Latin
Shortly after Boston Latin cleared the puck off its own goal line, junior forward William Cunniffe tipped a shot from sophomore defenseman Ryan McHugh into the net, tying the game, 2-2.
Then came the eventual game-winning tally.
Fitzpatrick forced a turnover behind the Tewksbury net, grabbed the puck and brought it to the front. Tewksbury junior goalie David Karlberg made the first save, but Fitzpatrick jammed it past him on the second try, giving Boston Latin the lead, as well as all the momentum.
6. Matthew Carrera's highlight-reel goal to secure the Boston Latin win
And then, of course, came the dagger.
After Fitzpatrick's goal, everyone at TD Garden expected Tewksbury to press and fire the puck on net every chance they could. Instead, Carrera grabbed the puck in neutral ice and dangled through Tewksbury's defense, slipping one through the legs of Karlberg. Even though there were about two minutes to play, the game felt over and the upset was all but complete.
THE OTHER SIDE: What it's like to lose in the state championship game — and what comes next
7. Chris McCarthy gives Winchester a lead midway through the third period
St. John's Prep and Winchester were tied, 1-1, entering the third period. Even though the game was tied, things had been going Winchester's way and St. John's Prep wasn't having its best showing.
That was confirmed when McCarthy got a breakaway and scored his second goal of the game on SJP goalie AJ Farese, giving the Red and Black a 2-1 lead. At that moment, with Winchester in the driver's seat and Emerick playing as well as he was, it felt like Winchester just might be able to pull off the upset.
Moments later, however, Winchester took a penalty and SJP tied the game on the ensuing power play.
8. Aiden Emerick's saves on Cooper Hosmer and Cam Umlah
Right after Winchester tied the game, 1-1, midway through the second period, Hosmer, the St. John's Prep sophomore forward, got a Grade-A shot on Emerick that the Winchester goalie had to go post-to-post for. Emerick got it with his skate and fell down. While down, Umlah got a shot off that was deflected but still going in the net. Emerick reached up and gloved it down. Even though Winchester didn't go on to win, both saves were impressive.
MIAA BOYS HOCKEY TITLES: St. John’s Prep wins Division 1 | Boston Latin wins Division 2 | Marblehead wins Division 3 | Dover-Sherborn/Weston wins Division 4
9. Christos Rogaris extends Dover-Sherborn/Weston's lead to 3-1 to end the second period
Don't worry — I didn't forget about Dover-Sherborn/Weston's 5-1 win over Hanover. It just had the least amount of drama.
Both teams were tied, 1-1, for the majority of the second period. But with 47.7 seconds left in the middle frame, junior forward Hunter Hourihan scored on a funky bounce to put Dover-Sherborn/Weston up, 2-1. Then, just 16.1 seconds later, Rogaris potted one, making it 3-1 and swinging momentum completely in his team's favor.
