Boys Hockey Rhode Island Tournament Preview

Then freshman, Matt Crowell scores
his first High School goal the last time
Medfield traveled to Burrillville.
(Photo by Shannon Haggerty)

This week the boys hockey team will travel out of state and face off with a couple foes south of the Mass border. As part of the Burrillville Invitational (in Burrillville, Rhode Island) Medfield will take on Lincoln RI and tournament host Burrillville as part of a six-team tournament. The championship game will be based off a goal differential system.

Tonight the contestant is Lincoln and they are a welcome challenge. The Lions hold a perfect 5-0-0 record coming into this game and are riding an impressive 31 game unbeaten streak dating back to February 25th 2012. Last season, they won the Rhode Island Division II State Championship

Breaking down the streak
The lone blemish on the Lions’ record last year was a 3-3 tie with Cumberland on February 1st  and since then they have been perfect. Last year was the first year Lincoln was a member of Division II and when they were in DI in 2012, they did not fare so well. They went 5-11-2 before running the table in DII.

Medfield on the other hand, since losing to Medway last January 10th is 16-0-1-1 (Loss to Pembroke in the playoffs was a shootout loss). Tonight’s game will see one of these teams impressive steaks end and something has to give.
Game 2
Tuesday night, Medfield will face Burrillville, the last team to beat Lincoln. Burrillville is the hometown of Medfield head coach Toby Carlow, who back in the day suited up for the Broncos. This year, Burrillville is 1-2-0 with their lone win coming against Lasalle back on December 20th.
The Last Time The Met
Medfield and Burrillville actually played each other once before. On February 6th 2011 Medfield tripped to Levy Rink (the rink for all tournament games) and dropped the Broncos 3-1 in a very closely contested game.

Boys Hockey Downs Westwood

Weekend In Review

Last weekend was the first weekend of competition on the winter sports schedule.

Girls' basketball kicked off their title defense with a 68-56 win over Bishop Feehan at home on Thursday night. A night later, the boys' hoop team got off to a strong start and never looked back, as they topped two time defending Tri-Valley League champions Norton 53-40 at home. Drew Shea was a standout for the Warriors both on offense and defense.

Boys' hockey rolled past Dover-Sherborn 10-1 on Saturday night. The Warriors picked up goals from seven different people including a hat-trick from Pat Lawler, two goals from John MacLean and Jack Scannel's first as a Warrior. Goalie Steve Ledogar held a shut-out deep into the third period, but DS finally broke the ice with 7:24 left. It was Ledogar's first career start and victory.

The girls' hockey game scheduled for Saturday at 8:00 against Canton was postponed due to the snow. It will moved to a later date and time.

Thanksgiving Game Highlights

Winter Sports Preview

For those of us looking forward to winter sports, the long wait is finally over. This afternoon is the first day of tryouts for the cold weather folks, and so it's only appropriate to preview the coming attractions. The preview will be done in order based on last year’s finish. So for instance, girls' basketball won the State Title so they go first…

Girls' Basketball
Last March, the team won the program’s first-ever State Championship with an impressive tournament run. Before reaching the Boston Garden to play the Eastern Mass Final against Reading, they beat Sandwich (82-36), Bishop Feehan (71-48), Scituate (58-41), and Duxbury (47-43) in the South Sectional Final. They downed the Reading Rockets 59-51 in a thrilling overtime contest. The game at the Garden was Reading’s first loss in 48 games and the win sent the Warriors to the State Championship game at the DCU Center in Worcester. There, they faced the Central Regional Champion in Nashoba Valley Tech and handled them with ease, winning the State Title game, 54-36. 

Girls' basketball celebrates their overtime win over
Reading at the Boston Garden.
(Photo by Theresa Knapp, Medfield Patch)

Medfield also won the TVL for a fifth straight year with an in-league record of 14-0-0.  Also, head coach Mark Nickerson was named Division II coach of the year.

FINAL 2013 RECORD: 25-1-0

This Winter, the team will play the usual 14 Tri-Valley League games in addition to two tournaments (one at Christmastime at Tufts University and one at Babson College at the end of the year) and two non-conference games against Bishop Feehan.

Key Losses: Jen Narlee (1^st Team TVL All-Star) 
Key Returning: Lauren Petit (2013 TVL MVP, Boston Globe All-Scholastic, Boston Herald All-Scholastic), Kristin Fechtelkotter (1^st team TVL All-Star), Payton Ouimette (1^st team TVL All-Star)  

Boys' Hockey 

The team celebrates after a goal against
 Medway.
(Photo by Shannon Haggerty)

It was a tough ending to an overall outstanding year for the hockey team. The squad went 12-1-0 in league play en route to their second TVL championship in as many years and also won the Canalman Cup, a Christmas tournament in Bourne. In the playoffs, Medfield faced Pembroke in the opening round. Eight minutes in, Pembroke had a 3-0 lead on three quick goals. Eventually, Medfield clawed back in it and with about six minutes left, tied it 3-3 to send it into overtime. After dominating the overtime session that decided nothing, Medfield lost in the shootout 2-0 and the season ended long before it should have. 

Out of all the winter sports, boys' hockey had far and away the most All Stars with 11 (there are 24 kids on the team). The next closest was boys' indoor track with five.

FINAL 2013 RECORD: 18-1-1-1

This year, hockey will move up to Division II for the first time in program history. The new division brings a welcome challenge and also opportunity to play some new teams. In nine non-conference games, Medfield will be well traveled as they will play in two in-season tournaments as well as some other not-so-close games. The Christmas tournament this year is south of the border in Burrillville, Rhode Island. The other tournament comes at the end of the schedule and that is in Raynham. 

Key Losses: Ben Cox (1^st team TVL All-Star), Tyler Etzkorn (1^st team TVL All-Star), Tim Haggerty (2^nd team TVL All-Star), John Monahan (TVL Goalie of the Year). 
Key Returning: Matt Crowell (1^st team TVL All-Star), Robert Treiber (1^st team TVL All-Star), Matt Dresens (1^st team TVL All-Star), Pat Lawler (1^st team TVL All-Star), Matt Treiber (2^nd team TVL All-Star), Justin Hirshfield (TVL Honorable Mention), Will Murphy (TVL Honorable Mention) 

Boys' Basketball
Last season, the Big Blue lost a series of close games that in the end, cost them the TVL title. They finished 11-7-0 in league play. In the State Tournament, the 10th seeded Warriors drew 7th seeded Tech Boston/Dorchester. Tech played a style of ball that the Warriors were not accustomed to and ousted Medfield in the first round of the South Regional by a score of 69-52.

FINAL 2013 Record: 13-8-0

Key Losses: John Zimmerman (2nd Team TVL All Star), Remy Fragola (TVL Honorable Mention), Matt Pembroke

Key Returning: Drew Shea (2nd Team TVL All Star), Brian Hunter.  

Girls' Hockey 

Last winter, the girls' hockey team scrambled toward the end of the season  to just sneak into the playoffs, drawing a first round match-up with Walpole. Medfield was actually the higher seed at 16 and Walpole was 17. Medfield got on the board in the first period, but a late third period goal for the Rebels sent the game to overtime, where nothing was decided.  The game, much like the boys' loss ended in a shootout with Walpole scoring the lone goal and ousting the Warriors 2-1. Walpole lost in the next round to the number one seed and eventual State Champions, Duxbury.

FINAL 2013 RECORD: 10-8-3

Girls' hockey is one of the only winter sport that does not compete in the Tri-Valley League. Instead, they are in the South Eastern Mass Girls Hockey League (SEMGHL). In league play, the will face North Quincy, Dover-Sherborn, Franklin, Mansfield, Westwood and Medway/Ashland.  

Key losses: Mimi Borkan (SEMGHL All Star, All Mass Team), Nicole Reardon (SEMGHL)

Indoor Track 

The boys finished last year with a strong 7-1 record and had five TVL All Stars. Greg Lyons, Gordon White, Ian Robertson, Sean Robertson, and Austin Scola all finished with TVL honors. Lyons and White made first team, while the other three were second teamers. Lyons is the only non-returning member.

For the girls, they finished the season 6-2. Both Taylor Worthy and Kristina Gustafson were named first team All Stars. Worthy, who graduated last year, was also the league MVP. Lauren Rimmel and Kate Letai were both named to the second team all TVL.

Both the boys' and girls' schedules are identical. They will face all 9 other TVL schools starting with Norton on the 11th. 

Swimming

The boys' team finished 4-5 with a 3-2 record in the TVL. Alec and Connor Haley along with Alex Carpion and Andrew Martin were all TVL All Stars. For the girls, Jenn Alban, Natascha Borgstein, Meridith Bertoni and Haley Dolan were TVL All Stars. The squad finished with a 3-5 overall record and a 3-2 TVL record.

Gymnastics

They finished 5-3 on the year and 9th in the All State Meet. This year, they will have 9 meets, starting with a road trip to Barnstable on the 21st.