Malden, MA – In what has become one of the marquee annual Christmas tournaments in the MIAA, we were able to get eyes on the Semifinals of the Christie Serino Christmas Classic featuring Austin Prep taking on St. Mary’s Lynn in the early game and host Malden Catholic taking on Franklin in the late game.
Semifinal 1: Austin Prep vs St. Mary’s Lynn – In the first semifinal, there was a substantial amount of rust to shake off for both teams. Austin Prep has been practicing for quite a while for this one, with multiple games postponed as a result of the pandemic and St. Mary’s Lynn hadn’t been in action since December 22. As expected, there were a lot of turnovers and stick checks and the neutral zone became a battleground for possession. Both teams were able to generate good looks, but all were turned aside by the netminders. The first period would end scoreless.
In the second period: both teams put forward a gritty effort to win pucks along the walls and in the corners. There was plenty of physicality and that led to a whole bunch of penalties. There was really no game flow established due to a consistent parade to the penalty box by both clubs. Aside from that you could tell that both teams were digging deep to get that first goal and Austin Prep was successful in doing so. With just three minutes to go in the frame defender Connor Griffin took a shot from the point that was deflected by senior forward Jack Toohey which gave the Cougars a 1-0 advantage and that was how we ended the second 15. Onto the third…
Where the Cougars would come out with a sense of purpose and continued to ride the momentum. Just under two minutes in they struck again as the puck was dug out of the right corner and junior forward Drew Thibodeau tipped it to freshman Luke Pazzia you had room in front and roofed it: 2-0 Austin Prep. There were fewer penalties called in this frame, but there were a fair number of missed connections by both sides as a result of a heavy forecheck. Eight minutes after the second goal came the third and final tally for the Cougars. Freshman sniper Jacob Duval skated over the blue line and fired a puck just over the crossbar that hit the glass and dropped down in front of the St. Mary’s goalie, just in time for sophomore Derek Daley to swat it home: 3-0 Austin Prep would be your final and they would advance to the Championship Game tomorrow.
Three Stars:
- G Anthony Beaulieu, Austin Prep
- F Jack Toohey, Austin Prep
- F Luke Pazzia, Austin Prep
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Semifinal 2: Malden Catholic vs Franklin – In the second semifinal, the hosting Lancers took on the Panthers and the possession was split evenly in the early going as both teams looked to gain the edge. There was some strong stickwork and some clever passing but nobody would be able to crack the scoreboard. As the period wore on Malden Catholic began to own the better of the chances and had a couple of nice looks on the power play, but the Panthers stood tall and kicked out each chance: 0-0 after 1.
In the middle frame, both teams came out aggressive but each stuck to their guns. Malden Catholic was trying to create transition mismatches while Franklin looked to play a straight ahead meat and potatoes style. Each team created looks early but it was the Panthers that drew first blood. Just under nine minutes in junior defender Lucas Sheehan found senior Dylan Marchand streaking up the right wing and he held off a defender and ripped one home upstairs to give Franklin a 1-0 lead. But just three minutes later, Malden Catholic would have a response: senior forward Owen Delvalle broke into the offensive zone and took a shot that deflected to the left of the cage, right where sophomore defender Owen Keefe was waiting: tie game 1-1. That would be how the frame would finish up…15 minutes would decide who would advance to the title tilt tomorrow…
In the third period, the next goal was critical and Franklin made an early push which would pay off just under four minutes into the frame when junior forward Ben Jarosz gained the blue and found junior forward Ryan Sicchio cruising in alone and he buried to make it 2-1 Franklin. From there, Malden Catholic began to turn the heat up and applied more and more pressure to the Panthers. They were able to break through five minutes later as a result of a nice pass by Keefe to find Evan Foskett who would finish top shelf to tie it up at 2. The Lancers were flying high here and while Franklin did create a chance at the other end, the momentum belonged to MC who would put the dagger in with under three minutes to go as Keefe took a shot from the point that pinballed around in front and it was shoveled home at the left post by Anthony Ghergurovich to make it 3-2. The Panthers would pull their goalie with over a minute left to play but it was to no avail as the Lancers were victorious. They will face Austin Prep for the trophy.
Three Stars:
- D Owen Keefe, Malden Catholic
- F Owen Delvalle, Malden Catholic
- F Dylan Marchand, Franklin
