Heartbreaking End To Stoneham's Season

It would have been a normal high school hockey game if it weren't for the venue and the No. 11 jersey hanging behind the Stoneham bench. But this was the TD Garden and a state title was at stake.

Plymouth South scored less than three minutes into overtime Sunday to hand Stoneham a heartbreaking, 4-3, loss in the Division 2 state championship game.

Inspired by memories of their teammate, Stoneham held a 3-2 lead after two periods but that would be the end of the scoring for the Spartans. In overtime, Alex Hayward tucked the puck between the post and Stoneham goalie Peter Barry and a season that started with the tragic death of defenseman James Luti was suddenly over.

"We devoted the season to James Luti and the kids rallied behind it," said Stoneham coach Paul Sacco. "It was a tragic event for anybody to go through especially kids of that age. It's just difficult. To lose a great person like that, it's devastating. But the kids fought all year. It was a tough season, just to fight through what they fought through. We had our ups and we had our downs. We just fought through those tough times. I'm proud of these kids for going as far as they did."

The first period started moments after a video tribute to Luti on the Garden scoreboard that had fans from both teams standing and applauding. The first period kept many of those fans on their feet.

Plymouth South scored first on Joey Van Winkle's goal at 3:09 but Stoneham tied it on a goal from senior Joe Carroll at 6:47. With 31 seconds left in the period the Panthers went on top, 2-1, on a goal by Jake Worrick.

The second period belong to the Spartans. Their first goal was a great individual effort by junior Nick Feliciano that tied it at 2-2 at 8:51. Stoneham took its first lead at 13:11 on a goal from Jake Burridge and 30 minutes of hockey ended with Stoneham ahead, 3-2.

Less than a minute into the third period, however, Plymouth South tied it up on a goal by Hayward and the score remained that way at the end of regulation.

In overtime, it was Hayward again, this time with the game and state title winner as the Panthers junior forward found the tiniest gap to squeeze home the goal and set off a wild celebration.

"They had a drive all year to do it for James," said Sacco. "It puts a lot of pressure on some young kids to try and keep fighting through the whole season. We thought we'd get a bounce here at the end but you have to take your hat off to Plymouth South. At the end of the day it's a hockey game."

Following the game, Plymouth South coach Mike McCosh entered the Stoneham locker room and presented the game puck to the Stoneham captains and asked that they present it to James Luti's parents, Maria and John. McCosh lost his then 18-year-old brother to a drunk driver and had lost two of his players during his 22-year career and said he understood what Stoneham had gone through.

"We have to be thankful and happy for what these kids achieved this year," said Sacco. "No other team has done that, especially with such a tragic event at the beginning of the year. Bottom line, I love these kids like they're my own, and I do have one of them who's my own.

"You have to keep your head up. You got to keep smiling. James is looking down at us. Things happen for different reasons. I'm just proud the way these kids handled themselves.

Photos by Bob Holmes