TEWKSBURY, Mass.—BC High scored on just the second shift of the round of 8 contest against Austin Prep at Breakaway Ice Center Saturday, and that was all the offense the Eagles needed to secure a 1-0 victory to move on to the MIAA Division 1 final four.
Freshman and Needham, Mass. native Joe Feinberg tallied a goal to give BC High (No. 13) the lead early in the game on a line rush, assisted by senior Aidan McDonnell (Dedham, Mass.). Senior goaltender Jack Burke (Dorchester, Mass.) was perfect in net for the second game in a row with identical 1-0 outcomes, stopping everything No. 5 Austin Prep threw his way, including a tremendous late-game save on a deflected shot with 3:23 remaining in regulation to preserve the victory.
The game was well officiated, with the on-ice crew allowing the players to decide the outcome and largely staying above the fray. There were two potential goals by AP that were overturned after conference, however. The first occurred in the second period, when a shot appeared to hit the outside of the net, but one of the referees called a goal. After conferring with the other referee and both linesmen, what would have been a 1-1 game, remained 1-0, BC High. Late in the third, AP thought they found the back of the net again with a 6-on-5 score with their goalie pulled, as a point shot was deflected into the net. However, the referee nearest the play immediately signaled no goal as a result of the puck being redirected with the AP player’s glove. The call came with just 40.2 seconds left on the clock, and although AP mounted a furious push to get the equalizer, a final shot attempt was blocked and time expired as the puck skittered away and out of danger near the blue line.
Here are some quick takeaways from the 13th-seeded Eagles’ victory and some key storylines before their Tuesday night semifinal game against St. John’s Prep at Tsongas Arena for a chance to play in the Division 1 championship game at TD Garden March 20.
It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish
BC High had some early season stumbles, and faced an uphill climb in the deep Catholic Conference, but head coach John Flaherty’s belief in his team never wavered. They just needed to get in, then anything could happen.
“We knew our strength of schedule was going to get us in the tournament,” Flaherty told New England Hockey Journal after the win. “We knew the conference schedule, plus who we purposefully scheduled outside of the league, we knew we would get into the tournament. What seed? We didn’t know, but we knew we were getting in.”
The Eagles beat rival Catholic Memorial by an identical score earlier in the week, and now, after being one of the last teams to make it into the Division 1 bracket, have come together at the right time and have carried that momentum against higher seeds. It won’t get any easier against a top-ranked SJP team, but BC High’s ability to hang in and handle the best their opponents could throw at them, has them believing they can beat anyone.
“I told the team about halfway through the year that we just want to be playing our best hockey come February and March,” Flaherty said. “We want to be a team that nobody wants to play against.”
The goaltending was a cut above
Burke and counterpart Anthony Beaulieu (Lawrence, Mass.) were both outstanding in net, engaging in a duel that was as close as it gets.
Unfortunately for the latter, BC High scored just minutes into the game to put AP in a 1-0 hole on what looked like a fluky bounce that found its way into the back of the net.
For the remaining 40+ minutes, both made myriad quality stops and did their part to turn the game into a relentless, grueling back-and-forth up and down the ice, as the home team started to grab control of the play in the second period and put the pressure on BC High.
Burke had to be sharp early on, and there were some hot rebounds in the first period, but he got the defensive support from his team and bounces his way to keep AP off the scoreboard. As the game went on and the pressure intensified, he seemed to relax and become even more focused, showing some efficient economy of motion and maintaining sight lines with the puck. No save was bigger than the one he made on a tipped shot with a little over 3 minutes left in the third period, as he stayed with the shot, adjusted to the puck as it changed trajectory, and swallowed it into his torso to get a whistle and prevent a goalmouth scramble.
“You need a guy making the saves he’s supposed to make as well as a few spectacular ones as Jack Burke did today,” Flaherty said. “We did the bend, no-break. There were times we were hemmed in and times we were on our heels, but our guys just stuck with it and did what they had to do.”
2 veterans plus freshman = clutch forward unit
Though they didn’t take the ice for the opening face-off, BC High’s line of seniors Ryan Flaherty (Milton, Mass.), McDonnell and Feinberg hopped over the boards on the game’s second shift and moments later broke into the offensive zone. Feinberg’s tally stood up as the game-winner. However, it was their hard-nosed, two-way play as the game went on, that was another key to the victory. Flaherty and McDonnell hounded pucks and did a good job of getting them in deep and backchecking hard when AP went on the attack.
Feinberg, an ’07 brought an energy and jump to the older duo that seemed to round out the unit nicely. The coach also pointed out that Feinberg’s awareness to pin a puck against the wall and keep it tied up in a possession battle that bled a lot of time off the clock late in regulation was a veteran move, and helped secure the win.
Senior defenseman Michael Mann (Milton, Mass.) had a strong game for the Eagles on the blue line, using his stick effectively and making smart reads.
On the other side, AP ninth-grader Jacob Duval (Andover, Mass.) was around the puck a lot and had some quality scoring chances that just didn’t go. Late in the game, with Beaulieu pulled for the extra skater, Duval slipped down from the point and was wide open in the high slot. He got the pass, but his shot was blocked away into the corner with the heavy traffic in front of the BC High net. Ultimately, that’s hockey, but it was a smart, savvy play by one of the top forwards in the game, along with fellow freshman Luke Pazzia (Burlington, Mass.).
It's all about the atmosphere
The building was buzzing, with high energy brought by both the Austin Prep side and an impressive BC High contingent, who traveled up from Boston and filled the arena parking lot early and drowned the bleachers in green.
The opposing students were boisterous, but fun and respectful. Credit to both schools, the administrators and parents for doing their part to enhance the game experience. In the end, as the final seconds ticked off in as close a match as you can have, the BC High students went into the delirium of having both their boy’s hockey and basketball teams making magical playoff runs at the same time.
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Keys to BC High-SJP
St. John’s Prep has been a top team from the get-go, finishing 1 or 2 in the New England Hockey Journal power rankings since mid-January. They are well-coached, talented and deep with several forward lines that comes at opponents in waves. Their defense is efficient and reliable, transporting pucks quickly up the ice and knocking down clearing attempts at the offensive blue line to keep sustained pressure on their opponents. The SJP forwards have a lot of balance and depth, able to strike quickly to jump out ahead early, or kill opposition attempts to rally back.
BC High is riding the underdog wave, as they feel more like Goliath than David, given how they’ve been able to rely on defense and goaltending in their recent wins. With a potent offense, you get the feeling that after a quiet couple of contests, their forwards could be ready to break out with some big goals. ’06 James Marshall had a quiet game against AP, but he’s going to be a threat with his game-breaking skills and knack for the net.
The goaltenders should be at their best, and we’ve seen it already from Burke and Payton Palladino for SJP.
Behind the bench, both Kristian Hanson and John Flaherty bring the kind of motivation and energy that should have their teams flying. Don’t expect a track meet, but this game is going to be a must-see.
Prediction: We all want a good game, but sticking with the underdogs. BC High 3, SJP 2.
