Avon Old Farms found itself playing from behind roughly halfway through the second period. Belmont Hill had a one-goal lead and was in command of the game with its quick-strike offense.
But then Belmont Hill took a penalty with 10:54 to play and the momentum shifted.
That momentum helped the Winged Beavers rattle off six unanswered goals to win the game, 7-2, earning a spot in the Elite 8 championship game on Sunday at Saint Anselm College. It's Avon's first Elite 8 championship game appearance since 2010.
On that power play midway through the second period, senior captain Nick Capasso (Northford, Conn.) finished off a 2-on-1 by tipping a puck past Belmont Hill goalie Keagin Wilson (Hingham, Mass.) to tie the game, 2-2.
Belmont Hill got another penalty after the goal was scored, giving the Winged Beavers another man advantage. That was when senior defenseman Jack Kennedy (Granby, Mass.) sifted a shot through from the point to provide Avon Old Farms its first lead of the afternoon.
The Winged Beavers never looked back.
With 5:20 to play in the middle frame, senior forward Charlie Gollob toe-dragged around a Belmont Hill defender and fired a shot through his legs and over Wilson to give the Winged Beavers a 4-2 lead.
The scoring continued into the third period, as senior forward Joe Odyniec (Ridgefield, Conn.) roofed one over Wilson less than a minute into the final frame to make it 5-2. He scored again with 9:25 to play when he finished off a pass off the rush from senior forward Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.) to make it 6-2. Odyniec notched his hat trick with an empty netter with just under three minutes to play.
FULL SCHEDULES AND BRACKETS: Elite 8 | Large School | Small SchoolÂ
While Avon Old Farms exploded for six goals to win the game, Belmont Hill carried a strong lead for the first 26 minutes.
The Sextants opened the scoring 30 seconds into the first period when senior defenseman Matthew Biotti (Cambridge, Mass.) drove the opposing net and tipped in a pass from senior left wing Daniel Markham (Winchester, Mass.).
Just over a minute after Biotti's tally, Winged Beavers left wing Ryan Flaherty (Milton, Mass.) finished a breakaway to make it 1-1. Belmont Hill responded when senior right wing Ronan O'Donnell (Fairfield, Conn.) blazed a shot off the rush past Avon goalie Stephen Peck to make it 2-1.
Let's dive into some takeaways from the semifinal matchup.
1. Again, Avon Old Farms showed it doesn't matter how it starts the game because John Gardner's team can come back at any moment. The Winged Beavers did it against Westminster after being tied, 1-1, after the first period. They did it again on Saturday. It's the sign of a dominant team that they can turn it on whenever they'd like. It's risky, but the Winged Beavers have the lineup to do it.
2. Avon Old Farms' top line was very difficult for Belmont Hill to contain. Connor, Gollob and Odyniec are the three leading scorers for the Winged Beavers and they showed why on Saturday. They were lethal off the rush, especially with Connor's ability to drive the play and sift through Belmont Hill defenders. They also had a handful of solid offensive zone shifts.
3. The Winged Beavers' top defensive pairing of seniors Jordin Palmer (Auburn, N.H.) and Kennedy did a good job of settling in after Belmont Hill's two early goals. They completed breakouts well and were effective at shutting down chances in their own end.
4. While their numbers don't pop off the page, Lefty Markonidis (Hudson, Mass.), Michael Munroe (Hanover, Mass.) and Won-Jun Yun performed well as depth forwards for Avon, playing hard in the corners and with pace. Markonidis is a junior and Munroe and Yun are sophomores. All three should be primed for breakout success in 2023-24.
5. This obviously wasn't the result Belmont Hill was looking for, but Brian Phinney's team has a lot to be proud of. They lost forwards James Fisher (Wilmington, Mass.) and Teddy Stiga (Sudbury, Mass.), as well as goalie Sam Scopa (Lexington, Mass.) in the offseason, and still found a way to finish just a game short of how far they got last season. It's clear that Phinney is building a culture of success in Belmont, Mass.
ELITE 8 QUARTERFINAL RECAPS: Cushing-Kimball Union | Avon Old Farms-Westminster | Belmont Hill-Milton | Brunswick-Nobles
6. Junior left wing Jake McManus (Winthrop, Mass.) did a good job of driving play for Belmont Hill. He played hard and, like Markonidis, Munroe and Yun, is an early pick for a forward poised for a big season next year.
