LOWELL, Mass. – St. John’s Prep rallied with the goaltender pulled to force overtime then defeated Catholic Conference rival BC High, 2-1, in the second overtime of Tuesday night’s MIAA Division 1 State Tournament game at the Tsongas Center.
The conquest sets up a heavyweight matchup between St. John’s Prep and Xaverian for the Division 1 state championship on Sunday at the TD Garden in Boston. Xaverian made it an all-Catholic Conference final by defeating Arlington, 4-3, in double overtime at Loring Arena.
SJP’s victory was the nightcap on the UMass Lowell campus. In the first game, Canton jumped out to a 6-0 lead and held on for a 6-3 victory over Gloucester in a Division 2 State Tournament semifinal. The Bulldogs and Tewksbury will meet Sunday at the TD Garden in the final game at that level.
The atmosphere in the Tsongas Center for both games was special, something the players from all four teams will remember for years to come. The Gloucester fan section was huge and stayed until the end, despite their team’s misfortune. The SJP fan section going berserk as players celebrated the double overtime goal right in front of them was a sight to behold. There’s nothing like playoff time and it’s great to be back to normal, as we should be, with fans playing such a huge part in the environment of the rink.
