SUPER 8 HOCKEY HAS SUPER ENDING
Brendan Collier (7) scores in OT.
Photo by Mike Braca
Junior forward
Brendan Collier scored his 30th goal of the season at 4:50 of the first overtime, powering
Malden Catholic to a 4-3 win over Catholic Conference rival St. John's Prep in the MIAA Super 8 hockey final Sunday night at Boston Garden.
Collier, a Boston University commit, lifted a backhander from the right faceoff circle over the shoulder of SJP goalie David Letarte, giving the Lancers their first Super 8 title and its first hockey championship of any kind since 1974.
As with any Super 8 champ, Malden Catholic (21-2-2) had to run a gauntlet of hand-picked, high-power teams to claim the MIAA's ultimate hockey prize. The Lancers felled Central Catholic, defending champ Hingham and Weymouth in round-robin play before beating Boston College High and St. John's Prep in the knockout rounds.
In the previous two tournaments, Malden Catholic had been eliminated in the semifinals.
"I heard we had 100, more than 100 alum flying in just to watch us,'' Collier told the Boston Globe. "It's not just us. It's not for the team. It's for the school. We had kids from last year coming in the locker room crying, that's how happy they are. It's just for everybody.''
PERFORMANCES OF NOTE
Taylor Bajema.
Photo by Anthony Nesmith
*
Taylor Bajema scored 14 points and
Hans Miersma had 12 points and 13 rebounds in
Whitinsville Christian's 42-36 win over Watertown in the Division 3 boys final. Whitinsville Christian (23-2) held the leading scorer in Eastern Mass., Watertown's
Marco Coppola (26.4 ppg), to 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half.
*
Darius Davis scored 17 points while
Samir McDaniels and junior
Kachi Nzerem added 16 and 15, respectively, as
New Mission (Boston) took the Division 2 boys crown with a 67-57 victory against Northbridge.
Corey Pryor had 17 for Northbridge. New Mission (22-4) had won Division 4 in 2009-10.
* St. Mary's (Lynn) used the twin towers power of 6-foot-2 Stonehill recruit
Tori Faieta (12 points, 13 rebounds) and 5-foot-10
Cassi Amenta (16 points, five rebounds) to defeat Lee, 64-54, in the Division 3 girls final. Lee, which received 14 points from
Stephanie Young, finishes at 24-2, with its only two losses coming against St. Mary's (24-4).
Jim Stout is the CBS MaxPreps Media Manager for the Eastern U.S. He may be reached at 845-367-2864 or at jim.stout@cbsinteractive.com.
