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BRAINTREE, Mass. -- The Archbishop Williams boys’ lacrosse team has brown bagged it to an undefeated record through the first half of the season.

So it was no surprise the Bishops put in a little overtime to extend their season-long unbeaten streak to 12 games in a 6-5 triple-overtime win over Catholic Central rival Austin Prep on Friday.

“We talk about coming to work and punching in,” Archies head coach Bob Joyce said. “Your lunch break is halftime and you punch back in for the third quarter.”

Senior attack Cam Dillon used some extra elbow grease not only to notch the game-winner, but also to tie the game for the Bishops late in the fourth quarter. While the Bishops’ offensive chances were few and far between in the first two overtime periods, Dillon wasted little time in the third. Just 19 seconds in, he swooped around the Cougars cage to deposit the game-winner.

“I made my fake to Nick Menzel on the wing, then I just went to the cage and scored.’ Dillon said.

Archies took a commanding 3-0 lead through the first, but AP (5-4) came back in the second with back-to-back goals, including Drew Landry’s first of two tallies. However, the Bishops struck back seconds after Landry’s strike, with Cam Joyce reestablishing a two-goal lead.

The Cougars’ comeback charge came in the second half and they went on to take a 5-4 lead on Landry’s second of the game, which came a man-down and with a nice dish from Will Kramer.

CHECKMATE FOR BISHOPS
Although they were held in check by the Cougars’ defense, the Bishops have thrived this season behind attacks Nick Menzel, Cam Joyce and Dillon.

“They work well together,” Bob Joyce said. “We’re usually able to score more than today, but hats off to Austin’s defense.”

According to Dillon, the trio’s success all comes down to communication – some of which is nonverbal. He set the game-winning goal in motion with a perfect fake, selling the outlet pass to Menzel while darting to the cage.

That’s all an effect of everyone knowing just what to do.

“We’re always there, and we always finish,” Dillon said.

FALMOUTH, Mass. -- BC High found itself in the championship game of The Boathouse at Pier 37/Black Dog Cape Cod Classic Thursday without having actually won a game in the tournament. The Eagles advanced with shootout wins over Hingham and Austin Prep earlier in the week, but officially both of those games count as ties in the standings.

As Eagles head coach John Flaherty entered the building for the final night of boys’ high school hockey at the Falmouth Ice Arena (a new rink opens in town later this year) he said he was asked by a rink employee if she was going to get to see another shootout.

“I hope not,” he said with a laugh.

Flaherty got his wish as BC High warmed up for their impending trip to the Super 8 last night by squaring off against a team that was fighting for its playoff life, Archbishop Williams. Despite the Bishops needing to secure at least a tie against the Eagles to qualify for the state tournament, the Eagles prevailed 2-1 -- in regulation. The loss denied the Bishops a chance to play in the postseason as they finished at 8-9-3 for the year.

BC High senior assistant captain Bartley “Moe” Regan scored a pair of third period goals, one just after a power play expired and then another with the man-advantage, to power his team to the win as the fourth-ranked Eagles improved to 10-5-5.

Regan was just happy to be back on the ice in the third period after getting a bit of a scare earlier in the game when an errant stick caught him up under the chin and in the area of his Adam’s Apple. The tall forward said that he suffered a similar injury earlier in the season, one of a worse variety that had him thinking he had just died. That previous scare made dealing with this shot a tad easier as he shook things off and was back on the ice in minutes.

“I’m sure he’s a lot happier about the two goals than the scratch on his neck,” Flaherty joked after the game.

Two periods later he was the one delivering the pain to the Bishops, on the scoreboard. Just as Mike Sorenti was exiting the box for a hooking violation the Eagles’ Brian Furey let a bomb fly from the right point that Regan tipped on goal. Bishops keeper Joe Vinay (37 saves), who kept his team in the game with a number of highlight reel stops, halted the tip but couldn’t get a piece of the quick backhander that Regan flung at the net. The goal gave BC High a 1-0 lead at 3:01 of the third period.

“The puck was just coming out and I hit it with my stick and I was falling down. I didn’t even see it go in, but I heard everyone start cheering and I was pumped,” Regan said.

Regan struck again in similar fashion for a power play goal at 5:08 to double the lead on a goal he did see go in the net. Again Furey fired one on that Vinay stopped, but Regan cleaned things up in front and gave his team some breathing room.

Archies head coach Derackk Curtis said that he was perplexed by penalties that preceded the two Eagles’ tallies.

“It’s frustrating, it’s really frustrating, because they don’t call anything all game and then in the third period they’re call all these phantom calls…I can’t figure it out,” Curtis said. “Going into the third period, with 15 minutes to play, anything can happen and then to have back-to-back penalties suck the life out of you, it’s frustrating for the kids ya know. These kids played really hard.”

And they continued to play hard after falling behind. The Bishops sliced the Eagles’ lead in half just a little over two minutes later with their own power play goal off the stick of freshman forward Tyler Bradford. The rookie pounced on a rebound of a Mike Jessman shot to cut the deficit to 2-1 with a half period left to go.

But that would be the only mistake that BC High’s steady netminder Peter Cronin made. Cronin stopped the other 12 shots that reached him in the game and breathed sigh of relief when a Jessman bid from the doorstep with three minutes to go sailed a bit high. The Bishops got Vinay off the ice for an extra attacker inside the last minute, but couldn’t get a shot through to Cronin in the crunch.

The keeper said that the Eagles are happy to close out the season strongly. “We wanted to come out here and get (win) number 10. We didn’t want to let another point get away and we got two today thanks to a good effort from [Bartley] Regan and we beat a good team today,” Cronin said.

And going forward the competition will only get tougher. The Eagles believe that they’re ready.

“The way we’re playing right now, I feel really confident. Everyone’s working real hard and everyone’s playing for the team and that’s what you have to do to win,” Regan said.

Cronin echoed those thoughts. “We’re going to have to come out there with intensity, and the will to win, and I think we’ll be okay.”

CLOSING DOWN A GRAND OLE BARN
In the night’s other game, the Falmouth played the last ever boys’ varsity game at the Falmouth Ice Arena and closed up shop happily with a 2-1 win over Duxbury.

The game featured an on-ice ceremony celebrating Falmouth’s 1979 state championship team with 16 of the 19 players on the roster from that year, and one of the assistant coaches, lining up to recreated their team photograph that hangs in the lobby of the building.

Goalie Petey Negri, who took over the starting goaltender position a month ago, had his best game of the season. Negri made 22 saves in the victory, including a diving stab to rob Cam Daly in the third period of the game.

“That’s what we’ve been looking for from Petey,” Clippers head coach Buddy Ferreira said. “That was the game right there. If he doesn’t make that one it’s 1-1, but he came up big."

Also coming up big was junior blue-liner Zack Zaino, who Ferreira said was one of the best players on the ice. Zaino scored on a first period wrist shot to give the Clippers a 1-0 lead. That lead held for most of the night until things got really exciting in the final three minutes.

With 3:01 to go junior forward Durham Ghelfi popped his own rebound behind Dragons goalie Conor Charland to give Falmouth some breathing room. The goal was the result of a nice back check by Storm Fotiu, who stole the puck from Duxbury as they tried to clear the zone and centered to Ghelfi, who crashed the net. The junior’s initial bid was stopped, but he poked the second try through the five-hole.

Duxbury, which outshot Falmouth 22-12 over the last two periods after FHS held a 10-1 advantage in the first, battled back to give themselves a chance seconds later. Greg Williams let one fly off the right wing boards that sailed through traffic and by Negri at 12:38 of the third.

That would be it for the Dragons though as the 21st-ranked Clippers improved to 12-5-5 for the year. Duxbury is now 9-9-4, and both teams now wait to see what the state tournament has in store for them.

FALMOUTH, Mass. -- One week from Saturday, the Super 8 hockey committee will convene and assemble the field of the state’s premier tournament. Both No. 4 Hingham and No. 7 BC High almost assuredly will be among the teams making the cut.

But if Saturday’s matchup between the two clubs to open the Cape Cod Classic tournament was any indication of what is to come, Bay State hockey fans in for one might fine tournament.

The Eagles and Harbormen skated to a 1-1 tie, as it will be entered in the MIAA’s scorebook. Hingham’s Ryan Linehan scored with 25 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.

After a five-minute overtime period, BC High netminder Peter Cronin and Hingham counterpart John Grenier continued trading saves. Finally, Eagles senior captain and defenseman Brian Furey sent BC High along to the winner’s bracket with the first and only goal of the shootout in its seventh round.

“[Grenier] was playing aggressive, so I figured I’d fake the shot and have some room stuff it in, and I did,” Furey said.

BC High (9-5-4) claimed the lead at 12:54 of the second period with defenseman Sam Topham rifling a slapshot past Grenier, glove side.

The Eagles appeared to be well on their way to two points in the third period, controlling play in Hingham’s end for the bulk of the stanza. BC High continued to hem the Harbormen, even in the minute. Hingham (14-4-2) had been unable to pull Grenier for an extra attacker when senior captain winger Matt Hughes made his way through the neutral zone with about 30 seconds remaining.

After the puck was chipped up the boards, Hughes gained the blue line and played a perfect cross-ice pass onto Linehan’s stick. Linehan’s one-timer slid past Cronin for the tying goal.

“We had an injury on that play, the guy jumped over the boards, he kind of got caught in no-man’s land,” BC High head coach John Flaherty said. “If he’d gotten a piece of him, maybe it doesn’t happen. It was just a good hockey play by Hingham. [Hughes] made a great pass, [Linehan] one-timed it and it ended up in the back of the net.”

HE’S A GAMER
Hughes missed part of the second period with a shoulder injury, after he was ridden into the boards awkwardly on a check. He returned later in the game, playing in pain. Although his status going forward is day-to-day, Hughes’ returned paid dividends.

“It was a nice pass, and it was a lot of guts coming back," Harbormen head coach Tony Messina said. "I don’t know what the extent of his should injury is going to be, but he said he could play with the pain. And he did a great job.”

FINISH WITH A FUREY
With most of BC High’s forward options exhausted in the shootout, and with no end in sight, John Flaherty glanced down his bench at his available shooters. Furey nodded back toward the Eagles bench boss. Flaherty signaled back toward center ice.

After watching six of this teammates fail to convert against Grenier, Furey knew exactly what to do with the puck.

Although the thought of letting a Chara-like slapshot from the between the circles did cross his mind.

“I don’t quite have a 108-mile-per-hour slap shot though,” Furey added.

ARCHIES 4, NO. 20 FALMOUTH 1
In the Classic's nightcap, Archbishop Williams (8-8-1) completed half of the work they needed to accomplish on Cape Cod with a 4-1 win over the host Falmouth Clippers (12-4-5).

Archies head coach Derackk Curtis was not very pleased with his team’s overall effort, but the Bishops did enough to pull to within one win of qualifying for the MIAA state tournament.

“That wasn’t our best game…I thought that we’d come out with a little more urgency,” Curtis said.

AW was outshot by the Clippers 26-12 for the game, but did the most of with the pucks they did put on Falmouth’s Petey Negri as the scored goals on 3 of their first 5 shots on net in the contest.

With a pair of goals just 32 seconds apart in the first period AW took a 1-0 lead into the locker room after one. Mike Sorenti sniped one inside the near side post at the 6:42 mark of the first. Then, before the dust settled on that one, Sean Leblanc chopped one in from the doorstep to give the visitors at 2-0 lead.

Falmouth came out like gangbusters to start the second period and picked up the tempo, but AW held the fort as goalie Joe Vinay (25 saves) made a handful of big stops, the best of which was on a doorstep bid by Cyrus Wickersham at the five minute mark.

With a goal on their first shot of the second period, at 5:24 by Falmouth resident Mike Jessman, AW was in the driver’s seat.

FHS broke through at 13:36 of the second to cut the deficit to 3-1 when Nick Lineaweaver netted a power play goal off a nice feed across the crease from Ben Taylor. The air quickly left the Clippers’ balloon, though, as AW got a power play goal just 15 seconds later, off the stick of Bill Sweezey, that made it 4-1. AW scored its four goals all on their first eight shots on net.

AW will meet surprise winner Waltham, Monday at 7 p.m.. Falmouth squares off with Arlington Catholic at 3 p.m.

NO. 18 AUSTIN PREP 4, DUXBURY 1
BC High will face Austin Prep on Monday after the Cougars qualified for the Division 1 North tournament in a 4-1 win over Duxbury.

Cam Russo, Nolan Vesey and Scott Corcoran all scored in the first period, putting AP (9-6-3) in the driver's seat.

WALTHAM 3, NO. 17 ARLINGTON CATHOLIC 2
Although the Hawks are out of postseason contention, they put on an impressive display early on against the Cougars.

Waltham (4-11-3) ran out to a 3-0 lead by the second intermission, before the Cougars (9-6-4) scored twice in the third to make a game of it.

(Reporting from Rich Maclone was included in this story.)

LYNN, Mass. -- As a member of the Austin Prep girls hockey team the past two years, Kaleigh Finigan had to sit back and watch as St. Mary's wrapped up Catholic Central League championships in part at the expense of her team.

This year, the junior transfer from Medford found out what it's like to be on winning side, as well as what it feels like to be a major factor behind the Spartans success.

Finigan scored twice and added an assist as the No. 4 Lady Spartans held off No. 6 Arlington Catholic for the second time in a week to take a 4-2 decision Wednesday night at Connery Rink.

"It's very different," said a smiling Finigan on winning the league title. "It's my first time getting it. It means a lot knowing that our team can win the league and keep going on with the wins. And we'll keep going hard. We just want to keep playing better and better every game. That's our goal."

Playing better and better every game is something Finigan and her linemates, Alison Butler and Brittani Lanzilli, have certainly done. Butler added a goal and two assists in last night's victory, while Lanzilli had a goal an assist. Their may be no hotter offensive trio in the state at this stage of the season.

"We decided to leave them together for the last month or so and they're really starting - not only in the offensive zone but even in the defensive zone - they're really starting to trust each other and learn from each other," St. Mary's coach Frank Pagliuca said. "I think Brittani and Kaleigh had a transition coming in here and Alison's done a great job settling them down. As you can see, they're starting to get it. They're not hesitating anymore. They're starting to play with speed and its making a huge difference for us."

Finigan scored twice in the first period as the Spartans (13-3-0, 6-0-0 CCL) jumped out to a quick lead. Her first tally exemplified the communication and trust factor that has evolved on that first line. With Butler working her way around the back of the Cougars (15-2-1, 4-2-0) net, Finigan screamed "Middle!" and Butler hit her right on the tape for an easy one-timer.

"We finally got used to each other and know where we are and communicating more," Butler said. "I just heard her. We've done it a couple of times now this year and I know where she is when I hear her."

Finigan added her second tally on the rebound of a Butler shot right before the end of the first, and Butler took one for herself on a nice backhander from the low slot to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead with 6:24 remaining in the second.

Arlington Catholic found a spark, and Allison Stone got the Cougars right back into the game by scoring just 44 seconds later. thins got a bit sloppy after that as the two teams traded five penalties back and forth, but AC got another goal as Duggan Delano hammered home a rebound of a shot by Adrieanna Rossini (two assists) to cut the deficit to 3-2 with 1:23 left in the frame.

Lanzilli quickly pulled the momentum back to the Spartans side early in the third when she floated around the back of the AC goal and flicked a backhander through while attempting to get off the ice for a line change.

Thanks to goalie Lauren Skinnion (23 saves) and strong defensive play from standout blue liner Rachel Donahoe, the Spartans were able to hold off the Cougars and wrap up another Catholic Central crown.

"It's a great accomplishment," Pagliuca said. "Although our league's not big, we have some tough teams. It's tough to play three league games right in a row and to play (AC) twice in a week is no easy feat. I'm very proud of my kids. They've battled hard all year and they keep getting better.

"That's the thing I'm noticing - every game they're getting better," he continued. "It's not pretty every game but you can see it. You can see them making better decisions overall and you can see us playing with more confidence. It's a wide open year this year and the hot team is going to be successful. We're just trying to play our best going into the tournament."

LYNN, Mass. -- After its one-goal lead was erased early in the second period, No. 4 St. Mary’s of Lynn regrouped and registered three goals during the final 25 minutes to secure a season sweep against No. 20 Austin Prep, as well as a 4-1 win on Wednesday at the Connery Memorial Rink.

The Spartans have now won two of their last three contests, and haven't lost a regular season match since losing to Malden Catholic in December in the first game of the season.

"We needed to win tonight to keep breathing room for the league, and Austin Prep is a very talented, tough team to play," St. Mary's head coach Mark Lee said.

The Spartans (13-1-2, 6-0-1 Catholic Central) earned their first lead of the contest with 52-seconds remaining in the opening period, as juniors Cameron Grenham and Bobby Mullins, (1 G, 1 A) connected with sophomore Jordan Manthorne, which gave St. Mary’s an one-goal advantage prior to the first intermission.

Austin Prep (6-5-3, 5-3-1) answered roughly two minutes into the middle frame when freshman Cam Russo notched the Cougars' only strike of the evening, after he wrapped around sophomore Bailey MacBurnie’s (15 saves) cage for the score.

However, the Cougars goal didn’t exactly provide the necessary spark for their offense, as St. Mary’s responded two minutes later with a goal from Mullins, who rushed the net and slapped the puck past freshman goaltender Elijah Harris (31 saves).

“Once you tie a game up, you want to sustain at least five-six minutes with no goals scored, so you can try to build up some momentum instead of giving them one right back again,” Austin Prep head coach Louis Finocchiaro said.

“I just took a shot on net, and it went in,” said Mullins, who now has seven goals on the season. “I was telling the guys, ‘just get shots on him, they’ll start to go in’.”

The Spartans followed Mullins instructions during the final period and constantly fired shots at Harris’s net before seniors Tim Aylward and Bryan Wilkins found the back of the cage for the teams third and fourth goals.

“I give my guys credit for weathering the storm, and finishing so strong,” said Lee. “We’ve been finding ourselves the last couple of games down, and there’s no panic on the bench, it’s all positive between the teammates. They’re patting each other on the back, keeping it going, and strong.”

Austin Prep finished the final frame with just three shots on net, and no goals.

“We hung in there, we competed, [and] played hard,” Finocchiaro said. “I thought our effort was good tonight.”

ONE-FOR-ALL MENTATLITY
Against the Cougars, Bobby Mullins registered a goal and an assist to give him 23 points on the season, but that particular statistic didn’t get in the way of the Spartans celebrating their 13th victory as a team.

“I’m not really looking at the 23 points,” said a humbled Mullins. “The team’s working well together, we’re having a good time, we’re like a family, [and] we’re all like a ‘band of brothers,’ like we say [because] we’re just having fun out there.”

Mullins has now tallied seven goals, and 16 assists through 16 games, but again, he’s not focused on his individual stat line, yet instead, his team.

“Coach is teaching us to play as a team. He said it a lot this season [that] it’s not all about the points,” he said. “We just want to win. We’ve got a lot of heart in the locker room. The seniors are all stepping up their game. We’ve got new guys all pitching in, everybody’s for the team, everybody’s just out there scoring, having fun, and we all just want to win.”

Besides Mullins, junior Cam O’Neill earned his 15th point of the season when he tallied an assist on Wilkins goal. Although, similar to Mullins, O’Neill didn’t steal the spotlight from his team’s gritty effort.

“We’re pretty happy about the attitude, and like I said, it hasn’t been perfect lately, [but] they’ve stayed with it and stayed with the game plan,” Lee said.

The MIAA boys' hockey Top 25 poll has been updated for this week here.

There was a little movement to our Top 10, with St. Mary's of Lynn falling a couple of spots to No. 4, after an unexpected tie against Archbishop Williams. St. John's Prep assumes the No. 2 position.

Falmouth shfited up to No. 15 after a tremendous 7-1 thumping of No. 24 Marshfield, opening up the Atlantic Coast League title race again. Braintree was the big mover of the week, as the Wamps move to their high-water point for the season, jumping six spots to No. 16.

Arlington Catholic also vaulted back into the poll, after a two-week absence, after beating Catholic Central rival Austin Prep, 6-4.

Malden Catholic freshman defenseman Casey Fitzgerald has committed to Boston College, Lancers head coach John McLean confirmed to ESPN Boston Friday evening.

The North Reading resident has nine points (1-8-9) in 10 games for the defending Super 8 champions and has split time playing on the Lancers' first and second defensive pairings, along with the power play unit, in his first season.

"What he's done so far has been impressive," McLean said of Fitzgerald's time with the Lancers. "He's a high-IQ player with a great sense for the game and he sees the ice extremely well."

Fitzgerald is expected at the Heights for either the 2015-16, or 2016-17 season. His older brother, MC junior center Ryan, is committed to the Eagles for 2013. Casey and Ryan Fitzgerald are the sons of former Bruin and Austin Prep star Tom Fitzgerald.

"I'm sure the family will have a lot of fun watching them both at BC," McLean added.

Eagles head coach Jerry York was seen at MC's 2-2 tie against Catholic Conference rival BC High Wednesday night at UMass-Boston.

QUINCY, Mass. -- Kaleigh Finigan spent enough time on the wrong side of games against St. Mary's while spending the first two years of her high school hockey career playing for Austin Prep. Now, she's wearing a Spartans jersey and giving the team a dimension they have not had in years past.

Finigan's game seems modeled after the traditional power forward role most famously employed in these parts by Cam Neely in his heyday with the Bruins, and also by another Massachusetts native, Kevin Stevens, during the glory years of the Mario Lemieux-led Pittsburgh Penguins.

A junior, Finigan has fit nicely into the Spartans system and has emerged as the team's leading goal scorer, adding a hat trick in Thursday's 7-2 victory over Fontbonne to her growing resume.

"She's feeling more comfortable in the system here at St. Mary's," Spartans head coach Frank Pagliuca said of his first-line right winger. "I think once she moves her feet and she's engaged in the play, she's very effective for us. She's a powerful kid with a good shot."

Finigan isn't the only newcomer to the St. Mary's roster this year, as talented sophomore center Brittani Lanzilli also transferred in after being one of the top scorers in the state last season with Medford High.

While the two of them had some familiarity with one another, the Spartans system was a new world of hockey from where they came. Finigan and Lanzilli have been paired with one of Pagliuca's veterans, junior left wing Alison Butler, and while it may have taken a while for things to come together, the results during the Spartans current eight-game win streak have been stellar.

"I played with Brittani in Medford so I already knew how to play with her," Finigan said. "With Butler to, she really helps out a lot. Especially on the left wing, she can slide that pass to the backdoor. She told us what [Coach Pagliuca] expected from us and from her past years, what she thought we should do. The small tips in practice that she knew from past years, that's helped out too."

Each of the three brings a different skill set to the ice. Butler is the total package, every bit as capable of making the perfect pass as she is scoring goals while covering her responsibilities in the defensive zone. Lanzilli skates with grace and speed and has an uncanny knack for weaving her way through traffic. Finigan is not afraid to mix it up and get physical while displaying a nose for the goal.

Together, the trio has become what Pagliuca hoped they would when he first matched them together.

"Alison's been here for three years and been one of our better players for that time," Pagliuca said. "She really has a sense of calmness with her. She's talking to the two girls on the bench about, 'where you should be, lets try this.'"

"The other girls are feeling more confident," he continued. "They're less hesitant when they're out on the ice. Brittani's been coming a long way, she's improving. When she's going, she's tough to stop and I think they complement each other real well that line."

STONEHAM, Mass. -- Ties, for all that they cannot prove, can give a glimpse at the heart of a hockey team.

While No. 10 Central Catholic and No. 13 Austin Prep skated to a 1-1 tie at Stoneham Arena in a non-league tilt on Wednesday night, both coaches came away more satisfied than not.

Cougars head coach Louis Finocchiaro believed his team put in their most complete 45-minute effort of the season. While Raiders bench boss Mike Jankowski saw another vintage performance from ESPN Boston All-Stater Kyle Williams in net, turning aside 27 shots.

“We played some decent hockey in spurts, but nothing consistent,” Jankowski added.

Central Catholic (3-2-2) took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission on Lloyd Hayes’ goal, assisted by Steve Merrick with four minutes to play.

The Cougars (4-2-2) got the game-tier four minutes into the second on Frank Candelino’s wrister finding its way through a crowd.

The teams skated evenly through the third period without finding a resolution. Neither squad registered a scoring chance through the first six minutes of the final period. In the balance of time, Williams made several key stops on a couple of AP power plays, but Cougars freshman netminder Elijah Harris (17 saves) matched him stop by stop.

“That was a good hockey game,” Finocchiaro said. “They’re a well-balanced team. We had some chances, but I can’t be disappointed. I felt we really played our first full game of the season.”

SAUGUS, Mass. -- As far as holiday tournaments go, it’s somewhat unusual to find such an important league matchup as Tuesday’s Catholic Central Conference battle between No. 13 St. Mary’s of Lynn and No. 16 Austin Prep at the Kasabuski Tourney on Tuesday.

The Spartans and Cougars brought a playoff-life atmosphere to a game that remained scoreless through two periods, but was filled with physical play.

Both teams scored on their first shots of the third, but St. Mary’s scoring opportunities kept piling up, adding up to a 3-1 victory.

“We’ve developed a little rivalry over the years and we knew it was going to be a battle until the end,” Spartans head coach Mark Lee said.

Scott Corcoran had AP (2-1-0, 2-1-0) to a 1-0 lead seconds into the third with the aide of a perfect cross-ice feed from captain Ryan Quinn.

St. Mary’s (5-1-0, 2-0-0) responded with some strong net front presence as Cam O’Neill tipped home his fourth goal of the season.

The score remained tied -- due in no small part to a sensational effort by Cougars freshman goaltender Elijah Harris -- until the final minutes of the game when the Spartans took advantage of the sixth power play surrendered by the Cougars.

“Whenever you take six penalties,” AP head coach Louis Finocchiaro said, “with two big ones in the third period … To have two penalty kills in the last six, seven minutes of the game, that hurt us big time.”



Spartans senior captain Bobby Mullins netted a power-play marker with 1:52 remaining, leaving the Cougars little time for a counter attack.

Sophomore transfer Jarrod Fitzpatrick iced the victory with an empty-net goal in the final minute with his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

“That’s a real goal for us, we want to repeat as league champions,” Lee said. “To do that, you have to start with Austin Prep. It’s always a battle.”

MC ROLLS, FITZGERALD RETURNS
No. 1 Malden Catholic’s 8-1 win over Bishop Fenwick saw the Lancers taking things in stride, as usual.

One particular bright spot for MC (3-1-0) though was the return of top line center Ryan Fitzgerald.

The junior assistant captain missed the first four games of the season after nursing a separated shoulder, but made his season debut centering the Lancers’ top line along with Brendan Collier (4 goals on Tuesday) and Mike Iovanna.

Fitzgerald got back into the flow of the game with a goal of his own in the second period, although a bit rusty.

“I was pretty winded out there,” Fitzgerald said. “The shoulder is fine. It’s a just a matter of getting back into game shape. That’ll just take a few games.”

Getting back into the game will be made easier by his linemates as the Lancers eye a run at a repeat Super 8 title.

“Obviously, I’ve had the chemistry with Brendan from playing together, but with Mikey I [Iovanna] comig onto the line, I’ve played with him my whole life, so it’s not new. We’ve had history. It’s pretty easy to mesh with those guys. They make it pretty easy.”

LYNNFIELD CAPTURES D2 BATTLE
The Cape Ann League and the Northeastern Conference are typically two of the strongest divisions in the state from top to bottom and this year promises to be no different.

So, with two teams looking to make noise in this year’s Div. 2 North tournament meeting on Tuesday between Lynnfield and Danvers, Pioneers head coach Vin Mirasolo reflected on a quality win after taking a 5-3 decision over the Falcons (2-2-0)

“The way we look at it, there could be any of about 15 teams in Division 2 that could be the team,” Mirasolo said. “I think we’re that mix that could, at any day, get it done.

“I like our mix [in the locker room]. It’s a good group that’s working hard and we continue to improve.”

Lynnfield (3-1-0) had its skating legs under them, led by top scorers Dylan Costa, John Festa and Greg Meininger.

But it was the depth the Pioneers exhibited on Tuesday that was most encouraging.

“We got production out of all three lines and then our sophomore goalie [Joe Bassi] made all the saves he had to make. It was a pretty good effort, overall. We’re still not where we need to be, but we’re getting there.”

ONE HOST HOLDS OFF ANOTHER
No. 10 Wakefield used a late charge to beat Saugus, 3-1, in the the day's early game between two teams which call Kasabuski home.

The Warriors (3-1-0) took an early 1-0 lead in the first period with Kevin Doherty cashing in on a broken play. Kurt Roderigues tallied the lone Sachems (1-2-1) goal to tie the game before the period was out.

That's the way it would remain until there was 1:25 remaining in regulation, when Ryan Andrews tallied the game-winner.

Kyle Leone scored an empty-netter to cap it.

Here are the final pool play results and playoffs scores from the second and final day of the RBC High School Summer Challenge, at Coolidge Middle School in Reading.

Pool Play
Ashland 59, Austin Prep 42
Central Catholic 58, Acton-Boxborough 36

Quarterfinals
Byes: Central Catholic, North Andover
Manchester-Essex 73, Acton-Boxborough 70
St. John's Prep 60, Belmont 55

Semifinals
Central Catholic 100, Manchester-Essex 77
North Andover 70, St. John's Prep 63

Championship
Central Catholic 72, North Andover 49

TOURNAMENT MVP - LUIS PUELLO, CENTRAL CATHOLIC

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Doug Gemmell, Central Catholic
Tyler Nelson, Central Catholic
Nick Cambio, Central Catholic
Zack Karalis, North Andover
Isaiah Nelson, North Andover
Colby Smith, North Andover
Steve Haladyna, St. John's Prep
Freddy Shove, St. John's Prep
Owen Marchetti, St. John's Prep
Joe Flannery, Acton-Boxborough
Kevin LaFrancis, Acton-Boxborough
Taylor Ketchum, Manchester-Essex
Sean Nally, Manchester-Essex
Chris Bishop, Manchester-Essex
John Dillon, Belmont
Sam Musler, Belmont
Tim Juih, Ashland
Rodney Morton, Malden

Here are today's pool play scores from the RBC High School Summer Challenge tournament, at Reading's Coolidge and Parker Middle Schools:

Natick 67, Malden 55
St. John's Prep 67, Acton-Boxborough 52
Belmont 54, Malden 49
Belmont 68, Natick 55
Central Catholic 60, North Andover 42
Central Catholic 71, St. John's Prep 69
Reading 64, Austin Prep 33
North Andover 72, St. John's Prep 62
Ashland 70, Reading 68
North Andover 61, Acton-Boxborough 58
Manchester-Essex 64, Reading 51
Manchester-Essex 66, Ashland 48
Manchester-Essex 74, Austin Prep 48

The rosters for next month's Area Code Baseball Games have been finalized, and there are a handful of locals who will be participating with the New York Yankees squad.

Now in its 25th year of operation, the wood-bat tournament annually pits high school players from different geographical areas against one another, each team corresponding to a particular Major League Baseball team. Eight Major League teams will compete in this year's field, which will be held from August 5 to 10 at Blair Field in Long Beach, Calif.

Since its inception in 1987, nine Area Code Games alumni have gone on to become No. 1 overall draft picks, including this year's top pick, Gerritt Cole out of UCLA. In last month's draft, 34 of the top 100 picks had Area Code Games experience. Locally, that included Lawrence Academy's Tyler Beede, who went 21st overall to the Blue Jays.

The Northeast squad, which falls under the Yankees, features seven Bay Staters:

Pat Delano, RHP, Braintree
Riley MacEachern, RHP, Austin Prep
Buck McCarthy, C, Everett
Chris Shaw, 1B, Lexington
Max Tishman, LHP, Lawrence Academy
Matt Tulley, RHP, Lowell
Rhett Wiseman, OF, BB&N

The full roster can be found here.

More information, including the seven other Major League rosters and a schedule of events, can be found here. All four of the games on August 9 will be broadcast on ESPN3.

St. John's Prep rising senior Sam Kurker headlines the list of locals who will play for the U.S. U-18 select team at the upcoming Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound winger will join the U.S. team in the Czech Republic and Slovakia on Aug. 8-13 as USA Hockey announced the 22-man tournament roster yesterday.

Other locals making the team were Brendan Silk, of Wakefield, the former Austin Prep standout who played for the U.S. National u-17 team last season. Hopkinton native Teddy Doherty, who attends Shattuck-St. Mary's in Minnesota, and St. Sebastian's product Daniel O'Regan (Needham) join Kurker as forwards.

South Portland, Maine native Jon Gillies, of the USHL's Indiana Ice, is among two goaltenders on the roster.

Kurker earned a spot on the team at the USA Hockey player development camp in Rochester, N.Y. He scored 20 goals with 17 assists for 37 points in his junior season while helping the Eagles to their first Super 8 tournament finals appearance. Kurker was also included on NHL Central Scouting's 2012 Draft futures list, earning a 'B' grade along with the only other MIAA player to make the list, Malden Catholic's Brendan Collier.

The Reading resident isn't the only Prep hockey player with national team plans this summer as Eagles rising sophomore Shane Eiserman will lace them up for the Team USA U-17 selects at the Five Nations Tournament next month.

The 33 Touchdown Club has announced the winners of its 2011 scholarships. Since 2007, the organization has award six high school football players in Massachusetts a $4,000 scholarship each, based on the following criteria: excellent football player; outstanding citizen; solid record of academic achievement; will be a candidate for financial aid; intends to play college football; a leader in the community. The organization does not consider Division 1 FBS scholarship athletes.

With a record 56 applications this year, the organization is giving out seven scholarships as opposed to the advertised six. The recipients, to be awarded this Wednesday evening at The Stockyard in Brighton, are as follows:

Rudy Favard, Malden Catholic (Sacred Heart)
Jack Carrier, Cohasset (Bowdoin)
William Maradei, Austin Prep (Anna Maria)
Dan Johnson, North Attleboro (Bowdoin)
Clarence Johnson, Weston (Bowdoin)
Ryan Barry, Longmeadow (Williams)
**Darryl Williams Award (Presented to a student athlete graduating from a public, city high shool in the greater Boston area): Chandler Ransom, O'Bryant (Curry)