By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

BOSTON, Mass. – For nearly three months, King Philip (23-3-1) has played at a different level. Embracing the motto of “All In,” the Warriors have been inspired by the memory of head coach Ken Assad, who unexpectedly passed away in December, and been dedicated to his ultimate goal of getting to the TD Garden.

KP fulfilled that mission on Sunday morning, taking the ice against No. 2 Milton in the Div. 2 state title game. The Warriors, who have only four seniors on the roster, weren’t content just making it to the program’s first final, but the Wildcats (the 2025 runner-up) showed the importance of experience on the big stage.

Milton held the Warriors to just eight shots on goal, took advantage of their speed on the bigger surface, and pulled out a 2-1 win to secure the program’s first state championship.

For coach Tim Langevin, Sunday’s loss, while disappointing, doesn’t diminish the run that the Warriors went on to get to the Garden.

“It’s 84 days since we lost our coach and it’s been a long journey,” said Langevin, “Kenny and I, it was always our goal was always to get to the Garden and we try practice that way and play that way all the time.”

“This year, it just started to click and click and every time we got on the ice, every day they got it a little bit more. The wins kept piling up and they kept getting better. Then they realize what they can do, their potential, and they start using that as fuel.”

Milton dominated from the opening face-off. The Wildcats had the game’s first 15 shots on goal and held an 18-2 edge going into the first intermission. The only thing standing between the Wildcats and a big early lead was senior goalie Kiki Lynch (38 saves).

Just three minutes in, Lynch stayed strong to deny a tip from close range. She denied Maeve Lovett after a rush up the left wing and Grace Kenney’s stuff attempt at the side of the net.

With less than six minutes to go in the first, Sabrina Stone teed up Lovett on the edge of the crease but Lynch made the stop. Seconds later, Stone found Nayeli Thayer alone in the slot but Lynch stood tall. Stone danced through the KP defense and got free in front of goal only for Lynch to make yet another impressive stop.

“It starts with her,” Langevin said. “We can have a bad game and she can be herself and we can win. Milton’s a great team, they’re fast, they handle the puck really well, they play great hockey, and we have Kiki, so we’re always in it. She’s not giving up a cheap goal. She’s unbelievable.”

KP had created very little in the offensive zone, but finally got a couple shots on goal in the last 2:30 of the first.

Stephanie LeBlanc worked a little space on the left and picked out Molly Morgan in front of goal. Morgan couldn’t get full contact on the shot and Caera Hart made the kick save before a scrum in the crease. A minute later, Annabelle Curran added a shot from the left-wing circle after Morgan’s poke check forced a turnover.

The breakthrough came less than five minutes into the second with KP enjoying a power play and its best spell of pressure in the game. Morgan threw a puck in front from a tight angle that nearly wrong-footed the goalie, but it turned into a breakout in the other direction.

Milton’s raced clear for a 2-on-1. Mia Cataruzolo’s saucer pass found Stone all alone inside the right-wing circle and the senior forward made no mistake to finally break Lynch’s resistance.

KP almost had an instant response. LeBlanc had her shot saved from the left side of the goal and the puck popped out to Curran on the opposite side. KP’s leading scorer wasn’t able to lift her shot and Hart made the big stop.

That proved to be a massive moment because two minutes later the Wildcats doubled their advantage. Mairin Hart fired a shot from the right point. It looked to be going well wide but Lovett threw up her stick and perfectly redirected it up and over Lynch, who was caught off-balance by the unexpected tip.

Lynch came up with another huge save to keep it 2-0 when Thayer again got free in the slot, but the Warriors went into the locker room knowing they needed to up their game to get back into the final.

Morgan created an early chance in the third, bouncing the puck off the side of the net and then trying to stuff the rebound past Hart. With nine minutes to play, a rare mistake by the Wildcats allowed the Warriors to break out. Grace Lehan-Allen’s pass up the right wing boards found Morgan streaking into the zone by herself and the junior forward showed great composure to slide it under Hart’s pad.

Rather than being the moment that sparked a comeback, the goal seemed to wake Milton up and the Wildcats would create several chances to put the game away only for Lynch to come up big, particularly when Stone found herself all alone in the left circle.

“In between the second and third period, it wasn’t pretty in the locker room,” Langevin said. “You’re down 2-0, you didn’t come here to lose, you didn’t come here just to show up, let’s get out there and do something.”

“You’ve got to just keep going and keep going. Even after we scored, we still lost our way. We just couldn’t put that extra little pressure.”

The Warriors weren’t able to add the final piece to an already historic season for the program, but it was an experience that the Warriors will look to build on.

“For the school it’s great,” Langevin explained. “Especially in the Hockomock League, they’ve played second fiddle to Canton and Franklin, boys and girls, so to get here it’s a great honor. I was explaining to the girls, they don’t just let people come play for the championship. We had to earn it.”