BOSTON — The clock says 0:00, but that's not very realistic considering that in hockey, time ends when the clock hits 0:00, no matter what happens before then.
But it was there. Zero point zero zero. The four referees spoke for at least a minute before declaring Johnny Tai's second goal of the game, the game-winning goal. On Sunday night, St. John's Prep won 3-2 despite a heart attack to win the division. 1 state championship.
And speaking of hearts, the Winchester players who sat on the ice in disbelief almost certainly had their hearts pierced by the sharpest of arrows. But no one has had to shed more blood than goalkeeper Aiden Emerick. The junior netminder had 42 saves, some of which were incredible. He kept the Red-Black team in the game and allowed them to gain enough confidence against the No. 1 Eagles to actually take a 2-1 lead early in the game. Third period.
But Chris McCarthy's second goal of the game just woke up the Prep.
St. John's finished the season with a record of 22 wins and 3 losses, while Winchester, ranked 11th, fell to 16 wins, 10 losses, and 1 draw.
The game was about to go into overtime when St. John's scored the winning goal. By that time, the reserve army controlled the territory. With eight seconds left, St. John's won a faceoff with Emerick's left side, but it wasn't clean. Winchester was able to get the puck just a little into the neutral zone, and captain Jake Vanna went to retrieve it.
Once the Eagles cleared it all, Vanna brought it back and scouted senior defenseman Brady Plaza from low. Mr. Plaza delivered it to Ty, and as the final siren blared, Ty slammed it into the house.
Jubilant Eagles streamed onto the ice to celebrate while four officials gathered by the scorer's table to discuss. For at least a minute, it was an eerie scene on the ice, with celebrations suspended on one side and a glimmer of hope on the other.
But the referee ruled it a good goal, and St. John's won the state championship. This is the fifth time in program history and second in the past three years.
St. John's took a 1-0 lead with 2:49 left in the first period when Linfield's JR Goldstein's shot missed an Emerick screen. Carson Irving had an assist.
McCarthy scored his first goal of the night at 3:56 into the middle, bringing Winchester to a 1-1 tie. McCarthy scored again at 4:48 of the third period, giving Winchester a 2-1 lead.
However, that lead did not last long. Five minutes later, Ty connected on a power play, putting St. John's back up 2-2 and setting the stage for a frenetic final few seconds.
