LYNN — When the B.C. High and St. Mary’s hockey teams met last season, it was the Spartans that came away with a hard-fought win in Boston.
The Eagles gained revenge with a 6-2 win at William P. Connery Rink Wednesday night.
“We’re missing some guys,” St. Mary’s coach Mark Lee said after the loss. “We’re missing our first line center. Max Giardina broke his wrist last game so two of our starting forwards weren’t here. It’s a combination. B.C. High’s probably the best team in the state. I thought we hung with them. The first goal hurt a little bit. It was a tied game, 1-1 after a period. We had some opportunities but B.C. High’s a very skilled team.”
Brady Carpenter and Damon Maribito each scored a goal for St. Mary’s. Colin Reddy, Kyle Ouellette and Christian Moran logged one assist each.
For the Eagles, Joseph Kramer scored two goals. Thomas Kramer, John Logan, Colman Benson and Peter Kramer each scored once.
The Eagles wasted no time grabbing the lead. Thomas Kramer found the back of the net just 41 seconds into the game to give B.C. High a swift 1-0 advantage. To St. Mary’s credit, the Spartans calmed down throughout the next few minutes and got back to playing their normal game. The Spartans drew a power play with 7:21 on the clock and made the most of it with Carpenter converting for a St. Mary’s goal. Eagles goalie Chase Congdon (18 saves) made the initial save but Carpenter, in the right place at the right time, picked up the rebound and lit the lamp. Things were even at 1-1 heading into the second period.
And then it went downhill for St. Mary’s. Within a three minute span, B.C. High turned a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 lead. Logan cashed in on Thomas Kramer’s assist with 7:45 remaining, giving the Eagles a 2-1 edge. Benson scored on a one timer with 5:20 to play, making it a 3-1 Eagles lead. Peter Kramer followed suit 50 seconds later on a one-on-one with Spartans goalie Joe Purtell (25 saves). St. Mary’s trailed 4-1 at the second intermission.
“We came out a little flat,” Lee said. “They scored a couple real quick. I think that kind of changed the tempo. We struggled in the second period.”
Looking to get St. Mary’s back on the right track, Maribito found the back of the net with 10:26 left in the game. But the Eagles scored twice (both goals by Joseph Kramer) in the third period to seal their 6-2 win.
“I thought we came out and played hard in the third,” Lee said. “A bounce here or there, we had two breakaways and we could’ve made the score a little tighter. We’ve been struggling to put the puck in the net last couple of games. That continued.
“The thing I’m proud of is the effort,” Lee said. “The effort was there. We didn’t quit, regardless of what the score was in the third period. Our guys fought right until the buzzer. It just wasn’t happening for us tonight.”
The Spartans (14-5) are back on the ice Saturday (5:30) when they host Lowell Catholic for St. Mary’s annual senior night.
“We need to come on Saturday and get the job done,” Lee said. “We need the win bad. We’ll take it from there, one game at a time. Then we’ll go to Springfield (for the Cardinal Classic). The tournament’s one of the best in the state with Pope Francis, Central Catholic and Malden Catholic. It’s a good tournament to get us ready for the state tournament. But Saturday’s huge for us. We need to take care of business Saturday and take it from there.”
