BOSTON — Catholic Memorial relentlessly pressed St. John's Shrewsbury in the final minute of regulation. With 21.3 seconds left, the Knights were rewarded.
Catholic Memorial junior defenseman James Baker (Dorchester, Mass.) pinched and kept the puck in after St. John's Shrewsbury tried to clear it. He threw it to the netfront where CM sophomore forward Christian Hinckle (Milton Mass.) laid it on a platter for senior Tommy Hurst (Hyde Park, Mass.) to fire it past SJS goalie Colin McCarthy (Worcester, Mass.) for the 4-3 lead.
The Knights held on, winning the MIAA D1 boys state title game by that score. It's their first title since 2009 and 18th all time.
The chaos of that final minute came after a chaotic third period. The final frame began tied, 2-2, but the Pioneers took a lead halfway through when junior forward Caleb Keyes (Upton, Mass.) rifled a one-timer past Catholic Memorial eighth-grade goalie Jaxson Fleming (Waltham, Mass.), making it 3-2.
