Published March 26, 2020

By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

FRAMINGHAM — It was a heartbreaking end to the season for the St. John’s Prep hockey team, which features two players from North Reading, on March 11 as they lost 3-2 in overtime to Pope Francis at Loring Arena in Framingham in the Super Eight semifinals.

Jack Kennedy was the hero for the Cardinals as his wrist shot took a funny hop off the ice and found the back of the Eagles’ net 4:37 into the 4-on-4 overtime session.

With the loss, the Eagles ended the year at 16-6-5. The Cardinals, meanwhile, improved to 16-5-2 and, due to the COVID-19 virus, were named Super Eight co-champs along with Arlington as the title game was canceled by the MIAA.

The Cardinals scored the game’s first goal 3:04 in is as Jake Iby put home a rebound.

On a 4-on-4 later on in the first, the Eagles tied it as Ned Malolepszy redirected a shot by Will Perry past Cardinal netminder Ben Zaranek with 6:35 left.

St. John’s took their first lead with 5:33 left in the second when Patrick Moran scored off a faceoff.

The Eagles then committed two penalties early in the third as the Cardinals had a 5-on-3 advantage just 1:50 in. They capitalized just 14 seconds later as Logan Drapprich scored on a wrist shot. Kennedy assisted.

Eagles goalie Noah Dorsey-Sorofman made 23 stops while Zaranek made 25 saves.

“Our kids competed,” said Eagles head coach Kristian Hanson, whose squad beat the Cardinals 2-1 back in December. “It is a disappointing ending but they left it all out from start to finish.”

The two St. John’s Prep players from North Reading are junior Jake DiNapoli and sophomore Cole Lopilato. DiNapoli is a right winger while Lopilato is a left winger.

Lopilato had eight points this season with four goal and four assists.

“Cole is a hard-working, physical kid with great speed,” said Hanson, as Lopilato is most often on the team’s second line with Evan Moore and Zack McKennelly.

DiNapoli is on the first line and had 16 points this season with eight goals and eight assists.

“He never stops moving,” said Hanson. “He does everything we ask him to do and is a huge asset for us.”

Beat BC High in OT

The Eagles beat BC High in overtime 3-2 in overtime on March 7 in a thrilling Super Eight elimination game at Loring Arena in Framingham.

With that win, fourth-seeded St. John’s improved to 16-5-5 while second-seeded BC High ended the year at 15-5-4.

Will Perry was the hero in this one scoring 1:16 into the overtime session on a slap shot from the point. Andrew Cole has the assist with his pass..

Ed Malolepszy gave St. John’s a 2-0 lead. He score his first goal at the 5:21 mark of the first period on a turnover that became a breakaway. He then made it 2-0 at 3:17 into the second period.

That second goal came on the power play.

Mike Dragon got the two-time Super Eight champs on the scoreboard with 8:12 remaining in the second period.

BC High then tied the game with 5:05 left in the third on the power play as John Logan lit the lamp.

St. John’s Prep goalie Noah Dorsey-Sorofman made 23 saves as BC High outshot St. John’s 25-22. Boston College High goalie Tom Kieswetter made 19 stops.

“We know BC High very well,” said Eagles head coach Kristian Hanson, whose team went 0-1-1 against them in the regular season. “We knew it was going to be close between two evenly-matched teams and the kids were ecstatic afterwards to finally beat them.”