STONEHAM, Mass. — Sunday afternoon’s MIAA Super 8 play-in games, won by Burlington and Framingham, lived up to the hype and then some for the capacity crowd at Stoneham Arena.
Burlington downed Hingham, 3-2, with a late goal in the first game. In the nightcap, Reading forced overtime with the tying goal coming with less than a second to go in the game, but the Flyers outlasted the Rockets in double overtime.
The MIAA doesn’t always get it right, but there was nothing to complain about Sunday at a packed Stoneham Arena. There were fans two-deep above the stands in an environment that was absolutely electric. Everyone who paid to watch the two games were treated to thrilling entertainment and intense up and down action.
With the win, Burlington will play No. 2 BC High in a first round game on either Wednesday or Thursday. Framingham's triumph sets up a first round tilt against No. 1 Arlington, slated to be played Thursday at the Canton Ice House.
Below is a look at how Burlington and Framingham advanced, the forward lines and defensive pairings, and who were the standout players in both games:
Red Devils take down Harbormen
Hingham took leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but couldn’t hold on against Burlington in the first of two Super 8 play-in games at Stoneham Arena.
Senior left wing Grady Harrington got Hingham on the board early in the first when Ronan Mulkerrin’s point shot went off his feet and in. The secondary assist went to Conor Walsh, who won the draw back to Mulkerrin.
Burlington’s top player came up big for the first of two times in the game to even the score, 1-1. Senior center Ryan O’Halloran found linemate Cam Costa whose first shot was stopped, but his second effort found the back of the net.
Terrence Concannon regained the lead for Hingham late in the first period when he finished off a play from the backdoor on the power play.
Burlington scored the only goal of the second period to tie the game, 2-2, heading into the final 15 minutes. Third line center John Condon gave a nice feed over to Costa who buried his second of the game.
Burlington took its first lead of the game with 2:21 left. O’Halloran won a face-off at the left wing circle. He pushed the puck ahead, stepped around his opposing center, and fed the puck over to Jack Jay who easily deposited the puck into he back of the net.
Junior Joe Trabucco picked up the win in net for the Red Devils. While Hingham had more depth than Burlington, a big element in the game was the physicality of the Red Devils’ defense.
Prospect Standouts
Ryan O’Halloran
#21 Burlington, 5/2/02, C, left shot, 5-10/145
O’Halloran had two assists and has an above average offensive skill set, especially for this level. He can make plays with the puck on his stick, he competes hard, and plays in all situations for the Red Devils.
Cam Costa
#16 Burlington, 3/16/02, LW, left shot, 5-7/145
Costa is a little on the smaller side, but he’s quick and can snap off a shot, as he did twice for goals on Sunday afternoon.
Colin Browne
#7 Burlington, 1/1/03, D, left shot, 6-3/180
Browne delivered several bone-crunching hits and was able to intimidate some of the Hingham forwards. He made sure the Harbormen had their head up coming through the middle of the ice. I haven’t seen a high school player in Massachusetts play cleanly, but with that kind of physicality in a long time.
John Condon
#19 Burlington, 2/1/02, C, left shot, 5-9/150
Condon centered the third line, but earned more minutes as the game went along. He had the puck on his stick a lot and assisted on the tying goal in the second period. He also had a great penalty killing shift early in the third period with the score still knotted, 2-2.
Brendan Janis
#18 Burlington, 4/11/05, LW, left shot, 5-10/140
Janis is a good young player, who I think probably deserved more ice time than he got. He’s a player to watch over the coming years.
Aidan Brazel
#37 Hingham, 11/20/03, RW, right shot, 6-2/175
Brazel is a late ’03 with good size. He skates well and showed some flashes of being a promising prospect. He was the most noticeable player for the Harbormen throughout the game.
Paul Forbes
#21 Hingham, 9/25/02, LW, left shot, 5-11/163
Forbes had the puck a lot and was another one of the more notable Hingham players.
Bob Falvey
#4 Hingham, 6/30/03, D, right shot, 5-10/145
Falvey had decent size, a strong, hard shot from the point, and was solid.
Burlington lines
C. Costa - R. O’Halloran - S. Malone
Z. Auble - J. Jay - J. Vozikis
B. Janis - J. Condon - B. O’Neill
N. Berglund
S. Reith - T. Janis
C. Browne - R. Magliozzi
A. Andriolo
J. Trabucco
Hingham lines
P. Forbes - T. Carroll - A. Brazel
G. Harrington - C. Walsh - S. Garrity
C. Tedeschi - W. Ham - T. Concannon
E. Corbett - Z. Mallett - J. Eustace
D. Packard - B. Falvey
T. McNally - R. Mulkerrin
L. Osterberg - D. Carleton
L. Merian
Framingham advances past Reading
Will Trischitta ended a terrific high school hockey game with 54.7 seconds to play in double overtime. The senior captain and first line center took the puck from the right wing wall, skated out, and roofed one over Reading goaltender Dylan Emery.
Framingham took a pair of one goal leads in regulation, but Reading answered back both times. Sophomore right wing Thomas Duane had both goals for the Flyers. The first was off a face-off play less than a minute into the game. Later, he fired home a loose puck from the middle of the slot.
Senior winger Shawn Golden tied the score, 1-1, with a breakaway goal after coming on the ice after a teammate’s penalty had just expired. He slid a backhander through the five hole of Framingham goaltender Jake Handy.
With 0.8 seconds left, Reading sent the game to overtime when Jake Donovan redirected a point shot from Matt Fiorenza. The Rockets had a few golden opportunities to end it in their favor, including a power play in double overtime, but it wasn't meant to be.
Prospect Standouts
Will Trischitta
#9 Framingham, 10/9/01, C, left shot, 5-10/130
Trischitta was the best player on the ice in either game. While he didn’t factor into the scoring during regulation, he came up big in double overtime. He’s quick and has skill with the puck on his stick. Trischitta exudes confidence and doesn’t rush decisions. The captain logged a ton of minutes. My best guess is he played somewhere between 30-40 minutes during the 60 minutes of game action.
Jared Shimelman
#20 Framingham, 7/17/03, D, right shot, 5-11/180
Shimelman was a strong two-way defender who stood out in both zones. He logs a ton of minutes, as well. He skates well and is hard to knock off pucks.
Robbie Lopez
#7 Framingham, 10/18/01, C, left shot, 5-8/175
Lopez centers the second line for Framingham and had some flashes. He had at least one assist and maybe two. He’s quick and shifty.
Jake Handy
#29 Framingham, 1/1/02, G, catches left, 5-11/150
Handy made some huge saves in the third period and overtime periods when Framingham started to tire due to playing just two lines.
Thomas Duane
#26 Framingham, 1/1/04, RW, right shot
Duane had both goals in regulation for Framingham.
Matt Fiorenza
#2 Reading, 10/13/01, D, right shot, 5-8/150
Fiorenza is a little on the lighter side, but his mobility stands out. He can move pucks north with his feet and with stretch passes.
Cam Lawhorne
#4 Reading, 11/6/01, D, left shot, 5-9/160
Lawhorne plays a key role on Reading’s top unit. He’s mobile, shoots it hard, and logs a ton of minutes.
Charlie Miele
#22 Reading, 12/13/02, D, left shot, 5-10/165
Miele isn’t as mobile as Reading’s top pair, but he brings it physically and is strong and tough to play against in his own zone. His stretch pass sent Golden in alone on the breakaway goal.
Landyn Greatorex
#26 Reading, 7/26/03, LW, left shot, 5-7/140
Greatorex is highly skilled for the MIAA level and can skate with anyone. He had the puck on his stick a lot.
Shawn Golden
#11 Reading, 1/1/02, C, left shot, 6-0/165
Golden had the breakaway goal to tie the score, 1-1, but it was one of the better games I’ve seen him play. He had a nice power move to the net that drew the power play in double overtime. In addition, Golden had the puck on his stick a lot.
Dylan Emery
#30 Reading, 4/18/02, G, catches left, 6-1/150
While Emery might want one goal back, he made some huge and acrobatic saves that helped keep Reading in the game when Framingham was making a few of their pushes. A couple glove saves he made were memorable.
Framingham lines
H. Balducci - W. Trischitta - C. Deletti
R. Shimelman - R. Lopez - T. Duane
J. Shimelman - B. Williams
D. Leone - R. Watton
J. Handy
Reading lines
J. Pennucci - S. Golden - S. Barbera
L. Greatorex - K. Donaghey - E. Pennucci
M. Dufton - J. Donovan - T. Owens
R. Goodwin - A. Picano - C. Mulvey
C. Lawhorne - M. Fiorenza
C. Miele - B. Millerick
D. Emery
