Pope Francis scores key win vs. Franklin

Sometimes all it takes is one goal to get things going. Pope Francis proved that to be true last night.

SCHOOLS

After Evan Phaneuf scored the game’s first goal early in the second period, it was all systems go for the Cardinals as they found the net two more times during that frame. In the end, Pope Francis earned a convincing 5-0 nonleague victory over host Franklin at Sgt. Pirelli Veterans Memorial Rink. Senior Jon Tavella finished with three points, including a pair of goals, while Makem Demers produced a goal and assist. Sophomore Ben Zaranek picked up the shutout in net, stopping all 18 shots faced for the Cardinals. “Every two years when we come here it is always a really tough game,” Pope Francis coach Brian Foley said. “Franklin plays with a lot of energy and they came out really hard. They played great in the first period and kind of took it to us a little bit. Luckily, it was 0-0.” Franklin (3-4-3) led the shot total 6-5 at the first intermission. But toward the end of the opening period, Pope Francis (6-3-1) showed signs of figuring out the Panthers defense. Early in the second frame, it showed. Just under five minutes into it, Demers came away with a takeaway near the left faceoff circle on the forecheck, looked to the center of the ice where Phaneuf was cutting toward the net, and fired a tape-to-tape pass. Phaneuf did the rest, rifling the shot over the shoulder of Ryan Cameron (19 saves) for the first goal. “I got the puck and I knew I had the goalie on one side. I just slid it over to Phaneuf and he just finished it,” Demers said on his defensive-effort that set up the first goal. “We just knew we had them on the hills. We just kept working, getting it in deep, pounding their defense and putting pressure on them. It just all came together.” Pope Francis finished the second period with a 12-4 advantage in shots. Almost exactly five minutes after the initial marker of the game, the Cardinals doubled their lead, this time with Tavella ripping home a onetimer from the feed of Tyler Wilson. With just 15 seconds left until the second intermission, Demers finished one off himself to cap the three-goal explosion in the period. With the win, Pope Francis extends its current winning streak to three while playing its fourth game in a week. And now that the heavy-dose of competition against prep schools is finished, the Cardinals know it will be a grind for the remainder of the schedule against MIAA opponents. “It’s good to settle in with our schedule now,” Foley said. “We got a really tough schedule the rest of the way. I look at it on paper and there is not one game that you look at as a game we should win. It’s gonna be a battle the rest of the way.” In the Boston City League, junior captain Joe Loewen buried a game-high four goals, as Latin Academy (3-2) shut out O’Bryant, 7-0.

Boys basketball

Richie Barrows hit a three with 3.4 seconds left in regulation as Weymouth (1-6) upended Milton, 54-51, in Bay State action.