Farrow pushes Prep hockey past Woburn in OT, 4-3

NO. ANDOVER – St. John’s Prep coach Kris Hanson experienced a flashback when Woburn’s junior sniper Casey Shea tied Saturday’s Division 1A round-robin game at 3-all on a splendid goal with 6:41 remaining in the third period. It wasn’t a cherished memory.”When I was playing at St. John’s as a junior, we played Woburn here in the tournament and lost 4-3 in overtime,” Hanson said.This year’s outcome turned out better for the Eagles. Goalie David Letarte stoned Shea with a marvelous right pad save at 2:18 of OT and senior winger John Farrow banged home his own rebound four minutes later as the Eagles (15-5-1) emerged with the 4-3 decision at Lawler Arena.Hanson knew Woburn was far better than The Prep’s 6-0 mid-February shutout of the Tanners suggested.”I hated the fact we beat them 6-0. Woburn’s the Middlesex League champion and they came here to win today. It wasn’t our best game but we battled and we’re happy to be 1-0,” Hanson said.In the OT, Shea streaked down the left side, cut right to the slot, then fired across his body, attempting to catch Letarte (16 saves) leaning the wrong way. However, the junior extended his right pad for the save of the game.The game-winner resulted from Colin Blackwell’s ability to avoid two Tanners on the left wall before sweeping a backhand pass to Farrow in the slot. Woburn goalie Cam McGlashing (26 saves) nullified the first shot but the rebound squirted back to Farrow, who poked in the winner after being checked to the ice.Woburn (18-4-1) grabbed a 1-0 lead at 5:32 of the first period when junior Dan Holland wheeled from behind the St. John’s net, turned and sniped a wrist shot over Letarte’s glove.The Eagles countered with two goals 1:33 apart to grab a 2-1 lead. First freshman Shane Eiserman chugged up the left side and feathered a pass to Blackwell in the slot for a one-handed re-direct past McGlashing. Then junior Sam Kurker caught McGlashing anticipating pass and snapped home a shot from the right dot.Farrow scored 44 seconds into the second period but the Tanners didn’t buckle as Alex Holland pulled them to within 3-2 at 2:39 of the period.On the tying goal, Shea accepted Alex Holland’s long indirect pass off the right wall, wiggled past a St. John’s defenseman, angled to the slot and pulled the puck around Letarte for a backhand finish to the far corner.Hanson praised the gritty work of the third line of Ryan Palmer, Devin Murray and Matt MacDonald, matched against the Hollands and Shea for most of the game.