STONEHAM – Head coach Kristian Hanson could talk about the luck involved in the Div. 1 boys hockey state tournament hundreds of times without ever losing the meaning behind his message – it’s extremely difficult to consistently win.

His St. John’s Prep group made its own fortune Thursday night at Stoneham Arena, though, propelling itself to its third straight state semifinal appearance.

After Mason Luciano’s goal following a long bounce off the back boards gave the top-seeded Eagles a lead in the opening minutes, first-year starting goalie AJ Farese (21 saves) and the defense dialed in to ensure that’s all they’d need to beat No. 8 Hingham, 3-0.

It’s no coincidence the game’s only goal through much of an exciting back-and-forth with the Harbormen came on such a bounce, up until St. John’s Prep’s Johnny Tighe scored an empty-netter and Jake Vana added another insurance goal in the final two minutes. It’s also no coincidence the Eagles, the No. 1 seed in each of the three years of the revamped state tournament format, were on the winning side of it.

St. John’s Prep will face No. 4 Xaverian in the state semifinals for a spot in the final at TD Garden – a rematch of the 2022 state final that the Eagles won.

“It’s a credit to the players and the seniors of this group, five of these guys were on the championship team two years ago,” Hanson said. “We have a lot of kids that have been around, have experience and know what it takes to win. That was on display tonight. I really felt like with the game so close for so long that we really did a good job of never breaking.”

Action had barely just begun when Ethan Goodrich’s back check and Brendan Powers’ dump deep sent the puck hard off the back boards. Luciano was in the right spot on the follow for the 1-0 lead just 2:06 in.

“Couldn’t have done it without my wingers,” Luciano said. “I was shocked at first, very amped, very pumped to get my team on the board early and quick. I think it set the tone early.”

That would be the score for the next 41 minutes, as Mike Karo (21 saves) and Farese traded a few signature saves in a game otherwise filled with plays one or two inches away from lighting the lamp a few more times.

Paul Dzavik once again stood out for Hingham by putting at least five shots on net and by setting up a few Grade-A chances that were whiffed on or broken up. Farese, the first-year starter, was ready for whatever did get through.

“We were just trying to focus on blocking shots … just trying to lock it down,” Farese said. “Just being able to follow in the footsteps of the two goalies previously, help get us to the Final Four and a chance for the Garden, it just means a lot.”

Tighe extended the lead to 2-0 with 1:15 left on the empty net. Less than a minute later, Vana added one more through the five-hole for good measure.

JR Goldstein of St. John’s Prep is checked by Hingham’s Aiden Rotondo in state tournament play Thursday. SJP won, 3-0. (Staff Photo/Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)