FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Luke Sardone had numerous scoring chances in Saturday's semifinal.
There was the shot that hit the crossbar early in the second period. Then, the Winchester sophomore forward dinged the crossbar again late in the third period off an offensive zone entry. In between those, Sardone got shots off but was continuously denied by Arlington Catholic goalie Patrick Clair (Lexington, Mass.).
Then came overtime and a 2-on-1 with Winchester captain Danny Collins bombing towards the net. Sardone was wide open in the slot on his off-wing, primed for a one-timer. Collins hit him with a pass.
This time, the shot went in, beating an outstretched Clair. Ballgame.
No. 11 Winchester got the 3-2 overtime win, earning a spot in the MIAA boys Division 1 final at TD Garden next Sunday.
It's the first time a public school has made it to the Division 1 boys championship since the MIAA voted to do away with the Super 8 for four years in April 2021.
Winchester got the scoring started midway through the first period when Collins sniped a shot over Clair's glove on the power play.
Less than a minute later, sophomore forward Caiden Brady knocked in a rebound, giving Winchester the commanding 2-0 lead and sending its student section into a frenzy.
No. 18 Arlington Catholic was on the ropes for the rest of the first period and most of the second. But then, with two minutes left in the middle frame, Arlington Catholic sophomore forward Tyler Heldenbergh's (Burlington, Mass.) shot bounced off a Winchester defenseman and in, cutting Winchester's lead to 2-1.
Momentum swung in the Cougars' favor again after the goal when the Red and Black took two penalties with under 1:30 to play, giving Arlington Catholic a 5-on-3.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Check out the full Division 1 boys bracket
Head coach Curt Colarullo's team started the third period on the two-man advantage. The Cougars eventually cashed in when junior forward Nico Tashjian (Lexington, Mass.) smacked in a rebound from in front of the crease, tying the game, 2-2, and putting Winchester on the ropes.
With the win, Winchester will play the winner of No. 1 St. John's Prep vs. No. 4 Xaverian.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Luke Sardone
Winchester, 6/11/2008, RW, right shotÂ
This postseason run has put Sardone on display as one of the top '08s in the MIAA. As I mentioned earlier, he scored the game-winning goal, but had a bunch of opportunities throughout the game. He consistently put himself in positions to get shots on net. He doesn't have high-end speed, but his good hands and IQ are what helped him be most effective.
D1 FINAL (OT):
No. 11 Winchester - 3
No. 18 Arlington Catholic - 2Luke Sardone, who assisted the Red and Black’s two other OT winners this postseason, sends Winchester to TD Garden.
Fantastic game. pic.twitter.com/ZSnA8WfX2l
— Tom Mulherin (@T_Mulherin) March 10, 2024
Danny Collins
Winchester, 9/9/2005, C, left shot
Collins played fast and, when given space, used it to his advantage, which is exactly what happened on the overtime winner. He blew past Heldenbergh and created the 2-on-1 where he made the right decision to pass it to Sardone. Collins is the stabilizing force for Winchester. He drove play so well and usually made the right decision when the puck was on his stick.
JP Montgomery
Winchester, 2009, D, left shotÂ
It's not often that freshmen get consistent, important shifts in the MIAA. Teams forecheck hard and usually it's about getting the puck out of your own zone rather than making a crisp breakout pass. But Montgomery breaks through all of that, and displayed a strong game on Saturday night. He was calm with the puck and made simple plays. He showed assertiveness when stepping up into the offense. He's a pass-first defenseman, so the next step will be shooting the puck a bit more.
David Strong
Winchester, 1/1/2006, RW, right shot
Late in the second period, Strong dangled Arlington Catholic sophomore defenseman Brody Lawhorne twice, getting a huge rise out of the Winchester student section. Strong stepped into the slot and fired a shot over the net, coming oh-so-close to blowing the roof off Loring Arena. It was a microcosm of Strong's game — highly skilled. He drove play, using his good vision and skill to make things happen. That helped his line have long offensive zone sequences.
UPSET: How Winchester took down Catholic Memorial in the Elite 8
Stephen Constantine
Arlington Catholic, 2/8/2007, C, right shotÂ
Arlington Catholic had a tough time getting things going in the offensive zone and getting clean zone entries. But Constantine was one of the reliable Cougar forwards who could do that. He did it on a few occasions, and used his confidence and good skating to find open ice and create passing lanes. He had a breakaway late in the second period and was robbed by Winchester goalie Aiden Emerick on two chances.
Ayden Giardina
Arlington Catholic, 2009, C, left shotÂ
I was shocked to find out that Giardina is an eighth grader. The '09 was a buzzsaw for Arlington Catholic, flying around and causing chaos for Winchester. He was most noticeable in the third period on a shift when he created two chances with his foot speed and high compete. That speed also helped him as the F1 on forechecks, making life difficult on Winchester defensemen going back to retrieve pucks.
Takeaways
1. This was a very good goaltending matchup. Both Emerick and Clair were dynamite to get their teams to this point. Both made numerous important saves on Saturday night. But they were both a bit shaky down the stretch as the game intensified. Emerick had a tough time securing rebounds and catching cleanly with his glove. Fortunately for Clair, he's only a junior, so he will have one more run as a senior. For Emerick, his outstanding run lives on.
2. Often in MIAA playoff games, the team that controls the puck the least ends up winning. The MIAA is far from mistake-free hockey, so waiting for the opponent to have a mishap and capitalize is often how lower-seeded teams take down the favorites. Both of these squads know about that well. But Winchester was in control for most of this game and still won. Arlington Catholic did its best to capitalize and be opportunistic, but Winchester moved the puck well and didn't make too many mistakes.
THE OTHER TOURNAMENTS: Division 2Â |Â Division 3Â |Â Division 4
3. I would guess that most think Sunday's semifinal between No. 1 St. John's Prep and No. 4 Xaverian will be the real state championship game. There's no doubt that whoever wins that game will be the heavy favorite entering TD Garden. But this Winchester group is confident and resilient. After slipping past No. 22 Waltham in OT, the Red and White have taken down No. 6 Arlington, No. 3 Catholic Memorial and now a red-hot No. 18 Arlington Catholic. Head coach Geno Khachadourian has some impactful forwards, a dynamic defense and a strong netminder. They're going to be a harder matchup than people think in the championship game.
4. Both of these teams are full of strong, young talent. If everyone stays, my guess would be both squads play their way into high seeds in next winter's tournament.
