BOSTON — It didn't matter that Boston Latin was the No. 11 seed in the MIAA D2 boys tournament and Tewksbury was No. 1. It didn't matter that Tewksbury entered Sunday's title game having won its last eight. It didn't matter that Tewksbury was the much better team. It didn't matter that Tewksbury had previously beat Boston Latin twice this season by a combined score of 10-3.
And it certainly didn't matter that Tewksbury had a lead entering the third period.
Because Boston Latin made sure none of that mattered, upsetting Tewksbury, 4-2, to win the MIAA D2 boys title on Sunday night. It's Boston Latin's first state title since 2005.
Tewksbury held a 2-1 lead with five minutes to play in the game. That was when the Wolfpack unleashed a scoring onslaught.
It started off a face-off in Tewksbury's zone. Boston Latin sophomore defenseman Ryan McHugh took a shot from the side boards that was deflected by junior forward William Cunniffe and past Tewksbury goalie David Karlberg, tying the game, 2-2.
Tewksbury immediately took a timeout, but that didn't stop Boston Latin from scoring.
Just over a minute later, Boston Latin senior forward Aidan Fitzpatrick forced a turnover behind the Tewksbury net. Fitzpatrick brought the puck around the net, as Tewksbury's players watched him take one shot and then another. The second went in, giving the Wolfpack a lead they would never relinquish.
Boston Latin added insurance with two minutes to play when senior forward Matthew Carrera picked the puck up in the neutral zone, completely dangled a Tewksbury defender and put it through Karlberg's legs, making it 4-2.
Tewksbury got the game's first goal early in the first period when senior forward Matthew Cooke ripped one past Boston Latin sophomore goalie Oliver Murphy. Cooke notched another to start the second period, making it 2-0.
Boston Latin got its first goal of the game shortly thereafter when McHugh crashed the net and put in a rebound off a shot from junior forward Tristan Spiess.
Let's dive into some takeaways.
1.)Â What. An. Upset. Going into the day, this looked to be one of the less competitive matchups given Tewksbury's dominance, but Boston Latin delivered when it mattered most. The Wolfpack hung around all game and never let the Redmen extend their leads past two goals. Tewksbury was the much more physical team, so Boston Latin took a beating. But they saved their best for last and it resulted in a championship.
2.)Â Murphy was outstanding. The sophomore finished the championship with 22 saves on 24 shots. Tewksbury's super-line of Cooke, Jeremy Insogna and Tyler Bourgea opened the third period and unloaded an onslaught of scoring chances. Murphy stopped them all, always keeping Boston Latin within striking distance.
3.)Â The turning point of this game came right before Boston Latin's three-goal outburst. In Boston Latin's zone, Insogna got a shot off on Murphy and the puck trickled through the netminder across the goal line and...stopped. The puck lay there for a good two seconds. Cooke dove across and tried to knock it in but couldn't. Somehow, it stayed out and the game moved on. Had that puck gone on, it's probably a very different result.
4.)Â One of the interesting things to watch with No. 1 seeds, especially at the Division 2, 3 and 4 levels, is how do they perform when they get punched in the mouth? What happens when faced with some adversity? Even when Tewksbury was up 2-1 entering the third period, it wasn't a particularly great game for the Redmen. So when Cunniffe tied it, Tewksbury was stunned. And that shock never left, as Boston Latin owned the rest of the game.
5.)Â On the other hand, one of the cool things about a matchup like this is watching No. 11 Boston Latin play a bit more free. While the Wolfpack obviously wanted to win, they didn't have the same pressure that the Redmen were facing. It's hard to beat a team three times in one season, and Tewksbury faced that on Sunday night. Boston Latin was operating on pure adrenaline and desire, as was showcased on its final two goals. Fitzpatrick went hard to force the turnover and score. Then, Carrera went all-in, scoring a highlight-reel tally late.
Why not leave it all out there? After all, it is the state championship game.
