North Billerica, MA – In the second of our two D4 Semifinals we saw the top seed Stoneham Spartans taking on the fifth seed Winthrop Vikings with a trip to TD Garden on the line. With the previous semifinal already on the books, both teams knew the opponent they would face would be Dedham, but who would advance? The fans were filing in early and often on both sides: Stoneham went with a bright construction theme and Winthrop was clad in their team colors of navy and gold. The buzz was palpable before the puck drop and for those wondering, yes, Winthrop brought their air raid siren from Larsen Arena. With the anthems played, the pregame daps made to the goalies, we were ready to go.
In the first period, the play was fast and furious as both teams looked to set the tone. Stoneham was looking to do damage off the rush but ran into a tough Winthrop defensive system that took away their time and space. Winthrop was strong on their sticks and won multiple battles along the walls, moving the puck up ice quickly to their wingers. As the period wore on, the Vikings’ speed and power were overwhelming Stoneham and five minutes in they would score the first goal. Unsurprisingly, it was the two senior captains collaborating on the score as Phil Boncore fired a puck on net and a scramble ensued which led to a loose puck that Michael Holgersen was able to whack home: 1-0 Vikings. The student section went apoplectic, with air horns whaling and the fan section jumping up and down in jubilation. It would only take another three minutes for them to double the lead as Holgersen fed sophomore Joe Pumphret from behind the net and the underclassman snapped one on net quickly and beat the goalie to make it 2-0 Winthrop. As the period continued, Stoneham began to make a push by using their speed up ice. This led to a couple of Grade A looks near the net which were foiled by senior Winthrop goalie Michael Donahue. The rest of the period would be a bit of a draw in terms of possession and we went to the room with Winthrop up 2-0.
In the second period, Winthrop picked up right where they left off: applying pressure to Stoneham’s puck carriers and playing hard in the dirty areas of the rink. Just 3:20 into the period the Vikings would add another goal as sophomore defender Paul Ferrera handed it to Boncore who walked around the goalie and slid it home to make it 3-0 Vikings. To Stoneham’s credit, they had a response locked and loaded as 22 seconds later they got it right back as junior Mike Taranto fired a puck from the corner that was tipped home by junior defender Daniel Diprizio to make it 3-1. That restored some of the faith on the Stoneham bench but it was short-lived as 48 seconds later Winthrop punched right back and it was Boncore who took a pass down low from Pumphret and wired a one timer top shelf to make it 4-1. Just after the goal, the Stoneham coaching staff called a timeout to settle the team down and it seemed to work as they played a disciplined and smart game for the rest of the period. They were more active in moving the puck and that meant more offensive chances. Still, they were unable to solve Donahue and Winthrop would pad their lead with just over a minute to go. An initial shot by senior Luke Githinji was loose in the crease and the Vikings never quit on it as junior Nick Romano buried it to make it 5-1, which would be our score after two.
In the third period, this game got more chippy. Both squads were exchanging words and late hits after the whistle, which caused a few extracurricular activities for the referees to break up. After sorting things out at the penalty benches, we were back at it and the hockey resumed. It was clear coming out of the locker rooms that Stoneham was trying to play faster and put more shots on net whereas Winthrop needed to limit their time and space and the winner of that battle would win this game. Ultimately, Winthrop packed it in around the house and did not let much through. They were tough on puck carriers along the boards and created turnovers using that strength. Stoneham was able to get a couple of Grade A shots away, but Donahue was equal to all of them. The clock continued to tick down and the Winthrop faithful began to celebrate. Once the clock hit triple zeroes, the players jumped into the glass to share this moment with their fans.
What was truly unique about this end of game experience was how much it meant to the town, the team’s seniors and the squad as a whole. Unlike any other playoff game we’ve been to, the team savored this moment: they refused to leave the ice, taking team photos with the coaches and multiple parents snapping photos on the bench. Not a single Winthrop fan left the arena after the game ended for at least 15 minutes. Even a few of the fans hopped on the ice to snap pictures before the PA announcer had to ask everyone to clear out. Winthrop has punched their ticket to TD Garden where they will face Dedham on March 16, game time TBA.
Three Stars:
- F Phil Boncore, Winthrop
- F Michael Holgersen, Winthrop
- G Michael Donahue, WInthrop