The four-time defending state champion Bishop Hendricken hockey team was less than six minutes away from seeing its reign come to an end in Sunday’s title clash against Prout, as the Crusaders built a 2-0 lead deep in the third period.
The Hawks, though, extended their championship streak to five as they flew to two goals in the final minutes to knot the score, then would see senior Frank Tillinghast put the game away in the third overtime period to clinch the 3-2 decision.
“You dream about these scenarios happening. The whole week leading up to it you think about that overtime goal and I happened to be in the right place at the right time. Mason Crain made a backdoor pass to me and I tapped it in,” said Tillinghast, who is now a four-time state champ.
Prout got the 1-0 lead in the first period before doubling the advantage with 10:12 remaining in the third period.
Hendricken’s offense finally broke through when Cullen Crain lit the lamp on a pass from Andrew Soscia with 5:31 left. Aiden Craft scored the tying goal with just under a minute remaining to force overtime.
After two overtime periods, the game was stripped to a 3-on-3 format and Tillinghast’s championship-clinching goal will be remembered as one of the great moments in Hendricken hockey history.
“We all knew what to expect. We were fortunate enough to experience it (three) years in a row so knowing what we were getting into helped us a lot,” said Tillinghast of the comeback.
Although the late goals grabbed headlines for the Hawks, senior goalie Avery Picchione was sharp in net as he finished the day with 28 saves. This was Picchione’s first season as the team’s starter and his first championship appearance.
“It’s amazing. I’m so thankful that (Hendricken coach Mike Soscia) put his trust in me. I’ve got to give a shout out to the other three goalies on the roster, we push each other every day and to have that much talent in the goalie room is amazing, any of those three could have played tonight. Me and Colin Murray have been together since freshman year, he deserves this just as much as I do,” said Picchione.
Picchione expected the game to go to overtime despite trailing late.
“I never lost faith in this group. I knew it was going to happen, the compete level we have in this team, we knew we’d get them back,” said Picchione. “It all happened so fast, I love this group of guys and they battled every day at practice, through the ups and downs. This group is great.”
The Hawks will be graduating one of the program’s best-ever senior cores before flipping the page toward next year as they set their sights on six straight.
“Five years is crazy,” Picchione said. “To be out there and be a part of it, it feels great to be a part of Hendricken history.
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