BRIGHTON – It might not have been in the Super 8, but the historic rivalry between the Catholic Memorial and BC High boys hockey teams left another impression Saturday night in the Div. 1 state tournament’s second round.
Two years after it was upset in the very same matchup, third-seeded Catholic Memorial (15-4-3) took this year’s third meeting with a 2-1 win over the No. 14 Eagles (10-11-1).
Much of the game saw both teams vastly limit offensive opportunities – especially the Knights in a 27-16 shots-on-goal advantage. That wouldn’t stop BC High from keeping the game tied heading into the third, though, nor from generating a 6-on-5 blitz in the final minute. But a late stand in net by Ryan Littlefield (15 saves), and freshman Jack McCourt’s game-winner early in the third, powered CM to advance in front of a sellout crowd.
The Knights are now unbeaten over their last 10 games and will play No. 11 Winchester in the Div. 1 state quarterfinals.
“It’s a big rivalry between the two schools,” said CM head coach Larry Rooney. “That was a great hockey game and I knew it would be that way. … It could have gone either way when you think about it.”
The score was tied at 1-1 heading into the third when the Knights found a golden opportunity on the attack.
BC High tried to center the puck from the corner while exiting the zone, which Seamus Tattan read and intercepted at the point in stride toward the net. His shot off Drew Karlovits’ (25 saves) pads went right to McCourt, and the freshman didn’t hesitate to finish it for the 2-1 lead with 10:45 left.
“It felt amazing,” McCourt said of his third goal on the year. “It was the most important game of the season, we needed it. I got lucky with the rebound, buried it home. … I pretty much just blacked out and hit it.”
Catholic Memorial had stymied BC High for much of the second and third periods up to that point, allowing only two shots on goal over a 20-minute span. But while it took the Eagles until 6:20 remained to get its first shot of the third period, they scrapped and clawed to keep it a one-score deficit.
That nearly paid off with the charge BC High put up late, generating half of its total shots-on-goal in the rally. Pulling Karlovitz with about 1:30 left helped the Eagles force a rebound by the post in the final 45 seconds with Littlefield on the ice, though BC High couldn’t jam the puck in.
“A couple bounces go the other way and we’re moving on,” said Eagles head coach John Flaherty. “Credit to CM. They came in with a game plan, they executed, they’re well-coached, they work hard and I wish them the best. … We scrambled, we made it interesting, we were a bounce away from tying it. But it didn’t happen. That was a typical Catholic Conference high school hockey game.”
Much of that credit in the end goes to Littlefield, who has anchored some impressive wins in the unbeaten streak. He wasn’t called upon too often in this one, but four saves came in the final minute as BC High peppered him off his feet with the man-advantage. Two of those saves were on rebounds that he needed to lunge for, and he was able to keep the Eagles from forcing overtime.
“He was (big),” Rooney said. “I thought Ryan played well. … He’s had some big, big games. He beat St. John’s Prep, he beat Pope Francis, he beat Archbishop Williams, and he was a big part of making the saves (late) tonight for us.”
Nick D’Olympio scored the game’s first goal, finding the five-hole on a shot from the left circle with 12:12 left in the second. Five minutes later, James Greer tipped in Tripp Schuhwerk’s shot for the 1-1 tie
