Middleton, MA – In the back half of the Frates Winter Classic first day doubleheader, it was a battle of the Eagles: who would fly highest: host St. John’s Prep or visiting BC High? In the early going the play was fairly even with both teams generating good drives to the net. As time wore on, BC High took control of the puck possession and the period. The All-Kramer line (Patrick, Peter, Joseph) was able to cycle the puck on a couple of shifts deep in SJP territory which buoyed the Eagles who dominated zone time until the buzzer sounded. Fortunately for St. John’s Prep, the score remained deadlocked at 0-0 thanks to the netminding of Jake Essensa.
The second period featured many twists and turns, and a lot of great scoring chances: but oddly no goals. Despite a 5-minute major called on St. John’s Prep for boarding, BC High was unable to capitalize and that lead to a fired up home crowd. St. John’s Prep responded following the kill with some of the game’s best play: chipping pucks to space and creating breakaways, in addition to taking care of their net by packing the shot lanes. In terms of execution and team play, this is probably one of the better MA HS games we’ve seen all year.
The third period certainly delivered on drama. Both teams had great scoring chances but collectively, BC High’s defense was able to close off space with their skating speed and St. John’s Prep’s defense blocked shots and took away additional shooting lanes. The teams traded scoring looks until finally the seal was broken with 5:34 to go. Junior forward Evan Moore scooped up the puck out of the corner and walked in a couple of steps before depositing the puck short side on the BC High netminder Chase Congdon to make it 1-0 St. John’s Prep. All the momentum belonged to the home team, but Coach Flaherty of BC High pulled his goalie with a minute and a half to go and following a draw in the offensive zone, they cashed in when senior Thomas Kramer shoveled a puck home hovering in front of the net. This led to many frustrated home fans who were barking at the referees, but when the dust settled the game was tied at 1.
The game stayed that way into overtime, which was played 3-on-3 for 6 minutes and if nobody scored, there would be a shootout to determine who would play Pope Francis in the Championship tomorrow. As you can imagine with 3-on-3 OT, there is a lot more open ice for the players to make plays and as a result, we saw the winner scored 1:54 into the proceedings. St. John’s Prep was called for Too Many Men on the ice and 3-on-3 turned into a 4-on-3. As such, BC High wound the puck up out of their own zone and Joseph Kramer fed his older brother Thomas who danced over the blue line and fired a wrister high glove side over Jake Essensa to win it for BC High 2-1.
BC High will take on Pope Francis for the Championship at 5:20 pm at Essex Sports Center on Friday.
NZ Take:
As we mentioned before, this was one of the better played MA HS games we have seen all season. Both teams were highly disciplined, athletic and hard working. Each player knew their role and filled it well, and the quality of play was well evident by the lack of penalties called: both sides were on their A-game. BC High was the most athletic team we have seen in our travels: they have it at every position and in each class which will make them a threat for the Super 8 not only this year but for next year as well as they continue to reload. St. John’s Prep is rarely outworked and that was also the case in this game. They threw everything they had at this game and nearly came away with a victory. They are a very responsible defensive team, quick to capitalize on mistakes and smart about their positioning to minimize their own mistakes.
It was fairly obvious that the three Kramers were the most noteworthy players on the ice in this game. It seemed that on every shift that St. John’s Prep had to find a way to slow them down, take the puck from them or prevent them from getting good looks at the net. We were also impressed by freshman defender Declan Loughnane, who saw big minutes in this game and was very aggressive in his pursuit of the puck and willingness to attack the net offensively. As for special teams, forward CJ Martin was excellent on the penalty kill and forward Matt Keohane was very good on the power play.
For St. John’s Prep, goalie Jake Essensa was about as calm as you be in what was a very frantic game. He nearly shut out a potent offense juggernaut in BC High, a strong outing from the junior despite the final score. Defenseman Will Perry came on strong late in this game making strong plays with his feet and delivering a textbook hip check to seal off a rush attempt. Junior forward Ryan Bradley showed very good straight line speed, forward Ned Malolepszy showed a nose for the puck and strong hustle while forward Ryan Hart pushed the pace with his speed and created turnovers in numerous situations.
Three Stars:
- F Thomas Kramer, BC High
- D Declan Loughnane, BC High
- F Evan Moore, St. John’s Prep
