Lowell, MA – Good afternoon MIAA hockey fans! We will have LIVE coverage of today’s Semifinals from Tsongas Center all day, keep hitting refresh and we will give you all the updates period-by-period. Our slate of games feature four of the best teams in the state: first up is the two seeded Woburn Tanners vs the three seed Canton Bulldogs followed by the top seeded Billerica Indians vs the fourth seeded Tewksbury Redmen and then two D1 Semifinals: the top seeded Pope Francis Cardinals vs the fourth seeded Catholic Memorial Knights and finally the seventh seeded Arlington Spy Ponders vs the 14th seeded St. John’s Shrewsbury Pioneers.
Game 1: D2 Semifinal – Woburn vs Canton
To open game one, we had just settled into our seats in the press box, but large cheering sections for both Woburn and Canton were already in their seats and ready to go. The Canton faithful dressed in green and Irish garb, whereas the Woburn fans were all wearing jerseys, many of them Tanners sweaters. There was some early juice in the building for this first game and we would get off to a quick start…
In the first period, it only took 11 seconds to get the action started as Woburn freshman forward Jameson Needham fed senior sniper Jack Lee in the slot on the rush and he buried a wrister to make it 1-0 Tanners. It was truly a dream start for the Tanners and they fed off that momentum early. They were skating with a spring in their step but Canton would find the equalizer 4:28 into the frame. This time it was sophomore defender Will Young who fed junior Cullen O’Brien in space and he ripped it top shelf to tie us up at 1-1. The momentum at this point was dead even and the remainder of the period contained quality looks at both ends but neither squad was able to take the lead. Both teams look locked in and focused on the task at hand, this second period will be telling!
In the second period, the game settled into a nice rhythm as both Woburn and Canton looked to play their game and dictate the pace. The Bulldogs were very methodical exiting their zone with controlled breakouts and they were not afraid to put shots on net from anywhere in the attacking zone. The Tanners were very well structured defensively and took away most of the chances in the house by blocking shots and clogging lanes to make it tougher to move the puck laterally for one-timers. As we got deeper into the frame, Canton began to own more of the possession, which led to their goal. A slick rush into the offensive zone by junior forward Joey Ryan led to a feed behind the net to sophomore Ryan Elrick who found senior Travis Thomas alone in the slot and he would bury to make it 2-1 Canton. From there, Canton was feeling the boost of momentum and they continued to put pressure on Woburn. They had the edge in shots, but Woburn was crafty in the offensive zone and created a couple of Grade A looks of their own. Senior Canton goalie Connor Geoghan stood tall all period and that meant our score after two was 2-1 Canton.
In the third period, there was a lot of lockdown defensive structure and that limited chances at either end for both teams. Both Woburn and Canton refused to let the opponent gain quality ice without a battle and both teams worked hard along the walls to move pucks north out of the zone. There were a few chances at either end, but most of them were not top quality because the middle was so difficult to crack. We progressed deep into the period without either team lighting the lamp and that would seemingly be a theme over the rest of the frame. The possession in this period was decidedly even as were the shots but Canton was content with that tradeoff with their 1-goal lead. In the final few minutes was a last-ditch effort by Woburn. They called timeout with 2:24 left to rally the troops and establish zone time with the extra attacker. They did not pull the goalie right away but less than a minute later they got him out and put the pressure on. Canton reacted well to the amped up pressure and caused a couple of offsides plays to kill the momentum. Canton came away with a 2-1 win and are headed back to the TD Garden for the first time in two years. They will face the winner of our next game: Billerica and Tewksbury.
Three Stars:
- F Travis Thomas, Canton
- F Ryan Elrick, Canton
- F Jack Lee, Woburn
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Game 2: D2 Semifinal – Billerica vs Tewksbury
In the second game on the day, the fans began filing in on both sides as the previous game was wrapping up, and they were making plenty of noise pregame. The Billerica fans were clad in all white, including a group in the front row wearing green hockey buckets and personally made jersey t-shirts: A+ work. On the other side of the ice were the Tewksbury fans who dressed in a construction theme wearing high visibility hoodies and vests. These student sections were not quite as big as the first game, but it would take more time for them to file in after the previous game had ended. In addition, full credit to Billerica’s local town support as they filled up nearly two full sections primarily with family and town supporters pregame. Onto the first period…
In the first period, this game began to take shape slowly. Both teams were playing a cautious game, maintaining their positioning details to ensure no turnovers led to unnecessary scares. There were a lot of clean breakouts and lots of physical play in the neutral zone which led to poke checks, steals, big hits…and not very many shots on goal. Ultimately, neither team would dent the scoreboard and collectively both teams would struggle to get the shot totals over 10. The possession and shot quality was equal on both sides but both teams played equally well in this frame. We looked on to the second period to see who would earn the first tally…
In the opening five minutes of the second period, we saw more of the same following the first as both teams focused on clean breakouts and protecting the puck. There were not many shots on net as both teams were generating turnovers in the neutral zone. There was one shot however that made the most noise just 4:58 into the frame as senior James Columbus stole a puck on the wall, walked around the defender and faked a forehand shot before turning over to his backhand and roofing it: 1-0 Billerica. After the goal, the Indians were feeling the boost from the raucous home crowd and that led to more scoring chances in the offensive zone. As we moved deeper into the frame, however, the play began to even out. The shots were relatively even and Tewksbury was able to level the ice. They would create a couple of good looks down low, but Steve MacIntosh was equal to the task. The frame would end with the Indians up 1-0 and 15 minutes remaining in regulation.
The third period started off more physical as both teams were dialing up pressure. The Indians were more aggressive in pushing the puck to space and quickly exiting their zone, which led to more chances off the rush. They had the better of the chances but Tewksbury was strong in their defensive zone and didn’t let up any goals. There were multiple odd-man looks but full marks to David Karlberg who was quick to pounce on loose pucks in the crease to cancel those looks. As the period progressed, Billerica dialed up more forecheck pressure and that meant more time in the defensive zone for Tewksbury. With 3:03 left in the game after a long stretch spent defending, the Tewksbury coaching staff called timeout to give the team a breather and to regroup to make one final push. The forecheck and aggressive sticks of Billerica were smothering and once it was in the offensive zone, the Indians cycled quickly and accurately to maintain possession for long stretches. With one final push, Tewksbury carried up ice…and would find the equalizer. Sophomore defender Jake Cunha fed junior Tyler Bourgea whose shot rebound found the stick of sophomore Jason Shreenan with 0.9 seconds left: we were all tied up at 1-1. Following this miraculous goal, Billerica took a timeout and just after the faceoff time expired: we were heading to 4-on-4 OT.
Moving to 4-on-4 overtime meant more wide open ice, and there were some sparkling early chances. Bourgea walked into the slot just seconds in and ripped one off the post. At the other end, with 54 seconds elapsed, Billerica would call game. Junior Ryan Johnson carried the puck in from center ice, cut past two defenders and finished at the back post, sending the Indians to TD Garden: 2-1 was the final. What a turn of events in under a minute, and the Final at TD Garden will be a great matchup: Billerica vs Canton. On we go to the D1 Semis…
Three Stars:
- F Ryan Johnson, Billerica
- F Jason Shreenan, Tewksbury
- F James Columbus, Billerica
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D1 Semifinal: Pope Francis vs Catholic Memorial
After a brief intermission, we fueled up with a stellar pulled pork sandwich from the concession stand and we were ready for two more playoff games on tap. The final two games of the night were D1 Semis and first up was the top seed Pope Francis taking on the four seed Catholic Memorial and after the two local D2 fanbases cleared out, these two teams did not bring quite as big of fan sections. Both squads had to travel great distance to play in Lowell: 33 miles for Catholic Memorial and a whopping 93 miles for Pope Francis. the Pope Francis students rolled in with a USA theme and a big American flag while the Knights were dressed in all red and waving red towels. The Cardinals might have used up all the peroxide in Springfield as nearly the entire team was sporting bleached lettuce: styling and profiling. And we even had a live anthem singer from Pope Francis to get us ready for more hockey, it’s gametime…
In the first period, there was a different pace and surgical nature to how both teams played following the two D2 Semifinals. The passing was crisper, the shots were more accurate and the goaltenders were at the top of their game. Pope Francis was able to use their speed to the outside to draw defensive attention away from the net and wire the puck back into the middle to create chances. Catholic Memorial was effective at clamping down around Grade A ice and was able to break through on the rush to put a few quality shots on net as well. Both teams came in looking to take control from the jump and both squads were able to create quality looks at the net. Both teams used the rush to their advantage and moved the puck well to keep the goaltenders guessing, but ultimately, neither team would crack the score sheet in this period. Second period on the way…
In the second period, the territorial battle would continue and both teams dug in, looking to claim the game’s first goal. Ultimately, the whole period was an exhibition in smooth breakouts and strong neutral zone play. Neither squad was able to gain meaningful momentum because there was so little room to maneuver. Even in the attacking zone both defenses locked it down and gapped up to limit shots on net. There were only a handful of Grade A looks, but once again both goaltenders were rock solid: senior Nick Ritchie for Pope Francis and 8th grader Jaxson Fleming for CM. The best look of the night was late in the frame when Fleming was wide of the net and sophomore forward Christian Hinckle was able to block a shot from entering the open net. After that attempt, the action was largely even and as a result, we would not see a goal scored in the first 30 minutes of this one. We went on to a decisive third period: would we see the first goal?…
The third period began with both teams tightening things up in their own zone. The defensive units of both teams were on point with great stick positioning and good angular play to limit time and space. Both teams looked to make high percentage plays on zone exits and gave their forwards space to operate on the rush. The neutral zone, as it has been all day, was a war zone and both teams struggled to break through it. We got to the halfway mark of this period and neither side had the momentum: that would all change with 6:36 remaining. A turnover in the neutral zone led to Hinckle feeding it up to sophomore Jack McCourt who cruised in on Ritchie and deposited it short side high to give CM the 1-0 lead. The student section went bonkers and now the Knights had the game in their control. They continued to clamp down defensively and the Cardinals were running short of time. With 1:17 remaining, the Cardinals coaching staff called a timeout and made a game plan to get Ritchie out of the net and threaten with the extra attacker. It only took them 10 seconds to win a draw and get the puck up to the offensive zone, but that possession was short-lived. They were unable to get the puck back out of the defensive zone for nearly a full minute and Catholic Memorial would secure a trip to TD Garden following some great work in the corners to kill the final seconds off. They now await their opponent next Sunday as Arlington and St. John’s Shrewsbury face off in the other semifinal.
Three Stars:
- F Jack McCourt, Catholic Memorial
- G Jaxson Fleming, Catholic Memorial
- G Nick Ritchie, Pope Francis
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D1 Semifinal: Arlington vs St. John’s Shrewsbury
Just like that, we switched gears to another D1 Semifinal as it only took a few minutes for the all aces ice crew here at Tsongas Center to clean the sheet and get the other teams on the ice. Arlington and St. John’s Shrewsbury both took the ice with purpose and they each looked amped up and ready to go…as were their student sections. The Arlington fans occupied three sections on the opposite side of the ice, by far the largest of the day by any school. They were all clad in Arlington colors whereas on the other side of the ice the St. John’s Shrewsbury students were dressed in all black: some in sweat suits, others in hoodies and jackets. Both teams brought out strong supporters and this would likely be the loudest game on the calendar. We rolled through the intros and anthem and we were ready to go…
In the first period, this game was up and down the sheet as both teams used the space afforded to them by the Tsongas Center ice and were flying up and down the wings creating offensive chances. The early action favored Arlington in terms of shots and top quality chances and they even rang the post in the first five minutes. Undeterred, the Pioneers continued to push back and they used their size and strength to win battles along the walls which kept Arlington at bay. As the period progressed, Arlington also had the benefit of an early power play (the first one called all day across four Semifinals) but the Pioneers were able to kill it. As we got deeper into the frame, St. John’s Shrewsbury started to gain better looks and were able to convert as Bowdoin commit Daniel Menyalkin walked his way through multiple defenders and roofed it to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead with 2:13 left. That would not be the end of the scoring in the period as Arlington earned another power play and this time they would convert. With just 26.8 seconds left, junior Evan Sparks found sophomore Kurt Beck on the half wall and he snapped a shot on net which left a juicy rebound for junior Drew Beck who deposited it to tie us up at 1-1. That would be our score after one.
In the second period, this game continued to open up as both teams were flying up and down the sheet. This was a stark departure from the previous three games, which were very defensive minded. The momentum was tilted towards Arlington and they would continue to put the pressure on all period. The other factor in this game was special teams play as there were five penalties called over the first two periods. With five minutes elapsed, the Spy Ponders would take the lead shorthanded. Junior forward Armen Vartanian created a turnover at the blue line and moved in on a 2-on-1 with Quinlan McNulty-Lu, the Pioneers defender slid to block the pass but Vartanian smartly hesitated and dished it over to McNulty-Lu who buried it five hole: 2-1 Arlington. The Spy Ponders would kill the remainder of the penalty and seize the momentum by owning the time of possession throughout the period and creating more chances than the Pioneers. As the period moved on, most of the action took place in the neutral zone and the Arlington attacking zone, which is how they added another tally to double their lead. With 5:32 left in the period it was junior Nolan Russell who found sophomore JP Messuri wide open in the slot and he ripped it top shelf to give the Spy Ponders a 3-1 lead. Arlington was in full control at this point and finished the period strong, looking to close this thing out in the third period. However, the Pioneers had other plans…
In the third period, St. John’s Shrewsbury gained some early momentum by killing a penalty and then earned a power play with a chance to climb back in it. The opportunity would get even sweeter as Arlington committed a second infraction 19 seconds later, which meant a 5-on-3 for 1:41. They would soon cash in as junior forward Brady Chenevert deflected a point shot by sophomore defender Ryder Bisson to cut the lead to 3-2. Just a few seconds later (following a timeout to plan their next move) they would tie it as Bisson fired a shot from the point through a number of bodies that found its way past the goalie to square us up at 3-3 with just over nine minutes remaining. The Spy Ponders called their timeout shortly after the goal was scored to reset their mindset and after that we were back to 5-on-5 with full ferocity. The last few minutes of the period were a knock-down, drag-out battle with both teams stepping up their physicality to gain an edge. We came all the way down to the wire in the final seconds of this game as junior Caleb Keyes had a stellar breakaway look with time expiring but John Snider would deny him in the Arlington net: we were headed for OT.
In the overtime period, both teams were careful in their regroups but they were aggressive in the attacking zone with more ice to work with 4-on-4. Both teams had Grade A chances including a look by Kurt Beck that rang the pipe, missing the net by inches. There was no clear advantage either way as the teams traded chances, regrouped to get their preferred players on the ice and then looked to rush up ice with speed. This first overtime did little to solve our deadlock, we were headed to 2OT…
In double OT, once again, both teams were playing smart and looking to create with space and time to operate to prevent any rogue sticks or bodies from interrupting the flow of offense. Both teams were carefully considering matchups and shift lengths so everything was well orchestrated. As we got deeper into the OT, both teams had chances but only one could be declared the victor and it was that man again: Daniel Menyalkin who cut across the offensive zone and fired a shot inside the far post to send St. John’s Shrewsbury to the Final at TD Garden. They will face Catholic Memorial for the title.
Three Stars:
- F Daniel Menyalkin, St. John’s Shrewsbury
- D Ryder Bisson, St. John’s Shrewsbury
- F JP Messuri, Arlington