BOSTON – The best two teams in the state from start to finish of the 2021-22 Massachusetts high school hockey season collided in Sunday night’s MIAA Division 1 State Championship game at the TD Garden.
St. John’s Prep and Xaverian split the first two matchups between the Catholic Conference heavyweights. In the rubber match, the Eagles prevailed with a 6-2 victory to capture the program’s first state championship since winning the 2015 Super 8.
Senior captain and first line right wing Tommy Sarni scored four goals and added an assist to pace the St. John’s Prep offense. Junior left wing Cole Blaeser and junior defenseman Aidan Holland were the other goal scorers for SJP. Payton Palladino was the winning goaltender. The championship triumph gave Kristian Hanson’s team a final record of 22-3, a school record for most wins in a season.
Senior forwards Braden O’Hara and Jack Curley scored the two goals for Dave Spinale’s Hawks. Fellow classmate Jack Silva had the primary assist on both tallies. While the season ended in heartbreak, Xaverian has a lot to be proud of, including a season-ending record of 20-4-1.
Scoring summary
SJP 1-0: The Eagles took an early lead on a power play tally from Sarni. Moving the puck around the perimeter, Sarni slipped in near the right wing circle. The lefty blasted a wrist shot between the goaltender and the near post. The primary assist went to Holland.
XBHS 1-1: The Hawks answered right back with a goal from O’Hara on an odd man rush. Silva raced down the right wing and fed the puck to O’Hara, who was driving the far post.
XBHS 2-1: Curley gave the Hawks their first and only lead of the night. He banked a shot in off the goaltender’s back from a near impossible angle. The sequence came following a rush up ice from Silva that just nearly missed going into the net.
SJP 2-2: One of two brothers on the SJP roster connected to draw the Eagles even. Pierce Blaeser’s centering feed found Cole Blaeser who quickly buried it into the net. The odd man rush started with a solid stretch pass from Theo Vetere.
SJP 3-2: The game winning goal didn’t come without controversy. Skating on the power play, Holland received a low to high pass from Ben McGilvray. Holland sent a wrist shot into the net with some question whether there was goaltender interference on the play. Sarni was credited with the secondary assist.
SJP 4-2: Sarni scored a highlight reel goal after receiving a drop pass from Blaeser who had entered the zone on the right wing side. Sarni pulled the puck back with a toe drag and patiently waited for the right spot to blast a wrist shot home, showing some serious deception.
SJP 5-2: Sarni completed the hat trick with his first of two empty net goals.
SJP 6-2: The game was officially put on ice when Jake Vana forced a turnover and the loose puck caromed out to Sarni who shot it into the empty net.
SJP’s recipe for success
It’s been no secret that I’ve admired SJP’s depth, experience, physicality, and tenacious forecheck all season. That was all on display Sunday evening at the TD Garden on the state’s biggest stage for high school hockey.
There were numerous huge hits delivered by SJP players that sent a clear message. The Eagles were going to be tough to play against and make Xaverian work for every inch of the ice. A heavy forecheck and willingness to stick to the game plan was evident throughout the game.
The power play wasn’t always pretty on Sunday night, but Hanson’s squad scored twice on the man advantage. On the other side of the puck, St. John’s Prep killed off a five minute major, which was a key point in the game.
While there wasn’t necessarily scoring by committee on Sunday night, a number of players stood out. The all-sophomore line of Cam Umlah, Vana and center Christian Rosa all had impressive shifts. Umlah had a heavy forecheck that forced a turnover in the second period. The fourth line had a great shift with the game still in doubt, getting the puck in deep, being physical, and hemming Xaverian deep in its own zone. Holland had two assists, but he was far from the only defenseman to provide meaningful minutes Sunday night.
Winning the special teams battle and asserting yourself physically is usually key in the postseason. It’s hard to not be happy for Hanson and this year’s upperclassmen. They had to endure a difficult last two years as rules pertaining to the Coronavirus prevented them from competing and having normalcy when coming to the rink. Hanson emphasized earlier in the season that this year’s team wasn’t taking anything for granted.
That showed once again as SJP was crowned champions of Massachusetts school boy hockey.
Player of the game
Tommy Sarni
St. John’s Prep, 5/16/03, RW, left shot, 6-1/185
NCAA commit: Providence (lacrosse)
Sarni scored four goals and added an assist. He was announced as having an assist on the team’s second goal, but I believe that was an error. Either way, he was on the ice for all six SJP goals scored. The Providence lacrosse commit is obviously an outstanding athlete. He had proven numerous times during the regular season that he could score. He came up with four tallies in the biggest game of the year. Sarni’s athleticism, competitive drive, strength to be heavy on pucks, and hard shot all were elements that helped him have success on the score sheet Sunday night.
St. John’s Prep lines
Blaeser - P. Blaeser - Sarni
McGilvray - Ayers - Van Sicklin
Umlah - Rosa - Vana
Tighe - Santosuosso - Jo. Melanson
Holland - Tilas
Vetere - Shyjan
Raposa - Je. Melanson
Palladino
Xaverian lines
O’Hara - Curley - Silva
Peck - Lockwood - DiMartino
Moynihan - O’Neil - Irving
Steck - Parrish - Casey
Dion - Leblanc
Gunning - Rodriguez
Tow - M. Dion
Flanagan
