Grunt work: Pembroke's Deminico has been the 'glue' for Archbishop Williams boys hockey

CANTON – There wasn't much scoring at Canton SportsPlex on Wednesday night, and Matt Deminico didn't officially factor into what little of it there was.

No matter. Deminico did his usual thing. And the Bishops won again.

Probably not a coincidence there.

"He impacts the game whether he scores or not," Archbishop Williams High boys hockey coach Chris Cunningham said of Deminico, a senior second-line center from Pembroke. "He's arguably the glue, the MVP out there – defensively, winning faceoffs. (His impact) might not always show up on the scoreboard."

Deminico isn't the Bishops' leading scorer, although he's come on of late and has 5 goals and 4 assists. But he excels at doing all the little things that power winning teams. And Archies has done a lot of winning this winter. Wednesday's 2-1 overtime conquest of Arlington Catholic – courtesy of a power-play strike from senior defenseman Justin Watson (of Hanover) with 33 seconds left in OT – pushed the Bishops' record to 11-1 and their win streak to seven games.

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Archies was No. 2 (behind St. John's Prep) in the latest MIAA Division 1 power ranking that came out Tuesday.

"We're just finding ways to win," Deminico said. "That's the sign of a good team right there."

Deminico is the lone senior who's been on varsity all four years. The Bishops are 49-20-5 during that span. They went 12-1-3 his freshman season when there were no MIAA playoffs due to COVID. Archies finished 13-9-1 each of the last two years, losing each time in the Division 1 Round of 16.

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"We've come a long way," he said, looking back at his career. "We've had so many guys stepping up over the years in big moments, big opportunities. When anyone's number is called, they're ready to go."

Cunningham, a Quincy resident who played at Brockton High and now teaches math there, was an assistant under former coach Derackk Curtis when Deminico forced his way onto varsity as a freshman, in part because of his superior penalty killing. "He plays a really, really smart game," Cunningham said. "He seems to know what we need in whatever the situation is."

Watson calls Deminico "a true leader, a great teammate," and Ben Sylvester, a senior winger from Carver who netted his 10th goal of the season Wednesday, appreciates how Deminico is "out there working hard in the corners" on every shift.

This year's Archies team is a veteran one, with seniors (like Deminico) making up six of the top nine forwards and three of the top four defensemen. It's now or never for those guys.

"It's not about the points, it's not about the stats, it's about winning games," Deminico said. "We're 11-1 right now and we want to keep it rolling. I want to win a championship."

By the numbers

3-0: Archies' record in OT this season. Their other extra-time victories came back-to-back against Milton (5-4 on Jan. 15) and Canton (4-3 on Jan. 17). Sylvester had the winner against Milton, and Patrick Hampton had the winner against Canton. The latter was a huge statement as the Bulldogs are the defending Division 2 state champs and one of the premier public-school programs in the state. "They're Division 2 in name only," Cunningham said of Canton.

4-3: The score of Archies' lone loss this season, to Xaverian in the first round of the Arrow Christmas Tournament at Zapustas Arena in Randolph. The Bishops blew a 3-2 lead in that one but left the rink thinking they could hang with a Division 1 heavyweight; Xaverian was No. 3 in the latest MIAA D1 power ranking that came out Tuesday.

"Over the last couple of years when we've played top-five teams we've gotten beaten up," Cunningham said. "Maybe we were a little intimidated. (Against Xaverian) we gained a lot of confidence there. (We showed) just a little more poise, a little more confidence."

12: Finn Kelly's team-leading goal total. The junior from Dorchester topped the Bishops with 18 last season. Said Cunningham: "When we need a big goal, he seems to be there, either scoring it or being the catalyst behind it."

1: Big showdown with Pope Francis looming on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Cardinals (8-5) are the defending Division 1 state champs and entered the week No. 5 in the MIAA power rankings. Said Deminico: "We love the challenges. It's going to get us ready for the playoffs."

"Obviously, playing against a top-five team on Saturday, in Springfield, there probably will be a lot of eyes on that, so that will be big for us," Cunningham agreed. "We're really looking forward to seeing where we're at. I feel like we've made a lot of progress. We'll know a lot (more) after Saturday; that's for sure."

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Pembroke's Deminico has fueled Archies boys hockey's 11-1 start