Arlington, MA – MassNZ made the drive into Ed Burns Arena in Arlington to check out the opening round of the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament as the third-ranked Hingham Harbormen were taking on 12-ranked Winchester Red and Black in what promised to be one of the better games of the day at high noon. This game would have big seeding implications down the road and both teams were flying around during warmups: we were ready to go.
In the opening 15, this felt like a playoff game. The pace was high at both ends with both teams trading chances early. Both teams brought their skating game from the jump which led to plenty of quality looks. Hingham was looking to engage their quick shots in high danger areas whereas Winchester was working their quick transition game early. Just eight minutes in the ice was broken as Winchester senior Thomas Casey threw a shot on net that was tipped home by fellow defender Dayton Ogden to make it 1-0 Red and Black. Sure enough though, the Harbormen had an answer two minutes later as junior defenseman Sean Carroll fired a puck from the point that snuck through the goalie to tie us up with five minutes to go. It seemed as though that would be our score after one but Hingham had other ideas. Junior forward Quinn Allen slickly cut across the slot and buried one with 36 seconds left to give us a score of 2-1 Hingham after one.
In the middle frame, the goals came early and often from both sides and Winchester came out of the locker room looking to take the reins. Just 2:50 into the period, a Hingham penalty gave them an opening and they would cash in. Junior forward Caiden Brady slid the puck over to sophomore defender Max Vozzella who one-timed it home to tie us at 2-2. Hingham was unfazed by this as they came right back 30 seconds later to untie it. The Harbormen stacked some traffic in front of Macklin O’Flynn for Winchester and senior defender Andrew Palek fired one home from the point to make it 3-2 Harbormen. They would seize on that momentum and pad their lead 23 seconds later: the dynamic duo entered the chat as junior Conal Mulkerrin dished it over to junior Cam McKenna who fired a rocket top shelf to make it 4-2 Hingham. That would be the end of the scoring in the period, but there were several Grade A looks as a result of turnovers and quick transition plays up ice. We headed to the third with Hingham owning the momentum.
In the third period, it was an all-out push by Winchester to start the frame but Hingham used its strength to wear them down as the period progressed. With a two-goal lead, the Harbormen could afford to play a more conservative defensive style, but they never left attack mode which is why they maintained possession for such long stretches. The first six minutes were largely academic but Hingham delivered the knockout blow off a turnover in front of the net that was backhanded home by Mulkerrin to make it 5-2. Hingham continued to clamp down and used their strong sticks to win battles and push the puck out of their zone. The Red and Black refused to pack it in and got a little closer with 3:30 left as senior captain Griffin Lynch fired a shot from the point that definitely hit someone in front and made its way past Michael Karo to make it 5-3 Hingham and that would ultimately be our final score. Winchester would pull their goalie with 37 seconds left but could not make up the two-goal differential.
Three Stars:
- F Cam McKenna, Hingham
- F Conal Mulkerrin, Hingham
- F Caiden Brady, Winchester
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Reading Defeats Braintree 1-0 in 2OT
Arlington, MA – After the first game we weren’t sure how we would top it, but the two-seeded Reading Rockets and 14-seeded Braintree Wamps were up to the task. This was another marquee matchup of two strong-willed opponents and you could tell that both teams were pumped up pre-game and ready to do battle. We were in for an instant classic.
In the first period, the game really took shape as Reading’s forecheck gave them an early territorial advantage. They were racing into the defensive zone and taking away options for Braintree to easily exit the zone. Braintree on the flip side was playing a physical and detailed game in their own end and were able to break through, using their strength on the puck to their advantage. The Reading defense was quick in moving it up ice to their forward and in the first 15 minutes they had the better of the action, but Braintree did create a couple of Grade A looks on their own. After the first period, we were scoreless.
In the second period, it was more of the same. Reading established their forecheck, but Braintree made good reads and created more quality looks at the Rockets’ net: all of which were kicked out by senior goalie Owen Holland. The Rockets made more of a push as we got later into the frame, but on the other side senior Amir Cullinane was on his angles and tracking the puck well, stopping every shot he saw. The stalemate continued and it remained 0-0.
In the third period was where this game really got interesting. There was no real advantage on either side and both teams were emptying the tank on every shift. The offensive chances ratcheted up to another level, but so did the goaltending. Both Holland and Cullinane made spectacular saves when they looked beaten on their weak side, but somehow they found the shot and shut it down. This felt more and more like a game that either team could win and the margin separating the teams was minimal. The period progressed and the goalie play really took center stage and by the end of the frame, we were still at 0-0. So, we were headed to OT.
In the OT period, both teams skated 4×4 so there was more open ice available and interestingly, the tactics of both teams really didn’t change all that much. The details of both teams were strong and there were not a lot of mistakes on either end. There also were not as many shots because both teams were looking to protect possession. Of the shots that were taken? Neither goalie was giving in and triple zeroes would still yield a 0-0 game.
There was some chatter in the stands about what the next move would be: would we go to 3×3 OT or a shootout to pick a winner? The first step would be a 3×3 OT period and that’s where we would finally break our scoreless tie. Once again, both teams were protecting the puck and regrouping to avoid any poke checks or turnovers. The play that would lead to the goal was an interference call being whistled a few minutes in on the Wamps. The Braintree coaching staff was quite animated about the call, which is entirely understandable given the timing and situation but the call stuck and the Rockets went on the power play. With four skaters on the ice, the Rockets would ice this game as junior defenseman Nate Vitarisi threaded a cross-ice pass over to Liam Hansen who would bury it weak side to give Reading the 1-0 win and create a dogpile on the half wall in the attacking zone. This was easily one of the best games of the year in the MIAA and it was a true joy to watch two teams who could not have played better.
Three Stars:
- G Owen Holland, Reading
- G Amir Cullinane, Braintree
- F Liam Hansen, Reading