FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — No. 3 Catholic Memorial spent almost the entire second period pressing No. 11 Winchester in the offensive zone on Wednesday. The Knights controlled possession and had Winchester on the ropes.
But no matter the shot, Winchester junior goalie Aiden Emerick had an answer, stopping them all and frustrating CM.
So when Winchester sophomore defenseman Adam Krogmeier's shot hopped up over CM goalie Ryan Littlefield (Abington, Mass.) and Winchester sophomore forward Luke Sandone got behind the netminder to bat it in, CM was deflated.
Winchester never lost control of the game again, finishing strong for a 4-1, upset win, punching their ticket to the semifinals.
Head coach Geno Khachadourian's team came out gunning in the third period, playing like they were in command of the game rather than settling back and letting the higher seed have any chance of coming back — something that happens so often in public vs. private school matchups in the postseason.
Less than five minutes into the frame, Winchester was rewarded. Junior forward Chris McCarthy got a 3-on-1 and fluttered a shot through Littlefield and in, giving Winchester a 3-0 lead.
Sardone gave Winchester the ultimate insurance with just under five minutes to play in the game when he gathered a rebound and put it past the outstretched Littlefield, making it 4-0.
CM sophomore Nick D'Olympio (Rockland, Mass.) scored his team's only goal of the game with 1:38 to play but by then, it was too late.
Winchester set the tone roughly halfway through the first period when sophomore forward Caiden Brady tipped a shot from Krogmeier past Littlefield, giving the underdogs an early lead.
DIVISION 1 BRACKET: Follow along with the entire tournament
In terms of upsets, this was a big one. For the second-straight year, Catholic Memorial was upset in the Elite 8 by a lower seed with a hot goalie. It was Cole Pouliot-Porter (Wrentham, Mass.) and Xaverian last season. Now, it's Emerick and Winchester.
And credit to Winchester — it played with confidence. As they were under siege in the second period, they played smart, keeping CM forwards to the outside and chipping pucks off the glass and out.
It was a textbook win of how a lower-seeded public school should beat a higher-seeded private school come the tournament.
Winchester will play the winner of No. 10 Marshfield and No. 18 Arlington Catholic on Saturday.
Let's dive into some standouts.
Aiden Emerick
Winchester, 10/20/2006, G, catches leftÂ
There's no doubt about it — Emerick was the main reason Winchester is moving on. The '06 netminder made countless big saves throughout the game. Late in the first period, Emerick was outstretched and robbed CM senior forward RJ Donahue on two chances. He didn't allow many rebounds at all, letting pucks come to him before absorbing them. Shortly before Winchester made it 2-0, Emerick made a massive stop from in tight on CM eighth grader Colin Yandle. Most importantly, Emerick bailed his team out when mistakes happened.
Hot goalies are paramount for a team to go deep in the tournament. Winchester has one in Emerick.
Danny Collins
Winchester, 9/9/2005, C, left shot
Collins is Winchester's leader up front and he played that role perfectly on Wednesday. His best play came when he had the puck in the CM slot, waited an extra second to get to open space and fired a quick shot on Littlefield. The rebound was the one Sardone batted in to give Winchester a 4-0 lead. Collins drove play with his speed and high IQ. Just like on that Sardone goal, Collins always seemed to get to open ice with the puck on his stick.
Luke Sardone
Winchester, 6/11/2008, RW, right shotÂ
Sardone showed no hesitation about getting to the dirty areas. The '08 made a smart play on his first goal, outmuscling a CM defenseman to get to the crease to knock in the rebound. Right before that, he fired a low shot through traffic that hit the post. His second goal also showcased his ability to read plays, as he read where the rebound was going and finished by lighting the lamp. In the defensive zone, he displayed a good stick, cutting off passes high in the zone.
Nolan Wrenn
Winchester, 2/24/2007, D, right shotÂ
Limiting clean offensive zone entries is important for today's defensemen. Wrenn did that well against CM, at one point making it difficult for D'Olympio to enter the offensive zone in the first period and forcing him to go offsides. Wrenn showcased a great stick defending the rush and played tough down low. He played with an edge, especially when it came to defending the front of his own net. He made smart, simple puck plays, too.
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Adam Krogmeier
Winchester, sophomore, D, right shot
If we're talking smart puck plays, Krogmeier was all about that on Wednesday night. He did a great job at getting pucks through from the point. That resulted in goals for Brady and Sardone. Krogmeier also had high poise with the puck, especially in his own zone.
David Strong
Winchester, 1/1/2006, RW, right shot
Strong played with a high level of skill and showcased great hands, especially off the rush. He drove play and gained the offensive zone various times for Winchester.
Nick D'Olympio
Catholic Memorial, 6/8/2007, RW, right shot, 5-7/134Â
It was a brutal night for Catholic Memorial. D'Olympio scored the lone goal. The sophomore had a terrific season for the Knights and has positioned himself well for a strong spring and summer hockey slate. He should be getting calls from local colleges come Aug. 1.
