North Billerica, MA – MassNZ made the trip to Chelmsford Forum as two tickets to the TD Garden were on the line in the D4 Semifinals. First up was the 5:30pm matchup between the Dedham Marauders and the Hudson Hawks. Dedham entered as the 6 seed and Hudson as the 10 seed, both seeking a chance to play on Garden ice. There was a lot of energy in the building early as the parking lot was packed 15 minutes ahead of game time and the student sections had already filed in and started making noise pregame. The Hudson faithful were dressed in backwards jerseys, perhaps an homage to Kris Kross? (Trust us kids, look it up!) On the other side of the ice, the Dedham students were dressed in Hawaiian shirts, shorts and wraparound shades. They also had a crew of shirtless dudes spelling out Dedham on their chests in the front row: full marks for doing so in today’s freezing cold temperatures. In any event, it was a great matchup of two of the last four standing in D4, who would advance? We would soon find out.
In the first period, both teams started quick and relied on the games that got them to this point. Hudson played more physically and strong in the corners, whereas Dedham thrived on speed and creativity in open ice. Both teams were trading chances all period long as Dedham was throwing the puck to space and firing it on net liberally. Hudson’s game plan was throwing it on net and rallying to bang it home: three yards and a cloud of dust (ice chips?). Ultimately, the first ended in a stalemate as neither team could bury one, on we went to the second…
In the second period, this game got more contentious. There was a lot of chatter on the ice and extracurriculars after the whistles. These teams would likely not be exchanging pleasantries postgame. As the period started, the play was fairly even and both teams relied on their strengths, but as we progressed, Dedham seized the momentum. Just four minutes in they broke the seal as senior star Timmy Holton made a nice feed to the royal road and freshman Julian Larabee caught it in stride and snapped it home: 1-0 Marauders. The momentum was Dedham’s and they capitalized again 21 seconds later as junior defender Michael Doyle fired a shot from the slot that was tucked in behind the goalie by junior Pat Stamm: 2-0 Dedham. After that goal it was all Marauders as their team speed and aggressive forecheck caused issues for Hudson. They were also quick to gap up and block shots defensively: there were not many looks in the house for the Hawks. Nine minutes in Dedham would grow their lead as senior defender/forward Brian Dunne tapped a puck in space to Holton who handled the rest as he weaved through the defense and snapped it home: 3-0 Dedham. The Dedham fans were going bonkers and the Marauders continued to step on the accelerator. With just over a minute to play they netted a tic-tac-goal from Holton to Dunne to senior Ryan Laughter at the far post: 4-0 Dedham. Just when you thought the onslaught was over, they added one more as a turnover in the defensive zone created by Laughter led to a second tally in the period by Holton with a quick wrister: 5-0 Dedham. On we went to the third with the Marauders in firm control.
In the final frame, interestingly, the Hawks came out of the locker room early and sat on the bench ready for action with three minutes left on the intermission clock. It almost felt like a chance for the team to soak up this experience, which they did as a raucous crowd met them and dapped them up as they took to the bench. When the period got underway, there was a different feel (and pace) to this one. The Marauders had pulled back on their aggressiveness and largely looked to play keep away for the first half of the frame. The referees put the whistles away and the action moved quickly. As we got into the back half of the period, Dedham created a bevy of chances in the house but they eased up upon arriving at the crease. The remainder of the period was largely academic and despite a few skirmishes after the whistle, Dedham would advance to the D4 Final at TD Garden where they would face the winner of Stoneham and Winthrop. This was a shutout for senior captain Noel Adams.
Three Stars:
- F Timmy Holton, Dedham
- G Noel Adams, Dedham
- F/D Brian Dunne, Dedham