Shea Leads Tanners to Second-Ever Super 8

After Casey Shea scored on a power play with 5 seconds remaining in the first period, some students began throwing their baseball, winter and even a cowboy hat on the ice.

The team’s first-line junior center had just completed a natural hat-trick in less than 15 minutes to give the seventh-seeded Tanners a 3-0 edge over No. 10 Springfield Cathedral in the Super 8 play-in game Monday night at the Chelmsford Forum in North Billerica.

Shea would add another power-play goal in the second, as the Tanners (18-3-1) went on to beat Springfield Cathedral (12-10-1) 5-2 to qualify for only their second-ever Super 8 tournament.

“It’s awesome,” Shea said simply of his big night.

Woburn coach Jim Duran called Shea a playmaker who can finish around the net.

“He’s just a terrific player,” he said. “We like to have our big players step up, and they did tonight.”

Shea recorded his 100th career point in the Tanners’ last game of the regular season. He said he scored more goals in Monday’s game than he ever had in a game before.

Woburn advances to face No. 2 St. John’s Prep of Danvers (14-5-1) on Saturday, March 5, No. 3 Boston College High (13-4-3) on Wednesday, March 9, and No. 6 Needham (12-6-4) on Sunday, March 13, in group play, with the top two teams moving on to the semi-finals.

The Tanners first two games will be played at Merrimack College. Woburn lost to St. John’s Prep 6-0 on Monday, Feb. 14.

On Monday, Shea and linemate Alex Holland, the team’s captain, combined on a give-and-go about 6 minutes into the contest to give the Tanners an early 1-0 lead.

Defenseman Cole Connolly also got an assist on the play.

Then, with 2:30 left in the frame, Shea beat Springfield Cathedral goalie Zac Rondeau (15 saves) to a loose puck and slipped it past him, before completing his hat-trick.

In the second, Shea deflected a shot by defenseman Jake Secatore to make it 4-0 with 4:06 to play in the period.

With Springfield Cathedral on a five-on-three power play late in the second, there was a delayed penalty on Woburn, so Rondeau headed for the bench. However, Springfield Cathedral missed on a pass back to the point, and the puck trickled the length of the ice and into the empty net with 7 seconds left on the clock.

Defenseman Brian Dulong, the team’s assistant captain, was given credit for the goal as the last Woburn player to touch the puck. However, most in attendance believed Shea was actually the last Tanner to touch the puck, and the video evidence supported this notion.

Either way, Woburn led 5-0 after two.

“I think our first two periods were our best periods of the year,” Duran said.

Springfield Cathedral got two goals on Woburn goalie Cam McGlashing (18 saves) in the third, the first from junior Thomas Quinlan with 6:37 remaining, the second from senior Matt Peloquin with 3:26 left.

Secatore had two assists for the Tanners, as did defenseman Adam Tanner. Forward Bobby Smith had one.

Springfield Cathedral received 10 penalties, Woburn nine.

Springfield Cathedral will now play as the top seed in the Division 1 South sectional.

No. 1 Malden Catholic (16-2-2), No. 4 Weymouth (17-3-2), No. 5 Hingham (13-5-4) and No. 8 Central Catholic (16-5-1) make up the other group in the Super 8.