DORCHESTER – Over the past month, no one came within a goal – or even two – of defeating BC High, as it rolled through its schedule embarking on an 11-game winning streak.
That all came to an end Tuesday night, when St. Mary’s (Lynn) came into UMass-Boston’s Edward T. Barry Ice Rink and cooled off the red-hot Eagles.
It took the Spartans until the final minute of a back-and-forth third period to snap BC High’s streak, as senior Anthony Bono scored the game-winning goal with 47.4 seconds left to lift St. Mary’s to a 3-2 nonleague win.
“I’m just so proud of my guys,” said St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee. “They gave everything they had and that’s what it takes from the goaltender out. They were on their game. We’ve been playing BC for a number of years and to finally get a ‘W’ was huge for our program.”
St. Mary’s (10-3-4) was in control when Nicholas Napolitano set up Colin Reddy for a breakaway tally and 2-0 lead with 6:35 left in the third period, but it was just the beginning of a wild third period.
Even after being assessed with a five-minute major boarding penalty to ensure that BCH (11-4-1) would be shorthanded for the rest of regulation, the Eagles fought back and cut the deficit in half on a goal from Thomas Kramer with 3:48 left.
After Kramer’s goal, BCH picked up another penalty, but St. Mary’s followed with two infractions to set up a 3-on-3 opportunity, which the Eagles cashed in on.
Off of a faceoff, Mike Adamson unleashed a perfectly placed shot to beat Kevin McMullen (27 saves) to level the score, 2-2, with 2:45 left.
“We worked hard, we gave ourselves a chance and we didn’t quit,” said BCH coach John Flaherty. “There was no doubt in my mind that we had a chance right until the end. I firmly believed we could win this game even shorthanded. I liked our effort and I liked our resiliency. We just didn’t quit and that’s how it’s been for the majority of this year.”
St. Mary’s regained its power play with just over a minute left and Reddy made a heads-up play coming out of the penalty box.
Reddy entered play right away, forcing a turnover in the neutral zone before skating with the puck down the right wing and finding Bono, who roofed his shot for the win.
“All the older guys just stepped it up,” Bono said. “We knew we were fine. We had a power play coming. We just had to grind it out. Everyone was staying positive. There was no negative energy on the bench. I thought we played unbelievable.”
St. Mary’s opened the scoring just 2:25 into play on a goal from Napolitano, but BCH dictated play by outshooting the Spartans, 29-7.
But McMullen withstood the battering of shots, making several robbery saves through the first two periods to keep the Eagles off the board.
“Our guys did a great job blocking some big shots,” Lee said. “And again, it comes down to the goaltender. He made some great stops for us. That really makes the difference of winning and losing.”
