ARLINGTON – In case anybody forgot concerning the pleasure and parity within the Middlesex League Liberty, the Winchester boys hockey staff took no difficulty giving a reminder within the Div. 1 state match second spherical Saturday afternoon.
In entrance of a packed home, the Eleventh-seeded Red and Black (14-9-1) overcame a late rally from league champion No. 6 Arlington to drag out a 3-2 upset win in double extra time.
The second of senior David Strong’s two objectives was the game-winner, pairing with 35 saves from junior goalie Aiden Emerick, to guide the win regardless of the Spy Ponders’ rally from down 2-0 within the last 4 minutes of regulation.
Both of Winchester’s two wins this postseason have gone to extra time, and the heroics arrange a date with the winner of No. 3 Catholic Memorial-No. 14 BC High. Evan Jones had each objectives for Arlington to set the stage for an epic end, however its season ended at 17-4-3.
“They played terrific,” mentioned Red and Black head coach Gino Khachadourion. “I keep telling them, if they buy-in to how we play our system, our style … that’s the result. We got it right there, which is a big-time win for us.”
“We know it’s going to be tough in the tournament, every team comes to play,” added Strong. “So we’re coming to play right with them. … That’s a really good team over there, so we knew they weren’t going to go out without a fight. We knew they were going to come back and we kind of just kept our foot on the gas.”
Winchester led 2-0 for a lot of the best way, as Arlington didn’t discover its rhythm till the second interval. Once Strong and Chris McCarthy’s objectives have been neutralized late within the third off two Jones objectives in a 30-second span, it was then on the Red and Black to maintain from unraveling and get again to kind.
An incredible up-and-down ensued within the first extra time, and drained legs nonetheless traded rushes into the second. Arlington almost gained it on a bid in entrance, however Emerick’s pad save ricocheted to Strong. He fed it to Luke Sardone up the ice alongside the left wing, and he carried it to the left circle earlier than centering the puck again to Strong charging down the slot on their lonesome for the objective.
Sardone additionally assisted Danny Collins’ game-winner in opposition to Waltham within the first spherical.
“I knew (Sardone) was going to put it right on my stick,” Strong mentioned. “I saw a little hole and I put it there.”
“I know everything happens for a reason, so us going to overtime – I’m not too upset about it,” Collins added. “I think we can beat any team in this league.”
Arlington’s gradual begin was adopted with a much-improved second, utilizing three Winchester penalties within the body to dial up 11 photographs and a handful of high quality probabilities. Emerick, very similar to he did by way of the primary 11 minutes of the third, staved off the whole lot.
Once Jones banged in a objective from the skin to chop the deficit to 2-1 with 4:01 to play, the life in a quiet constructing surged again. The prime of Ed Burns Arena nearly blew off when head coach John Messuri’s resolution to drag the goalie for a 6-on-4 energy play 26 seconds later became Jones’ second objective and a 2-2 tie proper out of the primary faceoff.
The Spy Ponders produced a bevy of close to objectives within the ensuing minutes, however Emerick and the Red and Black prevailed.
“The captain leadership has been great,” Khachadourion mentioned. “They didn’t hang their heads. They knew we were going to win this and they just felt it.”
“Emerick, people got to start talking about him being one of the best goalies in the league,” Collins added. “When he’s hot, nobody’s getting by him.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com