Spartan boys hockey team defeats Waltham in shootout

NORTH BILLERICA – Given a second chance to play in the state tournament, the St. Mary’s boys hockey team is taking advantage of it to the fullest.On Saturday at the Chelmsford Forum, the Spartans were staring elimination dead in the face in the Division 1 North quarterfinals against Waltham.That was until Mike Restuccia’s prayer from the right point was answered with 23.1 seconds remaining in regulation. That goal pushed the game to overtime and eventually a shootout where Derek Stella scored the only goal and Donald Hesse stopped five Waltham shooters to ensure a 3-2 win and a second straight semifinal berth.”How about that,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee said outside a raucous locker room. “These guys believed to the last second that they could come back. This game showed the type of character and heart they have.”St. Mary’s (14-7-1) will take on top-seeded Burlington on Wednesday (8) in Chelmsford for a trip to the North finals.Despite dominating the play for most of the final two periods, St. Mary’s was in serious jeopardy of going home thanks to the netminding of Waltham’s George Tedford.The MVP of the Merrimack Valley Conference, Tedford was under constant barrage in the third period. But every shot the Spartans threw at him was turned aside as Waltham decided to sit back and not attack with a 2-1 lead.”We are not a high scoring team so we knew coming in it was going to be a one or two goal game against them,” Lee said. “We knew that and I was happy with how we played the last two periods.”Several times in the final two periods, the Spartans had quality chances but couldn’t get to loose pucks in the crease with Tedford down and out. Waltham, meanwhile, was content to ice the puck eight times in the final period.It was off the last of those icings with just under a minute left that the Spartans made their final charge. With Hesse off for an extra skater, St. Mary’s threw puck after puck towards the net but the Hawks blocked off every try.A hustle play by Doyle Somerby kept the puck alive for Restuccia at the right point. He threw a shot towards the mass of bodies in front of the Waltham goal and somehow the puck threaded its way through the crowd and over Tedford’s shoulder to tie the game.”The way things were going, I was expecting that shot to hit someone along the way,” Lee said. “But it kept going and found its way through.”Waltham suddenly got aggressive and had the better of the chances in overtime but Hesse made two stellar saves on Ryan Pratt to keep the game tied through 57 minutes.In the shootout, Hesse stopped Pratt on Waltham’s first shot before Stella tucked home a backhander on the Spartans’ first try.The rest of the shootout was Hesse’s show. He stopped Brian Rowland and Bob Poilucci before Brian Maguire whiffed and Doug Usseglio fired wide of the net on the Hawks’ final chance to stay alive.”Donald really isn’t a secret anymore,” Lee said. “He just keeps making big save after big save for us. That’s why he’s an all-star.”The Hawks led 1-0 after dominating the first period thanks to a Pratt power play goal at 6:08. St. Mary’s fought back at the start of the second, tying the game at the :38 mark when James Perkins tipped Somerby’s shot past Tedford.Pratt gave Waltham back the lead six minutes later when he fired home a Poilucci centering pass to make it 2-1.