Hard-Fought Battle: Bosco's Playoff Journey Ends Against Bishop

After a tough battle, St. John Bosco fell short in the quarterfinals. Although the team did not advance to the semifinals, their efforts should not be dismissed. 

Quarterfinals | Friday, February 23, 2024 | Bishop Gorman 1, St. John Bosco 0

St. John Bosco faced Bishop Gorman 3 at Anaheim ICE NHL Rink and lost in overtime with a final score of 1-0.

All three periods were scoreless despite both teams having multiple shots on goal as well as power play opportunities throughout the game. Nicholai Rubio was the goaltender for St. John Bosco and saved a total of 24 out of 25 shots on goal. James Schmierer, the goaltender for Bishop Gorman 3, saved all 27 shots on goal. The one goal that slipped past Rubio was an overtime power play goal scored by Bishop Gormat at 1:50. 

The first period, although scoreless, had a total of four penalties received and ended with a score of 0-0. Two penalties were called on St. John Bosco and the other two penalties were called on Bishop Gorman 3. St. John Bosco had 6 shots on goal and Bishop Gorman 3 had 8 shots on goal by the end of the first period. 

The score remained 0-0 by the end of the second period and there were a total of three penalties during this period. The first two penalties were called at 10:40 for roughing (1 for Bishop Gorman 3, 1 for St. John Bosco). The last penalty of the period was a tripping penalty called on St. John Bosco. After a scoreless second period, Bishop Gorman 3 had 10 shots on goal while St. John Bosco had 9 shots on goal. 

After another scoreless period, there were a total of five penalties received during the third period. Two out of the five were slashing penalties called on St. John Bosco while the remaining three penalties were called on Bishop Gorman 3. Even after St. John Bosco ended with 8 shots on goal and Bishop Gorman 3 ended with 7 shots on goal, both goaltenders remained strong and did not let any goals slip past them. With the final score after the third period remaining at a standstill, 0-0, this forced the teams to go into overtime. 

Overtime was relatively quiet until St. John Bosco received a slashing penalty at 02:06. This put Bishop Gorman 3 on the power play which intensified the game. Bishop Gorman 3 scored a power play at 01:50 and ended the game with a final score of 1-0 in Bishop Gorman 3’s favor. 

Bishop Gorman 3 had a playoff record of 2-1-0 after this matchup and advanced to the semifinals. St. John Bosco’s playoff run ended with a 0-1-0 record. Although it was a tough loss for St. John Bosco, Rubio’s determination to not let any goals in and keep the game 0-0 throughout all three periods of the game was remarkable. St. John Bosco may have fallen short in advancing to the semifinals, however, their efforts in the 2023-2024 regular season and playoffs were impressive.