BOSTON — St. John’s Prep entered Sunday at No. 1 in the MIAA Division 1 boys hockey power rankings.
It’s hard to imagine that will change after SJP’s 6-1 takedown of BC High.
BC High had some chances at the start of the game, but once St. John’s Prep got going, it got going.
It started when junior center Christian Rosa (Lynnfield, Mass.) tipped in a sweet feed from senior captain Cole Blaeser (Boxford, Mass.) on the power play to make it 1-0 with 7:24 to play in the first period. Then, just 52 seconds later, senior left wing Ben McGilvray (Reading, Mass.) slipped one past BC High goalie Adam D’Errico (Belmont, Mass.) off the rush to make it 2-0.
Just under eight minutes into the second period, McGilvray sent one shot on net and then grabbed the rebound, but was stopped again. Fortunately for him, Rosa, his linemate, was perfectly positioned to knock the rebound in to make it 3-0 St. John’s Prep.
BC High responded roughly two minutes later when senior center Jackie Murphy (Dorchester, Mass.) finished off a good forechecking job by his teammates with a goal to cut the lead to 3-1.
SJP junior center Cam Umlah (Rye, N.H.) extended the lead with two goals late in the second period to push his team’s lead to 5-1.
And, with 59.9 seconds left in the third period, junior left wing Johnny Tighe (Reading, Mass.) one-timed a shot past D’Errico to add a sixth lamplighter.
On Dec. 28, BC High took down St. John’s Prep, 2-1, in overtime of the Pete Frates Winter Classic. BC High won the tournament when it edged out Pope Francis, 4-3, the next day.
Both teams have gone in different directions since then.
BC High is 1-5-0, with its lone win coming against Malden Catholic on Jan. 8. Along with that, BC High head coach John Flaherty was placed on administrative leave early last week.
St. John’s Prep, however, is 6-0-0, with its biggest win coming over Catholic Memorial on Jan. 7.
St. John’s Prep’s next game will be its biggest to date — a matchup with Catholic Memorial this Wednesday at 6:40 p.m. at Essex Sports Center. BC High will look to bounce back on Thursday against Malden Catholic at 5 p.m. at UMass Boston.
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Let’s dive into the players who stood out most on Sunday.
Christian Rosa
St. John’s Prep, 12/1/05, C, right shot, 5-10/170
While Rosa lit the lamp once Sunday, his most impactful play of the afternoon came before that. St. John’s Prep wasn’t playing to its potential early when BC High went to the box at the 8:13 mark of the first period. On the power play, Rosa found himself with the puck to the right of D’Errico. He dangled around one defender, showing off his great hands, and feathered a pass through the crease to Blaeser who one-timed in the goal. He was one of many key cogs on offense Sunday for SJP, but his early dangle and helper set the wheels in motion for a big win.
Cole Blaeser
St. John’s Prep, 4/6/05, LW, left shot, 6-0/190
Blaeser tallied his team’s first goal, but his work in creating chances was even more impressive. On Umlah’s first goal, it was Blaeser who, as the third forward high, broke up BC High’s breakout by stealing the puck from BC High left wing Michael Federico (Hanover, Mass.) and taking the puck to the net. His work on the penalty kill was great, too, as he showcased good speed and aggressiveness and applied pressure to BC High defenders looking to break the puck out.
Cam Umlah
St. John’s Prep, 5/10/06, C, right shot, 5-10/161
Senior center Jimmy Ayers (Danvers, Mass.) was out for Sunday’s game, so Umlah slid up in the lineup to play between Blaeser and right wing Will Van Sicklin (Lynnfield, Mass.). Umlah wasted no time proving his worth, lighting the lamp twice. His first goal showed some good offensive instincts. As he came up the half wall, all five BC High skaters were pointed toward him on that side of the ice. He could’ve passed it back to the point, but instead, he turned and fired one on net that seemed to catch D’Errico by surprise.
Jake Vana
St. John’s Prep, 9/1/05, RW, right shot, 5-11/170
Vana was credited with two assists, but his most underrated play came on Rosa’s goal to make it 3-0. He won a battle for the puck behind the net and came up the wall toward the point. With one BC High defender on him, he kept his eyes on the blue line, also drawing two other BC High skaters in the direction of the blue line. McGilvray noticed this and slid down into open space in the slot, as Vana hit him with a no-look pass. It was a 10/10 play from Vana in terms of Hockey IQ. He also had a penalty-killing sequence in the second period where he was aggressive in the neutral zone and gained puck possession to kill time. He’s a fun one to watch.
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Jackie Murphy
BC High, 10/7/04, C, right shot, 6-1/181
It goes without saying that Sunday was a rough one for BC High, but Murphy was the lone standout. He showcased his great speed just 20 seconds into the contest when he blew past the St. John’s Prep defense and earned a breakaway. He was BC High’s best player at gaining the offensive blue line, often taking it himself and using his speed to get to space.
