FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — It was never close.
St. John's Prep proved why it earned the No. 1 seed in the Division 1 MIAA boys hockey tournament, taking down No. 4 Xaverian, 4-0, on Sunday to advance to the state championship against No. 11 Winchester.
From the drop of the puck, the Eagles came out like a team on a mission.
Their scoring started just before the nine-minute mark of the first period when senior defenseman Brady Plaza (Danvers, Mass.) hit senior forward Jake Vana (Boxford, Mass.) in the slot with a pass. Vana ripped a quick shot over Xaverian senior goalie Cole Pouliot-Porter's (Wrentham, Mass.) glove.
Just a few moments later, Vana won a puck battle behind the Xaverian net and hit senior Christian Rosa (Lynnfield, Mass.) in front of the net for a one-timer goal, making it 2-0 and giving St. John's Prep complete control.
The Eagles added another before the first period ended, when sophomore forward Cooper Hosmer's (Andover, Mass.) shot from high in the zone was tipped in front by senior forward Brendan Powers (Lynnfield, Mass.), making it 3-0.
Somehow, SJP never scored again until Xaverian head coach Dave Spinale pulled Pouliot-Porter for the extra skater with just under three minutes to play. SJP senior forward Johnny Tighe (Reading, Mass.) ended up potting the empty-netter, adding some extra insurance to the Eagles' win.
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Since losing two straight games to Catholic Memorial and Arlington Catholic in late January and early February, head coach Kristian Hanson's team has won a whopping nine games in a row. They can make it 10 with a win next Sunday.
Let's dive into some takeaways.
1. That was one of the most dominant performances I've ever seen between two top teams. St. John's Prep never gave an inch to Xaverian — ever. The Eagles were more physical and were quick on Xaverian puck carriers, smothering them and forcing a large amount of turnovers. St. John's Prep's breakouts were mostly clean, while Xaverian defensemen would get crunched quickly going back for loose pucks.
Eagles defensemen held the opposing blue line well, preventing Xaverian forwards from being able to cleanly get by them. And when Hawks forwards did? At least one SJP player was there to prevent them from going further. The longest offensive zone shift for Xaverian came at the end of the second period from the line of senior Jack O'Neil and juniors Colvin Callahan and Devin Gosciak. That was pretty much it.
2. It's not much of a surprise, but on the biggest stage to this point, SJP's top line of Vana, Rosa and Tighe brought it. They spent various shifts hemming Xaverian in the defensive zone. Vana, with his size (5-foot-11 and 170 pounds) and strength, consistently won puck battles and used his physicality to separate Hawks from the puck. Rosa's goal was a beauty, using a quick one-timer to beat Pouliot-Porter. Tighe brings a high level of compete and works great off his two linemates. The trio was at the heart of the Eagles' dominance.
3. Plaza is one of the best skating defenders I've seen in the MIAA this winter. On Saturday night, the senior used his fleet feet to get out of any forechecking pressure, especially behind his own net. He was able to turn up ice quick with his head up and either take it himself or find an open forward. He was the source of various defensive zone exits and offensive zone entries. When Xaverian forwards had the puck in the neutral zone, Plaza was quick to get on them and end the rush.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRACKET: 10 standouts and takeaways from Winchester's OT win over Arlington Catholic
His best play was on Vana's goal. Plaza made a nice offensive zone entry. With Xaverian junior forward Ben Kramer (Millis, Mass.) on him and the Xaverian defense sagging, he slipped a pass to Vana who ripped the shot past Pouliot-Porter. I hope to see Plaza somewhere on the prep circuit next winter.
4. Speaking of players I hope to see in prep next winter, there's Pouliot-Porter. Props to him on a terrific high school career, playing at Xaverian the last two seasons and Franklin High before that. He carried Xaverian to the D1 state final last season and came extremely close to doing so again this year.
Despite a tough first period, Pouliot-Porter settled in during the final two periods, keeping the Hawks in the game. He was under siege, facing 45 shots. He made a save while down and out on Plaza late in the second period and then made a stout breakaway save on SJP senior forward Cam Umlah (Rye, N.H.) midway through the third.
5. An interesting prospect to keep an eye on is SJP sophomore forward Ethan Goodrich, an '07. The North Hampton, N.H., native is quick, has good hands and makes smart decisions in the offensive zone. There was one play where he correctly identified open ice in the slot coming off the half wall and fired a shot that Pouliot-Porter stopped with his helmet.
6. With the win, St. John's Prep beat Xaverian all three times this season, outscoring the Hawks, 15-3. Sure, the Eagles have a better, deeper roster than the Hawks. But the real reason for the dominance is because those high-end private school teams are used to moving the puck with ease and invoking a bit of skill, which isn't always prevalent in MIAA games. So, when one is better than the other, like St. John's Prep in this case, they usually win.
The reason the occasional public school will take down a private is because they accept that they're not as deep and not as skilled. So, they win through other methods. Just getting the puck out of their own zone whenever possible and trying to win puck battles in the neutral zone is one. Dumping the puck in and trying to force a turnover on the ensuing breakout is another. Having their goalie make over 40 saves is the biggest (and hardest, I might add). That is probably Winchester's best chance at pulling off the upset next Sunday.
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7. Yep, this is biased. But Loring Arena is my favorite place to watch a high school hockey game in Massachusetts. Saturday and Sunday night were both packed. There's just about enough seating to fit everybody. You're on top of the action — on both sides — with the way the seats are positioned. It's an old-school feel, the ceiling is perfectly shaped and the arena was recently renovated. The ice is outstanding, too.
