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When BC High lost a heartbreaker to Catholic Memorial back on January 8, Matt Keohane and his teammates circled their next tilt with the Knights on their respective calendars, revenge on their minds.

On Sunday morning, they accomplished their mission. Keohane potted a pair of goals and had an assist, as the Eagles earned a convincing 4-1 victory over their archrivals from the west side of town at Edward T. Barry rink.

It was huge, Keohane said of the win. And it was even bigger because they beat us earlier in the season. So we had something to prove tonight, and we came out and did it.

Against a fellow Catholic Conference juggernaut, BC High looked formidable, and thats putting it simply. The Eagles (8-3-1) only needed 3:14 of game action to put one on the board in the opening period, as Keohane corralled a rebound in front of the Catholic Memorial net. As Dom Walecka dove to try and reel it back in, the senior center tapped a shot over the sprawling goaltender, finding twine to provide BC High a 1-0 advantage.

With 1:48 remaining in the opening stanza, the Knights were whistled for cross-checking, and BC High was quick to cash in. 21 seconds later, junior left winger Colin Norton buried a shot for the Eagles to make it a 2-0 contest entering intermission. Keohane and Michael Dragon were credited with the assists during the frantic sequence.

Then, at the 2:59 mark of the second period, Keohane struck again, as Norton fed him the puck. The senior reared back, and uncorked a rocket from the slot, finding twine as BC High watched its lead balloon to 3-0.

However, after being held to just one shot in the opening period, Catholic Memorial (6-3-5) began to find a rhythm late in the second. After Gavin Havens won a faceoff, sophomore Tommy Goonan hauled the puck in, then forced a wrister on net. The defenseman didnt miss his target, as the shot went top-shelf, and the Knights cut it back to 3-1.

We just talked about getting back to what we were doing, BC High coach John Flaherty said. Getting back to the basics. C.M. outworked us for there for stretches of the second period, and there was a time where it looked like we couldnt get it out of our zone. So credit to them for winning faceoffs, sprinting to get to pucks. We had to get back to what we were doing in the first period, and I think you saw that in the third period, we got back to playing the way we were.

With 6:09 left in regulation, Brian Bulger sealed things for BC High, as he launched a shot from the blue line, which whistled into the bottom corner of the Catholic Memorial cage to make it 4-1, putting any creeping thoughts of doubt fans in attendance may have had to bed.

Dragon notched two assists to aid the Eagles.

The critical win only bolsters BC Highs case for a Super Eight berth. However, Flaherty is only focused on the next few games. The Eagles can clinch a Div. 1 tournament spot with another victory.

Its big for consideration, Flaherty said. Its big for all those things that they talk about in those meetings. But were still two points away from qualifying. So we have to qualify before we can even be considered for any tournament. But any time you play C.M., and you get in the win column, its big for the school, and big for the community.

BC High doesnt have the luxury of taking nights off. The Eagles will welcome another Catholic Conference foe, and arguably the top team in the state when Xaverian pays a visit to UMass-Boston this upcoming Wednesday.

I told everyone that were not a joke this year, Keohane said. I think a lot of people didnt believe in us this year, and I think that coming out right now and proving that we can beat a top-three team is huge for us.

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BC High evens the score against Catholic Memorial - Boston Herald