STONEHAM, Mass. — In what was certainly one of the most thrilling high school games of the season to date, Stoneham scored two late goals to tie and then go ahead of Masco for a 5-4 victory on Thursday night.
Senior Joseph Kranefuss scored with 6.4 seconds to play to lift the Spartans to victory and the title at the Stoneham Christmas Tournament. He came blowing down the left wing and slid a puck between Masco goaltender Nick Santangelo and the near post.
Stoneham rallied from two separate two-goal deficits to earn its second victory of the season, improving to 2-3. Stoneham came into its tournament without a win, but skated past Dedham by a score of 10-6 in the semifinals. On the other hand, it was the first loss of the season for Masco, falling to 3-1. The Chieftains defeated Billerica in the other semifinal to advance to the championship game.
Joe Aronis scored the equalizer with 48 seconds to go. Kolby Horgan had cut the deficit to 4-3 earlier in the third period when he scored a penalty shot tally. Junior winger Danny Storella scored the first two Stoneham goals. AJ Sacco had two goals while Michael Bevilacqua and Jack Mertz also found the back of the net for Masco.
With prep hockey and a few college hockey games postponed in the region Thursday, the two teams were able to play in front of an NHL Eastern Conference scout at Stoneham Arena. It was good exposure for a few of the players in the game. Here’s a look at three prospects, who stood out in my viewing:
Top 3 Prospects
AJ Sacco
Masco, 11/28/05, LW, left shot, 5-5/130
Sacco was the best playmaker in the game. He’s quick, crafty and showed off his vision on a handful of sequences. He had two points in the game and even displayed some grit. He’s the brother of former UNH commit David Sacco, an `02 who no longer plays hockey and instead chose to pursue golf. His father, Dave, played at BU, as did his uncle, Joe, who is now an assistant coach with the Boston Bruins.
Danny Storella
Stoneham, 5/18/05, RW, right shot, 5-11/190
Storella, a junior, scored the first two Stoneham goals by playing to his identity as a power forward. I’ve liked him for a couple of years now, due to his size, strength and compete. He plays hard and between the dots. A prep school will be very fortunate to pick him up, if he chooses to go that route.
Joseph Kranefuss
Stoneham, 12/29/03, RW, right shot, 5-8/140
Kranefuss has been on my radar for a couple of years now. He skates well and has some quickness, as he showed on the game-winning goal. He reportedly had some prep school interest a few years ago. He’d be a solid pickup as a postgraduate student for a few prep schools.
