The WA Boys’ Ice Hockey team remained unintimidated by Central Catholic High School during their Saturday, Jan. 25 home game as they secured a 2-1 victory and increased their season record to 8-6.
Although Central Catholic was able to slip a shot past defense in the final period, WA remained undeterred and consistently fought through Central Catholic’s most aggressive offensive plays with ease. As the game progressed, the Ghosts’ energy continued to build, culminating in a third period dominated by WA.
Both teams came out in the first period with high energy but Central Catholic was able to keep WA on defense for a significant portion of the starting third. Despite Central’s ability to get close to the net, senior goalie Kieran Humphreys and senior Ethan Koehr led the Ghosts’ defense in stopping each shot from passing through the goalposts.
Central Catholic’s defensive line also met the Ghosts head-on and refused to let their offense get close to their net. WA took their fair share of shots, but by the end of the first period, neither team had managed to score.
Going into the second period, the Ghosts came out with a noticeable boost in energy, only aided by a successful defense against a Central penalty shot.
The roles had reversed as WA took control of the puck and forced Central to go on defense as their plays got faster. The Ghosts’ newfound speed allowed senior captain JJ Funaro to score a fast shot to the net from just past center ice, midway through the second period.
“Our strong forecheck was our biggest success in that game,” Humphreys said. “Keeping [Central] on their side of the ice as long as possible to limit their chances and opportunities in our defensive zone [helped us secure the win].”
Funaro’s quick goal added another boost to WA’s energy and allowed them to offensively power through the rest of the second period. Senior assistant captain Ryan Nelken and senior captain Nick Burns led the first line in taking on Central’s aggressive defense and weaving through to the net. The Ghosts finished the second period with more power than ever and set the third period up to be a fast-paced fight.
Burns came out swinging in the final period, speeding past defenders and taking a clean shot at goal, increasing WA’s lead to 2-0 as Central’s chances at victory grew slimmer.
“I think the energy boost came from the first penalty kill at the start of the second,” Humphreys said. “Killing that off brought a lot of energy in the right direction and obviously we went on to score later which also helps a lot with team energy.”
The goal kick-started a barrage of offensive plays, only broken up by a sudden Central Catholic possession. They were able to set up a shot by passing from the left side of center rink to the right faceoff circle where a Central player sent a shot through the defensive line and into a gap in the upper corner of the net, increasing the score to 2-1.
The unexpected shot did nothing but motivate WA to continue their attacks on Central’s goal with senior assistant captain Jack Donovan, sophomore Max Banatt, and Koehr all taking shots and working together on fast, aggressive plays to wear down Central’s defense.
“[We want to] keep driving the net and keep scoring goals,” Head Coach Chris Carpenter said.
As the third period grew closer to its end, Central Catholic grew more desperate to eke out a win. However, even as they threw themselves into aggressive altercations and gained a couple more penalty shots, the Ghosts’ defense refused to relinquish their lead with Koehr and Burns taking hits and pushing back against Central’s offensive line. WA kept up the defense as the final third came to a close and decided their victory with a final score of 2-1.
“We want to finish the season very strong,” Carpenter said. “We have a bunch of wins going into the playoffs and we want to go as far as we can.”
WA Boys’ Hockey will be facing Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in an away game on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 6 p.m in the New England Sport Center.
