Burlington one-ups Winchester
Devils continue Middlesex run
LOWELL - The Middlesex League is ready to take a shot at consecutive Super 8 titles after Burlington squeaked by league rival Winchester, 1-0, last night at Tsongas Arena to advance to the final.
"That was such an even game," said Burlington coach Bob Conceison. "It was like a prizefight. Each team took their shots."
The first two periods were more a story of what didn't happen than what did.
Each squad dominated a period, but despite several good chances, neither was able to find pay dirt.
The first period was Winchester's show, with Kevin Carson, Michael Seward, and Tim Mitropoulos each getting a chance to put the Sachems on the board on breakaways.
But all three times Devils goaltender Ben Irwin was up to the task, with his most impressive save coming against Seward. Irwin slid on his side, hands reaching for the post, and he made the stop with the tip of his blocker.
"They had some real good opportunities in the first, but our goaltender made some big saves," said Conceison.
In the second period, Burlington pushed back, outshooting the Sachems, 11-4. But none of its bids got past Mike Messuri.
The best chance in the period belonged to Sean Duffy. The Burlington senior forward got the puck in the faceoff circle on the power play and fired just high and wide of the open net.
"That power play really set the tone for us," said Conceison. "We didn't score, but we started to open up and take over after that."
Burlington (21-3-1) sustained the pressure and it finally paid off 4:24 into the third. After a flurry around the net, Chris Irwin redirected a Paul Conceison shot under the left leg of Messuri.
Winchester (18-5-1) couldn't penetrate Burlington's grinding defense, which allowed just four third-period shots and 13 for the game.
The Devils had a chance to close it out with an empty-net goal, but a Winchester player threw his stick to stop the puck, leading to a penalty shot by Brian Hanafin.
Hanafin was denied, but the Sachems could not get a shot in the last 8.7 seconds.
Burlington advances to the Super 8 final for the first time in school history. Awaiting is top seed Catholic Memorial.
For Burlington, it will be a chance to continue the legacy fellow Middlesex member Reading created last year when it became the first public school team to take the Super 8.
"CM is the best high school program around," said Bob Conceison. "It's a big challenge and a great thrill for us, our town, and our community." 