Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

At the John Rhodes Centre on Monday, January 19th, the third-place St. Mary’s Knights (10-5-1) squared off against the fifth-place White Pines Wolverines (2-14-1-1) in Sault Ste. Marie Boys’ High School Hockey League action. In a game defined by momentum swings and special-teams goals, the Knights closed out the contest with two shorthanded tallies in the final minute to secure the victory.

White Pines struck first in dramatic fashion during the opening period. While killing a penalty at 6:32, Chase Socchia broke in alone and buried a shorthanded, unassisted goal for his fourth of the season to give the Wolverines an early lead. The Knights responded quickly, as Nathan Watts answered at 5:18 with an unassisted marker of his own, his 14th of the year, tying the game 1–1 after one.

The second period saw the lead change hands multiple times. At 14:25, Owen Sanderson restored the Wolverines’ advantage, finishing a play set up by Ethan Marsh for his 13th goal of the season. St. Mary’s pushed back midway through the frame, with Ethan Agawa knotting the score at 7:52 off an assist from Beau Primeau. The Knights then capitalized on the power play at 2:59, as Primeau scored his 12th of the season with Tyler Cady picking up the helper, sending St. Mary’s into the third period with a 3–2 lead.

White Pines refused to go away and tied the game early in the third. On the power play at 2:13, Sanderson struck again, scoring his 14th of the season off an assist from Nolan Wilding to make it 3–3. With the game winding down and tensions high, the Knights delivered when it mattered most. While shorthanded at 59 seconds remaining, Tyler Cady scored an unassisted goal to give St. Mary’s the lead. Just seconds later, with the Wolverines net empty and still on the power play, Tucker Bennett sealed the win with a shorthanded, unassisted empty-net goal at 0:05, his fourth of the season.

Wolverine coach Matt Caria told Saultsports that “we showed resilience by not giving up . We played with the lead and without the lead . When we didn’t have the lead we battled to get a goal and tie it up. The details are going to be the focus. Managing the puck at key moments, finishing plays defensively, and capitalizing on our chances when they’re there. In tight games, special teams, net-front execution, and winning those 50/50 battles become magnified. As we head toward the postseason, it’s about being a little sharper, a little more disciplined, and trusting our structure for a full 60 minutes. If we do that, these close games will start going our way.”

Visit Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies photo gallery of the St Mary’s Knights versus White Pines Wolverines in high school hockey action.

High school hockey action continues on January 20th at the John Rhodes Centre when the St. Mary’s Knights take on the Superior Heights Steelhawks with a 3:30 p.m. puck drop. The White Pines Wolverines will also face the Steelhawks on January 21st, returning to the John Rhodes Centre for a 7:30 p.m. start.