MC, Eagles go for Super 8 gold

Either way on Sunday night around 8 p.m, St. John’s Prep or Malden Catholic are going to end a long state championship drought for their respective hockey programs when the two meet in the Division 1A title game at TD Garden.The Lancers are looking to win their first state title since 1974, while St. John’s is in quest of its first crown since 1985. The two have met twice this season with MC winning both games.Since that second loss to MC, the Eagles (18-5-1) have been white hot, not losing a game down the stretch or in their four games in the Super eight.The Lancers, meanwhile, have held the No. 1 ranking for nearly the entire season with losses to Weymouth and Hingham the only blemishes on their resume. But in its four Super eight games, MC has had to squeak out wins in three of them.St. John’s, on the other hand, has been nearly unstoppable thanks to senior Colin Blackwell and freshman Shane Eiserman. The Eagles needed OT to beat Woburn in its opener, but had rolled past Needham, BC High and Weymouth by a combined score o 16-3 to reach the finals.The Harvard-bound Blackwell has been nearly unstoppable in the postseason as he racked up a five-point game against Weymouth in the semis to push his season totals to 32 goals and 64 points. Eiserman has played a very good wingman as his 47 points along with Sam Kurker’s 34 and Jon Farrow’s 30 points have given the Prep a potent attack.The Lancers are just as explosive though as they boast the highest scoring offense in the state. Led by Saugus’ Mike Vecchione and his 77 points, MC has outscored the opposition 144-41 this season.Vecchione has not been a one-man band this year, however, as linemates Ryan Fitzgerald and Brendan Collier have racked up 71 and 69 points each. The second line of Mike Iovanna-Nick Roberto-Garrett White have combined to rack up 110 points.MC’s road to the final has been fraught with drama. They had to hold off a last second comeback try by Central Catholic before waxing defending champ Hingham, 8-1. Then it was a dramatic third period comeback to beat Weymouth, 5-4, to clinch the top spot out of pool 1.In Wednesday’s semifinal win over BC High, they grabbed a quick 2-0 lead and then had to hold on as the Eagles twice closed within a goal.