Woburn, MA – MassNZ made the trip to O’Brien Arena tonight to catch two key D3 playoff games to determine who would punch their ticket to the Final Four. First up was the Medfield Warriors vs Melrose Red Raiders and this game was completely packed pregame. Not only was there nowhere to park in the parking lot, but the sidewalk was spoken for as well. Upon entry to the rink, there was a strong fan contingent that took up nearly every seat. On the far end was a raucous Melrose student section dressed in USA regalia and closer to the entrance was a raucous Medfield student section brandishing cowbells. Once the anthems had been belted out, we were ready to go.
In the first period, this was a very evenly played opening 15 minutes. Both teams played with speed, toughness and good awareness to prevent mistakes from burning them on the scoreboard. The opening few minutes remained scoreless, but as we got deeper into the frame it was Melrose that was generating more chances off the rush. They found ways to slip through coverage and create odd-man looks, but Medfield senior goalie Charlie Duggan was a brick wall and shut down the area around the crease. Medfield picked up their physicality later in the frame and that led to a couple of Grade A looks down low but Melrose senior goalie Matt Fuccione shut the door on every shot he saw. These first 15 minutes ended in a 0-0 draw and we awaited the second to see who would break the seal first.
In the second period, once again the game reverted back to a territorial battle. Both teams were strong in their layering and the defenses collectively prevented most shots from entering the house. When shots did get through, Duggan and Fuccione were both on their games and refused to let anything into the back of the net. As the period progressed, the better of the chances belonged to Medfield who was able to chip and chase and use their length to win races and create below the dots. When a penalty was whistled on Melrose six minutes in, that’s when we saw the game’s first goal. Freshman phenom Luke Dickson pulled the puck off the wall and fired it on net and the resulting rebound landed on the stick of senior Joey Nee. He gathered, crept in and wired one past Fuccione to make it 1-0 Medfield. The Warrior faithful went bonkers and you could see Medfield skating with a spring in their step as they continued to put pressure on, but Melrose came back with three Grade A looks of their own minutes later. Duggan stood tall to each shot and kept the puck out: the score after two was Medfield 1, Melrose 0.
In the third period, Melrose came out of the locker room with more intensity and looked to tie this thing up. They were creating chances through the middle of the rink, but Medfield’s defense was big, tough and detailed. As the period wore on, Medfield began to take control and owned most of the possession. The period seemed to be tilted their way and six minutes in they clinched it off a beautiful steal by Dickson who dished it to the royal road and onto the tape on John Shaughnessy who buried it to double the lead to 2-0. From there, Medfield would clamp down and use their physicality to their advantage. There were more than a few dustups after the whistles, but the referees were able to take control and on we went without penalties assessed. Melrose was trying to create odd-man chances off the rush but were struggling to break through as we got later into the period. With 6:17 left their coach called a timeout at an opportune time: they were given a power play and a golden chance to get back in this game. Medfield’s penalty kill stood tall and refused to let them get off any quality shots. The clock ticked down to 1:20 to go and Melrose pulled Fuccione and got a couple of shots on net, but Duggan smothered them in the crease and aggressively challenged the shooters to polish off the shutout. Medfield wins 2-0 to advance to the Final Four. They will take on Bedford on Saturday at Loring Arena at 7:30pm.
Three Stars:
- G Charlie Duggan, Medfield
- F Luke Dickson, Medfield
- G Matt Fuccione, Melrose