RallyNorth.net

MacPhee, Keller give Central Super 8 win

LOWELL — It was just textbook hockey.

“(Steve) Balsamo fired me a great pass,” said Conor MacPhee. “I had a wide-open shot and hit it low blocker side. I saw the fan section just go crazy, and it was just awesome.”

The sophomore’s second goal of the game gave Central Catholic the lead with 6:23 left in regulation, and goalie Cam Keller made it stand up as the No. 5 Raiders downed No. 4 Hingham in the opening round of the Super 8 tournament last night at the Tsongas Arena in front of an estimated crowd of 3,000 fans.

Central (16-0-7) moves on to face top-seeded Catholic Memorial in the second game of the round-robin tournament on Wednesday at 8 p.m., again at the Tsongas. Two seasons ago, the Raiders opened the Super 8 with a 10-1 loss to CM, but yesterday was a much different story.

“We came out with a few jitters,” said Central head coach Mike Jankowski. “But Cam really stepped up. We got on his back and he carried us through the game. He came up with big saves all night, just like he has the whole season.”

An early Hingham (15-3-5) flurry saw the Harbormen score twice. But after that, the 6-foot-3 Keller was more than up to the task.

“I’m pretty exhausted,” said Keller with a smile. “It was hot out there, and they got a lot of shots on net. But we kept playing defense, and I knew I had to keep going.”

The first-year starter grew more and more comfortable as the game went on. He finished the day with a whopping 37 saves, including a stop with his right shoulder during the game’s closing seconds, and multiple on Hingham rushes.

“Cam hasn’t let anything bother him all season,” said Jankowski. “They put 39 shots on him, and kept coming and coming. I am proud of the way he hung in there and came though on top.”

Central wasted no time grabbing some momentum. Just 1:01 into the game, Nick Leonard’s 10th goal of the season gave the Raiders a 1-0 lead. MacPhee and Balsamo each had an assist.

The Harbormen then responded with a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead with 7:23 to go in the period, and earned a power play after a Central penalty. But the Raiders were not to be denied.

“I ended up on a breakaway and I don’t know how it went in,” said MacPhee. “I tried to go five hole, and I kind of lost the puck.”

Leonard caused a turnover near center ice and slid a pass to MacPhee, who took it down ice and scored a short-handed goal to make the score 2-2 with six minutes left in the first.

“The goal was huge,” said Keller. “The guys were working their butts off, and you don’t see too many short-handed goals. Conor has been coming up with the big goals all year. He has been on of our best players.”

The second saw Hingham control the pace, firing 14 shots on Keller, who often had to make multiple saves on a trip down ice.

The Harbormen continued to apply pressure in the third, but again were turned away. That set up MacPhee’s second goal of the game, and team-high 18th of the season, which gave the Raiders the lead for good. Assists went to Balsamo and Leonard, who had a hand in all three goals on the day.

“You can’t leave (MacPhee) alone,” said Hingham coach Tony Messina. “We knew before the game what type of player he was, and we were trying to spy him. But he is an excellent player. He is an effortless skater and cam maneuver the ice very well.”

The Raiders, who have just four senior on their roster compared to 12 for Hingham, now turn their sights to Catholic Memorial, who they have played to a tie each of the last two seasons.

“We have had an amazing season,” said Jankowski. “But those seven ties were hanging over our heads. We had to stay focused and step up for the win.”