09/10/201809/11/2018

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/11/18

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
Stoughton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – North Attleboro scored a pair of goals inside the final 10 minutes to grab two points against visiting Stoughton. Joe Hilf put the hosts ahead in the 75th minute, finishing off a corner kick from Joey Coscarella that was flicked on by James Sales. The Rocketeers grabbed a second in the 77th minute when Sales headed in a cross from Hilf on a short corner. North head coach Geoff Burgess said Evan Rosenberg and Gavin O’Malley played strong defense while Kyle Briere made two saves in the win. Stoughton goalie Carter Gerome made eight saves for the Black Knights.

Taunton @ Oliver Ames – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.

Girls Soccer
North Attleboro, 8 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – North Attleboro senior Ashlyn Gaulin had her hand in six goals to help the Rocketeers open their season in style. Gaulin scored three goals and assisted on three more while Kayla Pasquel had a goal and two assists. Lily Cameron added two goals, Haley Ferrin and Lexi Sinacola each found the back of the net once, and Liz Smahi had an assist. Stoughton sophomore Rebecca Desousa scored off an assist from classmate Mackenzie Manning.

Oliver Ames @ Taunton – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.

Field Hockey
King Philip, 4 @ Acton Boxboro, 1 – Final – King Philip raced out to a 3-0 lead at halftime and never looked back in a win over Acton Boxboro, ranked #4 in New England by MAX Field Hockey. Dana Truini opened the scoring just over four minutes into the game, deflecting in Alli Meehan’s shot off a breakaway. Meehan doubled the lead with an unassisted goal and then set up freshman Meghan MacDonald at the midway point to make it 3-0. MacDonald grabbed her second goal of the game off a pass from Claire Lawlor. Grace May had a solid game in net for the Warriors.

Volleyball
Attleboro, 0 @ Norton, 3 – Final – Attleboro was in every set but fell on the road to Norton (25-19, 25-18, 25-22). Jessica Matheson had three digs and two assists, Ana Leonardo had seven assists and an ace, and Chelsea Calcagni finished with five kills and two aces for the Bombardiers.

Golf
Canton, 161 @ Milford, 170 – Final – Canton’s Thomas Singleton fired a 38 to earn match medalist honors and help the Bulldogs open the season with a win. Chris Lavoie and Mike Gobbi each shot 41 while Tommy Dimock rounded out Canton’s scoring with a 42. Justin Applebee led Milford with a round of 40.

Franklin @ Foxboro – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Oliver Ames @ Mansfield – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.

Stoughton, 203 @ Taunton, 172 – Final

09/08/201809/09/2018

New Faces But Familiar Result In OA’s Season Opener

Oliver Ames boys soccer — Oliver Ames’ Colin Milliken and Stoughton’s Rami Houraibi battle for possession in the first half. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

NORTH EASTON, Mass. – It was all new faces on the field for Oliver Ames, but the result was very familiar.

The Tigers, fresh off their third state final appearance in the past four years, have an entire new lineup after graduating two dozen seniors, including all starters and most reserves that played regularly.

In the first game with its new line up, Oliver Ames came away with a 3-0 win over visiting Stoughton.

“The kids have worked hard and that showed today,” said Oliver Ames head coach John Barata. “We can knock the ball around and play some soccer but we just have to mature a bit and grow up and gel as a group. I think as the season progresses we’ll get a little bit better each day.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Tigers took the lead in the 15th minute and then broke the game open with back-to-back goals inside the final five minutes of the first half.

“It definitely felt like a first game,” said first-year Stoughton head coach Joshua Aubin. “We haven’t played a competitive game in almost two weeks. I think everyone was a little nervous to start and it showed. They got that first goal off an amazing shot, one of the best you’ll see all year. But the second and third goals, they were on us. Turnover at midfield and quick counter and then a silly foul in the box. But those two goals, those are easy enough to fix so that’s encouraging.”

Oliver Ames established control of the play early and were rewarded by a terrific goal. Sophomore Anthony DaCosta found himself in space when a long ball came in from sophomore Matthew Nikiciuk. DeCosta was given the space to take a touch and turn, and without hesitation the sophomore rifled a nice shot from 25-yards out that beat the keeper and went right under the bar for a 1-0 lead.

After a bit of back and forth play for the next 20 minutes, the Tigers changed the complexion of the game in the final five minutes of the first half.

Junior Jonathan Freeman came away with a win just over midfield and quickly found the feet of junior Colin Milliken. Milliken turned and played a through ball between two defenders, allowing senior Sean Flaherty to run onto it and slot his shot him at the far post to make it 2-0.

Stoughton had its best chance of the half shortly after going down 2-0. Senior Fabi Ponce de Leon played a curling free kick into the area that was spilled but the rebound effort from Gabe Ribeiro was to the left of the frame.

OA quickly countered and attacked up the left side. Sophomore Brady deVos found some space in the area and tried to get by his defender but was hauled down.

The sophomore stepped up to the spot and calmly blasted his bid into the back of the net just a minute later, giving OA a 3-0 lead just minutes before the halftime whistle.

“I thought overall we were in control of the play but it felt like we were getting a little panicky,” Barata said. “We had some chances to score the next goal and we just hand’t so I think getting the second and third goals relieved some pressure on them.”

“The third goal really hurt, that 1-2 punch,” Aubin said. “But it’s stuff that we can watch film and try to correct. I thought they picked themselves up coming into the second half and were competitive.”

Trailing 3-0 in the second half, the Black Knights tinkered with their lineup in an attempt to get back into the game. While it meant trying to build more offense, it sacrificed some defense.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Tigers were able to take advantage of that at times but couldn’t add onto their lead because of some stellar saves from junior keeper CCarter Gerome (11 saves).

Just six minutes into the second half, Milliken once again found Flaherty in behind the defense and the senior used a nice cut back move to free himself but his chance was turned aside by a terrific sliding save attempt from Gerome.

“We made some adjustments at halftime and I think it showed. I thought we were much more competitive in that second half. ,” Aubin said. “So we were a bit more offensive minded so we knew we’d give up some chances but Carter definitely stood on his head at times and kept us in the game.”

Stoughton’s best chance of the second half came in the 61st minute when Ponce de Leon put a free kick on frame but OA senior keeper Jacob Lerman made a move to his right to punch the ball out.

A minute later, OA nearly had another goal with Flaherty in alone but once again Gerome came up big to keep the Tigers off the scoresheet in the second half.

Oliver Ames (1-0 Hockomock, 1-0 overall) is back in action on Tuesday when it welcomes Taunton (0-1-1) to Muscato Stadium. Stoughton (0-1, 0-1) hits the road to take on North Attleboro on the same day.

09/04/2018

Boys Soccer: 2018 Davenport Division Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2018 Davenport Boys Soccer Preview

Canton

2017 Record: 10-5-4
2017 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Danny Erickson

The Bulldogs have been one of the top offensive teams over the past two seasons, and that trend will likely continue with the personnel returning this season. The goal this season is to equal that success on the defensive end of the field.

“We have had lots of success the past two seasons in scoring goals but we have not been stingy enough with allowing goals,” said Canton head coach Danny Erickson.

Hockomock League leading scorer Paul Corcoran is back for his senior season and has been one of the top producers in the final third over the past two seasons. His nine goals in 2016 helped earn him HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year honors and last year he led the Hock with 15 goals and 23 total points. He is joined by HockomockSports.com Best XI selection Griffin Roach in the midfield. Roach is one of the best two-way players in the league and will undoubtedly be relied upon to help both the offense (10 goals, five assists last year) and the defense. Simon Cruz is another player with a good amount of varsity experience that will likely factor in.

While the offense looks to be in good shape, shoring up the defense won’t be easy after losing starting goalie Abe Garber and center back John Agnitti. However, Erickson can rely on Paolo Ruggeri to lead the way in the back. Ruggeri has a ton of varsity experience and will be the quarterback of the defense, organizing and keeping the back four in shape. Junior Alejandro Correal will step in as the starting keeper.

Foxboro

2017 Record: 11-5-4
2017 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Joe Franchino

Foxboro head coach Joe Franchino isn’t afraid to talk about how confident he is in this year’s team.

“The Hockomock title is coming to Foxboro,” Franchino said.

Although Foxboro graduated a dozen seniors, the players that the Warriors do return are the reason why Franchino is so confident in this group. Starting up top, Foxboro has both of its strikers back, including leading scorer Shane VandenBoom. Last year, VandenBoom was second in the league in the regular season with 21 points, scoring 12 goals and adding nine assists. He will be joined up top by Dylan Barreira, who had a strong sophomore season.

In the midfield, everything will run through junior Joe Cusack. There aren’t many midfielders that have the poise on the ball that Cusack does and he will likely be the engine for the team. He isn’t the biggest player on the pitch but his vision is among the best and his ability to play balls over the top and through the defense make Foxboro’s offense very dangerous. Nic Beigel will complement Cusack in the middle to give the Warriors a solid 1-2 combo.

Defensively, the Warriors are hoping to see more of the same after only allowing 15 goals through 18 regular season games. The good news is that Foxboro has plenty of experience returning in the back with Matt Garcia, Brian Gardner, and Will Regan back in the fold. Franchino stressed that the team must put defense first and buy into the system, and then the team can go forward — an area the Warriors are very confident in.

Milford

2017 Record: 7-8-3
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Brian Edwards

After missing out on the postseason by just one game, the 2018 Scarlet Hawks are laser-focused on making it into the state tournament and having a run at the division title.

Third-year head coach Brian Edwards saw his team go from four wins to seven over the first two years and is hoping that upward trend will continue in 2018.

“We are looking to build upon the lessons learned last year,” Edwards said. “We want to work on maintaining focus and closing games out this season. With many players coming back for their third varsity season we are hopeful that our experience helps us work towards our goals this season.”

One big reason for optimism is junior Walisson De Oliveira, who exploded as one of the best offensive threats in the league in the second half of the season. After playing in the midfield for half the year, Edwards moved De Oliveira up top and the move paid off big time. The striker scored 14 goals (second most in the Hock) and had three assists.

In the midfield, the Hawks boast a trio of talented and experienced players. Tiago Carvalho, Joao Boaventura, and Jordan Borges have all shown improvement over the offseason and will be counted on to handle the middle of the pitch. Seniors Joey Madden and Zach Brown return to anchor the defensive unit in front of senior goalie Cam Doherty.

North Attleboro

2017 Record: 11-2-6 (Davenport Division Champions)
2017 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round
Coach: Geoff Burgess

Despite graduating over a dozen seniors from last year’s Davenport division-winning squad, North Attleboro head coach Geoff Burgess believes his team will be ready to defend its league title.

The Rocketeers will have to find a replacement for HockomockSports.com Best XI selections Gabe Pinhancos (center mid) and Brendan Matracia (goalie), as well as the entire back line, but Burgess does have options to fill the voids.

“I’m excited to see what this group can accomplish,” Burgess said. “We have a good nucleus of talented players and high expectations.”

Senior striker Joe Hilf was second on the team in points last year after scoring six goals and adding two assists and Big Red also has junior midfielders Dylan Corrigan (four goals, three assists) and James Sale back in the fold. All three have plenty of varsity experience and should be major factors for North this season. Junior Joey Coscarella will see more playing time as well this season.

Senior captain Evan Rosenberg will step in at center back to anchor the new back four. Burgess is also optimistic about his options in net with junior Kyle Briere taking over as the starter.

Sharon

2017 Record: 5-9-4
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Bryan Kelly

Only one year removed from winning the Davenport title, Sharon is hoping its versatility will help get them back to the top of what is shaping up to be a very competitive division.

“We have some dynamic players this year which gives us the ability to use different formations making it difficult for teams to plan for us,” said Sharon coach Bryan Kelly. “We have a rotation of players who can play two or more positions and play them well. If we stick to our game plan, we will be a tough team to reckon with.”

The Eagles have a strong core of returning players that Kelly can build off of. Ethan Kantor is back for his third year in goal and will be the leader of the defense. Alex Dias returns from a torn ACL to take up one of the outside back positions. Kelly expects Brendan Arnold and Daniel Gunduz to step up on defense this season.

In the midfield, junior Michael Baur (HockomockSports.com Second XI selection) will be a key piece and help the Eagles transition from defense to offense. Baur is also one of the more dangerous free kick takers in the league. Baur will work with the speedy Isaiah Stessman and Norway-transfer Viktor Schneider on the wings in the midfield.

Kelly is looking for junior Brian Higgins and Daniel Lillenfeld to form a dynamic partnership up top while Antonio Elkoury and Eli Berkowitz can step in and provide depth in both the midfield and up front.

Stoughton

2017 Record: 1-16-1
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Joshua Aubin

After three straight years in the playoffs, the Black Knights had a down season a year ago but new head coach Joshua Aubin is anxious to get Stoughton back into playoff contention.

“This is definitely a team that is not afraid to get down and dirty,” Aubin said. “We’ve got some scrappy players who will not be backing down from the challenges ahead.”

Stoughton will be relying on its 10 seniors to set the pace this season, starting with captain Fabi Ponce de Leon. In his fourth year on varsity, Ponce de Leon will be the engine in the middle of the field and help facilitate things for the Black Knights. Aubin is looking for some new faces to step up around Ponce de Leon to take some pressure off the senior and give him some space. Fellow captain John Ortiz will be a leader for a defensive group that is looking to improve on last season.

All-Hockomock selection Carter Gerome returns as the starting goalie for the Black Knights.

“We do have a lot of athletes where we hope to be able to maximize on their individual abilities,” Aubin said. “We have a little bit of everything – some height, some speed, some strength, some physicalness, and some finesse.”

11/30/201712/11/2017

The 2017 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars

Below are the official 2017 Hockomock League Boys Soccer All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Nathaniel Cardoza, Oliver Ames

09/25/201709/26/2017

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 09/25/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Boys Soccer
Attleboro, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 2 – Final – Oliver Ames scored once in each half to pick up a win over visiting Attleboro. Nathaniel Cardoza put the Tigers ahead on an assist from Chris Lawrence while Michael Nikiciuk doubled the lead, on an assist from Brandin Osborne. OAHS head coach praised the play of Cam Vella, Mason Galbato, Matt Campbell and Colin Evin.

Sharon, 0 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Canton junior Griffin Roach continued his strong start to the season, netting a brace in the win. Roach scored once in each half.

Mansfield, 3 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Mansfield built a 3-0 lead over the first 25 minutes of the game and then held off a late push from the Panthers. John Cooney opened the scoring on an assist from Sean Lanzillo in the eighth minute and just three minutes later, Jared Gabrilowitz made it 2-0 on a feed from Cullin Anastasia. Nick Wisnieski converted a chance from Gabrilowitz in the 22nd minute to make it 3-0. Franklin got on the board when sophomore Sam Stowell converted a penalty kick in the 38th minute. Sophomore Lucas Mauro netted Franklin’s second goal off an assist from Nasir Brahimi. Nick Ferraz made six saves in net for Mansfield.

King Philip, 1 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – King Philip Connor Mullins converted a cross from Thomas Lugten inside the area in the first half to give the Warriors the win.

North Attleboro, 4 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro built a 3-0 lead by halftime and converted a set piece in the second half to earn two points on the road. Sophomore Dylan Corrigan grabbed his first goal of the game in the sixth minute, and made it 3-0 in the 30th minute, burying a rebound chance after a terrific save from Stoughton keeper Carter Gerome. Ryan Pasquel scored on a free kick just outside the area in the second half. Click here for a photo gallery of this game.

Girls Soccer
Oliver Ames, 2 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – Maeve Hogan put OA in front with a header off a Sophia Cox corner. Briley Harnois tied the game late in the first half, but Abby Hodges popped up with the game-winner midway through the second half, off a Jackie Mills cross.

Sharon, 1 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Freshman Elisa Diletzia scored with a header off a Riley Duserick cross in the closing minutes to nab the win for the Bulldogs. Freshman Olivia Rodman scored the first for Canton off a Lilah Sullivan assist.

Foxboro, 1 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Lily Sykes scored the lone goal of the game with a shot from outside the 18. Katie Huether assisted on the goal for the Warriors. According to Milford coach Jay Mastaj, Olivia Marshall played well in goal with a number of saves to keep the Hawks in it and Ashleigh Starks and Juliana France both had strong games as well.

Franklin, 0 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Taunton, 1 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip sophomores Avery Snead and Chloe Layne linked up for three goals in King Philip’s win at home. Layne (three points) scored twice, both on assists from Snead, who scored once and had another assist for a total of four points. Abby Baker scored an unassisted tally and Jenna Hitchen also scored once. Samantha Tichelaar scored the lone goal of the game for the Tigers, while Grace Pimenta made 12 saves for Taunton.

Stoughton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – Ashlyn Gaulin had a brace and an assist for the Rocketeers, while Haley Guertin, Aine Mendonca, and Mackenzie Rosenberg each scored one in the win. Leah Jette, Samantha Hawkins, and Kayla Pasquel each had assists. North coach Bill Wallace said that Coley Flynn, Meg Slaney and Ally Blaisdell “had excellent games.”

Field Hockey
Oliver Ames, 6 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames scored three goals in each half to double up on Attleboro. Maggie Woods scored a pair of goals while Sarah Stevens, Kayla Lozzi, Liz Nuss and Cristina Boudreau each scored once. Boudreau added two assists while Nuss, Hannah Stryke and Cassie Gennis each had one helper.

Canton, 5 @ Sharon, 0 – Final

Milford, 1 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final

Mansfield, 2 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

King Philip, 5 @ Taunton, 0 – Final

North Attleboro, 2 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Brittni Paul and Lauren Berteletti each scored for Stoughton while Katherine Munley and Kaley Gorman scored for North Attleboro.

Volleyball
Attleboro, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames picked up its second straight win, 25-11, 28-26, 25-22, by defending home court against Attleboro. Senior Jackie Kandar had a strong game defensively for the Tigers and added four kills and two aces. Emma Petrillo added 12 kills and Katie Flynn finished with 10 kills.

Canton, 3 @ Sharon, 0 – Final – Canton picked up a sweep on the road, notching a 25-12, 25-18, 25-15 win. Erin Devine had a great match with eight kills without any hitting errors (.727). Nyah Claiborne chipped in with three aces and great defense. Sofia Connor had 12 digs and Nicole Brown added 16 assists.

Mansfield, 0 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin had a strong, well-rounded attack to pick up a sweep against Mansfield. Ellie Wisniewski (ace), Meaghan Maguire (block) and Hailey Sanders all had eight kills apiece while Maggie Doyle (three blocks) added four kills. For Mansfield, Meg Hill added eight kills, Julia Harrison had six kills and Mikayla Kearney chipped in with 10 digs.

North Attleboro, 3 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

King Philip, 3 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – King Philip picked up a sweep on the road, winning 25-13, 25-8, 25-23. Sydney Phillips paced the offense with 14 kills, four digs and seven service points. Grace Ely added four kills and Kat Kmetz had two kills and 11 service points.

Golf
Canton, 154 @ North Attleboro, 157 – Final – Sophomore Chris Lavoie fired a career-best 37 to lead Canton to a key division win over North Attleboro. Danny Powers, Joey Vaughan and Niko Donovan each carded rounds of 39 for the Bulldogs. Aidan Weir earned match medalist honors, shooting a 36 for North Attleboro.

Sharon, 174 @ Milford, 180 – Final – Sharon’s Cory Carter earned match medalist honors, carding a round of 37 to lead the Eagles. Riley Lynch shot a team-low round of 42 for the Hawks.

Taunton, 304 @ Dighton-Rehoboth, 242 – Final – Taunton’s Jack Patneaude shot a team-low round of 41 for the Tigers.

02/13/2016

Second Period Dooms Stoughton on Senior Night

Stoughton Hockey — AJ Scott made 40 saves for the Black Knights, but Stoughton struggled in the second period and fell 5-1 to Bishop Feehan. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

BROCKTON, Mass. – Stoughton was outshot 13-1, but somehow came through the opening period against Div. 2 contender Bishop Feehan with an improbable one-goal lead.

All of the momentum from scoring late in the first and the energy from celebrating Senior Night was lost in the opening 45 seconds of the second, as the Shamrocks stormed back to take the lead.

The Black Knights gave up four goals in the second and were not able to recover, as Feehan skated away with a 5-1 victory on Saturday afternoon at Asiaf Arena.

“The second period has killed us all year,” said Stoughton coach Dan Mark. “If I was to look at the statistics, I’d say almost every game we’ve been killed in the second period. I don’t know what goes on with these kids.

“You go in and tell them good job…it’s frustrating.”

The Shamrocks were heavy favorites coming into the game and were looking forward to making a push in the competitive Div. 2 South bracket. Feehan played like the favorites early on and peppered freshman goalie A.J. Scott with 13 shots in the first alone, but were unable to find the breakthrough.

With 3:40 left in the period, Stoughton shocked the Shamrocks by taking the lead.

The Black Knights had been limited to mere seconds of puck possession in the attacking zone and had yet to record a shot on goal when senior Mark Sheehan slid a pass across to freshman Carter Gerome and he knocked it past the Feehan goalie to make it 1-0.

Heading into the locker room, the Shamrocks were left shaking their heads and wondering how it was possible to be behind. When they got back on the ice, it did not take them long to change that.

Feehan scored two goals on its first two shots inside the first minute of the second. Four minutes later, the Shamrocks made it 3-1 with a power play goal and then tacked on a fourth four minutes later. Feehan outshot Stoughton 20-5 in the second, with most of the shots by the Black Knights coming in the final couple minutes.

Mark said, “We warn them every time that teams are going to come out, especially in a 1-0 game after one, they’re going to come out fired up. They obviously didn’t listen.”

Despite being dominated, Stoughton came out in the third and started to create openings. Sheehan in particular was able to create scoring opportunities with his speed. The Black Knights had a pair of good chances while down by three but could not find the back of the net.

“They battled. I’m proud of these kids,” said Mark. “They’ve had some games where they were down score-wise and they never quit.”

With 7:22 left, Feehan wrapped up the win and the two points with the fifth goal, but that took nothing away from the play of Scott, who made 40 saves in a losing effort.

“He’s been fantastic all year,” said Mark of his freshman goalie. Although it was a night to honor the six seniors, Stoughton could also look to a promising future with freshmen like Scott and Gerome putting in solid performances.

“It’s encouraging for the future,” said Mark. “I have a saying, if the kids don’t work in the off-season then they’re going to get older not better. That happens a lot where kids get satisfied…but I’m confident that these guys are going to work.”

Following the game, Mark took a minute in the locker room to honor Sheehan, who had been voted the Hockomock League MVP by the coaches at their end of season meeting. It is the second time in three seasons that a Stoughton player has won the MVP vote, as P.J. Sheehan took the award in 2014.

“It’s well-deserved,” said Mark. “I’ve thought all year that he’s a dominant player and if he had two guys even close to his ability…he’s skating with two freshmen who are doing a great job but you put him on Franklin or Canton and that’s a different level.”

Stoughton (6-11-3, 4-6-0) will close out its season with a trip to North Attleboro on Wednesday.

Josh Perry can be contacted at JoshPerry@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.

01/23/2016

Sheehan Helps Stoughton Ice Win Over Foxboro

Stoughton's Mark Sheehan scored the game winning goal early in the third period. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com) — Stoughton’s Mark Sheehan scored the game winning goal early in the third period. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief
BROCKTON, Mass. – Stoughton senior Mark Sheehan skated up the middle and unleashed a wrist shot that found the back of the net in the third period. That power play goal turned into the game winner as Stoughton held off Foxboro, 3-2, on Saturday afternoon.
“It would have been nice to score more [on the power plays] but Foxboro really got tired in that third period, they were undermanned,” Stoughton head coach Dan Mark said. “Our kids just don’t know how to win yet and they get in these situations and they get flustered when we get the lead. Being ahead seems to be a bad thing for us sometimes. But it’s a win so we’ll take it.
The Black Knights built a two goal lead in the first period but Foxboro cut the deficit in half in the second period and then tied the game in the first minute of the third period. The Warriors had their momentum cut short in the final period with five penalties.
Less than six minutes into the game, The Black Knights had a 1-0 lead. Junior Nick Hardy was able to fight for control just before the corner along the nearside boards and whipped in a pass to the middle. Senior Adam Potter was the recipient of the pass and slotted the first goal into the back of the net.
And just over two minutes later, Stoughton was able to double its lead. Freshman Carter Gerome snuck past a defender in the corner, stepped towards the front of the net but lifted a backhand up over Foxboro goalie John Cronin to make it 2-0.
Although Foxboro held an 8-4 advantage on shots in the first period, they trailed by two after the first 15 minutes. They led 13-5 in shots in the second period and this time it translated to the scoreboard.
Midway through the middle period, the Warriors went on the power play after a hooking call. Pete Smith and Jason Galanti then set up sophomore Aidan Sullivan just inside the blue line and his slap shot found its way through traffic and past Stoughton freshman goalie AJ Scott to cut the deficit to one.
Foxboro nearly tied the game in the final minutes of the second period when Smith dropped a pass right in front to junior Paul Vey but Scott closed down and smothered the shot.
The Warriors went on the man advantage inside the first minute of the third period and cashed in immediately. Mike Carresi won the face off back to Sullivan, who slid the puck across the blue line to junior John Brolin. Brolin unleashed a low shot that snuck its way in to tie the game 2-2.
“They could have laid down and put their heads down but they didn’t,” Mark said of his team. “I thought they played with some desperation at the end there which is what they need to do. It’s a learning curve with these kids.
“l told them between the second and third periods that they needed to play with desperation. We were still in the ballgame but we just had to play hard and I thought they played pretty hard in that third period.”
After tying the game is when the wheels fell off Foxboro’s comeback train. A slashing call put Stoughton on the power play and 30 seconds into it, another slash call made it a two man advantage of the Black Knights.
Stoughton kept the puck in the offensive zone, passing along behind the goal before Sheehan took control, skated to the middle and buried it for the game winner.
“He deserves it,” Mark said of Sheehan. “I think you can see, he’s definitely a good player. I think he’s one of the better players in the league honestly, he just doesn’t have the same supporting cast as some of the other teams. It was nice for him to get the game winner.”
While Foxboro continued to try and kill the remaining penalty, a miscommunication resulted in another penalty and another 5 on 3 advantage. And when one of those penalties expired, a tripping call put them right back down two men.
“We had a tough first period, I didn’t think we were doing all the right things,” Foxboro head coach Jim Geonvese said. “The second period we controlled most of the play but the third period, the penalties killed us with two or three 5 on 3’s. I know they only scored one but it took the wind out of us.
“They got up and then we went right back to a 5 on 3 and we just couldn’t get our legs back. We battled well in the second and third for sure, at least as much as we could in the third.”
The Warriors had a power play just over the halfway mark of the final period but weren’t able to get a serious scoring chance. Because of a late penalty with two minutes to go, Foxboro couldn’t pull Cronin for a two man advantage until the final 30 seconds.
“It’s a good win, any win is a good win for us,” Mark said.
Stoughton (4-8-3, 2-5) has a non-league contest scheduled for Monday against Apponequet at 5:30 while Foxboro (2-9-1, 1-5) will next play on Wednesday when they host Oliver Ames at 6:20.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.

01/23/2016

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/23/16

Today’s games are listed below.
Hockey
Mansfield, 2 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final

Canton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Canton senior Jim Jenkins scored late in the second period to give the Bulldogs the lead and then added an empty net goal. OA junior goalie Zach Walsh made 30 saves.
Foxboro, 2 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Mark Sheehan scored the game winning in the beginning of the third period for Stoughton. Adam Potter and Carter Gerome scored first period goals for Stoughton while Foxboro battled back to level the score with a second period goal from Aidan Sullivan and an early third period goal from John Brolin.
Taunton @ Franklin – Postponed to TBA

North Attleboro, 3 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – North Attleboro senior Andrew Casson scored off a rebound with 0.4 seconds left to tie the game for the Rocketeers. Hunter Sarro and Drew Wissler also scored for Big Red.
Wrestling
Lynnfield/North Reading Quad (Canton) – The Bulldogs lost the first meet of the day by just a point in a 34-33 loss to the hosts but bounced back for a 42-9 win over Malden and a 45-32 win over St. John’s Shrewsbury.
Foxboro Quad (Foxboro, Mansfield), 10:00AM
Franklin @ Beverly – The Panthers beat host Beverly (49-18) and Salem (36-12) to pick up two wins but lost to Central Catholic (52-19).
North Attleboro @ Springfield Central Wrestling Festival – The Rocketeers picked up three wins but suffered their first setback of the season. Big Red beat Agawam 70-9, West Springfield 58-18, and Keene (NH) 81-0 but Vermont powerhouse and three-time defending New England champs Mt. Anthony Union picked up a 46-18 win over North.
“Competing against New England caliber teams help us to identify our flaws and improve as a squad,” North coach Wayne Griffin said. “Teams with the caliber and history of Mt Anthony can only help us improve and prepare for the remainder of the season.”
Collin Fiske (152), Nick Gould (145), Jack Donahue (170) and Brennan Sankey (275) all went undefeated on the day for the Rocketeers.
Sharon Quad (King Philip, Sharon) – Sharon went undefeated to defend their home gym with wins over Whitman-Hanson (42-32), North Quincy (42-15) and King Philip (42-29).
Milford @ Hopkinton Quad – Milford picked up a pair of wins at the Hopkinton quad. Brett Kimball, Ryan Gray and Nic Johnson all went 3-0 on the day.
Cape Cod Invitational (Taunton), 10:00AM
Gymnastics
Oliver Ames @ Mansfield, 4:00
Girls Hockey
Franklin vs. Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake – Postponed to TBA
King Philip, 0 @ Medway/Ashland, 4 – Final
Mansfield/Oliver Ames @ Medfield – Postponed to TBA
Stoughton, 0 @ Norwell, 6 – Final

01/18/2016

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/18/16

Today’s games are listed below.
Boys Basketball
King Philip. 63 vs. Barrington, 35 – Final – King Philip won the second quarter 21-6 to create the separation. Junior Noah Goodwin had a game-high 17 points, freshman Kyle Layman had 11 points and six rebounds and senior Ben Smith had nine points and four rebounds.
Hockey
Attleboro, 3 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Mark Sheehan gave the Black Knights the lead just 15 seconds into the game (assisted by Carter Gerome and Sean Doherty), but Attleboro tied it with five minutes remaining on a goal by P.J. Elliott. Will McKenzie scored the eventual game-winner two minutes later shorthanded and Keigan Larkin scored an empty net goal (assisted by Evan Andrews) to wrap up the win. Attleboro held a 51-15 advantage in shots. Stoughton goalie AJ Scott had an “outstanding” game in goal according to head coach Dan Mark.
Foxboro, 1 @ Canton, 7 – Final
Taunton, 8 vs. New Bedford, 0 – Final
Swimming
Boys
Franklin, 73 @ North Attleboro, 88 – Final
Taunton, 85 @ Mansfield, 85 – Final
Girls
Franklin, 93 @ North Attleboro, 71 – Final
Taunton, 96 @ Mansfield, 72 – Final
Gymnastics
Sharon, 136.65 @ Attleboro, 136.1 – Final
Mansfield, 138.7 @ North Attleboro, 132.4 – Final
Girls Hockey
Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 0 vs. Medfield, 3 – Final
Stoughton, 1 @ Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, 9 – Final

12/12/2015

Black Knights Start on High Note With Big Win

Stoughton junior captain Jon Lessa fires a wrist shot in the third period against Milford. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Ryan Lanigan, Editor-in-Chief

BROCKTON, Mass. – Even though it was just the second period of the first game of the year, there were some positive takeaways for Stoughton.

After the Black Knights extended their lead to two goals with 6:19 to play in the middle period, Milford responded within 30 seconds to grab the momentum and cut the deficit to one.

But this year’s Stoughton showed resiliency, battling to gain the momentum back, scoring the all important next goal in the final two minutes of the second period and taking care of business in the third period to open the season with a 5-1 win over the Scarlet Hawks.

“That was huge,” Stoughton head coach Dan Mark said of the late second period goal. “In past years, we’ve fallen apart. We’ve been up two goals, like against Attleboro and Foxboro last year, and normally we fall apart. We didn’t fall apart and I thought our guys played hard.”

Despite a 13-6 advantage in shots and two big chances, the Black Knights headed to the locker room in scoreless tie at the first intermission. Milford’s Jonathan Chase made a nice move just 90 seconds into the game but his bid at the near post was stuffed by Stoughton freshman goalie AJ Scott (16 saves).

The Black Knights had two chances back to back in one sequence but Milford goalie Brian Ireland (30 saves) came up big both times. First Ireland got his pad down for a kick save on chance from Jon Lessa and then after the puck cycled around, Lessa had a open wrist shot right in the slot but Ireland got the handle of his stick in the way to push it over.

“He’s very good, he had a lot of shots against him and played well,” Mark said of Ireland. “Their whole Milford team played really hard, I give them a lot of credit.”

It didn’t take long for Stoughton to take the lead in the second period, finding the back of the net just over two minutes into the period. Senior captain Mark Sheehan picked up possession in the corner, skated towards the front of goal and tucked it in past Ireland to make it 1-0.

Stoughton doubled its lead with 6:19 left when Lessa found junior Ryan Chipman out in front for the one timer.

That’s when Milford snatched the momentum back. Just 22 seconds later, Milford’s RJ Stansbury centered a pass that eighth grader Griffin Burns hit one time to find the back of the net to make it 2-1.

From there, the Black Knights were able to overcome any push from Milford and with with 1:49 left, Stoughton freshman Carter Gerome notched his first career goal right in front to get the two goal cushion back. Since the Scarlet Hawks only had nine skaters, Stoughton knew the third period would be a time to use their skating to push the pace.

“We told the kids to keep playing hard until the end,” Mark said. “We actually had a couple captains speak up because they’ve experienced [losing the lead] before. They spoke up in the locker room to push in the third period.”

To seal the deal, Stoughton’s Sheehan sent in a centering pass less than a minute into the third period that deflected off a skate and in, leaving no chance for Ireland. Lessa added a fifth goal right in front off a feed from Donnie Foley with 6:17 left in the third.

“It’s going to be a learning process trying to figure out if we can move guys from defense to forward and double shift and things like that,” Milford head coach Mike Balzarini said. “As far as the nine skaters we had, I thought we did a good job and the kids never gave up. Even when we were down in the third period the kids didn’t give up. As far as the effort I’ve very pleased. There’s always room for improvement, even with just nine guys.

Stoughton (1-0) matches its win total from last year and will try to make it two when they travel to Stoughton on Monday night. Milford (0-1) will look to break into the win column on Wednesday when they host Attleboro.

“This is great,” Mark said. “We didn’t win until our last game last year and the kids liked the feeling of winning. I think it’s great for the kids, it’s great for them. It’s great to get a win early in the season.”

Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at RyanLanigan@hockomocksports.com and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.

Tag: Carter Gerome