02/04/201902/05/2019

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 02/04/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Hockey
Franklin, 1 vs. Hingham, 3 – Final – Sophomore Joe LeBlanc gave the Panthers the lead in the first period but Hingham scored three unanswered goals to secure the win. The Harbormen scored with 16 seconds left in the first to tie the game 1-1, then added two more tallies in the second period. Ray Ivers made 20 saves in net for Franklin.

King Philip, 1 @ Norwood, 4 – Final – King Philip scored the equalizer in the second period to knot the score at 1-1 but Norwood grabbed the lead back minutes later and added two more in the third period to get the two points. Joe Boselli scored with 10 minutes left in the second period on an assist from Jack Coulter. James Lewis had 17 saves in goal.

Oliver Ames, 5 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. – The teams traded goals back-and-forth but Oliver Ames netted two goals in the final 10 minutes of play to get the win. Brett Williams gave OA the lead but less than a minute later, Mansfield’s Brad Grant tied the game. In the second period, Brian Grant put the Hornets ahead on a feed from Brad Grant but OA responded in two minutes as freshman Bryan Kearns buried a rebound off Max Ward’s shot. Williams put the Tigers up 3-2 with a power play goal late in the second but Mansfield sophomore Matty Copponi made it 3-3 with a goal early in the third. Colin Bourne scored the game-winning goal with 8:58 left in the game after Sean McCafferty stopped Jake Gottwald’s chance. Kearns added an empty net goal with just over a minute left. Owen Connor had 22 saves for the Tigers.

Gymnastics
Sharon @ King Philip, 8:00
Mansfield @ North Attleboro, 8:00

01/30/201901/31/2019

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/30/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Hockey
Attleboro, 9 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Attleboro senior Sam Larkin scored a hat trick and Cam Littig found the back of the net twice as the Bombarders skated to two points on the road at Asiaf. Carter Gerome scored twice for the Black Knights.

Taunton, 0 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Ryan Nolte scored a pair of goals while Tommy Vaughn, Tommy Ghostlaw, and Johnny Hagan each scored once for the Bulldogs, who finished a perfect 9-0 in league play. Andrew Gomes made 49 saves in net for Taunton.

Foxboro, 1 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – Foxboro goalie Espen Reager made 52 saves and the Warriors scored a third period goal to earn an upset over the Hornets. Reager turned away 23 first period shots and then 29 over the second and third periods to earn the shutout. Tanner Kennedy scored on a rebound in front to put the Warriors ahead, just one of two shots from Foxboro in the third period.

North Attleboro, 5 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery from this game.

Oliver Ames, 1 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip senior Brendan Shandley scored the game-winning goal less than a minute into the third period and assisted on the Warriors’ other two goals to earn two points against Oliver Ames. Max Ward put Oliver Ames ahead late in the first period before Conor Cooke (from Shandley) tied it midway through the second period. Shandley put KP in front just 18 seconds into the third period, and then set up Joe Boselli for an insurance goal with four minutes left in the game. James Lewis made 17 saves for the win.

Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 1 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery from this game.

Stoughton, 0 @ King Philip, 8 – Final

Wrestling
Milford, 39 @ Canton, 35 – Final

North Attleboro, 44 @ Foxboro, 21 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this dual meet.

Franklin, 60 vs. St. John’s (Shrewsbury), 15 – Final

King Philip, 24 @ Mansfield, 51 – Final

Oliver Ames, 57 @ Taunton, 18 – Final – Seven Oliver Ames grapplers earned wins by pin as the visiting Tigers topped Taunton. John Dobbin (106), Stavros Constantinou (113), Remi Creighton (126), Bryan Young (138), Billy Tat (170), Andrew Fraser (182), and Dean Pacini (195) all won by pin for OA. Tyler Lima (120) and Candido Santos (160) won by pin for Taunton.

Stoughton, 22 @ Sharon, 45 – Final

Gymnastics
Oliver Ames, 134.95 @ Sharon, 122.05 – Final – Oliver Ames Lauren Picanzi scored a meet-high 9.1 on the vault on her way to winning the All Around as the Tigers picked up a win over Sharon. Picanzi scored a 35.6 for the All Around, adding a 8.8 on bards, 8.9 on beam, and 8.8 on floor to go with a strong vault performance. Ashlyn Latham was second in the All Around, highlighted by a 8.8 on the vault. Gianna Martucci added an 8.9 on the vault and an 8.7 on the beam for the Tigers.

01/24/2019

Mansfield Rides Power Play Success Past King Philip

Mansfield boys hockey — Mansfield’s Matty Copponi (left) and King Philip’s Brendan Shandley battle for possession of the puck. in the first period. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

FOXBORO, Mass. – It’s not an ideal scenario to surrender an early goal, but sometimes it can serve as a wake-up call.

Such was the case on Wednesday evening, as King Philip scored just over two minutes into the game but the Mansfield boys hockey team responded in impressive fashion, eventually skating away with a 6-3 decision on the back of four power play goals.

King Philip capitalized on a soft turnover early on to take the lead but the goal only seemed to spark Mansfield as the Hornets tacked on three goals over the final eight minutes of the period to seize a 3-1 lead, an advantage it never surrendered.

“I thought the first goal woke us up, absolutely,” said Mansfield head coach Mike Balzarini said. “We’ve been in that situation before against Taunton and responded well. It’s been taking us a little bit to get going in the first but I’m proud of the way we battled back.

“We started off a little flat footed but I thought we battled back and had a tremendous finish to the first period. The second period was not conducive of how we want to play. We won the third period but the penalties kind of took away from the win, not enough discipline.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

KP sophomore Paul McDonald ended up with the puck on his stick after the turnover, carried towards goal and slid a pass across where sophomore Conor Cooke just beat the defenseman’s stick to one-time it into the goal for a 1-0 Warrior lead 2:08 into the game.

From there, the period belonged to the Hornets. On the second power play chance of the frame, the Hornets cashed in. Sophomore Matty Copponi did the majority of the work down low before his shot hit the bottom of the crossbar and stayed out. However, senior Coleman O’Brien was right there to bang the loose puck in to tie it 1-1.

The momentum stayed with Mansfield and the home team cashed in just a minute later. This time, senior Jack Garland won possession behind the net and tossed the puck in front to a wide open Jake Lund, and the senior bored it for a 2-1 advantage.

The teams traded genuine scoring chances over the next two minutes with Mansfield senior Chris Copponi being turned away from KP goalie James Lewis (28 saves) and KP junior Ethan McGuire taking a pass from Luke D’Amico, but the shot was just over the net.

Mansfield added to its advantage with 3:40 left in the period as Brad Grant drew a defenseman to the sideboards, took a hit while finding Garland in the slot for a one-timer and a 3-1 lead.

KP had two good chances in the final minute on a power play but both Rocco Bianculli (slap shot) and Brendan Shandley (wrist shot) were turned away by Mansfield junior goalie Sean McCafferty (24 saves).

After killing an early Hornet power play in the second, King Philip went on a 5-on-4 for five minutes. While having a couple of chances with the man-advantage, mainly Shandley’s low shot hitting off the post, the Warriors really took control when the Hornets were whistled for another penalty.

On the 5-on-3, Bianculli delivered a perfectly weighted pass as he stepped in from the point across the ice to an open Ryan Fitzpatrick for a one-timer, bringing KP within a goal at 3-2.

But the Warriors were done in by another penalty, this time an interference call while in possession in the attacking end. Mansfield needed just 20 seconds to cash in for its second power play goal, as Matty Copponi worked his way from the corner to in front of goal and got just enough on his backhand for the puck to cross and Mansfield took a 4-2 lead into the second intermission.

“It’s one of the things we’ve struggled with but we’ve been working on [the power play] lately in practice,” Balzarini said. “The guys are keeping it simple which is good. The results are there. If we just stick to what the game plan is, we’ll get what we want. We were four for six on the power play so that was good, and our penalty kill was pretty good too.”

A penalty-filled third period saw three goals, the first two adding onto Mansfield’s lead. After KP couldn’t convert on a man-advantage opportunity early on, the Warriors were whistled for a cross check with 5:53 to go. A minute into the power play. KP was hit with another penalty, and the Hornets went on a 5-on-3 power play.

Mansfield quick cashed in with Grant firing a hard wrist shot from a tight angle into the back of the net. Just before his shot, KP was hit with another penalty so Mansfield’s two-man advantage continued after the goal. Just before one penalty expired, Garland took a feed from Kevin Belanger to make it 6-2.

“We can’t stay out of the penalty box, no discipline,” said King Philip head coach Paul Carlow. “The same thing happened against North too. Playing at full strength, I thought we were every bit as good as [Mansfield]. At the end of the day, playing down a man, playing 5-on-3, you can’t win hockey games like that. Until we get it figured out, and play five-on-five….the league is too tough. If you take too many penalties, you won’t win.

“I thought the first half of the first period was good hockey for both teams. Then it just turned into a mess, no one wants to play that type of hockey.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Mansfield was hit with three penalties in the final five minutes, and the Warriors cashed in on a 5-on-3 chance with under a minute to go. Fitzpatrick connected with junior Joe Boselli with a nice pass, and Boselli hammered it in with a one-timer.

Mansfield boys hockey (5-1-1 Hockomock, 11-2-1 overall) move into first place in the Kelley-Rex with the win, holding a one-point lead over Franklin with two games to go. The Hornets travel to Asiaf Arena on Saturday for a big clash with Oliver Ames, who is just two points out of first place. King Philip (3-3-0, 7-6-0) is home with a 7:20 tilt against the Panthers.

01/13/201901/13/2019

Ebert Scores Winner As North Battles Back To Beat KP

North Attleboro hockey — North Attleboro celebrates after Jake Ebert scored the game-winning goal against King Philip with only a minute play. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – North Attleboro came into Saturday afternoon’s game with King Philip a game below .500 and already thinking about how many points it will need to ensure a playoff spot. When games are tough and points are at a premium, then it take goals of all kinds to build momentum.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

With one minute left to play, Jake Ebert fought his way to the crease and was the first to react when a shot slipped past KP goalie James Lewis. Ebert tapped the rebound into the open net and secured the Rocketeers a much-needed, come from behind 3-2 victory that pulls North back to .500 on the season.

“That’s what we’ve been focusing on,” said North coach Ben McManama. “I asked him after the game, how did you score that and he said, ‘dirty goals,’ and that’s what we’re trying to do. Hopefully they understand now that it doesn’t have to be pretty.”

Through two periods it didn’t look like the Rocketeers would need late heroics to pull out the win.

North grabbed an early lead on a two-man advantage inside the opening five minutes of the game. Will Yeomans had the initial shot from the slot that Lewis (28 saves) was able to get a piece of but not fully collect. The puck fell behind the goalie and Justin Moccia was in the right place at the right time to tap it in.

It took the Warriors more than nine minutes before they recorded their first shot on goal. Jack Coulter picked off a cross-ice pass and forced Ryan Warren (20 saves) into his first stop of the night.

The Rocketeers kept pushing for a second goal. A scrum in front forced a last-ditch, goal line clearance by KP defenseman Kyle Gray. With a minute left in the first, Lewis was forced into two reaction stops to deny both Jack Connolly and Ebert from point-blank range.

In the second period, the Warriors struggled to stay out of the box. KP picked up four penalties in that period alone, including a five-minute major that carried over to the third.

“We’ve got to stay out of the box,” KP coach Paul Carlow said. “You have to play even strength hockey to win. I would’ve like to have played them even strength more. We were shorthanded most of the night.”

Joe Boselli had a good look dragging the puck into the slot but he shot over the net and then Luke D’Amico forced Warren into a good glove save from a tight angle. Jake McNeany tested Lewis with a shot from the point that was kicked aside and Todd Robinson set up Connolly for a tip on the edge of the crease but it was sent just past the post.

North led 19-10 in shots heading into the third period and with 4:51 remaining on a major penalty, the Rocketeers looked like they were in control. But, KP stormed out of the locker room looking like a completely different team and, despite being down a skater, started to take the game to the hosts.

“You have to give credit to KP on that,” said McManama about North only scoring once while up a skater. “Our power play has been working at 33 percent coming into today and that’s the hardest our power play has had to work. They did a great job. They have a very good system and they work their butts off.”

Ryan Fitpatrick missed the net on a backhand seconds into the third and Warren was forced to make a sprawling save to deny Brendan Shandley when the rebound caromed to him at the far post. North nearly doubled its lead seconds later when Robinson’s shot forced a save out of Lewis and Connolly flicked the rebound wide of an open net.

That miss looked costly as KP skated down the other end and tied the game. Coulter had the initial shot from the right circle and Boselli was right there to follow up the rebound to make it 1-1.

“I think it was good that we had locker room time to talk about the kill and get the guys ready to go out for the kill,” said Carlow. “When you’re getting penalties all night, not only does it take away your chance to score but it kills your guys’ legs, so now when you come back from the kill then you don’t have any legs.”

Both teams continued to get chances in an end-to-end period. Robinson had a shot tipped inches wide by Ebert in front and Anthony Zammiello set up McNeany but his shot was blocked in front. Rocco Bianculli tested Warren with a blast from the edge of the right circle but the goalie got his blocker to it and Shandley forced another save that left the North defense scrambling.

With 5:47 to play, KP stunned the home crowd by grabbing the lead. Coulter played the puck into Conor Cooke, who was parked in the slot with a defenseman on his back. The forward collected the pass, spun, and ripped a shot over the shoulder of Warren and into the roof of the net to make it 2-1.

“Once we killed that penalty,” Carlow said, “it gave everyone a boost of confidence and then we were able to play some 5-on-5. When we played 5-on-5, we scored.”

Rather than get down, North turned the game around again. After KP cleared off yet another penalty (its eighth of the game), North got space in transition with Connolly finding a lot of room on the left circle. He opened his body up and went top shelf, far corner to beat Lewis and tie the game seemingly out of nowhere.

McManama explained, “Not much needed to be said. Everyone just started to step up and really it was one shift that got the other guys going. Winning a battle here or there and that built momentum for the last couple minutes.”

Zammiello hit the post from a very tight angle a minute later and then Ebert popped up 30 seconds after that with the dramatic finish that North needed to pull out a crucial two points at the midway point of its season.

“I thought they were playing very hard in the third period and they were winning all the battles,” McManama said. “It was very difficult to play them, even when we were on the power play…we didn’t match it in the third and that’s why the wheels started to come off a little bit, but I’m proud of the boys for battling back. It’s not an easy thing especially at this point in the season.”

North Attleboro (5-5, 3-1), which is just a game back of Canton in the Davenport title race, will travel to Oliver Ames on Wednesday, while King Philip (6-5, 2-2) will get a week off and be right back at the NESV to face Attleboro.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

12/29/201812/18/2019

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/29/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Basketball
Franklin, 55 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 47 – Final – Franklin started and finished strong in the championship game of the Larry Fisher Holiday Tournament to beat the hosts. Franklin junior Steve Karayan connected on six three-pointers, including two in the first and two in the fourth quarters, for a career-high 18 points. The Panthers led 36-34 heading into the final quarter but outscored the Trojans 19-13 in the frame to pull away with the win. Senior Jalen Samuels added 14 points and was named tournament MVP while senior Jake Macchi added a career-high 12 points.

Oliver Ames, 51 vs. Cardinal Spellman, 45 – Final – Oliver Ames limited the Cardinals to four points in the second quarter to build a 25-14 advantage at the break, and took a 40-26 lead into the final frame but had to hold off a furious charge from Spellman to earn the win. Spellman cut the lead to 48-45 with 31 seconds to go but OA secured the win in the championship game of the Muscato Holiday Tournament. Senior Ethan Eckstrom scored 13 points and was named tournament MVP while junior Jay Spillane also scored 13 points for the Tigers.

Sharon, 61 vs. Walpole, 58 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Girls Basketball
Foxboro, 63 @ Hopkinton, 23 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. Lizzy Davis led the Warriors with 16 points, while Katelyn Mollica had 15 and Yara Fawaz added 10. Shakirah Ketant came off the bench to add seven points, nine rebounds, and four blocks for Foxboro, which didn’t allow a made field goal during the second and third quarters.

Mansfield, 40 vs. Ridgefield (Conn.), 32 – Final – Mansfield led by just two points entering the fourth, but pulled away by holding Ridgefield to only five points in the final quarter. Defense was the key for the Hornets, who led 20-10 at halftime despite shooting 0-for-16 from the field in the second. Sydney Mulkern had 14 points and Maggie Danehy recorded a second double-double in as many days with 10 points and 14 boards.

North Attleboro, 49 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 55 – Final – Amanda Kaiser led the Rocketeers with 22 points in the consolation game of their holiday tournament.

Attleboro, 26 vs. Norwood, 39 – Final – The Bombardiers played even with unbeaten Norwood in the second half but couldn’t overcome a tough start on the offensive end after falling behind 21-8 at halftime. Liv McCall scored a team-high seven points and was named to the all-tournament team. Nyah Thomas added six points for Attleboro.

Boys Hockey
Attleboro, 2 vs. Dartmouth, 2 – Final – Attleboro rallied for a pair of third period goals to earn a tie with Dartmouth. Cam Littig scored twice in the final period to bring the Bombardiers level, with Ryan Morry assisting on both goals. Sam Larkin and Aidan Diggin also had an assist for Attleboro.

Canton, 4 vs. Westwood, 0 – Final – Canton’s Ryan Nolte and Johnny Hagan scored in the second period and Timmy Kelleher and Chris Lavoie tacked on goals in the third period as the Bulldogs claimed the Joe Donnelly Cup with a win over Westwood.

Foxboro, 8 vs. St. John Paul II/Sacred Heart, 2 – Final – Kirk Leach picked up five points and Ronnie MacLellan registered four points as the Warriors skated to a win in the championship game of the JP2 Hockey Classic. Leach scored twice and picked up three assists while MacLellan was responsible for one goal and three helpers.

Franklin, 2 vs. La Salle College High, 5 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game.

King Philip 7, vs. Brockton, 4 – Final – King Philip scored four goals in the second period, turning a deficit into a lead, and tacked on two more in the final period to get the win over the Boxers. Senior Luke D’Amico put the Warriors on the board in the first but KP trailed 2-1 after one. Goals from Brendan Shandley, Rocco Bianculli, Aidan Boulger, and Garrett Maxwell helped the Warriors take a 5-4 lead into the final period. Jack Coulter and D’Amico scored insurance goals in the third period while James Lewis finished with 14 saves in net.

North Attleboro, 2 vs. Moses Brown (R.I.), 3 – Final

Girls Hockey
Canton, 1 vs. Westwood, 5 – Final – Lauren Fitzpatrick scored Canton’s only goal.

Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip scored early in the third period to go up 3-1 but Mansfield/Oliver Ames rallied for three straight goals, including the game-winner with just over a minute left to pick up a win over the Warriors. Sydney O’Shea and Morgan Cunningham scored first period goals to put KP up 2-0. Izzy Shanteler got MOA on the board in the second but Meghan Gorman made it 3-1 with an early third period goal. But Emma Pereira scored with 10:47 left, Shanteler got her second with 5:10 to go, and Pereira tallied her second with 1:04 to play for the game-winner. Skyler Sharfman had two assists for MOA while Jess Widdop made 18 saves in goal.

Stoughton, 2 @ St. Joseph Prep/Mt. Alvernia, 8 – Final

Wrestling
Agawam Tournament – Franklin had eight wrestlers finish fifth or better and took fourth overall as a team with 145 points. Drew DiFilippo was the 106 champion, winning 13-8 in the finals over Moses Oquendo of Holyoke. Alex Facassa (126) and Liam Cogavin (182) each took second, Matt Leofanti (220) earned a third place finish, Luke Cashin (152), Nolan Sheridan (195), and Quinn Fila-Montgomery (113) each placed fourth, and Michael Hasenfus (132) took fifth overall.

12/15/201812/17/2018

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/15/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Hockey
Attleboro, 4 vs. Old Rochester, 0 – Final

Canton, 5 vs. Plymouth North, 0 – Final

King Philip, 4 @ Bishop Feehan, 0 – Final – After a scoreless first period, King Philip scored twice in the final five minutes of the second period to gain control of the game. Joe Boselli put KP up 1-0 on an unassisted goal with 4:33 to play in the middle period and Chris Daniels made it 2-0, converting a pass from Rocco Bianculli on the power play with 2:19 to go to make it 2-0. Ryan Fitzpatrick made it 3-0 on a feed from Brendan Shandley, who made it 4-0 with an empty net goal. The Warriors went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, including a five minute major in the third. James Lewis made 23 saves and posted his second straight shutout.

Mansfield, 5 vs. Winthrop, 2 – Final – Mansfield built a two-goal lead in the first period and never relinquished it for a win over Winthrop. Five different players found the back of the net for Mansfield, who went a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. Brian Grant (from Jake Lund) and Chris Copponi (power play from Matt Copponi and Brad Grant) put the Hornets ahead after one period and Brad Grant (Matt Copponi) made it 3-0 before Winthrop got on the board. Coleman O’Brien (Matt Copponi, Austin Ricker) and Lund (empty net goal) scored in the third period. Junior Sean McCafferty made 28 saves for the win in net.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – All of the scoring game in the opening 15 minutes, Oliver Ames gaining a 3-2 edge through the first period and holding onto it for the next half hour. Oliver Ames junior Hunter Costello scored the first two goals for the Tigers and then set up freshman Bryan Kearns for his first career goal, which turned out to be the game-winner. Senior Cullen Gallagher added two assists and junior Owen Connor made 20 saves in net. Anthony Zammiello and Jeff Baker scored for the Rocketeers.

Stoughton, 0 @ St. John Paul II, 5 – Final

Girls Hockey
Franklin, 5 @ Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

King Philip, 11 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game.

Wrestling
Marlboro Tournament (Canton), 9:30 – Canton had seven wrestlings earn fourth place or better and scored 135.5 points as a team to take fourth place at the Marlboro Early Bird Tournament. Eddie Marinilli was the 145 champion, earning three pins on the day including in the finals in just 39 seconds. Harry Carter (132) and Jack Turano (113) each earned second place finishes, Derrell Brown (220) took third, and Cole Murphy (170) and Zach Peters (106) finished fourth overall for the Bulldogs.

Mike Melish Duals (Foxboro, Sharon) – Both Foxboro and Sharon each won three matches at the Mike Melish duals, with the Warriors going 3-0 and the Eagles posting a 3-1 mark. Foxboro opened the day with a 54-11 win over Scituate, highlighted by 10 pins including the first varsity falls for Sean Bubencik and Cam Prescott. The Warriors beat Bridgewater-Raynham, 47-18, with TJ Whitehouse, Tom Cullen, and Aaron Kaplan all earning pins, and . then closed the day with a 55-12 victory over Bristol-Plymouth/Coyle & Cassidy. Adam Lanctot earned his 100th career win in the final match. Sharon picked up wins over Northbridge (63-12), Nauset (71-12) and Bristol-Plymouth/Coyle & Cassidy (1-0, forfeit) and lost to Plymouth South (65-12).

Lawrence Quad (Franklin) – Franklin started the day with a pair of setbacks, falling to Lawrence and Salem (NH). The Panthers dropped match to Lawrence (40-30) and Salem (37-37, criteria). Franklin finished strong by picking up a win over St. John’s Prep (36-29). Jake Carlucci, Jordan Carlucci and Caleb MacLean each went undefeated on the day.

Milford Tournament (Milford, King Philip), 10:00

Mansfield Quad (Mansfield) – Mansfield swept the competition at its own quad, going 3-0 with three big wins. The Hornets knocked off Barnstable (64-17), Braintree (49-24), and Brockton (58-18) to improve to 7-0 on the season.

North Attleboro Quad (North Attleboro) – North Attleboro hosted its second quad meet of the season, suffering three losses on the day. The Rocketeers suffered close losses to Norton (44-33) and Chariho (39-33) as well as Hope (44-21). Michael Burns (145, one pin), Liam Rizk (195, two pins), and Mateusz Kudra (285, one pin) all went 3-0 on the day for the Rocketeers.

Marshfield Quad (Oliver Ames) – Oliver Ames had a terrific day at the Marshfield Super Quad, posting a 4-0-1 record. The Tigers posted wins over Duxbury (60-24), Pembroke (52-19), Whitman-Hanson (60-18), and Tollgate (45-34) while finishing level with host Marshfield (40-40). John Dobbin, Billy Tat, and Dean Pacini each posted perfect 5-0 records on the day while Nick McGovern and Andrew Fraser were both undefeated at 4-0.

BC High Quad (Stoughton) – Stoughton went 1-1-1 on the day at the BC High Quad. The Black Knights beat Weymouth (48-24), tied the hosts BC High (36-36) and suffered a loss to Hingham (42-30).

Sandwich Tournament (Taunton) – Taunton had a tournament-best four individual champions and had seven grapplers finish fourth or better. The Tigers had 154 points to take third overall in the tournament. Candido Santos (180), Christian Balmain (152, named Most Outstanding Wrestler for the tournament), Devin Wilson (220), and Woudanly Danger (285) each won their brackets, Taunton tying Sandwich with four champions. James Collins (106) and Mason Frank (285) took third and Wansley Perceval (120) was fourth overall.

Gymnastics
Sharon 100.7 @ Franklin, 134.7 – Final – Franklin’s Mia Lizotte and Sadie Rondeau took first and second overall in the All Around to pace the Panthers to a season-opening win over Sharon. Lizotte scored a 35.95 to take first with Rondeau right behind in second with a 33.10. Franklin freshman Kate Rudolph had a memorable debut, scoring in three events – bars (8.1), beam (8.25), and floor (8.55) – for the Panthers.

Boys Indoor Track
Stoughton, 79 vs. Foxboro, 20 – Final – The Black Knights took first place in 10 events, including both relays, on its way to a big win over Foxboro. Winners for Stoughton included Jeff Grier (55M dash, 6.93), Clayton Rahaman (300M, 38.37), Colin Rahaman (1000M, 2:55.53), Robert Currier (2 Mile, 11:48.32), David Peters (55M hurdles, 7.70) and long jump, 20-03.25), Mark Edge (shot put, 40-01.00), and Jaden Falaise (high jump, 6-02.00). Foxboro’s Will Regan won the 600M (1:27.68) and Ryan Proulx (4:49.29) and Trey Lawson (5:02.47) took first and second, respectively, in the 1 Mile for the Warriors.

Attleboro, 39 vs. Franklin, 61 – Final – Franklin won a total of nine events, including both relays, and took first and second in four of those events. The Panthers had the top two finishes in each the 600M (Daniel Barrow [1:30.52] and Michael Hagen), the 1000M (Camden Harrington [2:51.98] and Nicholas Calitri), the 1 Mile (Tyler Brogan [4:40.69] and Dylan Kehoe) and the 2 Mile (Brogan [10:05.23] and Calitri). Other individual winners for Franklin included Liam Pek (300M, 38.19), Jared Cain (high jump, 5-08.00), and Andrew Faught (long jump, 19-08.00). Attleboro swept the 55M dash, with Colin Levis taking first (6.90) followed by Dante Williams and Henry Boateng. David Cataloni (55M hurdles, 8.26) and Ethan Crosby (39-04.00) also won for Attleboro.

Sharon, 50 vs. Milford, 50 – Final – Milford earned its second straight tie to start the season, finishing level at 50-50 with Sharon. Sharon won seven events while Milford took first in five events. Sharon’s Chris Gong (55M dash, 6.71 and long jump, 20-05.00), Alexander Starovoytov (1 Mile, 4:49.13 and 2 Mile, 10:07.60), and Patrick McManus (55M hurdles, 8.47 and high jump, 5-10.00) were double winners for the Eagles. Milford’s Hugo Lopes (300M, 37.73), Ryan Kelley (600M, 1:30.38), Joey Madden (1000M, 2:43.80), and Josh Ligor (shot put, 37-07.50) won events for the Hawks.

North Attleboro, 66 vs. Canton, 34 – Final – The Rocketeers won nine of 10 individual events, including a sweep of the high jump, to pick up a victory over Canton. Owen Nassaney (6-02.00), Omar Jasseh, and Nick Taylor took the top three spots in the high jump. Other winners for North included Jasseh (55M dash, 6.92 and long jump, 21-01.00), Liam Monahan (600M, 1:28.90 and 2 Mile, 10:33.84), Jack Clarke (1000M, 2:55.07), Skyler Poirier (1 Mile, 4:52.42), Nick Taylor (55M hurdles, 9.31), and Emmett Ruote (shot put, 38-00.50). Canton’s Jonathan Cherry won the 300M (38.61) while Junior Sainvil took second in the long jump (20-02.50) and the 55M dash (6.98).

Mansfield, 87 vs. King Philip, 13 – Final – Mansfield swept five events to roll to a big win over King Philip. The Hornets wept the 55M dash (Greg Waters [6.95], Aidan Sacco, Joe Cappelletti), the 300M (Dan Knight [38.55], Tyler King, Jack Rivard), the 1000M (Mike Mullahy [2:50.77], Peter Sullivan, Peter Oldow), high jump (Andrew Williams [5-10.00], Ethan Thevenot, Jake Wall) and the long jump (Sacco [19-01.00], Williams, Thevenot). Mansfield freshman Dylan Buchanan earned his first victory in the 55M hurdles (9.31), senior Paxton Howard ran a personal best 10:12 in the 2 Mile, and Colbey Eason had a meet-best shot put toss of 50-00.00. King Philip’s Joshua Smith (600M, 1:31.30), Michael Norberg (2 Mile, 10:13.48), Alexander Hagen (55M hurdles, 9.45), and Terrell Jacobs-Baston (shot put, 47-06.25) each had second place finishes.

Taunton, 47 vs. Oliver Ames, 53 – Final – Oliver Ames and Taunton split first place in all 12 events but it was OA that took seven second place finishes to get the close win. Sean Flaherty (1:30.29) and Ryan Petrillo took first and second in the 600M, Rory McLaughlin (4:44.13) and Nate Reservitz were the top two finishers in the 1 Mile, and Aaron MacDonald (19-11.25) and Chukwubuikem Akanegbu were the top two jumpers in the long jump. Flaherty also won the 55M hurdles (8.97) while Kyle Sarney won the 2 Mile (10:25.05) for OA. Taunton’s Dylan Kullas (55M dash, 7.08), Sebastien Celestin (300M, 37.66), Cameron Parker (1000M, 2:51.42), Mark Brown (shot put, 43-04.00), and Steven Westgate (high jump, 5-10.00) all had first place finishes.

Girls Indoor Track
Stoughton, 54 vs. Foxboro, 46 – Final – Stoughton won both relays and a total of eight events, including a sweep in the 55M dash, to pick up a close win over Foxboro. Junior Chinazo Odunze (7.83), senior Gabriela Diaz, and senior Karly Estremera took first, second, and third, respectively, to sweep the 55M dash for Stoughton. Diaz won the 300M (46.17), Rebecca Lally earned first in the 600M (1:49.51), Cintia Khouzami won the 55M hurdles (9.51), Molly Tuner was the winner of the high jump (4-08.00), and Odunze earned second win with a 14-08.00 leap in the long jump. For Foxboro, Lexi Quinn was a triple winner, taking first in the 1000M (3:24.44), 1 Mile (6:11.95), and the 2 Mile (12:42.15) while junior Grace Groves won the shot put (26-07.00).

Attleboro, 36 vs. Franklin, 64 – Final – Franklin showed its depth, taking at least two of the top three spots in all individual events by one to earn a victory over Attleboro. Jillian Fenerty (300M, 45.86), Samantha Powderly (600M, 1:48.44), Julia Fenerty (1000M, 3:18.54), Daniella Pierre (55M hurdles, 9.37), and Dreya Martin (high jump, 4-10.00) each had individual wins for Franklin. Attleboro’s Kelly Neuendorf and Abisola Olaogun were two-time winners, wih Neuendorf taking first in both the 1 Mile (5:39.04) and the 2 Mile (12:36.36) and Olaogun crossing first in the 55M dash (7.82) and winning the long jump (14-10.00). Tianna McDonald (shot put, 28-06.50) also had a win for the Bombardiers.

Sharon, 60 vs. Milford, 40 – Final – Milford won three events and swept relays, but Sharon earned first place finishes in seven individual events to earn the win. Jada Johnson was a triple winner for Sharon, taking first in the 55M hurdles (8.84), the high jump (5-08.0), and the long jump (17-05.00) while Daphne Theiler won both the 1 Mile (6:00.83) and the 2 Mile (13:01.27). Elliana Hershman (1000M, 3:26.07) and Claudia Sevi (shot put, 29-02.00) rounded out the winners for Sharon. Milford’s Sarah Flanagan (55M dash, 7.61), Kerry O’Connor (300M, 42.64), and Bella Gonzalez (600M, 1:49.57) won for Milford.

North Attleboro, 73 vs. Canton, 26 – Final – North Attleboro swept the 600M and 55M hurdles and took first in a total of eight individual events to earn a win over the Bulldogs. Sophomore Tess Collins clocked in at 1:42.51 to win the 6O0M with Sam Hawkins and Allison Carter taking second and third, respectively. In the 55M hurdles, Ari Preacher (9.23) took first with Sabrina Hauer and Cassidy Becker right behind. Stephanie Hawkins (1000M, 3:19.47), Marta Botelho (1 Mile, 6:29.71), Catherine Hanewich (2 Mile, 13:01.54), Julia Mechlinski (shot put, 33-03.25), Air Preacher (high jump, 4-08.00) and Celine Ibrahim (long jump, 15-10.25) also won events for North. Canton’s Nicole Brown was a double winner, taking first in both the 55M dash (7.59) and the 300M (43.85).

Mansfield, 68 vs. King Philip, 32 – Final – Mansfield won 10 of the 12 events and swept the 1000M race to earn a win over King Philip. Sophomore Grace Fernandez took first in the 1000M in 3:21.52 with freshman Katherine Miller and junior Jessica Alestock taking second and third, respectively. Amanda Mangano was a triple winner for the Hornets, taking first in the 55M dash (7.63), high jump (5-00.00), and long jump (16-05.25). Other winners for Mansfield included Alexis Kiyanda (300M, 45.37), Bryn Anderson (600M, 1:48.03), Tessa Lancaster (1 Mile, 5:34.55), and Margaret Riley (2 Mile, 12:04.56). King Philip’s Sarah Vigevani won the shot put (29-08.50) and the Warriors swept the 55M hurdles (Abigail Dunne [9.48], Victoria Priestley, Milan Simmons).

Taunton, 69 vs. Oliver Ames, 31 – Final – Taunton junior Kerla Sylvestre won a pair of events and the Tigers swept a pair of events to earn a victory over Oliver Ames. Sylvestre was first in the 55M dash (8.05) followed by teammates Marissa Desir and Morgan Zakrezewski, and then won the 300M (44.53). Taunton also swept the 1 Mile with senior Maggie Sullivan (5:45.93) taking first and Kailey Melito-Santos and Olivia Weber finishing second and third, respectively. Other winners for Taunton included Melito-Santos (2 Mile, 12:48.20), Olivia Dias (600M, 1:44.60), Nia Mainer-Smith (1000M, 3:22.36), Victoria Gravel (55M hurdles, 9.23), and Annabella Chavez (shot put, 28-11.00). OA’s Gabrielle McLaughlin was a double winner, taking first in the high jump (4-10.00) and the long jump (14-11.75)

12/14/201812/18/2019

Strong Start Helps King Philip Skate Past Oliver Ames

King Philip hockey — King Philip’s Aidan Boulger tries to skate past Oliver Ames’ Julian Krowski in the third period. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

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.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“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.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

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.

12/13/201812/07/2019

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.”

12/16/201712/17/2017

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 12/16/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Hockey
Foxboro, 1 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Ryan Morry and Jake Parker each scored once to help the Bombardiers earn their first win of the season, a non-league victory over Foxboro. Warriors freshman Kirk Leach scored his first career goal for Foxboro in the loss.

King Philip, 3 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 0 – Final – King Philip bounced back from its season-opening loss with a strong win on the road against the Trojans. The Warriors scored once in each period while junior James Lewis made 15 saves in his first varsity start to earn the win. Mike Curtin opened the scoring in the first off of assists from Garrett Maxwell and Collin Cooke. The Warriors made it 2-0 when Luke D’Amico converted off of a feed from Curtin. In the third, Cooke buried an unassisted goal into an empty net to secure the win.

Mansfield, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro opened its season in style, scoring the opening goal just 21 seconds into the game and never looking back against the Hornets. Drew Wissler opened the scoring off of an assist from Anthony Zamiello, and then returned the favor to Zamiello later in the period to give Big Red a 2-0 lead after a period. Mansfield senior Cullin Anastasia scored a short-handed goal to bring the Hornets within one but Jeff Baker restored the two-goal lead for North within a minute to make it 3-1. Wissler scored an empty-netter in the third period to ice the game.

Stoughton, 2 vs. St. John Paul II, 5 – Final – Brendan Campbell and Sean Doherty each scored a goal for Stoughton.

Girls Hockey
Canton, 1 @ Falmouth, 1 – Final – Canton peppered Falmouth with 41 shots but only broke through once to earn a point on the road. Andrea McNeil found the back of the net for the Bulldogs in the first period while Colleen Kelleher finished with 30 saves.

Mansfield/Oliver, 2 Ames @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery from this game.

Stoughton, 0 @ King Philip, 7 – Final

Wrestling
Marlboro Early Bird (Canton) – Canton placed fifth overall among 16 teams. Sophomore Eddie Marinilli won the 138 bracket for the Bulldogs.

Mike Melish Duals (Foxboro, Sharon), 9:00AM

St. John’s Prep Quad (Franklin) – Franklin had the best team at the meeting, sweeping all three opponents. The Panthers opened with a dominant 45-18 win over Lawrence, earned a hard-fought victory over the hosts St. John Prep (31-21) and finished the day with a 58-16 win over Salem (NH). Jordan Carlucci went 3-0 on the day with three pins.

King Philip @ Milford, 10:00AM

Brockton Tri-meet (Mansfield) – Mansfield rallied for a win over host Brockton to pick up its second win of the day. The Hornets beat Barnstable (60-18) before coming back to beat the Boxers (39-31). Sam Isaacson (126), Ethan Nirenberg (195), and Sam Hutton (220) all picked up huge wins for the Hornets to help complete the comeback against Brockton.

North Attleboro Quad (North Attleboro) – North Attleboro picked up three wins on the day, including over one of the state’s best programs in Norton. Big Red beat Hope (RI) 53-22, took down Chariho (RI) 39-22 and picked up a win over Norton, 45-30. Seniors Jake Direnzo, Brady Folan, Zack Gould, Adam Eberle, and Brad White all went 3-0 for the day.

Marshfield Quad (Oliver Ames) – Oliver Ames dominated the day, picking up four wins to move to 5-0 on the season. The Tigers beat Whitman-Hanson (53-15), Pembroke (47-24), Toll Gate (57-24) and host Marshfield (51-27). Freshman Remy Creighton (106), junior Nick McGovern (113), senior Brandon Belleton (138, three pins), junior Anthony Berksza (145, four pins) and junior Dean Pacini (195, three pins) all went 4-0 on the day for Oliver Ames.

Sandwich Early Bird (Taunton) – Taunton had a successful day at the Sandwich Early Bird tournament with seven wrestlers finishing first, second or third. Josh Grasso (132), Alex Simon (195) and Woudanly Danger (220) emerged victorious from their respective weight classes while Candido Santos (160) and Mason Frank (285) finished second and Tyler Kennedy (152) and Jordan Manning (285) each finished third.

Boys Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis)
Attleboro, 29 vs. Oliver Ames, 70 – Final
Canton, 25 vs. Sharon, 75 – Final
Foxboro, 23 vs. North Attleboro, 77 – Final
Franklin, 61 vs. King Philip, 39 – Final
Mansfield, 76 vs. Taunton, 24 – Final
Milford, 46 vs. Stoughton, 50 – Final

Girls Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis)
Attleboro, 31 vs. Oliver Ames, 69 – Final
Canton, 17.66 vs. Sharon, 82.33 – Final
Foxboro, 23 vs. North Attleboro, 68 – Final
Franklin, 77 vs. King Philip, 23 – Final
Mansfield, 43.50 vs. Taunton, 56.50 – Final
Milford, 71 vs. Stoughton, 29 – Final

Gymnastics
Taunton, 124.1 @ Attleboro, 134.65 – Final

North Attleboro, 136.15 @ Canton, 103.35 – Final – North Attleboro had four different individuals each win a single event in a victory over Canton. Kaleigh DeMarco won the vault (9.1), Caroline Szajda won the bars (8.4), Lindsay Robinson was first on the beam (8.7) and Paige Moore was victorious on the floor (8.8).

King Philip @ Canton, 7:00

02/15/2017

Wissler Scores Twice as Rocketeers Edge King Philip

FOXBORO, Mass. – With 1:19 left in the second period, King Philip took possession in its defensive zone and with one pass turned it into a breakaway to tie the game at 2-2. The home team seemed poised to have all the momentum heading into the third until North Attleboro junior Andrew Wissler hustled the Rocketeers back into the lead.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Erik Clements flicked a puck over the top, just trying to relieve the pressure from the Warriors and clear the zone. KP defensemen were caught up the ice and Wissler flew past them to chase the puck. Sophomore goalie James Lewis was forced to leave his crease to try and play it, but Wissler beat him to it and tapped into the vacated net for his second goal of the night.

The goal provided a huge boost to North, which took momentum and carried it into the third where the Rocketeers added am early power play goal to take control. KP rallied with a late goal and a flurry of chances in the final 90 seconds, but North held on to win 4-3 and moved within one point of the program’s best single season total.

“All-in-all it was a good effort. We were down six guys with the flu and I know they were battling the same thing, so it’s tough to get the guys ready to play when half the team is sick and playing with new players, but I thought they adjusted pretty well,” said North coach Steve Snizek, who highlighted sophomore Kyle Bolgerhaving to move from forward to defense for the game.

North jumped in front inside the opening three minutes. Zach McGowan drove the puck down the right wing and all the way to the edge of the goal before sending a pass into the slot for Wissler to one-time it.

The Rocketeers outshot KP 8-7 in the period, but the Warriors had their chances, including an opportunity for Luke D’Amico stepping up into the rush on a two-on-one with Gavin Maxwell, but his shot was saved by Ryan Warren (17 saves). North’s best chance to double the lead was a chance by Clements from the right circle but Lewis (25 saves) made the stop.

KP tied the game three minutes into the second. Again it was Maxwell with the rush and Warren made a huge pad stop to deny the break only to see the rebound pop out to the stick of Collin Cooke and the junior forward roofed it.

Lewis tried to make the score stand up, stopping three shots (at least) in a huge scrum on the edge of his crease. However, two minutes later, there was nothing he could do to stop Clements. The senior went top shelf with an unstoppable wrister from the circle for a 2-1 lead.

With 2:34 left in the second, the Warriors again bounced back to tie it, despite being outshot 13-6 in the period. Garrett Maxwell picked the perfect outlet pass right on the tape of Jacob Kelly as the senior burst through the neutral zone. Kelly went racing in on Warren and beat the goalie five-hole for a 2-2 tie.

The game was only tied for 1:15 before Wissler showed off his speed and his tenacity to regain the advantage for North Attleboro.

Snizek said, “That was a hell of an effort by Drew Wissler never giving up on the play. That’s the type of player he is; he’s the workhorse of the team and it’s great to see his hard work pay off like that. that definitely gave us momentum going into the third, which was absolutely key.”

The Rocketeers came flying out of the gates in the third and got a power play opportunity. Brendan McHugh worked the puck down to Clements who had a chance blocked in front of Lewis, who had already made four saves in the period, and it caromed out to McGowan. The senior buried his one-time shot into the bottom corner for a 4-2 lead.

Although North had the two-goal edge, the game was far from over. KP continued to press to try and get back into it and Gavin Maxwell had a golden chance in the final minutes when he got behind the defense for a breakaway only to be denied by Warren.

“He’s been lights out again all season long,” said Snizek of Warren, the reigning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year. “He was upset that that one trickled in but he’s made 10 beautiful saves to that one and I’ll take that any day of the week.”

The one that got away came with 1:37 remaining. Kelly got free on the right hand side and was able to put a shot on goal as he was falling down. The puck did not have a lot on it but was able to squeeze through the goalie’s pads. The whistle blew with KP looking for a penalty and North assuming it was saved, only for the refs to point to center ice.

The Warriors pulled Lewis for the extra skater and had a series of face-offs in the North end, but could not find the tying goal.

“The momentum had definitely changed to us and they we kind of got away from it a little bit,” said Snizek of the third period. “We started to hang back and second guess ourselves and obviously they capitalized on that.”

North Attleboro (12-3-3, 6-2-1) now has 27 points, one shy of last year’s program-best 28, with two games remaining. The Rocketeers will get a good playoff preview on Saturday with a trip to Medway. King Philip (4-14, 4-5) suffered its third one-goal loss of the season. The Warriors will travel to Norwood on Saturday.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.