CHELMSFORD — The St. John’s Shrewsbury Pioneers are going back to the Division 1 state championship game with a 3-2 win over Arlington in double overtime at the Chelmsford Forum on Sunday.
Senior defenseman Kevin Bisson netted the game-winner in the second extra frame.
“We have a really resilient bunch,” Pioneers head coach Michael Mead said. “A lot of teams would have quit after giving up a two-goal lead, but we didn’t. Usually, I wouldn’t expect our defenseman to score a goal like that. It just shows who Kevin is. His dad played for me on the ’99 state title team, and it’s unbelievable that his kids are now playing.”
An eight-minute four-on-four overtime was not enough to determine a winner. The second overtime was three-on-three and both teams really used the extra ice space efficiently and had solid scoring chances. Five minutes into the fifth period, it was Bisson who had a shot also around the top of the faceoff circle, and it trickled in to move the Pioneers on.
St. John’s will now face Pope Francis in the state title game and look for the third championship in school history.
“It’s a surreal moment,” Bisson said. “Not saying we’re on a revenge tour, but based on how we ended our season with a loss at the Garden, we’re in a really good position to get it back. I’m just so proud of this team, this school, and what it’s all meant to my family.”
After a scoreless first, the Pioneers lit the lamp twice in a span of 4:25. The first goal came with 7:35 remaining in the middle frame when sophomore forward Colby Spencer slammed one home outside the crease. Following that, with 3:10 left, sophomore wing Matthew McGinty followed his shot and put the rebound past the goalie to double the lead for the Pioneers.
The Spy Ponders were not ready to die and dominated the third period. With 11 minutes left, sophomore center Matthew Mischel sniped the top corner from just inside the right face-off circle to get on the board. Arlington pulled the goalie for the last minute of regulation and with 31.7 seconds to go, junior defenseman Ryder Bisson had a near identical shot as Mischel did to extend his team’s season for the time being.
