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The Winchester High School Red & Black boys hockey team (14-11, 11th seed) came within one overtime goal from advancing to the Division 1 state semifinal round after St. John’s of Shrewsbury (12-12, 14th seed) pushed across the game-winner in the extra period to win the Elite 8 game, 4-3 at the Chelmsford Forum on March 6.
St. John’s then went on to defeat Arlington (18-6-2, seventh seed) three days later in the state semifinals by the exact same score – but in regulation this time – at Lowell’s Tsongas Center. The Spy Ponders reached the Final Four, when they upset St. John’s Prep (17-6, second seed) in double overtime, 2-1, in their Elite 8 contest the day before Winchester’s OT heartbreaker at the same venue.
As a result of these outcomes, St. John’s will be squaring off against Catholic Memorial (18-6-1, fourth seed) in the D-1 state championship game at the TD Garden this Sunday (March 16), starting at 1 p.m.
“Although the season did not end the way we wanted it to, we had a lot to be proud of,” said Coach Gino Khachadourian. “Every year our goal is to compete at the highest level and win the Division 1 state title. We were unable to accomplish that this season, but I’m proud of our team and the way we played throughout the season.
“Like other seasons, we had our ups and downs, but when we earned our playoff seed, I knew we had a chance to win the whole thing,” added Khachadourian. “We played our best hockey in the playoffs, and were rewarded with another deep playoff run. The playoffs are an incredible time of the year for our kids, as well as the community at-large, and we hope we had brought a lot of excitement and pride to the town of Winchester (with these games).
“Our seniors did a tremendous job leading their teammates throughout the season, and we can’t thank them enough for their commitment to the program,” he concluded. “They were able to build upon our culture as a team, while continuing to set the (program’s high) standards for years to come.”
Junior Caiden Brady led the Winchester boys on offense with one goal and two assists against St. John’s. Senior captains Chris McCarthy and Jonathan Garmey accounted for the other two scores. Sophomore goalie Graham Emerick did his part to keep his teammates close on the scoreboard with 36 big saves straight through most of the overtime period. St. John’s didn’t notch the winning goal until there was less than three minutes to go in the extra frame.
Casey chosen Middlesex League all-star
Senior captain Thomas Casey is Winchester’s lone Middlesex League all-star representative, and, according to Khachadourian, “it is well-deserved,” while adding, “Thomas was a staple of our defensive core, as well as also being a consistent all-around player. He’s a four-year varsity player, who represents himself, the team and the community to the highest of standards at all times. We will certainly miss a player like Thomas, because he has helped out the younger players tremendously in a sense of leadership and performance (on and off the ice).”
