MANCHESTER, NH — St. Thomas Aquinas built a 3-0 third-period lead, then held off a furious rally by MHBDS to claim the Division II State Championship, 4-2, Saturday at SNHU Arena.

Senior Captain Jackson Estes had a goal and an assist to lead the third-seeded Saints to their first title since 2022.

“I feel like maybe it took us a little while to get our feet undnerves,” said MHBDS Head Coach Dan Belliveau. “So, we got down, but then we came out and I thought we gave a good effort.”

With players from Merrimack, Hollis-Brookline and the Derryfield School, FIFTH-seeded MHBDS finished its first season as a co-op team at 13-6-2.

“This team is a great bunch of kids and for them to be able to pull it together from three different schools,” said Belliveau. “You’ve got to build some chemistry and these kids have been playing with different kids the last three years.”

Warhawks’ senior goalie James Brew turned aside 25 shots and kept his team in the game, while the offense struggled to find its footing.

Already up 2-0 entering the third period, St. Thomas Aquinas extended its lead on a goal from AJ Kozlowski with 7:02 left in the game. With Jack Kelly bearing down hard on the right side, Brew was able to make a kick save. But Kozlowski was left alone on the weak side, pounced on the rebound and knocked it into the open net.

To its credit, MHBDS didn’t fold, it fought back.

Less than a minute later, senior Jackson Woods put the Warhawks on the board, scoring off a nice feed from freshman Collin Hamlin.

That goal seemed to inject a bit of energy into the Warhawks, who’d been skating on heavy legs early in the third period.

That energy boost led to a power play. Kozlowski went to the box for holding, after he hauled down Jackson Hatfield on a rush down the right side.

It took the Warhawks just 17 seconds to convert on the man advantage. Sophomore Alex May got the goal, set up by a slick feed from senior Alex Gertz, cutting the STA lead to 3-2 lead with 3:28 remaining.

With momentum fully on their side, the Warhawks pressed the attack, looking for the opening to tie the game.

With just over a minute remaining, Belliveau pulled Brew for an extra attacker. MHBDS buzzed the STA net but were frustrated time and again by Saints’ goalie Zach Pattow (26 saves).

With under 40 seconds left to play, the Warhawks had the Saints pinned. From deep in his own end, STA’s Finn Perry flipped the puck out to clear the zone. But the puck kept skittering along the ice, right into the Warhawks empty net for an insurance goal.

STA drew first blood, 9:32 into the game, on a goal by Jack Estes. It remained 1-0 until late in the second period, as the MHBDS defense, led by seniors Caleb May and Blake Beaulieau, did a tremendous job limiting the shots and quality scoring bids faced by Brew.

”We faced the two best offenses in the state, St. Thomas and Spaulding, and we just them down. Our game is all about defense,” said Belliveau.

STA was able to extend its lead late in the second period thanks to a questionable penalty call. With 2:49 left in the period, Alex May was sent off for tripping, though contact looked minimal and it appeared the STA player may have embellished for the sake of the referees.

The Saints took advantage of the extra man when Aiden Tibbets scored off the rebound of a shot by Jackson Estes, to make it 2-0.