Souhegan goalie Erik Hayden fishes the puck out of his net as the Kennett players celebrate a first-period goal. For more photos, see the Photo Album.
Six local high school teams participated in playoff contests Wednesday night.
Only one of those teams survived.
In boys hockey, both Bishop Guertin (Division I) and Souhegan (Division III) saw their seasons come to a close in their respective semifinals, both sent packing by long-time rivals.
The Cardinals, the No. 1 seed in the division, fell to No. 4 Concord, 5-3. With the score tied at 3, the Crimson Tide scored 10.1 seconds before the end of regulation, and then added an empty net goal to end BG’s season.
Concord will take on No. 3 Exeter in the Division I final on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
In Division III, No. 5 Souhegan ran into the buzz saw that is top-seeded Kennett, losing 9-0. While the Sabers struggled, coach Ed Viola was proud to see that his team didn’t give up, even in a third period that featured a running clock.
Kennett will take on No. 2 Bedford in the Division III championship at noon on Saturday at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
In boys basketball, Bishop Guertin was the lone local winner in Class L, beating Alvirne. Merrimack and Nashua North also lost.
BG, the fifth seed in Class L, defeated No. 12 Alvirne, 66-54. Connor Green led what way for the Cardinals, scoring 25 points. A year ago, the Broncos were also the 12th seed, and upset Manchester Central in the first round.
Alvirne reached the semifinals in 2009, beating No. 13 Londonderry in the quarterfinals. This year, the Lancers are once again the 13th seed and once again, they’re going to the quarterfinals after upsetting No. 4 Merrimack, 53-47.
No. 11 Nashua North lost on the road to No. 6 Dover, 66-58. The Titans had a two-point lead with six minutes left in the game, but Dover hit a couple of 3s in the fourth quarter for some separation, and held on for the win.
BG will now host Londonderry in the quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Saturday, with the winner going to semifinals on March 17.