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Pasquale stars in net, but without Wise Central falls to BC High

Wednesday, March, 09 By David Willis
Staff writer

LOWELL — Under the brightest lights, facing a seemingly constant attack, Central Catholic freshman Matt Pasquale was nothing short of outstanding.

But with All-Scholastic Boston University commit Jake Wise forced to watch from the stands with the flu, the Raiders simply could not find the offense to support their goalie's effort.

Pasquale made 33 saves, but No. 7 Central Catholic could not earn a second straight upset of top-seeded Boston College High School, falling 2-1 Wednesday night at the Tsongas Center.

"BC is a fantastic team that really took it to us at times," said Raiders coach Mike Jankowski. "We gave it our all, and we managed to tie it up. Pasquale played a terrific game, and anytime he plays like that we have a chance to win. We have another opportunity, and hopefully we can take advantage of it." 

The Raiders tied the game up with 4:56 left in regulation when Will Duggan slid a pass in front of the net and Cam Gendron buried it. But BC High responded with winner just 1:12 later. Central had a shot in the final seconds, but it was deflected away.

Central and BC High will now play a decisive Game 3 in the series. The time and date for the game are TBA, but MIAA officials said that it would likely be on Saturday at the Chelmsford Forum in Billerica. A final decision is expected on Thursday.

The winner will advance to take on No. 4 St. John's Prep in the Super 8 semifinals on Wednesday at the Tsongas Center. The defending Super 8 champs swept Burlington in the first round.

A victory for Central Catholic would make them just the second team in Eagle-Tribune area history to advance to the Super 8 semifinals. The 2012 Raiders team also accomplished the feat before falling to eventual champion Austin Prep.

Central clearly struggled on Wednesday without the dynamic Wise (16 goals), who scored a goal and had an assist in the Game 1 upset. The sophomore awoke with a 103 degree temperature, and was ruled out early on. Jankowski and his staff were hopeful he might be ready for Saturday.

"Jake was out with the flu, and five or six guys in the locker room have it," said Jankowski. "It obviously hurts not having Jake. He is such a great player who adds such a unique piece to our lineup. It's a struggle to play without him. He adds so much to the game. Without him we had trouble creating offensive pressure."

The Eagles came out flying in the first, but Pasquale was up to the task. He made 10 saves in the first period, including a sweet glove save and a butterfly save then cover up in traffic.

BC High continued to control the pace in the second, peppering Pasquale with shots (14 in the second period). The Eagles finally broke through on their 22nd shot of the game, as Jayson Dobay just roofed a puck over Pasquale's glove.

Pasquale opened the third in brilliant fashion. While skating for a puck, he was tripped by a BC High attacker. But he was still able to scramble back to the net to make a save. He later managed to reach back and knock away a puck just in front of the goal line.

"He is just an excellent goalie," said Jankowski. "He has been so poised and calm and he has stopped every puck he has had a chance at in this (Super 8) run."

Central then struck with 4:56 left when Gendron redirected the pass into the goal. But BC High responded right away with the winner.

"Central is a very good hockey team no matter who they have in the lineup," said BC High coach John Flaherty. "We had to be ready, and their goalie played an excellent game. I am very happy with the way our guys responded."

Now the Raiders will hope to rebound in Game 3.

"Hopefully we can recover, work on a few things and come out strong," said Jankowski. "We always have a chance with Pasquale. Hopefully we can go out and slay the dragon."