BOSTON – St. John’s Prep boys hockey senior Johnny Tighe has been talking about scoring a game-winning goal in the state championship for the last couple weeks to hopefully manifest it.

After three periods of 11th-seeded Winchester goalie Aiden Emerick standing on his head in the Div. 1 state final (48 saves) Sunday night at TD Garden, Tighe followed a rebound in regulation’s closing seconds to deliver the top-seeded Eagles (22-3) a 3-2 win at the buzzer. The game’s four officials convened by the scorer’s table to discuss the controversial play and they ruled it a good goal for Tighe’s second on the night.

The Red and Black (16-10-1) put on a run for the ages and pushed the heavy favorites to the brink, but St. John’s Prep survived it for its second state title in three years.

“We prepared this week like we’ve never prepared before,” said Eagles head coach Kristian Hanson. “We showed our resiliency and no-quit attitude of so many guys. … These kids are special to me. This senior group, in particular.”

Winchester’s skaters and Emerick did just about all they could do to give the team a chance, maintaining a 1-1 score through much of the second period after Chris McCarthy tied things up early in the frame. St. John’s Prep put plenty of pepper on the Red and Black with a 51-16 total shot advantage, including one for seemingly a good goal at the end of the frame that was waved off.

McCarthy gave Winchester a stronger taste for an upset when he scored again early in the third for a 2-1 lead, but senior Christian Rosa put a shot on net shortly after on a power play that Jake Vana sent into the slot to Tighe for a 2-2 tie.

“To be down 2-1 in the third after they got that goal … you knew it was going to be a tough hill to climb,” Hanson said. “But when you have kids like Jake Vana and Christian Rosa – I could go down the list. Champions in multiple sports, they know what it takes to win. They pulled it off tonight. Really incredible.”

Emerick went on to stave off 22 shots on him in the third up until the buzzer. Brady Plaza put it on net through a Vana screen, and Tighe finished off the rebound with no time left.

“Honestly, I blacked out,” Tighe said. “I didn’t have to do much, the puck was right there on a platter. … Obviously, it worked out better than I could’ve imagined and it was just an unbelievable feeling.”

Footage of the goal instantly drew controversy on social media, with still-shots showing the time-clock light lit before the puck was shot. Winchester head coach Gino Khachadourian and the team were devastated by the call but are accepting it with grace.

“It’s a tough way to lose,” he said. “I feel bad for them. They gave everything and they’re all distraught in (the locker room). … They’re a great group of kids and they’re a class act, and they know we’ll walk out of here with our heads high, and wish St. John’s Prep the best. They won the championship.”

St. John’s Prep drew first blood on a tip-in from Carson Irving off a shot from JR Goldstein with 2:49 left in the first. Winchester killed off two penalties to keep the game tied in the second and third periods after McCarthy’s first goal.