Tag: Korey Sweezey

Benham Saves the Day for Franklin Against Oliver Ames

Franklin hockey
Sophomore Matt Holmes (19) celebrates with Jack McGrath (15) after scoring the opening goal against Oliver Ames on Saturday night. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

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FRANKLIN, Mass. – Former Franklin goalie Sean Bertoni (Class of 2002) made his first return to his alma mater as a head coach on Saturday night, leading Oliver Ames into Pirelli Veterans Arena with a chance to take control of the Kelley-Rex title race.

But it was current Panthers netminder Cam Benham that stole the headlines and the two points with a 40-save performance that helped Franklin claim a 4-1 victory and control of its own destiny as it seeks to clinch a sixth straight league championship.

“That’s the goaltender that we need every night,” said Franklin coach Chris Spillane. “We’re looking forward to Cam getting on a roll. He had a shutout the other night, played unbelievable for us tonight, made some really big saves, and kept us in the game.”

Benham needed to be ready right from the opening face-off because the Tigers came flying out of the gates with 18 shots in the opening period and used their speed to create host of great scoring chances.

Eric LeBlanc set up Cullen Gallagher in front just a couple minutes in only for the sophomore to fire wide. Five minutes into the game, Brett Williams found Korey Sweezey in front alone but Benham made a point-blank pad save to keep the game scoreless. Rory Madden got free for a shorthanded chance but again Benham was up to the challenge.

Franklin took advantage of those saves and of a four-minute major penalty to get the lead against the run of play. Tom Sicchio’s shot from the point was kicked aside by Zach Walsh (16 saves) but right to Matt Holmes and he knocked in the rebound.

“I knew they were going to [start quick] and they were all over us,” admitted Spillane. “We weathered the storm and we sort of had our opportunities and we found the back of the net.”

Right at the end of the first, Benham came through with a flurry of saves, batting aside five or six shots from the Tigers who were trying to head into the first intermission on even terms.

“The first period was probably our best period of the season,” said Bertoni. “I was saying to the coaches maybe if we were a little bit older because young guys in a big game, maybe they were a little tight on their stick.”

Franklin settled down after the break and started the second much stronger and finding ways to slow down the speedy Tigers.

Just a minute into the period, Adam Assad controlled the puck near his own blue line and took a hit to feed Sicchio pushing forward into the neutral zone. Sicchio drove into the attacking zone, dragged the puck past his defender and fired a shot into the bottom corner for a 2-0 lead.

“He has stick skills, which is nice because he can make those plays,” said Spillane of Sicchio. “He’s really the backbone of our defense right now.”

Three minutes later and the Tigers were stunned again, as a shot from the point by freshman Connor Opelt was redirected in front by Jeremy Miller and past the left pad of Walsh for a 3-0 lead.

When asked if his team had been disheartened by dominating the first period but trailing, Bertoni responded, “I don’t think so because we’ve been there before. They were so excited to start the second period especially because of how we ended the first. We must have had four shots in that scramble and just couldn’t bury one.”

Gallagher had a chance from the slot to get one back for OA but fired over the bar and Williams set up LeBlanc in front for a tip towards goal that was blocked by Benham.

The Tigers had the final seven shots of the second but trailed by three goals entering the third period. Within the first minute, Franklin had extended the lead to 4-0. Jack McGrath passed the puck across the blue line to Sicchio, who sent the puck towards net. Luke Downie redirected the shot from the slot and inside the post.

When asked if the Panthers had made any adjustments to try and combat OA’s speed, Spillane replied, “We’ve played fast teams before, we knew what we were in for and we just needed to pick up our tempo. Against a team like that, you have to play fast and move the puck.”

The Tigers finally got on the board on a power play goal with 1:32 remaining. Benham made two saves but the second rebound popped out to Williams, who knocked it into an open net. OA got some energy to finish with another flurry, totaling 14 shots in the third period, but Benham stood tall again to ensure that the Tigers only got one on the board.

“They played hard, just some of the penalties…I told them when we play 5-on-5 that we can skate with anyone,” said Bertoni. “We generate offense when we’re 5-on-5.”

Bertoni had previously returned as an assistant coach with the Tigers during the 2013-14 season and watched then Tigers goalie Jimmy Tierney make 40-plus saves for the win. He is now 1-1 coming back to his alma mater (where his father Bill Bertoni and his uncle Bruce Bertoni, who is still an assistant coach for the Panthers, are both members of the Franklin Hockey Hall of Fame).

He was asked how it felt to be back here and on the visiting bench and, with the hint of a smile, Bertoni said, “It felt good, it felt good…Man…I wanted to steal this one.”

Franklin (9-4-0, 4-1-0) has jumped to the top of the league standings at the midway point of the league campaign. Next up for the Panthers is King Philip at Pirelli on Wednesday, while Oliver Ames (7-4-1, 3-2-1) will travel to Foxboro.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 01/11/17

Today’s games are listed below.

Hockey
Canton, 6 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final

North Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 7 – Final

Mansfield, 2 vs. Brockton, 0 – Final – Click here for a recap of this game.

Stoughton, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Sophomore Brett Williams recorded five points as Oliver Ames scored a pair of goals in each period. Williams scored twice and had three assists to pace the tigers while Korey Sweezey, Max Ward and Jared Costello each scoring once. Stoughton sophomore goalie AJ Scott made 30 saves in the game.

Wrestling
Canton, 22 @ Foxboro, 52 – Final

Franklin, 48 @ Taunton, 11 – Final – Taunton picked up wins from Alex Simon (170), Nuno Camara (182) and Woudanly Danger (220).

Mansfield, 27 @ Oliver Ames, 47 – Final – Six of Oliver Ames’ nine wins came via pin in a big division win over Mansfield. Brandon Belleton (132), Liston Funai (138), Anthony Berksza (145), Eric Berardi (152), Dean Pacini (195) and Jack Mills (285) each won via pin for the Tigers. Ryan DeCosta (113), Cobey Williamson (120) and Sean Cosgrove (160) also picked up wins for Oliver Ames.

Milford, 30 @ Sharon, 52 – Final

Stoughton, 3 @ North Attleboro, 63 – Final

Swimming
Boys
Mansfield, 71 @ Canton, 98 – Final
North Attleboro @ King Philip, 8:00
Milford, 38 @ Taunton, 55 – Final

Girls
Mansfield, 79 @ Canton, 91 – Final
North Attleboro @ King Philip, 8:00
Milford, 39 @ Taunton, 54 – Final

Girls Hockey
Canton, 2 vs. Plymouth, 1 – Final – Sophomore Maggie Malloy opened the second period with a goal while junior Kendra Farrelly netted what proved to be the game-winner later in the frame.

Franklin, 0 vs. Medway/Ashland, 3 – Final

Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 1 @ Westwood, 3 – Final

Stoughton, 2 vs. Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, 9 – Final

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

Today’s games are listed below.

Hockey
Attleboro, 5 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk, 1 – Final – Attleboro’s PJ Elliott netted a hat trick while Jake Parker and Dylan Wallace each scored once for the Bombardiers.

Franklin, 2 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Click here for a recap of the game.

King Philip, 0 vs. Coyle & Cassidy, 1 – Final

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Cullen Gallagher netted a pair of goals, including one shorthanded, to lead the Tigers. Max Ward opened the scoring for OA while Zach Walsh had 24 saves in net. OA head coach Sean Bertoni said Korey Sweezey and Matt McCormick had strong performances.

North Attleboro, 4 vs. Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final – Jason McNeany scored in the first period to open the scoring before Feehan tied the game right before the horn. Erik Clements, Hunter Sarro and Anthony Zamiello each scored in the second period for the Rocketeers.

Stoughton, 2 vs. Cape Cod Tech, 6 – Final – Jon Lessa and Josh Hough scored the goals for the Black Knights.

Wrestling
Hanover Quad (Canton) – Canton went 1-2 for the day, picking up a win early but falling in the second two meets. The Bulldogs beat Norwell (36-30) before falling to Duxbury (43-31) and Hanover (40-39).

Mike Melish Duals (Foxboro, Sharon) – Foxboro finished second overall.

Franklin @ Lawrence – Postponed

Milford Tournament (King Philip, Milford), 12:00

Braintree Quad (Mansfield) – Postponed.

North Attleboro Quad (North Attleboro) – North Attleboro won three matches on the day, extending its winning streak to seven. The Rocketeers bet Plymouth North (55-9), Norton (39-31) and Burrillville (42-11) on the day.

Marshfield Super Quad (Oliver Ames) – Oliver Ames picked up three wins in four matches at Marshfield High School. The Tigers beat Whitman-Hanson (63-12), Toll Gate (51-12) and Durfee (48-15) while falling to Marshfield (42-33). Liston Funai (132) went 4-0 with three pints while Dean Pacini (195) also went 4-0. Cobey Williamson (120), Brandon Belleton (138) and Chris Belleton each went 3-0 on the day. Joe Savino, Eric Berardi, Sean Cosgrove, Billy Tat and Jack Mills each had two wins for OA.

Sandwich Quad (Taunton) – Taunton’s Josh Grasso picked up three wins via pin on his way to a first place finish at 125. Alex Simon (170) and Nuno Camara (182) each placed second while freshman Woudanly Danger (220) finished third.

Weymouth Quad (Stoughton), 10:00AM

Indoor Track (@ Reggie Lewis Center)
Boys
Attleboro, 29 vs. Mansfield, 71 – Final – Mansfield placed first in eight events to take down Attleboro. Mike Shannon won the 300M (37.51), Nick Rispoli took first in the 600M (1:27.99), Patrick Heavey won the 1000M (2:42.92), Jack Olsen won the high jump (5-04.00), Kevin McCree won the shot put (41-07.00) and Cameron MacIntyre won the 55M hurdles (8.27). The Hornets also won both the 4×200 and 4×400 relays. Attleboro’s Isaiah Rodriguez won the 55M dash (6.73), David Seybert won both the 1 Mile (4:39.36) and the 2 Mile (10:12.67) and Victor Centeno placed first in the long jump (20-11.00).

Canton, 26 vs. Milford, 65 – Final – Milford junior Jack Kalil set a new school record in the 2 Mile, finishing in 10:15.80 to beat the previous record by nearly two seconds. Milford also got wins from Cameron Clark (38.02) in the 300M and the 55M hurdles (8.35), Chris Cicciu (1:28.40) in the 600M, Joey Madden (2:44.96) in the 1000M and Kevin Truong (19-02.00) in the long jump. Canton’s Muhammad Sambo won the 55M dash in 7.16 while Jack Healey was first in the 1 Mile (4:58.80) and Ben Mendillo won the shot put (33-02.25).

Foxboro, 51 vs. Stoughton, 49 – Final – The Warriors swept the 55M dash and the high jump to edge Stoughton. Nate Rogers (6.99), Owen Whitney (7.25) and Hunter Williams (7.28) went one-two-three in the 55M dash while Matt Nutting (5-10.00), Whitney (5-06.00), and Rogers (5-06.00) were the top three in the high jump. Other Foxboro winners included Williams in the 300M (39.94) and Brendan Foley in the 600M (1:34.29), as well as the 4×200 relay team. Stoughton’s Will Eckhart (3:01.66) and Terry Lapomarede (3:05.99) were first and second in the 1000M, Colin Cochran won the 1 Mile race (5:10.98), Zach Ferreira won the 2 Mile race (11:08.05), Kyle Reason finished first in the 55M hurdles (8.59) and the long jump (18-00.50) and James Tarchara (43-03.00) won the shot put.

Franklin, 36 vs. Taunton, 64 – Final – Taunton grabbed first place in nine different events to pick up a win against Franklin. Dylan Lynch won a pair of events for the Tigers, finishing first in the 1 Mile (4:49.28) and the 2 Mile (10:06.78). Jadin Bruneau won the 55M dash (6.93), Lucas Alves was first in the 300M (37.85), Jimmy Hoye took first in the 600M (1:31.33), Ryan Leason (39-01.00), John Chretien (37-10.00) and Jared Taje (37-05.25) swept the shot put, Nathan Grant was first in the high jump (5-06.00) and Sam Krajewski won the long jump (18-09.25). Franklin won both the 2x400n and the 4×400 relays while getting a win from Nicolas Gnamen (2:50.74) in the 1000M.

King Philip, 54 vs. Oliver Ames, 46 – Final – A sweep in the shot put helped King Philip edge Oliver Ames. Alex Olsen (41-06.00), Gio Fernandez (40-09.75) and Ter Jacobs-Baston (37-03.00) placed first, second and third, respectively for the Warriors. Freshman Michael Griffin won the 1000M (2:44.92), freshman Michael Norberg took first in the 2 Mile (10:58.20), senior Ethan Dunne crossed the line first in the 55M hurdles (8.20) and Aeden Angelone took first in the high jump (5-10.00). Oliver Ames’ Kalil Matier was first in the 55M dash (7.15) and the long jump (20-01.00), Belmund Rodrigues-Pires took first in the 300M (37.37), Matt Campbell finished first in the 600M (1:30.38) and Zane Reservitz crossed first in the 1 Mile (4:50.59). The teams split the relays with KP winning the 2×400 while Oliver Ames came in first in the 4×400.

North Attleboro, 55 vs. Sharon, 45 – Final – The Rocketeers earned a sweep at high jump and Jonathan Shultz won a pair of individual races to edge out the Eagles. Shultz was first in the 600M (1:33.73) and the 55M hurdles (8.36). Nick Rajotte won the 55M dash for North Attleboro in 6.78 while Matt Reimels was first in the 1000M (2:41.48). Matt Tarantino (6-00.00), Omar Jasseh (5-08.00) and Mario Bresko (5-06.00) swept the high jump. For Sharon, Tianrui Sun won both the 1 Mile (4:42.05) and the 2 Mile (10:29.53) races. Matthew Hoffman won the 300M (37.84), Patrick Carries (44-07.50) and Jeffrey Thomas (44-02.50) went one-two in the shot put and Juvan Elisma was first in the long jump (20-11.25).

Girls
Attleboro, 11 vs. Mansfield, 89 – Final – Mansfield won 11 of 12 events, sweeping in five of them. Amanda Mangano won the 55M in 7.82 and was first in the high jump at 4-11.00, Mikaela Maughn finished first in the 300M (46.21), Alexis Kiyanda took first in the 600M (1:58.13), Caitlin Whitman crossed first in the 1000M (3:18.32), Julie Romano won the 1 Mile (6:02.32), Lauren Duggan was the top finisher in the 2 Mile (12:32.69), Heather D’Ambra took first in the 55M hurdles (10.59) and Olivia Horn took first in the long jump (14-09.50). Attleboro’s Tianna Ridge won the shot put at 27-09.25.

Canton, 48 vs. Milford, 51 – Final – Milford’s Chrissy Speliakos won the 55M hurdles in 9.25, the long jump (15-08.75) and ran the anchor leg on the 4×200 relay that clinched the victory for the Scarlet Hawks. Milford also got a win from freshman Juliana France in the 600M (1:48.07). Canton’s Selena Cho was first in the 55M dash (7.89), Hannah Link won the 300M (44.12), Sarah Collins was a double winner, taking first in the 1000M (3:36.67) and the 1 Mile (5:49.50) while James Polsgrove was first in the 2 Mile (12:51.71) for the Bulldogs. Freshman Bronwyn Mahoney had a first place finish in the shot put (27-08.00).

Foxboro, 73 vs. Stoughton, 27 – Final – Senior Angela VandenBoom won a pair of events while grabbed first in 11 of the 12 events. VandenBoom won the 300M (45.00) and the high jump (4-07.00). Freshman Amanda Walden won the 55M dash (7.94), Meredith Cronin was first in the 600M (1:46.78), Nicole Yeomans placed first in the 1000M (3:40.38), Lexi Quinn won the 2 Mile race (12:20.26), Malaysia Cabral won the 55M hurdles (10.29), Solange Stamatos won the shot put (26-05.75) and Ana Sanchez was first in the long jump (15-05.00). Stoughton junior Mia Greene (6:02.07) won the 1 Mile race with Amelia Cochran (6:06.94) finishing second.

Franklin, 67 vs. Taunton, 33 – Final – Franklin sophomore Halle Atkinson won a pair of individual races and anchored the 4×200 relay to a win. Atkinson won the 55M dash in 7.70 and took first in the 300M in 43.19. The Panther’s 4×200 crossed first in 1:52.80. Franklin’s Lauren McGrath also had a big day for the Panthers, scoring in three events. McGrath was second in the high jump (4-07.00), third in long jump (15-00.50) and second 55M hurdles (10.18). Taunton freshman Victoria Gravel was first in the 55M hurdles (10.10), senior Shannon Stokes won the high jump (4-09.00) and Samantha Tichelaar took first in the long jump (16-02.50).

King Philip, 39 vs. Oliver Ames, 61 – Final – Oliver Ames placed first in eight of the 12 events while sweeping the 1000M race. Dana Lowney was first in the 1000M (3:13.53) while Jess Robarge was second (3:32.57) and Jessica Mills was third (3:32.87). Senior Elizabeth Hausman was first in the 300M (46.37), Lauren Wright won the 600M (1:45.83), Olivia Timbone crossed first in the 2 Mile (12:59.34), Desiree Snead won the 55M hurdles (9.44) Antonia Peretti was first in the shot put (28-10.25) and junior Rachel Clark (15-02.50) and freshman Madison Perry (14-09.50) finished first and second, respectively, in the long jump. King Philip’s Hannah Balunos was first in the 55M dash (7.90), Krista Cepkauskas was first in the 1 Mile (5:47.44) and Abigail McKeown won the high jump (4-11.00).

North Attleboro, 49 vs. Sharon, 51 – Final – Sharon won seven events while North Attleboro claimed first in five in the closest race of the day. Junior Ariadne Tolay won both the 1000M (3:17.69) and the 1 Mile (5:29.53) for the Eagles. Angela Wallace won the 55M dash (7.62), Erica Laidler was first in the 600M (1:45.94), Maria Gieg won the 2 Mile (12:15.02) and freshman Jade Johnson won the long jump (16-01.75). North Attleboro got first place finishes from Rachel LaBonte in the 300M (43.83), Rene Gagne in the 55M hurdles (10.14), Julia Mechlinski in the shot put (34-04.00) and Samantha Gaskin in the high jump (4-11.00).

Gymnastics
King Philip @ Attleboro – Postponed to TBA.

Sharon @ Canton, 1:30

Girls Hockey
Canton, 0 @ Barnstable, 4 – Final

Franklin, 6 vs. Whitman-Hanson/Silver Lake, 0 – Final

King Philip, 4 vs. Medway/Ashland, 1 – Final – King Philip raced out to a 3-0 lead through two periods and held off Medway/Ashland in the third. Olivia McCarthy opened scoring late in the first period, finishing off a rebound from a Katie Crowther shot from the point. Nicole Connor scored her first goal of the season 10 minutes into the second period on a wrist shot from straight away that found the top corner of the net. Liz Furfari closed the second period with her second goal of the season, driving hard to the net and slipping the puck between the goalies legs. In a penalty filled third period, Medway/Ashland brought the game within two goals, but Furfari added her second goal late to seal the win for KP. KP coach Jack Unger said goalie Lilly Potts had a great game in net to secure her second win of the season.

Mansfield/Oliver Ames, 0 @ Medfield, 3 – Final

Stoughton, 1 @ Cohasset/Hanover, 8 – Final