BOSTON — With 4.1 seconds left in the game, Winchester looked to have cleared the puck. But St. John's Prep senior defenseman Brady Plaza circled back and narrowly kept the puck in the opposing zone.
He threw a last-ditch effort on net that found its way through to Winchester goalie Aiden Emerick's right pad. It bounced onto the stick of SJP senior Johnny Tighe, who put it in the back of the net as the siren sounded, ending regulation.
As the St. John's Prep bench threw its sticks, gloves and helmets into the air, the referees met to discuss whether it went in after time expired.
They counted it as a good goal — a decision some might disagree with after reviewing the replay — and No. 1 St. John's Prep won the MIAA Division 1 boys state title, taking down No. 11 Winchester, 3-2, in an instant classic.
D1 BOYS STATE FINAL
FINAL:
No. 1 St. John’s Prep - 3
No. 11 Winchester - 2Officials met for a mightily close call, rules Johnny Tighe’s goal at the buzzer good.
Senior’s second goal of the day seals Eagles’ second title in three years. Aiden Emerick with 48 saves. pic.twitter.com/LR9y3WBjsj
— Tom Mulherin (@T_Mulherin) March 18, 2024
It's head coach Kristian Hanson's team's second Division 1 title in three years after the Eagles took down Xaverian in 2022.
The scoring started in the first period when St. John's Prep sophomore defenseman JR Goldstein let a shot go from the point. It was deflected in front and slipped past Emerick, who finished with an incredible 46 saves.
Winchester responded on the power play in the second period. Winchester sophomore defenseman Adam Krogmeier was at the net front and got two chances off on SJP goalie AJ Farese. The first was saved, while the second went through the crease and on to the stick of junior forward Chris McCarthy, who ripped one into the empty cage, tying the score, 1-1.
The Red and Black opened the third period by stunning St. John's Prep. McCarthy got a breakaway at the 10:52 mark and finished the chance past Farese, making it 2-1 Winchester.
But Winchester took a penalty moments later and SJP capitalized. Tighe got a pass from linemate and senior Jake Vana and put in his first of two goals in the contest, tying the score, 2-2.
Farese finished with 13 saves on 15 shots, while Emerick made 46 saves on 49 shots.
Let's dive into some takeaways.
1. The huge storyline from this one will be the buzzer-beater — and not so much that it happened, but that multiple videos show Tighe's shot going in after the siren went off, signaling the end of the third period. Props to Plaza for starting the whole offensive sequence with the shot, despite there being so little time left on the clock and props to Tighe for playing to the buzzer. From up above, it didn't look like the referees ever looked at any video, which doesn't make much sense considering the Garden HDX consistently showed replays throughout all games. That's at or near the top in terms of the most heartbreaking ways I've seen a team lose. And that's up there with one of the worst blown calls I've ever seen. A horrible way for Winchester's run to end.
Light was on before the puck went in. Oh my goodness. https://t.co/8dJoxTftvQ pic.twitter.com/RyPNl6kMQo
— Evan Marinofsky (@EvanMarinofsky) March 18, 2024
2. What a way for Tighe's high school hockey career to end. Two goals in the final and when his team needed them most. When McCarthy potted his second, it looked like SJP was done. The Eagles were stunned. But Tighe stepped up in a huge way. Lots of the attention gets put on his other two linemates — Vana and Christian Rosa — and rightfully so. They're two of the best players in the MIAA. But Tighe consistently got the job done all season.
3. The second-biggest storyline from this game: Emerick. What a freakin' performance. The junior brought his absolute best, turning away numerous Grade-A chances from St. John's Prep. He'd been outstanding to get Winchester to TD Garden. But on Sunday, he was on another level. His best save of the day came when he went post-to-post to rob SJP sophomore forward Cooper Hosmer and then while down, reaching up to glove a shot from senior forward Cam Umlah. A brutal ending for Winchester, but Emerick should be extremely proud.
4. Emerick was the main reason Winchester hung with St. John's Prep, but he wasn't the only reason. Winchester was more physical. A good example of that was on McCarthy's second goal. Vana was entering the Winchester zone, but Red and Black junior defender Thomas Casey stepped up and delivered a huge hit, freeing the puck and letting Winchester go the other way.
The Red and Black also defended in great layers, making it difficult for SJP to get consistently great scoring chances. It was a terrific game plan by Winchester head coach Gino Khachadourian.
5. It wasn't as masterful a performance for SJP as its win over Xaverian was, but there's no doubt that the Eagles were the best team in the state this winter. It's only fitting that its top line of Tighe, Vana and Rosa, along with Plaza at the point, were the catalysts behind the game-winning goal.
