Chestnut Hill, MA – Following the D2 Semifinal, MassNZ stuck around for the first D1 Semifinal featuring what promised to be a primetime matchup as the 6-seeded Hingham Harbormen were taking on the 7-seeded Pope Francis Cardinals. This game determined who would punch their ticket to TD Garden next weekend and face the winner of the Arlington/St. John’s Shrewsbury game later today. The fan sections were in full throat early and they filed in 20 minutes before the warmups. Hingham’s fans even arrived during the D2 Semifinal and cheered alongside Canton’s fans for some South Shore bragging rights. The Harbormen fans were clad in jerseys of all different colors while the Cardinals faithful all wore red and brought their own clapping noisemakers. Once again, the anthem came before the lineups, an odd choice for sure but once both were done we were ready to go.
Sure enough, once the first period started, Hingham was ready to go. They were shot out of a cannon and would get on the scoreboard in the first minute as a missed glove save led to a rebound off a shot by senior Cam McKenna and fellow senior Quinn Allen was there to grab the rebound: 1-0 Harbormen. This was a shock to the system for Pope Francis, but to their credit they did not wilt, they played even harder and began to turn the tide immediately. They owned more of the puck possession, but it was close in the opening five minutes. Shortly thereafter, the Cardinals would find the equalizer. A slick lateral move at the point found its way through a sea of bodies and junior Cole Hrapchak tied this thing up 1-1. After that point, the Cardinals began to dictate the pace and they had the better of the chances for the balance of the period. They would untie this game two minutes before the frame concluded off a slick give and go by sophomore Whittaker Zinger and junior Gabe Kolodjay – the two traded passes entering the zone and it was the latter who would finish from the faceoff dot. We were headed to the break with Pope Francis up 2-1.
In the second period, it was a fast start for the Cardinals who would pad their lead just 14 seconds in as Kolodjay would dangle his way through two defenders to break in and tuck it five-hole for his second of the game. It was now 3-1 Pope Francis and the Cardinals continued to turn up the heat. They were pursuing puck carriers with aggression and determination and that allowed them to shut down rushes before they hit the blue line. The Cardinals would continue to pad their lead six minutes later following a nice feed from senior Wolfgang Zinger to fellow senior Liam Dolan to make it 4-1 Cardinals. At this point, the Harbormen were in danger of this game getting away from them and they began to push back to generate more of their own momentum. It was a slow build, but they began to take advantage of their size down low and that led to their best looks of the game. They would continue to pressure and secured a power play in the final minute where they would cash in. With 56 seconds left, it was a tic-tac-goal as senior Sean Carroll found junior Walter Dzavik who slinged the puck in the slot to the bumper position in sophomore Nick Bigelow who collected and deposited: 4-2 was now our score. Before the period would end, Hingham would take a late penalty and this felt like it could shift the momentum of the game one way or the other. Time would tell after the buzzer sounded.
In the third period, for starters, Hingham would kill off the penalty, which would give them an immediate boost to work their way back into this game mentally. They were dogged and determined and worked hard to generate chances off the rush but Pope Francis was able to hold them off the scoreboard. The game continued to progress and the Cardinals held the advantage and much of the puck possession. This all culminated in what appeared to be the dagger seven minutes into the frame. It started with a strong forecheck by senior captain Matt Regan who stole a puck and looked to break on the net but was met with three Hingham defenders. That left Kolodjay wide open in front of the net and as the puck trickled to him, he quickly buried it (giving him the hat trick) to make it 5-2 Cardinals. At that point the Cardinals simplified their game: possess and chip, possess and chip. Hingham knew time was running short and they made some key adjustments to stay stronger on the puck and gain the zone with possession. Just three minutes later they would answer as Carroll found a sliver of space through a sea of bodies and perfectly placed a shot under the elbow where the post meets the crossbar. It was now 5-3 with four minutes to go, and we weren’t done yet. Hingham would tack on another just before the 12-minute mark as Bigelow shoveled a puck home at the netfront behind the goalie. It looked to us (from the high altitude at Conte Forum) that it crossed the line off his stick, but the reaction of the team came when Allen jumped him and made sure it was across the line with a final heave. It was now 5-4 and the momentum was clearly on Hingham’s side. Shortly after that goal, Hingham called a timeout to get their players a breather and talk strategy for the final 2:24 in regulation. They outlined their strategy and shortly after that pulled their goalie. The final seconds were a nail-biter all the way. The final minute featured a couple of close calls in the Hingham offensive zone and then came the last seconds.
Initially, the game looked like it was over and Pope Francis celebrated after pinning the puck in the corner. The referees conferred and told both teams to get back on the ice for one final draw with 1.6 seconds left. The resulting faceoff was swept to the corner by Regan and 5-4 was the final.
Pope Francis now awaits their opponent, pending the game at Chelmsford Forum tonight.
Three Stars:
- F Gabe Kolodjay, Pope Francis
- F Quinn Allen, Hingham
- F Nick Bigelow, Hingham