'Back on the map': Catholic Memorial hockey wins D1 crown, ending 15-year title drought
BOSTON -- Wake up the echoes, to borrow the Notre Dame phrase. Catholic Memorial is back on top.
The state's most decorated boys hockey program claimed another state crown Sunday at TD Garden, rallying from a late deficit to deny upset-minded St. John's (Shrewsbury), 4-3, in the Division 1 state final. Braintree's Luke Long knotted the score at 3-3 with 4:15 left, and fellow senior forward Tommy Hurst, who hails from Hyde Park, netted the winner with 21.3 seconds left for the fourth-seeded Knights (19-6-1).
It's CM's 18th state title all-time (Malden Catholic is a distant second with eight crowns), but this was the Knights' first since 2009, when they beat Burlington, 5-1, in the title game. CM hadn't even gotten to a state final since 2010, when the Knights fell, 1-0, to Hingham on a goal by Tim Driscoll.
The wait -- for the big stage and for a celebration befitting it -- is finally over.
"I put my heart and soul into this," said CM coach Larry Rooney, whose roster featured nine South Shore players. "I work at CM. Two of my boys went to CM. We've had our disappointing games where we believed we were one of the top teams in the state (and didn't come home with the trophy). To win a game like this means a lot to me."
Rooney's previous gigs included being the boys hockey coach at Thayer Academy (2002-10) and serving as the athletic director at Milton High (2013-15). This is his 10th season behind the CM bench and now he gets to add to the program's rich legacy.
"I work in the admissions (department) at CM and I give tours to families, and one of the main spots (we show them) is the gymnasium. We walk into the gym and turn around and look up at those banners," Rooney said. "They see all the success that we had in the 80s and 90s and early 2000s. Every time I do that with a new perspective family, hockey or non-hockey, they're blown away with the success of this hockey program in the past. I know it's been a long time (since we won), so our boys and our team this year have really got our hockey program back on the map."
That's music to the ears of the current Knights, who are too young to remember CM's glory days. The Knights, for example, won six consecutive state crowns from 1990-95, four straight from 1998-2001 and three in a row from 2003-05. Their first three titles also came in a row, from 1986-88.
"It's surreal," Long said of winning it all. "I'm still in shock. ... CM's always been the school to go to with their history. It feels great to finally get them back here."
"It's definitely the best feeling in the world," said Hurst. "I don't think anything else has compared to it so far in my life, that's for sure."
Hurst was an unlikely hero in the sense that he's a first-year varsity player who labored away on JV last winter. After failing in previous attempts to crack the varsity roster he figured he'd give it one last shot this season, saying, "I came into tryouts and made the team and put all that other stuff in the past. I'm on the team, so I played my heart out all year."
Said Rooney: "What an amazing experience for him to end his high school career scoring the winning goal in the championship game at the Garden with 21 seconds left. You can't script that."
CM got another strong game from eighth-grade goalie Jaxson Fleming, who made 18 saves.
"I've said this all season," Rooney noted. "He calmed us every time there was pressure on us. It's amazing what that does to the rest of the team and to the coaches. ... You don't see a lot of dramatics out there in his game. As young as he is, the kids really looked up to him."
St. John's went 8-12 in the regular season but caught fire with four straight playoff wins and grabbed a 3-2 lead in this one on Caleb Keyes' goal with 8:11 left. The 14th-seeded Pioneers (12-13), who had been 0-2 against CM during the regular season, were dreaming off an all-time underdog story, but CM dug deep down the stretch and tilted the ice in their favor.
Long first tied it on a shot that slipped out of the glove of St. John's sophomore goalie Colin McCarthy.
"We were working them the whole shift there," Long said of CM's sustained pressure. "Tons of shots, good opportunities. I threw it on net and it happened to go in."
Hurst's winner -- off a beautiful between-the-legs feed from Milton's Christian Hinckle -- allowed CM to end its season on a 12-0-1 hot streak. The Knights, who also got goals from Hinckle in the first period and Cam Reed in the second, got better and better as the winter wore on.
"You just felt it every time we came to the rink to practice," Rooney said of the momentum CM built up. "You felt it when we were leaving the rink. We felt it coming into games. ... They bought into the process, they bought into the system and the plan."
Now the plan will be to keep adding new state championship banners to the fine collection of older ones. CM's roster features eight sophomores and 7 freshmen, so more good times could be ahead.
One last thing about those banners. Were they ever a little, well, intimidating to the current Knights?
"Maybe a little bit," Long said with a laugh. "At school masses you see them hanging all over the place. But we're (up) there now."
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Catholic Memorial boys hockey defeats St. John's in Division 1 final
-
Bergen Catholic rallies in fourth to win state boys basketball title over Camden Catholic
Bergen Catholic rallied from a nine-point deficit to beat Camden Catholic, 52-49, and capture the Non-Public A state boys basketball title.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
'For the town': Winthrop boys hockey motivated in Div. 4 championship by community support
Fifth-seeded Winthrop finishes a successful tournament run as the Div. 4 boys hockey state champions at TD Garden.Yahoo Sports - 11h -
Video replay review used for first time in MIAA hockey state championship
After a controversial ending in last year's MIAA Division 1 boys hockey final, replay review was added. It didn't take long for it to get used.Yahoo Sports - 13h -
Boys hockey: St. Thomas sticks to game plan to win Div. II championship
Mar. 16—MANCHESTER — The game plan for the St. Thomas Aquinas boys hockey team in the NHIAA Division II championship game on Saturday was no different than it had been all season. The Saints wanted ...Yahoo Sports - 5h -
St. John's wins first Big East tourney since 2000
The No. 1 seed coming into the tournament played like it all week at Madison Square Garden, as coach Rick Pitino and his St. John's Red Storm secured their first Big East title since 2000, and will ...ESPN - 9h -
St. Mary Catholic earns title shot in Division 4 with win over Durand-Arkansaw
Defense, points in paint spark victory for St. Mary Catholic in WIAA Division 4 state semifinal girls basketball game.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Artesia downs Highland to win program's first state title since 1997
Mar. 15—As far as the Bulldogs are concerned, the blue trophy is going back right where it belongs. Artesia knocked off defending champion Highland 55-48 in the boys 4A final Saturday at the Pit, ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Girls basketball tournament: Benilde-St. Margaret’s wins third straight Class 3A title
Benilde-St. Margaret’s claimed its third straight Class 3A crown on Saturday at Williams Arena, downing Marshall 73-57. The Red Knights had four players score in double figures. Kendall McGee led ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Laurel boys basketball wins first title in 45 years
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (DC News Now) — On Saturday in College Park, the Laurel boys basketball team beat Whitman, 68-53 in the MPSSAA 4A final — for the Spartans, it’s their first state title victory ...Yahoo Sports - 23h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
‘Frustrated’ Suns still searching for answers. Those may not come until summer.
“It's frustrating. We show we can do the right thing sometimes, and then sometimes we don’t,” Devin Booker said.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins used shocking leverage to get deals with Bengals done
The Bengals had no choice...for a bigger reason than it seems.Yahoo Sports - 23m -
Kentucky vs. Liberty game time set for 2025 NCAA Tournament opener
What time does Kentucky women’s basketball play Liberty in March Madness? Here’s the game time for 2025 NCAA Tournament opener.Yahoo Sports - 25m -
Oregon women's basketball vs. Vanderbilt game time set for 2025 NCAA Tournament opener
What time does Oregon women's basketball play Vanderbilt in March Madness? Here's the game time for 2025 NCAA Tournament opener.Yahoo Sports - 25m -
Bengals sign WR duo to historic deals totaling $276 million
Bengals make Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history; Tee Higgins the highest-paid No. 2 WR in league historyYahoo Sports - 26m
More in Sports
-
Ja'Marr Chase extension: 10 highest-paid non-quarterbacks in NFL after Bengals star gets massive new deal
Chase is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL historyCBS Sports - 13m -
Bengals make Ja'Marr Chase the NFL's highest-paid non-QB, also sign Tee Higgins to massive deal, per reports
The duo is staying in CincinnatiCBS Sports - 18m -
‘Frustrated’ Suns still searching for answers. Those may not come until summer.
“It's frustrating. We show we can do the right thing sometimes, and then sometimes we don’t,” Devin Booker said.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
March Madness 2025: Michigan wins the Big Ten Tournament, gets No. 5 seed; make it make sense
The Wolverines earned more respect than the committee showed on SundayCBS Sports - 23m -
Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins used shocking leverage to get deals with Bengals done
The Bengals had no choice...for a bigger reason than it seems.Yahoo Sports - 23m