Less than two minutes remained and the scoreboard showed a four-goal lead. Essentially, the Arlington Catholic boys hockey team had already beaten Archbishop Williams.
But in Ed Burns Arena, tucked in the far-left corner of the rink, are two golden Catholic Central League title banners updated through 2009. Though the Cougars (14-2-1) made a Cinderella run to the Div. 1 Final Four two years ago, it’s been a while since the former juggernauts had the kind of buzz it does this year.
A win over Archies last week would be the CCL title clincher. So, even in those final minutes, up 4-0, players were diving on the ice. They were blocking shots.
Senior co-captain Stephen Constantine (12-13-25), one of a few AC players on varsity in second-place finishes each of the three years prior, had had two goals and an assist. Six others notched at least a point. Freshman Stephen Camara posted a shutout, and AC gave everything it had toward adding another year on that second banner.
“The kids really wanted it, and you could tell,” said Cougars head coach Curt Colarullo, class of 1997. “To win the league, it’s a really prideful thing. … They wanted it more than anything and they went out and they took it.”
The latest MIAA Div. 1 power rankings have AC at No. 9, and it’s a real threat to the eight ranked above it. Tenacity through the final whistle has become a staple for the Cougars through a now 14-game unbeaten streak – the longest active streak in Div. 1.
In fact, without that tenacity, the Cougars likely wouldn’t be CCL champs, and definitely wouldn’t be on this tear.
Just one game prior to their win over Archbishop Williams, they trailed St. Mary’s 2-0 entering the third. Fellow senior co-captain Tyler Heldenbergh (13-10-23) scored twice to tie it, and freshman standout Cael Colarullo (12-9-21) potted the game-winner.
Earlier in the month, longtime linemates Constantine and Heldenbergh combined for five goals in a 5-4 overtime win over Barnstable. Five players each posted multi-point outings the game before it to rally from a three-goal deficit to beat Framingham, 6-5. They also topped Needham in overtime to take Natick’s Holiday Tournament, and edged Billerica, 2-1, in honor of teammate Matt Driscoll, who tragically passed.
“Adversity is kind of the nickname of our season; we’ve been battling adversity all year,” said fellow senior co-captain Sam Mathews, a fourth-year varsity defenseman. “Obviously, we wish we could just blow every team out of the water. But that’s not going to happen, we’re going to have some tough games. … Being able to win those games is really going to help us in the long run and we’re very happy we got to do that.”
St. Mary’s goalie Connor Anderson sits in the net as Arlington Catholic’s Cael Colarullo (10), Brayden Boczenowski (11) and Jack Raposa (23) celebrate Boczenowski’s goal during a boys hockey game in Arlington. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)
That confidence AC is playing with right now wasn’t exactly there to start the year. Though they knew they were missing three of their top defensemen and a center, a 7-1 loss to Xaverian in December was an eye-opener.
“I think that loss kind of struck something into us, like, if we want to be a top team, then we have to step our game up,” Constantine said.
Perhaps there was no better response than scrapping through a 3-2 win over defending Div. 1 state finalist St. John’s of Shrewsbury in the very next game. It was the first time any of the Cougars had beat them, and Constantine called it “the best day of my life.”
“It also gave us the boost of confidence, too, knowing that we can beat the teams like that,” Mathews said. “St. John’s Shrewsbury, they played in the Garden last year. That boost of confidence really helped us turn it around.”
The chemistry between Heldenbergh, Constantine and fellow senior co-captain Alex Frost (4-11-15) on the top line has led to a litany of crucial goals in this streak, but balance through the lineup bolsters the Cougars.
Cael Colarullo is an essential part of an effective power play, where he has eight of his 12 goals. Sophomore forward Brayden Boczenowski (7-7-14) has been a strong playmaker up top, while senior co-captain Brody Lawhorne (1-6-7) returned from a month absence to help anchor the blue line with Mathews (2-11-13), senior John Recinito (2-4-6) and junior Kiercen Keane (0-3-3).
In all, the Cougars have six freshmen and three eighth-graders. Naming five captains is quite a bit, but Curt Colarullo had intention behind it.
“I knew that the younger players were going to play a key role in this team, so for them to develop, we needed strong leadership on the top,” he said. “And the five captains we have work excellent together. It’s just great to have them here. The leadership that they’ve given is just unbelievable.”
Constantine surpassed 100 career points on Thursday. Colarullo is a win away from 100. The Cougars were a bit unsure of what the goaltending would look like after two-time All-Scholastic Patrick Clair graduated, but their four goalies now are a supportive and tight-knit group that’s seen Camara rise up as of late. Part of that is Clair practicing with the team and helping Camara’s development.
Most importantly, camaraderie between everyone is high.
“This group of guys is just really (close),” Heldenbergh said. “We all love each other. It’s a great group. Past years, we haven’t been so close. We were always all close and everything, but this year, it just seems special.”
One-timers
Gloucester multi-sport standout Keagan Jewell became the first player in the girls program’s history to surpass 100 career points, doing so on Wednesday in a 4-0 win over Marblehead.
The Burlington boys clinched the Middlesex League Freedom title Wednesday with a 6-2 win over Melrose, improving to 12-2-1 for their most wins since since 2019 (15).
The King Philip girls (13-2-1) punctuated their contender status by beating Div. 2 favorite Duxbury, 3-2, on Thursday.
The Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament finals are Sunday. Div. 2 boys favorites Canton (14-1) and Tewksbury (16-0-1) clash at Tsongas Center for the Doherty title in a potential state final preview, while Winchester (9-6-1) and Woburn (9-4-2) play for the Brinn at O’Brien Ice Rink.
Just three teams remain unbeaten in girls hockey: Methuen/Tewksbury (13-0-2), Algonquin (16-0) and Auburn (12-0-2).