WILMINGTON — Defending Super 8 champion Malden Catholic didn't put an absurd number of shots on the St. John's Prep net last night. But the Lancers made sure just about all of them were quality scoring chances.
MC scored the game's last two goals 43 seconds apart in the third period to top the Eagles, 5-3, at Ristuccia Arena.
"They had multiple chances and they're a very hard team to stop," said Eagles coach Kristian Hanson.
The Lancers (6-1-1) got the go-ahead goal when Pat Wren finished a centering feed from Casey Fitzgerald with 6:47 to play. MC immediately put its top line on the ice for the next shift, and it paid off when Boston University-bound Brendan Collier extended the lead to 5-3 just 43 ticks later.
"That top line is the best line in the state, and that's the reason MC has pulled away from the pack," said Hanson. "They play significant minutes and they don't appear to get tired."
The Eagles (4-4) fell to 0-3 in Catholic Conference play.
"We're 4-4 and all four losses have come in games where we've been tied in the third period," Hanson said. "That's something we're going to have to correct. But we're not going to panic; there's a lot of talent in our room."
Junior captain Brian Pinho factored in all three Prep goals and drew the Eagles even when he roofed a power play tally by MC goalie Connor Maloney early in the third period. Pinho also scored a 4-on-4 goal in the second and assisted on Sam Kurker's first period marker.
"Brian had a great game, one of his strongest games of the year," said Hanson. "He's scored a goal two games in a row now, so hopefully he's finding his scoring touch."
Kurker absorbed an MC check, settled himself and fired the puck into the net to give the Prep a 1-0 lead in the first. The Lancers then tied it on Tyler Sifferlen's goal midway through the frame, and took their first lead when Ryan Fitzgerald buried a turnover with just five seconds left in the period.
MC extended its lead to 3-1 before Pinho stopped the bleeding in the second. The junior centerman then tied it up in the third before the Lancers got the game's final two goals.
"If we play the way we played tonight the rest of the way, we're going to be OK," said Hanson.
Prep goaltender David Letatre made the save of the year on Fitzgerald in the first. MC's Boston College-bound sniper had it all alone in front, faked forehand to backhand and Letarte laid out to make a glove save so good that even the referees were briefly fooled.
"I saw one of the refs come over to start giving the scorekeeper numbers (as if it was a goal)," said Hanson. "And I'm saying wait, David has it. That was a great save."
Letarte finished with 22 stops, including a second excellent glove stop on Fitzgerald later in the game.
Boxford native Ara Nazarian had two assists for Malden Catholic while Sifferlen scored twice. Middleton's Mike Iovanna, who rounds out MC's top line with Collier and Fitzgerald, assisted on Collier's back-breaking final goal.
