Gonzaga beats St. John’s for MAPHL title, avenging its WCAC loss

After a rain of gloves, helmets and hockey sticks, Gonzaga players took a moment at Gardens Ice House in Laurel on Monday to carry the Mid-Atlantic Prep Hockey League trophy to the glass to celebrate with their fans.

It was a short trip over to the boards after their 7-3 win over St. John’s, but it capped a long journey. The Eagles made sure to relish every moment.

“It feels amazing,” Gonzaga captain Daniel Rogers said. “We’ve been punched in the mouth by them a number of times, and it finally feels good to get over that hump and beat them.”

There were few secrets between the teams by the time Monday’s final arrived. It was the sixth meeting between the Eagles (22-7-2) and Cadets (22-6-4), with St. John’s winning three and Gonzaga two to go with a tie. They even split their championship games, with St. John’s winning the WCAC title in overtime this month.

The Eagles were hungry for a rematch, dispatching Bullis and Calvert Hall on the way to the MAPHL final. And just a few minutes into Monday’s tilt, it was clear the game would be different from their previous meeting.

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Gonzaga defenseman Hunter Oglesby opened the scoring 10 minutes into the first period when a shot ricocheted straight up in the air before coming down in the crowd and finding its way into the net.

As the second period began, junior forward Andre Lucas Abrantes doubled the lead, ripping a shot that tipped off the goalie’s glove before bouncing in.

“After WCAC, we knew that we had another chance to get them,” Abrantes said. “So we just were all locked in, and we just treated every game as like a step on the stairs to get up to this game. This game was the real championship.”

A late rally by the Cadets wasn’t enough. Goals by winger Matthew Shay and defenseman Jack Gardner sealed Gonzaga’s 10th MAPHL title, ending a three-year drought.

The Eagles made it a sweep of the MAPHL’s two titles with their secondary varsity squad (16-7-1) beating St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes, 7-2, in the A Division title game. The Saints finished 7-7-2.