BOSTON — Perched on the TD Backyard house bench with the Billerica devoted on its ft behind him, Jim Egan watched Nolan Dawson and Danny Viscione — the Indians’ two greatest gamers — race down the ice in double extra time in Sunday’s Div. 2 state championship sport towards Canton.
He had a intestine feeling the sequence would lead to victory.
And when he noticed Dawson’s shot sail into the netting with 4:38 to play, he hoisted his arms above his head to sign the pulsating 3-2 victory.
Already anxiously standing, the Billerica followers lining the decrease bowl on Causeway Road erupted. Half of the Indians darted to Dawson to have a good time his heroics, whereas the opposite half bolted for the Billerica scholar part to greet netminder Steve MacIntosh.
They had been the sights and sounds of a proud hockey city claiming a state title for the primary time since 1977.
On the successful play, Viscione carried the puck down left wing. Simply after cross the blue line, he floated a go to his proper which Dawson skated into. Calmly skating with the puck, Dawson despatched a wrist shot into the fitting nook of the web for the winner.
“I said, ‘There go our two best players on a two-on-one. So, this could be it right here.’ And it was,” Egan stated after the thrilling 3-2 victory.
Dawson, who additionally assisted on Viscione’s first of two tallies, stated his objective and the state title haven’t sunk in but.
“It’s just insane,” Dawson stated. “It’s really insane. I loved it — loved every second of it.”
It’s been a very long time coming for a Billerica hockey group with no state championship since a three-year run from 1975-77. However the top-seeded Indians (23-1-1) had all of the substances essential to make historical past.
MacIntosh made 38 saves forward of the second extra time interval, whereas Viscione’s game-tying objective with 2:28 left within the third was his fortieth objective of the winter. Billerica overcame two defects on Sunday to down No. 3 Canton (23-2-1) — attribute for an Indians workforce which pulled out an extra time thriller towards Tewksbury in a state semifinal on the Tsongas Middle in Lowell.
The system was there. But it surely got here all the way down to placing it collectively beneath the brilliant lights at TD Backyard, a duty Viscione embraced.
“I knew our best players had to be our best players,” he stated. “I knew I had to step up for our team and for our town.”
Viscione wreaked havoc on the ice all sport, ignited by his first tying objective within the second interval after Canton nursed a 1-0 lead into the center body because of a power-play objective by Travis Thomas with 2:38 left within the first interval.
He uncorked a blast from the highest of the fitting circle to knot the sport at one, blasting a one-timer from Dawson that deflected off the highest bar and in.
“We just know where each other are every single time,” Viscione stated. “We don’t even have to talk — we just know where we are.”
Canton almost retook its result in begin the third, however MacIntosh flashed the leather-based as Teddy Shuman tried a backhander on a Billerica energy play.
Egan stated MacIntosh “just did the same exact thing” he did in his 27-save outing towards Tewksbury.
“He gave us more life,” Egan stated. “He gave us a chance to win this game.”
Ryan Elrick supplied Canton with a 2-1 lead with 2:56 left within the third, however Viscione responded 28 seconds later to knot the sport at two.
Canton outshot Billerica, 7-5, within the four-on-four extra time, however the Indians had sufficient left within the tank to pot the game-winner within the three-on-three double extra time.
“We had so much support throughout the whole week getting ready for this game, and we saw it in the crowd,” Viscione stated. “They were loud, and we can’t thank them enough. We can’t thank this town enough, and we’re so happy to get it done for them.”
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