Oliver Ames at Mansfield; 2/3/2019; Foxboro Sports Center
Foxboro, MA– This was the second matchup between the Mansfield Hornets and Oliver Ames Tigers. Starting in goal for Oliver Ames was Owen Connor and for Mansfield it was Sean McCafferty between the pipes.
The first period was a back and forth contest with lots of scoring chances for both teams. About seven minutes into the first, Oliver Ames started off a rush leading to a clean zone entry into the offensive zone. In transition from the rush to offense, Brett Williams put home a rebound with the assists coming from James Beatty and Matthew McCormack. The very next shift, Mansfield answered the call and tied it up 1-1. Brad Grant jammed home a loose puck in front of the net to knot things up. Assists on the play coming from Jack Garland and Kevin Belanger. That was all the scoring for period one and it ended in a 1-1.
The second period was an action-packed 15 minutes. Mansfield jumped on the board first with a power play goal from Freshmen defenseman Brian Grant, assists coming from Brad Grant and Jack Garland. Oliver Ames was able to answer back a few shifts later when Bryan Kearns put home a rebound goal to tie it up at 2-2. With five minutes left to play, the Hornets took a penalty which was an issue for the Hornets all night and the Tigers capitalized on the ensuing power play. Brett Williams let a low, hard shot go from the top of the circle to give Oliver Ames the 3-2 lead. That is how the period ended, 3-2 Oliver Ames leading as they head into the 2nd intermission.
Four minutes into the frame, Mansfield Sophomore Matt Copponi took it end-to-end and beat the Tiger goalie and tie it up 3-3. Just minutes later, Oliver Ames responded with a gritty goal off a scrum in front of the net. Collin Bourne put it home to give the Tigers the 4-3 lead. Mansfield pushed back several times but the Oliver Ames defense and goalie Owen Connor stood tall persevering the one-goal lead. With just over a minute to play, Oliver Ames’ Bryan Kearns potted an empty net goal to put them up 5-3. Final 5-3 Oliver Ames with a solid road win.
3 Stars
1st: Brett Williams (Oliver Ames)
2nd: Owen Connor (Oliver Ames)
3rd: Matthew Copponi (Mansfield)
NZ’s Take: Mansfield could not keep themselves out of the box tonight which resulted in 2/5 Power Play goals for Oliver Ames. Sophomore Matthew Copponi showed promise tonight with a nice end to end finish. Senior Brad Grant is steady on the back end for Mansfield and logs a lot of minutes for the Hornets. For Oliver Ames; Forward Brett Williams lead the way with a 2-1-3 for his team in the win tonight. Oliver Ames’ goalie Owen Connor was very good in the net as well. Oliver Ames sweeps the season series with Mansfield. Both teams now sit at 12-5-1 and have clinched post seasons births.
Oliver Ames will compete in the Division 2 South tournament and Mansfield will look to make a run at the Division 1 South title.
