Murphy powers Boston Latin into finals
Late in the second period Sunday, Boston Latin sophomore goalie Oliver Murphy leaned back, rested his arms on the net, and looked as relaxed as someone sipping a cool drink in the Caribbean.
Then it was back to business, as his scowl returned, and he continued to fend off missile after missile from Duxbury. Murphy stopped 30 shots in all and was masterful all game long, spearheading a signature 2-0 Division 2 semifinal triumph at John Gallo Ice Arena in Bourne.
Senior Robert Banks scored with 4:31 remaining, then added a spectacular emptynetter with 1:09 left to seal it for the 11thseeded Wolfpack (16-8). Boston Latin is in its first state final since 2005 — when the Wolfpack won it all in coach Frank Woods’s first year — and will face No. 1 Tewksbury next Sunday at TD Garden 19 years later.
“I don’t think too many people expected us to get there,” Woods said.
Duxbury senior Chris Gillis set the tone early for the No. 10 Dragons (13-9-4), bodying a Boston Latin player through the boards and into the hallway. The Dragons peppered Murphy with shots, but nothing materialized.
Michael Hussey, Mikey Yucius, and Brady Walsh anchored an energized Duxbury attack, but Murphy, Adam Whitney, James Sullivan, and the rest of the Wolfpack stayed steady.
“It’s the kind of game you want in a state semifinal,” Duxbury coach Mike Flaherty said. “It’s a 1-0 game to me. If we get a bounce, one way or another, I think we take control. We just couldn’t get a bounce.”
Getting the bounce was Banks, a South Boston resident who also scored the overtime winner against Billerica in the first round. The defender’s first goal came from just inside the blue line, and his second came from parallel to the Boston Latin net.
“We’re always a gritty, grimy team,” Banks said. “We don’t have the biggest size, we don’t always have the most speed, but we let our game talk for us.”
Division 1 State
St. John’s Prep 4, Xaverian 0 — St. John’s Prep senior Caleb White’s chinstrap rested on his forehead.
Play was whistled dead for White’s helmet being dislodged 40 seconds into the contest. Moments prior, the senior from Danvers had delivered a bone-crushing hit on Xaverian senior captain Jack O’Neil that was so forceful his own helmet couldn’t withstand the punishment.
Message sent.
Flush with confidence, top-seeded St. John’s Prep delivered a master class against No. 4 Xaverian at Loring Arena in Framingham. The Eagles (21-3-0) return to TD Garden for the second time in three seasons to face No. 11 Winchester (16-9-1) in the final next Sunday at a time to be announced.
“That hit in the neutral zone really set the tone,” said St. John’s Prep coach Kristian Hanson. “It was a rock-solid hit. It was a little message to our bench and to theirs that we’re here to play hockey and we’re not backing down.”
Senior captain Jake Vana kicked off the scoring 5:51 into the game, whistling a wrist shot off a feed from senior Brady Plaza. Vana connected with fellow senior captain Christian Rosa for Prep’s second goal, as Rosa onetimed a feed from behind the net. The two have formed chemistry from being teammates for nine years.
Senior Brendan Powers redirected a shot by sophomore Cooper Hosmer on the power play with 50 seconds remaining in the first period and senior captain Johnny Tighe added an empty-net goal in the third.
Senior Cole Pouliot-Porter was exceptional for Xaverian (18-5-1), making 41 saves.
Division 3 State
Nauset 6, Somerset Berkley 0 — Nauset’s magical season will end with the program’s first state championship appearance in two decades.
Junior Logan Poulin recorded two goals and an assist, senior Julian Krivos had a goal and two helpers, and senior Aaron Howard, junior Colin Ward, and sophomore Jake Eldredge tallied goals to help the top-seeded Warriors roll past No. 12 Somerset Berkley in a Division 3 semifinal at Gallo.
“The boys are playing their best hockey at the best time of year and that’s all you can ask for,” Nauset coach Connor Brickley said. “Every single game in these playoffs we’ve only gotten better, so I can only wait to see what kind of effort we put together at the TD Garden.”
The Warriors (22-1-1) roll into next Sunday’s state final on a 19-game win streak. They’ll face No. 6 Marblehead in the program’s first state title game since the 2004 squad suffered a 6-0 loss to Saugus in the Division 2 final.
For a second straight game, Nauset put an opponent on its heels early, building a 3-0 first-period lead. Somerset Berkley (18-3-2) struggled to slow down the Warriors’ forecheck throughout the game.
Although the Nauset players are thrilled to avenge last year’s quarterfinal loss, they still believe there is work to be done.
“Since last year, we lost that Elite Eight game, our No. 1 goal was getting to the Garden,” Howard said. “Now we’ve got to win it.”