Tag: James Beatty
Oliver Ames Battles Back To Earn Tie With Rocketeers
BROCKTON, Mass. – Win, lose, or tie, there is one thing that Oliver Ames boys hockey coach Sean Bertoni knows about his team: they aren’t going to give up.
Trailing by a goal entering the third period, and without two of their top point producers due to injury and illness, the Tigers battled back to score the tying goal midway through the period and killed off a penalty in the final two minutes to grab a 2-2 tie with visiting North Attleboro.
“It was an awesome effort, I’m really proud of them,” Bertoni said. “We didn’t win the game but it was one of my proudest moments, being down guys and most teams in that situation against a quality team like North Attleboro are in trouble. Our theme is being resilient. No matter what, we just keep fighting, the effort is always there. We showed it against Canton, we showed it tonight. It’s rewarding to see as a coach.”
Despite being without leading scorers Cullen Gallagher and Brian Kearns, who each have 17 points, the Tigers twice overcame a one-goal deficit in the game.
North Attleboro took a 1-0 lead just over five minutes into the game and took that advantage into the locker room during the first intermission. OA knotted the score with 9:50 to go in the second period but the Rocketeers took the lead back with a late goal in the second.
“That’s a bad tie for us,” said North Attleboro head coach Ben McManama. “That’s taking nothing away from OA, they work their butts off. They have some guys who are sick, some guys who are injured and my hats off to them, they showed something today. We didn’t respond today, we have a full four line, healthy group that just didn’t get it done.”
Rocketeer senior defenseman Brendan McHugh put the visitors up 2-1 with just 1:03 left in the second period. After skating to a relatively even period, McHugh tossed a high shot on net from the blue line that OA goalie Owen Connor (14 saves) never seemed to get eyes on and it fluttered into the back of the net.
The Tigers opened the third by earning a power play but couldn’t muster any chances on goal. Instead, the best chance came for North Attleboro when the penalty expired. Rocketeer junior Jack Connolly came out of the box, took a pass and went flying into the offensive zone alone. But Connolly couldn’t quite get off a final shot with Connor covering the post with the pad.
Three minutes later, Oliver Ames had its equalizer. Senior Brett Williams prevented a clearance along the boards with a strong check that put the puck in the center of the ice. Junior Ryan Gottwald was able to bat the puck back to Williams, who was all by himself, and he deposited his shot five-hole to knot the score 2-2 with 6:47 to go.
North Attleboro had a final chance to go back on top when it went on the power play with 2:13 to go in the game. Oliver Ames’ top penalty killer Matt McCormick was whistled for a boarding penalty but the Rocketeers were only able to get one shot on net during the final two minutes.
Max Ward came up with a big early clear, and then teamed up with Williams to provide an aggressive forecheck that didn’t allow the Rocketeers to leave its own zone. McHugh had the lone shot of the man advantage but Connor easily gloved it.
“Even just getting the penalty with two minutes left in a tie game can deflate a team, especially with our top penalty kill guy in the box,” Bertoni said. “But it felt like we were attacking on it, we didn’t let them set up. I think they only had one shot on net, we had a good chance too. Brett and Max were relentless in the offensive zone. The kids are giving us everything, it’s awesome to see. We haven’t got much puck luck this year but hard work will pay off.
The Tigers even had a chance to score the game winner while shorthanded. Junior Hunter Costello cleared the puck off the boards and senior Colin Bourne used his speed to get around a North defender and get to the puck first. He was able to get a close bid on goal but North senior goalie Ryan Warren (19 saves) made a big pad save to prevent the shorthanded bid.
“They had a lot more energy in the third, they work really hard,” McManama said. “It didn’t feel like one team was better than the other in the third, it felt pretty even but I thought we could have been better. It breaks down into just some simple plays. We weren’t getting pucks in deep, we were turning it over at the blue line. Those little things, they add up. Those little things snowball and can really hurt you.”
North Attleboro struck on a rebound chance 5:31 into the contest. Andrew Zammiello put a shot on goal that Connor turned aside but junior Dennis Morehouse had plenty of space in front to bury it into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
North had a couple of chances to add to its lead in the first but couldn’t find the back of the net. The best opportunity came when Todd Robinson fed Connolly in the slot but Connor came up with a big pad stop.
OA’s best chances came off the stick of McCormick, who fired a slap shot that Warren gobbled up and a backhand chance from Jake Gottwald that Warren turned away.
OA senior James Beatty set the tying goal up with an absolute perfect pass. With possession in his own defensive end, Beatty fired a perfectly weighted pass through the neutral zone right onto the stick of Williams as he entered the offensive zone for a breakaway, and Williams used a nice move and lifted the puck into the net to make it 1-1.
Beyond North Attleboro’s first goal, the Tigers’ defense did a nice job of limiting chances for the Rocketeers.
“Defensive positioning has been great all year,” Bertoni said. “We only rolled four defensemen tonight, [McCormick], James [Beatty], Julian [Krowski], and Ryan [Gottwald]. They gave us a ton of minutes, and we had to kill a couple of penalties too. Other than that first goal, where we didn’t get our sticks in there, we didn’t give up a lot of quality chances. And we had some chances in the third too so I’ll get that point for sure.”
Oliver Ames boys hockey (2-2-1 Hockomock, 7-4-1 overall) hits the road on Saturday with a visit to Taunton at 2:00. North Attleboro (3-1-1, 5-5-1) is off until Monday when it takes on Foxboro at 6:00 at the Foxboro Sports Center.
Strong Start Helps King Philip Skate Past Oliver Ames
BROCKTON, Mass. – With 11 players back from last year’s squad, King Philip head coach Paul Carlow was hoping a strong start to the season was in the cards for his Warriors.
After one game, so far so good.
King Philip scored a pair of goals in the opening period of its season and added one more in the final minute of the game to come away with a 3-0 decision over Oliver Ames at Asiaf Arena.
“It was a very good first period,” Carlow said. “The kids came out flying and worked hard. For the first time since I started coaching, we have three lines and that certainly helped. We got some outstanding goaltending and the defense played well in the back end.”
Each team had a good scoring chance inside the first six minutes of the game. After that, King Philip controlled the majority of the play and cashed in twice just over two minutes apart to build a lead.
King Philip senior goalie James Lewis (23 saves) turned away a pair of early OA shots while Tigers junior netminder Owen Connor (25 saves) denied the Warriors on a one-time bid off the stick of Joe Boselli (set up by Jack Coulter) to keep the game scoreless through six minutes.
The Warriors continued its offensive pressure and capitalized on a rush at the midway point of the period. Senior Garrett Maxwell connected with senior Brendan Shandley in neutral ice, and the latter took control into the attacking zone.
Skating down the right side, Shandley flipped the puck on net with a tough angle and the puck caromed off of the OA netminder and into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage.
A couple of shifts later, the Warriors’ first line was at it again. A strong forecheck resulted in possession behind the net on the stick senior Ryan Fitzpatrick. Before the Tigers could get a defenseman to pressure him, Fitzpatrick alertly dumped the puck back in front, hitting the back of Connor’s skate and into the net. Shandley and Luke D’Amico were credited with assists.
“The boys work hard, we do a lot of skating and a lot of conditioning,” Carlow said. “Having that extra line helps [with the energy]. They came into the season prepared and it showed.
“I’m pleased with the way they played, that’s a good start. Oliver Ames is always a good team and well coached, so any time you can come down here and get two points is a good thing.”
Oliver Ames came out strong in the second period and had two very good chances to cut into the deficit but Lewis came up with two huge stops to preserve the two-goal lead.
First, junior Jake Gottwald drew a defenseman to the right side before turning and firing a pass to senior Max Ward right in front for a one-timer. Lewis got just enough of his glove to the puck to keep it out but OA kept possession.
Ward eventually got back on the puck behind the net and tossed it right in front to Colin Bourne for a one-timer but Lewis got the pad to the close range bid to keep it out.
The Tigers’ momentum was squandered by a cross checking penalty with 12:28 to play in the period. KP only had one solid chance on the man-advantage when Coulter nearly put a shot in the net but the puck didn’t get past the line and OA cleared it away.
Although Connor and the OA defense turned the Warriors away on the power play, the momentum stayed with King Philip for the rest of the period. The Warriors had strong spells of possession using al three things. The best chance coming at the midway point when Chris Daniels found Boselli but his shot slid just wide.
“The guys have bought in [on puck possession] and they did a good job tonight,” Carlow said. “I felt like we outplayed them for two and a half periods and then those penalties in the third, we almost let them back in.”
Connor made a terrific toe save early in the third period to keep a shot from Aidan Boulger out of the back of the net and OA nearly staged a comeback over the following minutes.
Lewis squeezed the pads to deny a one-time chance from Ward after a nice centering pass from Brad Powers. And then Lewis denied a shorthanded breakaway from Cullen Gallagher at the midway point of the final period to keep the Warriors up 2-0.
Oliver Ames had a variety of man-up opportunities throughout the final period, skating 5-on-3 briefly before taking a penalty of their own. During a 4-on-3 stretch, both James Beatty and Ward had chances turned aside by Lewis.
The Tigers kept possession in the attacking zone but Lewis continued his strong play, knocking aside another Beatty shot with his blocker and snatching a bid from Gottwald with the glove seconds later.
“He played outstanding,” Carlow said of Lewis. “He’s waited his turn, he’s been a backup for us and now he’s a senior…and tonight he put a performance on. He made a nice save early and I knew he was in the zone, and he was all night.”
Coulter iced the game with an empty net goal with 29 seconds to play.
“They just outplayed us all three periods, they wanted it more,” said Oliver Ames head coach Sean Bertoni. “It’s tough to come back against good teams. You never want to go down two goals, and down two goals to a good team. I thought the third period was better, especially better than the first. We had some special teams chances but we just couldn’t finish. The limited chances we did have, we didn’t finish.”
King Philip hockey (1-0 overall) is back on the ice next Wednesday when it hosts Coyle & Cassidy at 5:40 at Foxboro Sports Center. Oliver Ames (1-1) hits the road to take on North Attleboro on Saturday in a non-league clash.
2018-2019 Hockomock Boys Hockey Preview
By HockomockSports.com Staff
2017-2018 Hockomock Boys Hockey Preview
Attleboro
2017-2018 Record: 9-10-2
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 3 South preliminary round.
Coach: Mark Homer
After a two year drought of postseason hockey, the Bombardiers made it to the playoffs last year and are aiming to make it two years in a row. The Bombardiers only had three seniors on the roster last season, so the majority of the squad is back, plus a familiar face is back in the fold this season.
One of the three seniors that graduated was Jake Parker, who led the Bombardiers in scoring last season with 26 goals and eight assists. But Attleboro is slated to return its next three scorers in senior Cam Littig (12 goals, 14 assists for 26 points), junior Ryan Morry (11 goals, 15 assists for 26 points) and senior Kyle McCabe (three goals, 10 assists for 13 points).
Another positive is that the Bombardiers have some experience in goal. Both senior Evan Andrews (13.66 games played) and junior Derrik Rivet (6.33 games) are set to return. Having an experienced goalie is a huge positive but having a strong backup helps even more. Andrews had 270 saves last season with a 0.882 save percentage while Rivet turned away 144 shots and had a 0.842 save percentage. In front of goal, McCabe, Sam Flynn, and Matt Viveiros will be joined by Liam McDonough, Kyle Miniati, and Zach Pierce as members of the defensive unit.
While Littig and Morry will try to replicate their success from a season ago, one name that could help bolster the offense is senior Sam Larkin. Larkin played his freshman year and had seven goals and seven assists before switching over to juniors. His experience should give Attleboro a boost during the season.
“We have had some additions to our team this year that has created a little more depth that had been absent in previous years,” said Attleboro coach Mark Homer. “We are working on maintaining a better consistency in our play. We are still in our tryout mode and hoping to find the right mix to make us more competitive this season, especially in our league games.”
Canton
2017-2018 Record: 17-3-4
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South semifinal.
Coach: Brian Shuman
Canton comes into every year with high expectations and the Bulldogs will be favorites to bring home a ninth straight Davenport division title and 11th Hockomock League title in the past 12 seasons. While the league campaign is a priority, the Bulldogs will also be comparing themselves to the top teams in Div. 2 and hoping this will be the year to break through in the South sectional and get back to the TD Garden for the first time since 2010.
After a dominant winter, the top scoring line is back in full for Canton. Senior Ryan Nolte, the reigning HockomockSports.com Player of the Year, and junior Johnny Hagan, the reigning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, will draw most of the plaudits but junior Timmy Kelleher gives the Bulldogs strong play on the other wing as well. That line combined for 69 points last season (27 apiece for Hagan and Nolte) and will be one of the league’s best going into this year. Canton also has juniors Tommy Ghostlaw and Chris Lavoie back to add scoring punch to the second line.
At the blue line, juniors Owen Lehane and Jack Connolly will both be expected to eat up a lot of minutes after strong sophomore seasons, and the Bulldogs will be looking for other players to step up and fill in defensively. After consistently strong goaltending from Quinn Gibbs over the past few seasons, Canton will turn to senior Mike Staffiere, who has been a backup the past two years and is drawing great reviews for his play during the preseason.
“Overall, we have a lot of experience returning up front at the forward position, but that’s true for a lot of teams in our league and in our division,” said Canton coach Brian Shuman. “The real question will be how much these players improved from last year, which we won’t know for sure until the games get going.”
Foxboro
2017-2018 Record: 10-9-2
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 3 South preliminary round.
Coach: Mark Cedorchuk
Foxboro is coming off the best season in program history, as the Warriors won 10 games and qualified for the state tournament without relying on the Sullivan Rule. Now, the Warriors come back this season hoping to build on that season and make another run at the state tournament behind an offense that, according to coach Mark Cedorchuk, is as deep as it has ever been.
Junior Ronnie MacLellan and sophomore Kirk Leach are two of the forwards to keep an eye on this season for the Warriors after the duo combined for 15 goals and 32 points last season. Also up front will be senior Tanner Kennedy and juniors Sebastian Ricketts and Josh Bertumen, who combined for 10 goals last year and are looking to continue their development to add depth to the attack.
Senior Brendan Tully will lead the defensive effort but is also the team’s leading scorer. The blue line standout scored 18 goals and had 19 assists and is going to be a major factor in all three zones as well as a leader on the penalty kill and power play. He will be joined on the blue line by junior Kyle McGinnis, while junior Espen Reager will be between the pipes this year.
“Even though we had a successful season last year, best in team history,” Cedorchuk said, “our players are not satisfied, they are hungry to improve on that.”
Franklin
2017-2018 Record: 12-6-5
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South first round.
Coach: Chris Spillane
Franklin started well last winter, reaching the final of the prestigious Mount St. Charles tournament and taking a point off Malden Catholic for the first time, but the Panthers couldn’t carry the momentum throughout the season and were knocked out in the first round of the tournament. As usual, Franklin graduated a lot of players, but also return a strong corps of experienced players to take on arguably the program’s toughest regular season schedule, which is loaded with some of the state’s top teams.
The Panthers return 11 seniors for this season, including eight forwards, but also have a group of eight sophomores that are jumping up from the JV to contribute on varsity this season. The forward line has plenty of experience and should be able to fire in the goals this year. Seniors Joey Lizotte, Zac Falvey, Scott Elliott, Dan Magazu, and C.J. Spillane will all be able to jump into the top scoring lines after playing major roles last year.
Defensively, the top five defensemen will be juniors Tom Tasker (who was on the HockomockSports.com All-Underclassman Team last year) and Colin Hedvig and seniors Cam Casella, Matt D’Errico, and Evan Forbes. Three sophomores will also see time on the blue line for the Panthers this season. After graduating three senior goaltenders, the job is open to senior Ryan Cameron and junior Ray Ivers, who are both making the jump from JV.
“Our hope is that team speed will drive the offense and that our returning defense will have the experience to make sound decisions in our end,” said Franklin coach Chris Spillane. “The boys are looking forward to the upcoming season. I see the Hockomock as an extremely competitive league this year. We will also challenge our boys with a high-end non-league schedule.”
King Philip
2017-2018 Record: 8-12-1
2017-2018 Finish: Missed postseason.
Coach: Paul Carlow
King Philip brings 11 players back from last year’s squad and is hoping a tough schedule will result in a battle-tested team ready for the D1 South Tournament at the end of February. It starts with the seniors for the Warriors with four of them back, plus a transfer.
There will be a lot of experience in the top line for KP, as well as its first defensive pair and between the pipes. Captain Ryan Fitzpatrick (10 points) had a strong season last year and will be trying to replicate that this year. Fitzpatrick is joined by assistant captain Luke D’Amico (13 points) as wingers while senior transfer Brendan Shandley steps in at center to give the Warriors a formidable line to work with. Juniors Chris Daniels (13 points), Joe Boselli (11 points), and Jack Coulter (10 points) are all back after successful sophomore seasons and should provide KP with good depth.
On the blueline, veteran Garrett Maxwell is the lone senior back from last year so he will be relied on for leadership. He is one of the strongest players in the league and plays in all situations for KP, including the power play plus the penalty kill. There will be some other familiar faces on defense for KP with junior Kyle Gray (seven points) and sophomore Rocco Bianculli (eight points) both back with varsity experience.
Senior James Lewis takes over in the crease as the starting netminder for the Warriors. Lewis saw action in three games last season, including a pair of wins and shutouts. While new to the starting position, Lewis has plenty of experience and that bodes well for the Warriors. Jesper Makudera and Nate Ihley will be pushing for minutes in net as well.
“I expect the team to have some good chemistry and get off to a good start,” said King Philip head coach Paul Carlow. “Practice has been good, and we have good leadership this year with a strong core. The Hockomock League is always competitive, the Kelley-Rex is a strong division, and we have a tough non-league schedule too, so we want to challenge ourselves.”
Mansfield
2017-2018 Record: 9-7-5
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South first round.
Coach: Mike Balzarini
The Hornets have a strong core of players back this season, along with the addition of a couple of new faces, and head coach Mike Balzarini is hoping that combination will result in success this season.
Experience will be a strong suit for Mansfield as five of its top six forwards played significant minutes last year. Chris Copponi (12 points) and Matt Copponi (16 points) will be on the wings around center Coleman O’Brien for one line while Jake Lund (eight points) and Kevin Bellanger are returners on another line. The sixth forward will be center Jack Garland, who played juniors last year but is back in the fold for the Hornets this year. Ben Ierardo, Cam Page, and Braedon Copparini will be in the mix for minutes as well.
Defensively, while there are certainly some holes to fill, Balzarini has some talent to rely on the blue line. Two-time HockomockSports.com selections Mike Arnold and Tyler Oakley graduated so there is a little bit of a void, but Austin Ricker has stepped on early on to anchor the Hornet defensive unit. Ricker is joined by Brad Grant, who played for the Hornets previously before switching to juniors. Nick Levine and Joe Troiano gained valuable experience last year, and Jack Gormley and Brian Grant should be in the mix as well.
Mansfield also has experience in the goalie position with junior Sean McCafferty back between the pipes after having a breakout sophomore campaign. McCafferty was one of the top goalies in the league last year, earning HockomockSports.com All-Underclassman honors. He had 377 saves and a 92 save percentage, which bodes well for the Hornets this year.
“We obviously want to pick up where we left off after making the playoffs the last two years,” Balzarini said. “With the returning players plus new additions, I think we’re a little bit deeper and we know what we need to do to be competitive and make sure we’re playing well at the end of the season.”
North Attleboro
2017-2018 Record:
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South first round.
Coach: Ben McManama
Defense will be key for the Rocketeers during the 2018-2019 season. With a handful of returners back on the blue line as well as veteran goalie Ryan Warren, North Attleboro boasts a talented defensive unit.
Senior captain Brendan McHugh will anchor the defensive group alongside juniors Jeff Baker and Will Yeomans. All three are very experienced players that put defense first. They can all get involved in the offense as well. Warren has shined between the pipes each of the last three seasons, earning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year as a freshman and was a HockomockSports Third Team selection last season. Warren is pushed in practice each day as Chris Ulrich and Nick Digiacomo push for time.
Offensively, North Attleboro only lost two forwards from last year’s group, but those two players (Drew Wissler, Jason McNeany) combined for nearly half of the Rocketeers’ 76 goals a season ago. So this year, Big Red will need forwards to step up and contribute. Captain Anthony Zammiello scored 13 goals last year and will look to continue his success this season. Todd Robinson, Justin Moccia, Dennis Morehouse, Jake Ebert, and Jack Connolly are all candidates to have big years for the Rocketeers.
“We are a very big and physical team that works hard,” said North Attleboro head coach Ben McManama. “We will need to stay out of the box to have success this year. Defense and depth will be the strength of our team. We will also need three lines that can score. I am very optimistic on the season because it is obvious that all our players put a ton of work in during the offseason.”
Oliver Ames
2017-2018 Record: 13-9
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South first round.
Coach: Sean Bertoni
Speed has been the strength of the Tigers since Sean Bertoni took over the team and Oliver Ames will be relying on that speed and aggressiveness to try and challenge Franklin at the top of the Kelley-Rex division and to make a run in the state tournament. With a few players coming back from juniors to join with an experienced group, OA has high hopes of pushing the Panthers for the league title.
Senior forward Brett Williams will be the key player in the attack, coming off a season in which he scored 21 goals and recorded 15 assists and was named to the HockomockSports.com First Team. Williams will have plenty of help up front from senior Colin Bourne, who is one of the fastest skaters in the league and had 13 points last season. Senior forward Cullen Gallagher will also give the offense a boost, as he comes back to the program after a year in juniors.
Senior Matt McCormack was one of the league’s top defensemen last year and his steadying presence on the blue line will be critical to OA improving on that end of the ice, after giving up 54 goals as a team last year. Senior James Beatty is back after a year in juniors and should be a big boost to the blue line. Junior Owen Connor is back in net and looking to build off last season’s efforts.
“We are a team that will rely heavily on our team speed,” Bertoni said. “Our aggressive style of defense will lead to a successful offense. We will have to establish our forecheck to be effective. Our transition game will be a strength for us this year, creating turnovers and getting on the attack.”
Stoughton
2017-2018 Record: 1-20-1
2017-2018 Finish: Missed postseason.
Coach: Dan Mark
Overall, the Stoughton Black Knights will be on the young side but they have a veteran first line that will lead the way.
The Knights will be looking to improve on last year’s record, while possibly trying to surprise some teams along the way. Leading the way offensively will be senior Sean Doherty. Doherty was Stoughton’s second-leading scorer last year behind Brendan Campbell (graduated). Doherty was second on the Black Knights with 12 goals and added 11 assists and will be relied upon to be a key piece of the offense this season. Joining Doherty on the first line will be senior Luke Bainton, who brings a lot of varsity experience to the table. Bainton will look to improve on last year after recording seven points (four goals, three assists).
Senior Josh Hough will anchor the blue line for the Black Knights. In his fourth year on varsity, Hough has logged a lot of minutes on the ice over the past couple of seasons and will be one of the most experienced defensemen in the league. Hough is able to create on the offensive end as well, scoring a pair of goals last year along with seven assists. Senior Thomas McCoy is set to return in goal after getting experience between the pipes a season ago.
Taunton
2017-2018 Record: 12-10-2
2017-2018 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South semifinal.
Coach: Kris Metea
Taunton has been a program on the rise for the past few seasons and last year the Tigers took another big step forward by making a push to the Div. 2 South semifinal. That unexpected tournament run as the No. 13 seed, which included wins over No. 4 Old Rochester and No. 5 Nauset, has boosted the team’s confidence heading into a new year in which all but four players are back.
Scoring has not been a problem for the Tigers in recent seasons. Last year, Taunton scored a league-best 98 goals, five more than Davenport champ Canton, and senior forward Cam Sneyd (30 points) and junior Mike Albert (32 points) both eclipsed the 30-point mark. Senior Jack Patneaude added 15 points last year and he is poised for a big year along with classmates Jaden Weyant, Owen Ross, and Nick Vandermeel.
The defense is almost completely returned from last year, led by senior Andrew Carter, who was solid in the defensive zone but also chipped in with 20 points. Senior Brady Nichols and sophomore Dylan Nichols are also back for the Tigers. Junior Sean Bunker returns in net after a solid performance in the tournament run and he will be backed up by classmate Andrew Gomes, who has shown that he is a capable replacement when needed.
“The players have embraced the enjoyment of the journey, the process, and working hard to get better every day,” said Taunton coach Kris Metea. “They have the potential to continue their accomplishment of new heights. They will be fun to coach, and watch grow throughout the season.”
Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/08/18
Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Hockey
Attleboro, 2 vs. Martha’s Vineyard, 1 – Final – Ryan Morry and Sam Larkin each scored once as the Bombardiers skated to a season-opening win over visiting Martha’s Vineyard.
Foxboro, 6 @ Norton, 0 – Final – Foxboro opened its season in style, scoring three goals in the second period en route to a 6-0 win over Norton. Kirk Leach (two goals, assist), Ronnie MacLellan (two goals, two assists), and Brendan Tully (goal, two assists) all had multi-point games for the Warriors while junior Espen Reager played well in goal to record the shutout.
Mansfield, 9 vs. Newton North, 0 – Final – Mansfield scored three goals in the first period and never looked back in a season-opening win over Newton North. The Hornets scored three more in the second period, and added three goals in the final period. Jack Garland and Coleman O’Brien each scored a pair of goals and had an assist to pace the Hornet offense. Jake Lund (goal, two assists), Kevin Belanger (two assists), Matt Copponi (goal, two assists), Ben Ierardo (goal, assist) and Joe Troiano (goal, assist) each had multi-point games for Mansfield.
Oliver Ames, 6 @ Medway, 1 – Final – Oliver Ames outshot the Mustangs 23-9 and opened the season with a 6-1 decision. Seniors Colin Bourne and Cullen Gallagher each scored a pair of goals and had an assist while Max Ward and James Beatty each scored once and added a helper. Owen Connor earned the win in net for the Tigers.
Girls Hockey
Canton, 4 @ Sandwich, 2 – Final – Canton opened the season with a win on the road at Sandwich. Lauren Fitzpatrick paced the offense with a pair of goals while Maggie Malloy and Ellie Rae Roberts each scored once for the Bulldogs.
King Philip, 1 @ Ursuline Academy, 1 – Final – King Philip freshman Sydney O’Shea scored her first career goal as the Warriors skated to a 1-1 tie with Ursuline Academy.
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 @ Medfield/Norton, 3 – Final
Wrestling
Xaverian Quad (Canton) – Canton went 0-2-1 on the day at the Xaverian quad. The Bulldogs opened the day with a loss to the hosts (43-27) but bounced back to earn a tie with Burlington. Natalie Keppler earned a pin in her first varsity match to help the Dogs tie, 39-39. In the final match of the day, Canton was edged by Tyngsboro (40-39).
Danvers Quad (Foxboro), 9:30 – Foxboro picked up two wins in a super quad meet at Danvers but also suffered two setbacks to open the season. The Warriors picked up wins over Danvers (57-19) and Lowell (54-24) but lost to Shawsheen (46-25) and Chelmsford (49-28). Tommy Gallagher, Billy McNeil, and Tom Cullen went 4-0 on the day for Foxboro.
Mount Hope Tournament (Franklin, Stoughton) – At the annual Sharon Lombardo Holiday Tournament, Franklin took home the championship and Stoughton was fourth overall. Franklin placed first with 211.5 points with four champions and five finalists. Stoughton had two finalists and had 118.5 points. Franklin’s Jake Carlucci (113, dec. 8-7), Jordan Carlucci (132, pin 0:34), Ken Sauer (138, dec. 5-3), and Dominic Sackley (170, pin 3:09) won individual titles while Drew DiFilippo (106), Adam Colella (160), Caleb MacLean (160), Dylan Nawn (182), and Ben Jacoby (195) each finished second. Stoughton’s Thomas Ratcliff (170) and Carlvin Laguerre (285) each had second place finishes.
St. John’s (Shrewsbury) Quad (King Philip) – King Philip picked up two wins in its first action of the 2018-2018 season. The Warriors beat host St. John’s Shrewsbury (58-17) and Quabbin (48-24) but suffered a setback to Vermont’s Essex (45-27).
Lincoln-Sudbury Quad (Mansfield) – Mansfield opened the season in style, picking up three wins at the LS quad. The Hornets took down Brookline (51-29), Leominster (45-6), and Lincoln-Sudbury (60-23) to move to 3-0. Max Farley, Antonios Sevastos, Stefan Steyn, Will Stratton, CJ Glaropoulos, George Glaropoulos, and Jayden Curley each went undefeated on the day for the Hornets.
Milford Quad (Milford), 9:00
North Attleboro Quad (North Attleboro) – North Attleboro began the 2018-2019 campaign with three wins at its first quad meet of the season. The Rocketeers opened the day with a win over Burrillville (54-24), rolled over Whitman-Hanson (60-12) in the middle match, and closed with a win over East Providence (42-36). Ethan Smith, Montreal Jackson, and John Kummer each had three wins apiece while Mateusz Kudra earned a pair of wins for the Rocketeers.
Devin Ness Tournament (Oliver Ames) – Oliver Ames hosted its annual Devin Ness tournament to kick off the season and took ninth place with one champion. The Tigers earned 93.5 points and had a third, fourth, and fifth place wrestler. Dean Pacini was champion of the 195 bracket and earned the tournament’s outstanding wrestler award. Billy Tat took third at 170, Remi Creighton was fourth at 113, and Andrew Fraser earned fifth at 182.
Sharon Quad (Sharon) – Sharon started the season with a pair of wins, knocking off Pembroke and Walpole. The Eagles opened the day with a 54-12 win over the Titans and then grabbed its second win with a 46-27 decision over the Rebels. Sharon freshman Adam Landstein and Aaron Cashton each went 2-0, while Ben Shocket and David Hirshorn each went 1-0 for the Eagles.
Watertown Quad (Taunton) – Taunton opened the season by going 1-2 at the Watertown quad. The Tigers suffered setbacks to the hosts (48-36) and Norwood (60-21) but notched its first win over Carver (39-24). Candido Santos went 3-0 for the Tigers with a pair of pins, Devin Wilson went 2-0 with one pin, and Tyler Lima was 2-1 with a pin. Woudanly Danger was 1-0 with a pin.
Oliver Ames Outlasts King Philip On The Road
FOXBORO, Mass. – Oliver Ames erased an early deficit and held off a strong surge in the second period to pick up a 6-4 win over King Philip at the Foxboro Sports Center.
The Warriors took the lead less than three minutes into the game but that seemed to spark Oliver Ames. The Tigers responded with an onslaught of offensive pressure, including three great goal scoring chances in a three minute space. OA finally broke through to score back to back goals in less than a minute to take the lead.
“We responded very well,” said Oliver Ames head coach Sean Bertoni. “There’s only been about three games which we’ve come out on the attack. We’re a little bit of a slow team to get going but we pick it up as the game goes on.”
KP freshman Kyle Gray scored his first career goal 2:34 into the game to give the Warriors the lead. After an extended possession in the offensive zone, Gray took control along the blue line and wristed a shot through traffic that found its way into the back of the net.
But from that point on, it would be all Oliver Ames in the period.
With 10:45 to go in the opening period, Brett Williams circled behind the net before finding Eric LeBlanc open in front for he net but his point blank shot was turned aside by KP junior goalie Shane Frommer (44 saves).
With 9:15 to play, sophomore James Beatty took advantage of a miscue at the blue line by KP and race in along on goal but couldn’t get his shot past Frommer.
With 8:10 left, Max Ward hit Michael Nikiciuk for a shot from the blue line that Frommer got a piece of. Frommer scrambled and was able to keep the puck from crossing with the help of senior defenseman Jeremy Smith.
But on the ensuing face-off, Oliver Ames finally did cash in. Senior defenseman Jack Maloney ripped a shot that was saved, Beatty had his rebound shot saved but then was able to tuck his own rebound into the net to tie the game with 8:02 to play.
The Tigers kept the pressure up, taking the lead less than a minute later. With Oliver Ames cycling through the offensive zone, the puck popped free into the middle of the ice. OA senior Michael Ziino pounced on it and fired a wrist shot that found its way under Frommer’s arm to make it 2-1.
The momentum carried into the second period and it looked like Oliver Ames put the game to bed early in the middle fame.
Just 49 seconds into the second, Oliver Ames made it 3-1. Williams tracked down a puck in the offensive end and fired a perfect pass across the crease to an open Beatty. Beatty stepped around the goalie and tucked it home for a quick 3-1 lead.
The Tigers went on the power play following a late hit on the goal and took less than a minute to add another goal. Senior Jared Costello tracked the puck down off the side boards and took it right to goal, stuffing it in at the near post for a 4-1 lead.
“We had five or six goal scorers last game against Foxboro and then had four tonight so that’s nice to see,” Bertoni said. “That was Michael Ziino’s first start of the year, we had one of our top guys out for the first period and Michael stepped up. James Beatty has been a third line guy, he got to play on the second line today and scored two goals. We’ve been waiting for him because he’s got the skill. It was nice to see him get two big goals too.
“Our forecheck was very good tonight and we generated a lot of shots. We’re creating a lot of turnovers behind the goal line. The last three games we’ve had over 35 shots in each game. The theme this year has been finishing. The kids say it all the time, it’s just bearing down and having a net-front presence and making sure you’re buying the puck. The kids had a good response.”
Frommer denied Oliver Ames a fifth goal near the midway point of the period when LeBlanc had his breakaway chance turned aside. A minute later, KP went on the power play and took advantage.
Gavin Maxwell won a face-off in the offensive zone and junior Collin Cooke connected on a cross ice pass to find Jeremy Smith at the blue line. The senior took a step in and fired a rocket top shelf to cut the deficit to two with 7:36 left in the period.
OA goalie Zach Walsh made a tremendous glove save through traffic on a shot from KP freshman Joe Boselli with 3:50 to go but the Warriors kept pushing until the end of the period.
After Walsh made a point black stop on a shot from Gavin Maxwell right in front with 44 seconds to go, Maxwell was able to find the back of the net with 19 seconds to play. The junior stepped in front of a clearance attempt and roofed his shot to make it 4-3 heading into the third period.
But a penalty just before the end of the second meant KP started the third in a four on four situation and then, after 90 seconds, went a man down.
The Warriors were able to fight off the penalty but Oliver Ames found the back of the net within a minute after going back to full strength. The puck popped free to Nikiciuk at the blue line and he fired through traffic to find the back of the net, making it 5-3.
King Philip picked up back to back penalties shortly after, first a minor for tripping and then a four minute penalty for boarding, halting any thought of a comeback.
OA put the game out of reach on the power play with 6:54 to go when Costello skated towards the center of the ice near the blue line and wristing a shot through a screen for the Tigers’ sixth goal.
“We had a variety of scoring, we had at least one power play goal,” Bertoni said. “We’ve been practicing on just taking the puck to the net, net drives in practice and it showed tonight. It’s good to see them sacrifice and go to the net, and they might get punished, but they might get a goal out of it.
“The players deserve all the credit but as coaches it’s nice to see when they run the system. One through three, all lines, it just shows when you establish a forecheck and stick to the system good things happen.”
King Philip added the final goal of the game with just over two minutes to play on the power play. Smith played catch with Garrett Maxwell on the blue line before the sophomore fired a shot on target. Walsh turned it aside but KP Freshman Chris Daniels was there for the tap in for his first career goal.
“You have to give OA credit, they came out and wanted it a little bit more,” said KP head coach Paul Carlow. “They went to a three man forecheck, put the pressure on us and definitely took the game over there for a stretch. We got back in the game at the end of the second but then we took a penalty. We start the third shorthanded, and even though they didn’t score on it, it burns your guys out. Then we took another penalty and that pretty much did it.”
Oliver Ames hockey (9-4-1 overall, 5-2-1 league) will take on North Attleboro in a non-league D2 showdown on Monday at 4:30 at Asiaf. King Philip (3-12, 3-5) will be the road team in a clash with Foxboro at the Foxboro Sports Center on Wednesday.
Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/14/17
Today’s games are listed below.
Girls Basketball
North Attleboro, 39 @ Cranston East, 67 – Final – North Attleboro’s Caroline Perry scored a team-high nine points but the Rocketeers couldn’t overcome 21 points from McKenzie Richards.
Hockey
Attleboro, 2 vs. Holliston, 2 – Final
Foxboro, 2 @ Canton, 4 – Final
Franklin, 3 vs. St. Mary’s (Lynn), 7 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.
King Philip, 7 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Collin Cooke netted a hat trick to pace King Philip to the win. Stoughton sophomore goalie AJ Scott made 42 saves for the Black Knights.
Oliver Ames, 3 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – In a back and forth game, Oliver Ames netted the equalizer with just three minutes left to earn a point. OA junior Rory Madden scored his second goal of the game in the third period for the equalizer while Max Ward also had a goal in the tie. OA head coach Sean Bertoni said sophomore James Beatty had an outstanding game for the Tigers.
Wrestling
Malden Catholic Quad (Canton, Mansfield) – Canton went 4-0 on the day, including avenging an earlier season loss. The Bulldogs picked up wins over Milton (51-27), Malden (27-12) and Malden Catholic (53-27) as well as a 37-36 win over Mansfield. The Hornets also had wins over Malden (42-12), Malden Catholic (45-37) and Milton (43-34). Mansfield had five grapplers go undefeated on the day: Antonios Sevastos (106) and Shane Cremmen (182) went 2-0, Jayden Curley (160) and Vinnie Holmes (170) went 3-0 and senior Ford DelVecchio (220) went 4-0. Freshman Will Stratton (126) and junior Hunter Shea (195) both went 3-1.
Carver Quad (Foxboro) – Foxboro went 2-1 on the day.
Algonquin Quad (Franklin) – Franklin went 3-0 on the day, picking up wins over West Springfield, Algonquin and Framingham, to improve to 15-0 on the season.
Holliston Quad (Milford) – Milford went 2-1 on the day.
Norton Quad (Oliver Ames), 9:00AM – Oliver Ames went 2-1 at the Norton Quad, beating Brockton (42-33) and Sabis (48-21) but falling to the host Lancers (41-31). Cobey Williamson (120) went 2-0 with a pair of pins while Liston Funai (132) went 3-0 on the day. Ryan DeCosta (113), Brandon Belleton (138), Eric Berardi (152), Dean Pacini (195) and Jack Mills (285) each had two wins on the day.
Sharon Quad (Sharon), 10:00AM
Metheun Quad (Taunton), 10:00AM
Girls Hockey
Canton, 1 vs. Hingham, 1 – Final
Stoughton, 1 @ Marshfield, 15 – Final
Boys Gymnastics
Attleboro, 138 vs. Lowell, 133 – Final