FRAMINGHAM — Longtime Hanover boys hockey coach Jonny Abban’s voice strained a bit as he got a little emotional Thursday night.

Less than 10 minutes earlier, senior captain Cam Melone skated off the Loring Arena ice after the No. 1 Hawks scrapped out a tough, 4-3 win over No. 9 Essex Tech in a Division 3 state quarterfinal that came down to the wire. And as he did, he told Abban, “We’re not done yet.”

A hat trick from the two-year captain – including the game-winner just 13 seconds after Essex Tech rallied to tie it at 2-2 in the second period – was a major reason why along with a long list of gutsy plays throughout the lineup that secured a Final Four berth.

“He came today to play,” Abban said. “He’s a game-changer. He’s a great kid, two-year captain. I’m going to get teared up, I’m going to miss him. He’s given me four years of his life. … Cam has come such a long way.”

A year removed from Hanover’s upset loss to 10th-seeded Hudson in the Div. 4 state quarterfinals, Essex Tech presented much of the same challenge in a tough upset bid. Illness ran through the Hanover locker room at the wrong time, and a 35-19 shots advantage Essex Tech had Abban admitting that the win wasn’t pretty to Hanover’s standards. That included a 15-shot third period freshman goalie Ryan McArdle (32 saves) needed to stave off.

But with every wave of momentum Essex Tech showed, Melone and his teammates responded swiftly.

When Essex Tech rallied from a 2-0 deficit after the first period to tie it up at 2-2 on Chase Ruberti’s one-timer with 4:14 left in the second, Melone wristed in a 3-2 lead out of a faceoff just 13 seconds later. And when Essex Tech rolled out a third-period charge in a tying attempt, Melone rewarded McArdle and the defense with a key insurance goal off a rebound to make it 4-2 – which proved vital after Essex Tech scored again less than two minutes later.

Naturally, much of the credit from him went to the team.

“It’s huge to be that guy (in that spot),” Melone said. “But again, our defense leads the way. Defense wins championships. We have a great back end. … It’s hard not to play well when you’ve got a great goalie behind you and a great defense.”

Indeed, it was quite the team effort. While Essex Tech outshot Hanover, many of those bids came from the perimeter as Hanover limited dangerous opportunities. And when it couldn’t, McArdle was clutch.

A big motivator for the team to dig deep and hold on was last year’s upset loss. And now, Hanover is headed back to the Final Four for the third time in five years, searching for its first state title since 2022.

“We know the feeling,” said junior Ryan Kisiel, who also scored and dished an assist. “What happened this year, of getting upset in this position. That really helped us in this one, we wanted it a little more and we came out on top.”