Hendricken, BC High get taste of the big time

Center Ice

Posted 1/14/14

The top three high school hockey programs in Rhode Island see quite a bit of each other, with Bishop Hendricken, Mount St. Charles and La Salle each playing one another three times during the league …

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Hendricken, BC High get taste of the big time

Center Ice

Posted

The top three high school hockey programs in Rhode Island see quite a bit of each other, with Bishop Hendricken, Mount St. Charles and La Salle each playing one another three times during the league season.

On Saturday, the Hawks got a break from the usual opponents – and they faced their toughest test of the season.

Hendricken went up against Boston College High School, which is ranked in the top three in the state of Massachusetts and as high as No. 1 in some polls, as part of a special event at Brown University’s Meehan Auditorium.

The game went in the books as a 2-2 tie, with the Hawks carrying a 2-0 lead into the third period only to see the Eagles come all the way back. BC High actually won the game 3-2 in overtime on a Patrick Kramer goal, but because Massachusetts teams don’t play overtime, the extra period served as an exhibition in regards to the final result. They played overtime as part of an agreement between Hendricken coach Jim Creamer and BC High coach John Flaherty to decide a winner.

Jamie Armstrong had a power play goal in each of the first two periods to give Hendricken its two goals. The Hawks are now 7-0-2, while BC High is 6-0-2.

Matt Kenneally made 27 saves in net for Hendricken.

“That’s a very good team,” Creamer said. “That’s the best team we’ll play all year. I thought we battled hard. We knew we had to be ugly to be effective, and I thought we did a good job of slowing them down and making them play a little differently than they wanted to play.”

The game was a part of a day-long event at Brown that was a special opportunity for both programs. The teams arrived early, warmed up on the Brown ice and then played the game. Following that, they had a reception where Brown head coach Brendan Whittet spoke to the two teams. Next up was a spot in the crowd where they watched a premier college game, as No. 5 Boston College took on Brown. That game also ended up 2-2.

Both Hendricken and BC High were grateful for the opportunity to play on a big stage against a quality opponent.

“We’re excited that we were invited,” Flaherty said. “We’re excited for the whole day that’s going to happen. It’s a great experience for our guys and we’re very appreciative for the opportunity.”

Hendricken’s band traveled to the game, which had a big crowd in advance of the sold-out college game.

“I think it’s an outstanding day,” Creamer said. “I think the people at Brown were great to coordinate this for us, and BC High, they’re the top team in Mass. They all treated us very well today. It was a nice atmosphere in there, with the band and then for the kids a little reception.”

The plan for the game actually came together in the spring, when Brown reached out to Creamer to propose the idea of playing prior to the BC-Brown game. Creamer then reached out to Flaherty, and they squared away the details.

“It’s a good experience,” sophomore forward Reilly Miller said.

It was a reunion of teams that hadn’t played each other in over 20 years, with the last time coming sometime in the late 80’s as part of the former Providence Journal tournament.

“It’s a really good day, and I think it was really well done,” Creamer said. “We’re excited to be a part of it.”

The competition made it even more exciting. With Hendricken in a battle near the top of Division I-Cimini with Mount and La Salle, playing a team of BC High’s caliber was a perfect way to stay sharp and try to get better.

“I think it’s a lot easier to play against better competition,” Kenneally said. “We came out strong and just didn’t get to finish strong.”

Kenneally has emerged as a big weapon for the Hawks, as he kept them in the game during the final two periods when BC High started to mount quite a bit of pressure. The Eagles out-shot Hendricken 30-18.

“We got great, great goaltending from Matt Kenneally,” Creamer said. “I thought he did a great job making the first stops, and I thought he did a great job eliminating any rebounds, which was enormous. He had good poise, I really loved the way he played today.”

The Hawks also excelled on special teams, where they had the two power play goals and also killed off two penalties. They did miss out on a great scoring chance with a 5-on-3 advantage late in the third period, as freshman defenseman Bryce Dolan hit the crossbar with a slap shot, but that was about the only blemish in that category.

“We had some good kills, two power play goals,” Creamer said. “Overall, that’s a positive for us.”

The end result was a tie in the books, a strong game against one of New England’s best teams and a day that was unlike most of the ones that the Hawks usually see throughout the winter.

“That’s as good as it’s going to get,” Creamer said. “For us to step up, I think we did a good job. I thought we represented ourselves and the state really well.”

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