Buzzards Bay Showcase Recap Central

We at Neutral Zone are pumped to be a part of the Buzzards Bay Showcase: we are selecting the Three Stars from every game and attending most of the games in-person to get a look at these players. With this in mind, we are also planning on providing post-game recaps of the games we see, but not all of them can be delivered same-day due to playing so many games back-to-back. So, consider this your home for all things recap! Below, as you scroll you will find recaps of the games we have seen, in the order they happen. Keep hitting refresh as more game recaps will be added as we get deeper into the proceedings!

Friday March 12

Watertown, MA – Neutral Zone was on hand at the John A. Ryan Arena to take in the first matchup of the Buzzards Bay Showcase, a battle between the Lincoln-Sudbury Warriors and the Lowell Red Raiders. The game was certainly a memorable one, most notably for its high-scoring nature and fast pace of play. This would end up leading to quite a lively first game of this tournament, one that will be pretty hard to replicate. 

It didn’t take long for this one to get out of hand. Lincoln-Sudbury quickly got on the board when senior Jacob Noyes fired one home from the slot after a shot careened off the glass onto the forward’s stick three minutes into the contest. From there, the game snowballed. Dane Carter and Frankie DeTraglia would alternate scoring the next four goals, making the game 5-0 less than halfway through the first period. Sophomore Lowell forward Colin Pickett would get one back after battling on top of the crease to cut into the LS lead, making the game 5-1. From there, LS would pile on some more. Sophomore Liam Mulcahy would get on the board next for the Warriors, bringing their lead back to five goals. Senior forward Jack Lanzillo would then get on the board twice after Mulcahy in this period, making the score 8-1 at the first buzzer. The final two-thirds of this game then saw some extremely compelling action from both sides of the ice. Lincoln-Sudbury continued to keep up their excellent offensive attack, while Lowell fought valiantly to get back into this game, but would unfortunately not find the back of the net again. One standout from the Lowell side was goaltender Aiden Lavoie. The sophomore only played briefly, but positioned himself well and made some astounding saves to keep his side involved. After the final buzzer, the game would end officially 8-1 in favor of the Warriors. 

Three Stars: 

  1. F Frankie DeTraglia, Lincoln-Sudbury
  2. F Jack Lanzillo, Lincoln-Sudbury
  3. F Sean Cadogan, Lincoln-Sudbury

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Watertown, MA – Neutral Zone was on hand for the second frame of the Buzzards Bay Showcase, this time an entertaining matchup between the Tewksbury Redmen and the Chelmsford Lions. The two teams battled it out over three fifteen minute periods, and both were able to showcase their skills effectively throughout the showdown. 

The first period was a story of two halves. For the first 7:30, the Chelmsford Lions dominated the play. A majority of this time was spent within the Lions offensive zone, but the Redmen were excellent at stifling the Lions offensive threats and shutting down any type of cross-crease effort, a commonality in the Chelmsford offense. Redmen goalie Benjamin O’Keefe was also excellent throughout the entire matchup, but specifically throughout this timeframe to keep the score even for his side. From there, the tides flipped in favor of Tewksbury. First, they began picking off Chelmsford passes and creating chances with their counterattack, then they were able to establish zone time and got even more excellent opportunities that way. Senior Lions goalie Nick Glennon was strong between the pipes, however, thwarting any Tewksbury efforts. The score remained knotted at 0 at the first intermission. 

From the start of the second period, and for the rest of the game, both teams played extremely physically. This would lead to the first power play of the game, an advantage for Chelmsford. For the next two minutes, the Lions dominated possession, but could not find the back of the net. With 5:21 remaining in the frame, the tie was finally broken. Stand-out junior defenseman Caden Connors fired a shot from the point off a faceoff, and the puck flew through a crowd of players and into the back of the Lions net, 1-0 Redmen. Not even a minute after the initial goal, the Redmen found the back of the net again. This time, junior forward Cole Stone helped execute a beautiful give-and-go sequence with Matthew Cooke, where the freshman buried the puck to double the Lions lead. This score would hold into the third period, where the Redmen picked up where they left off. Sophomore defenseman Nicholas Dicioccio scooped up the puck off a Lions defensive zone turnover, made a nice move around the goaltender and stashed home the final Redmen goal. Tempers began to flare on both sides, leading to different penalties, but no scoring change until 2:36 remaining in the third. A Manny Carvalho point shot got the Lions on the board, which led to an exciting end to the game, with Chelmsford at one point had a 6-on-4 opportunity to try and get the game back to even. However, this goal would be too little too late, as the game would end 3-1 in favor of the Redmen. 

Three Stars:

  1. D Caden Connors, Tewksbury
  2. F Cole Stone, Tewksbury
  3. G Benjamin O’Keefe, Tewksbury

Saturday, March 13

Watertown, Massachusetts – Junior Waltham goaltender Jack Perry led the charge from beginning to end, stymying the Natick offense in a 3-0 shutout. Perry had an answer for anything Natick threw at him, especially late in the third standing his ground in tight while flashing his glove on two great scoring opportunities.  Natick carried most of the play in the first with extended offensive zone time including a bullet off the stick of Timmy Cushing that rang the crossbar with less than two minutes to play in the first. Waltham didn’t waste any time in the second as senior Dylan Fogg got behind the Natick defense and displayed some quick hands before sliding it by Luc Gagnon just 42 seconds into the frame. Fogg was the best forward on the ice for either team playing with pace and urgency every shift.  Waltham bookended the scoring when senior Matt O’Toole redirected a nice feed from Anthony Attardo that surprised Gagnon for a 2-0 lead. Natick tried to push back in the third creating several good chances, but Perry was up to the task.  Fogg capped off the scoring into an empty net off an unselfish play from O’Toole.  

Three Stars

  1. G Jack Perry #1 (SO),  Waltham
  2. F Dylan Fogg #3 (two goals),  Waltham
  3. F Anthony Attardo #12 (assist),  Waltham

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne, Massachusetts for the Buzzard’s Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Marshfield Rams faced off against the Framingham Flyers.

The opening frame set the pace for the entire game. Marshfield came out flying and put the Flyers on their heels. Even when Framingham was pressing, the Rams forwards would always be back to help. This was evident when Jake Mastrangelo backchecked to prevent a breakaway opportunity and then drew a tripping penalty. After the ensuing powerplay, Mastrangelo’s shot was redirected in front by Cam McGettrick for what would eventually become the game-winner. Framingham would not go away easily, as they upped their intensity and played much more physically. After offsetting penalties were awarded, Mastrangelo scored a beautiful shot from the right faceoff dot to double their lead (he would then get cross-checked in the back of the neck immediately after he scored, this game was clearly getting chippy). McGettrick would score again this time going bar down for the goal to close out the period at 3-0.

The second period was a bit of a different story. Framingham set the tone to start and were more willing to engage than their opposition. After several offsetting penalties were handed out, and some stellar play by both netminders, Marshfield found themselves having to kill a 5 on 3 power play that would last nearly 1:50. However, they were bailed out by their goaltender Aidan Healey who was laser-focused on the night. Soon after, McGettrick would snipe yet again for his third of the night, extending the Marshfield lead to 4-0, which is how we would enter the third period.

The third period played out in a game whose outcome at this stage was all but a formality. Framingham successfully killed off a penalty at the start, but they simply looked disinterested at this point. They were losing seemingly every puck battle, and were never rewarded on the scoreboard for their efforts. Their opportunity for redemption came when Marshfield took a five minute major for a hot to the head. However, this would be shut down completely by Healey who saved every shot he faced on the night, ending the game with a shutout and leading his team to a convincing victory.

Three Stars:

  1. G Aidan Healey, Marshfield
  2. F Cam McGettrick, Marshfield
  3. F Jake Mastrangelo, Marshfield

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne, Massachusetts for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Newton South Lions faced off against the Falmouth Clippers.

The opening frame proved to be a sign of things to come for this matchup. Both teams set a very high pace for the game and chances were happening at both ends of the ice. Newton South was definitely leaning more towards the physical game and were getting better scoring chances as a result. Not to mention their goalie was impressive in the beginning, the Lions were controlling this game. This led to the opening tally scored by Ryan Quirk off of a deflection in front to give Newton South the lead halfway through the first period. After killing a penalty late in the period, Falmouth capitalized when Rob Cardillo scored to tie the game heading into the first intermission.

Falmouth came out the gates applying tons of pressure with a nasty forecheck that Newton South simply could not handle. Despite this, Newton South committed a tripping penalty which led to Darren McDonald getting on the board on the power play. Falmouth would end up scoring yet again with under a minute left when Evan Hallissey fired one home. The second period ended at 3-2 in favor of a surging Falmouth.

The third period was full of high intensity battles on every play. Neither team was willing to give an inch in this frame. Falmouth was able to rally after their goaltender made some stellar saves when Kevin Norwood scored nearly halfway through the final period. However Newton South answered just moments later when Max Lieman scored to cut the deficit to just one. Despite their efforts, the Lions simply provided too little too late and skated to a 4-3 loss at the hands of the Falmouth Clippers in what was an exciting contest from both teams.

Three Stars:

  1. F Kevin Norwood, Falmouth
  2. F Evan Hallissey, Falmouth
  3. D Ed Tarmey, Newton South

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne, Massachusetts for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Hingham Harbormen faced off against the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans.

The first period of this game was essentially how the rest of the game would pan out; Hingham used their size and skill advantage to control the game despite the score being close throughout. On an early power play, Hingham scored a beautiful tic-tac-toe goal finished off by Aidan Brazel. Not to be outdone, the Trojans were the beneficiaries of some fortunate puck luck as a bizarre goal hopped in past the Hingham goaltender, crediting Dean Mason with the tally. Hingham would go on to suffocate the Trojans defenders with a deadly forecheck that caused Bridgewater-Raynham all sorts of trouble. Had it not been for some penalties taken by the Harbormen, the first period may have ended with a more spread out score, rather than its reality of 1-1.

The second period started with a bang for Hingham as Lars Osterberg fired home a missile of a shot to take the lead in the first 30 seconds of the period while shorthanded. Hingham went on to dominate the next few minutes of action until Ryan Concannon scored on an impressive breakaway deke to tie the game once again. Hingham would soon retaliate when Bill Jacobus scored a cross-crease goal to regain the lead. Halfway through the period, Hingham found themselves having to kill off a 5-on-3 power play. They were successful in this thanks to their goaltender making some terrific saves. However, Bridgewater-Raynham seemed re-energized after their failed man advantage and were pushing back against the Harbormen. Hingham continued to have quality chances down the stretch but the Trojans’ goaltender kept them in the game as they headed into the third period with Hingham leading 3-2. 

Hingham started the final frame by killing off a penalty. This is when they started to up their physical game and really put it on the Trojans, wearing them out and taking command of the game. After killing a penalty halfway through the period with a spirited effort from Osterberg, Hingham was getting ready to close out the show. With another goal late to ice the game, Hingham skated to a 4-2 victory over the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans.

Three Stars:

  1. F Aidan Brazel, Hingham
  2. F Ryan Concannon, Bridgewater-Raynham
  3. F Lars Osterberg, Hingham

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Sunday, March 14

Watertown, MA – The Buzzards Bay Showcase kicked off today at John A. Ryan Arena with another entertaining matchup. NZ was on hand to see the Tewksbury Redmen take on the Waltham Hawks in an early afternoon tilt. 

The story of the first period was written by two authors: the goaltenders. Starting in net for the Redmen was Chase Perault. The senior was fantastic in the first period, where he thwarted all but one of many excellent Hawks opportunities. The first goal of the game was scored near the beginning of the frame by forward Dylan Fogg. The senior received an excellent pass from defenseman Justin Cormier while the Hawks were on the power play, and the shot was perfectly placed to beat Perault. From there, the Redmen had ample opportunity to bring the game even, including multiple man advantages, but they were met by junior Jack Perry in net each and every time. Perry made some vital saves through the first, but none bigger than a multi-save sequence while down two men that kept his team on top. The Hawks took this lead into the first intermission. 

For the second period, the Redmen came out firing. Within the first five minutes, forward Jason Cooke fired a shot from the point that managed to miss all the bodies in front to find the back of the net, evening the game for the Redmen.  Shortly after the first goal, Tewksbury got on the board again. During a delayed penalty, sophomore forward Ryan Flynn banged home a shot from the top of the crease, which caused a little bit of controversy. Waltham insisted they touched up and the play should have been blown dead, which led to a Hawks penalty. This extra penalty, coupled with a major penalty which was still in effect, gave the Redmen a 5-on-3 advantage. During this advantage, junior forward Aaron Connelly deflected home a Will O’Keefe point shot, doubling their team’s lead going into the second intermission. 

In between periods, you could tell Waltham was both frustrated with their play in the second, but motivated enough to change the tides of this game. Just over 90 seconds into the third, this motivation started to get the ball rolling for the Hawks. During a 5-on-3 advantage of their own, senior forward Matt O’Toole tipped in a Justin Cormier shot from the point and brought their team back within one. Four minutes after the first Hawks goal, they got on the board again. Justin Cormier put home a goal of his own when he moved in clean and ripped a shot bar down to tie the game, and the Hawks were clearly hyped up. Tempers began to flare more towards the end, both teams were throwing the body around and both had some very excellent scoring opportunities. It wouldn’t be until the final few minutes of the third that someone would break through. Matt O’Toole of Waltham got on the board again in the waning seconds of the third period on the power play with an excellent shot to give the Hawks the lead. Tewksbury would then pull their goaltender and create some Grade A looks and it appeared as though they would tie the game, until Waltham defenseman DJ Caissie shot the puck from his own zone into the yawning cage at the other end to ice the game for his side. An extremely entertaining, back-and-forth battle would end a 5-3 victory in favor of the Hawks of Waltham. 

Three Stars: 

  1. F Matt O’Toole, Waltham
  2. F Dylan Fogg, Waltham
  3. F Ryan Flynn, Tewksbury

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Watertown, MA – This game between Lincoln-Sudbury and Framingham had a little bit of everything from start to finish. Goals, hits, majors and even two goal comebacks on both sides, before being capped off with an overtime winner. Both teams exchanged goals in the first as Lincoln-Sudbury’s Frankie DeTraglia cashed in on a turnover while John Halpin leveled the score just one minute later. The Flyers stretched their lead to two with goals 27 seconds apart before Hunter Balducci was whistled for a slashing major. The Warriors scored three times, two by Jacob Noyes to lead 4-3 after 30 minutes. The Flyers answered early in the third thanks to Joe Ferrante, but it was short lived as Noyes completed his hat trick and reclaimed a one goal lead for LS. DeTraglia made it 6-4 with a power play goal before the game was muddled with several penalties, including another major and two 10-minute misconducts. Framingham was running short on time as the teams skated three-on-three the last two minutes, creating very little pressure until Balducci and PJ Farese scored 12 seconds apart and tied the game 6-6 with 1:36 remaining in regulation. The Flyers started overtime with a power play, producing nothing before a whistle sent it back to 3-on-3.  Tommy Duane collected the puck and used speed through the neutral zone to enter the attacking zone before snapping one home, sending the Flyers faithful home with a comeback 7-6 win. 

Three Stars:

  1. F Tommy Duane, Framingham
  2. F Jacob Noyes, Lincoln-Sudbury
  3. F John Halpin, Framingham

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne, Massachusetts for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Marshfield Rams faced off against the Lowell Red Raiders.

The first frame started off with a bang, as 14 seconds in Daniel Kane scored for Marshfield off a bounce off the back wall. Thirty seconds later Jake Mastrangelo for Marshfield scored a rebound goal. Marshfield clearly was riding the momentum from their 4-0 victory less than 24 hours ago. Lowell began to wake up and create a bit of offense for themselves, but their opportunities still paled in comparison to the Rams’. At the half point of the first period the Rams were totally in control of the game, dominating the Red Raiders in their own end. Lowell had the ability to produce an occasional rush here and there, but almost no sustainable attacks. However towards the end of the 1st, Lowell’s forecheck was effective, giving the Rams problems getting out of their own end. The first period came to its conclusion with Marshfield in the lead at 2-0.

Marshfield came out the gates flying to start the second period with a flurry of chances. The Rams dominated the first five minutes of the second, in what felt like a power play situation despite the game being played at even strength. It was impressive to watch how effectively Marshfield was cycling the puck to create quality chances for themselves. At the halfway mark it was clear that Lowell goaltender Jake Vieira was keeping his team in the game, as there were several Marshfield shots that very well could have ended up in the net. Marshfield continued to have Grade A opportunities shut down by the Lowell goaltender, who seemingly had no quit in his game. Marshfield goaltender Brady Quackenbush made a tough save on a breakaway, which was a rare test for him in this period. Towards the end of the period, the game got more physical from both teams. Cam McGettrick of Marshfield scored a one-time goal in front off a close-quarters feed from Mastrangelo with two minutes to go in the period. After yet another heavy offensive attack from the Rams, the period ended with Marshfield leading 3-0.

The third period began with both teams trading chances at each end of the ice. After a somewhat chaotic start to the period, Marshfield was able to regain control of the game’s pace. One of the main reasons for their success was the fact that they would swarm their opposition as soon as they gained possession, making it nearly impossible for them to generate any notable offense. Tommy Carroll of Marshfield scored off a netfront feed from Andrew Guilfoyle at the halfway mark of the third period to extend their lead. Right after the goal, Lowell goaltender Jake Vieira made an unbelievable save diving across his crease to deny the chance. Despite this, Marshfield refused to take their foot off the gas as they continued to dominate down the stretch. The Marshfield Rams completed yet another statement win for this tournament, winning 4-0 for their second straight shutout performance.

Three Stars:

  1. F Jake Mastrangelo, Marshfield
  2. G Brady Quackenbush, Marshfield
  3. F Cam McGettrick, Marshfield

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne, Massachusetts for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Newton South Lions faced off against the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans.

Both teams entered this matchup with something to prove, as they both fell short in their games the day before. The initial five minutes of this game provided some intriguing back and forth from both teams as they traded chances at both ends of the ice. Newton South was able to generate some creative passing plays that caused some problems for the Trojans. The Lions were able to build off of this success and essentially dictated the pace for the first half of the period. Bridgewater-Raynham goaltender Jeff Coyle remained poised despite facing constant pressure. Newton South’s Jake Urquiola (Lion for the tournament as he normally plays for Newton North) scored a rebound goal from Eli DeenerChodirker with 5:20 remaining in the first period to take the 1-0 lead. This proved to be a wakeup call for the Trojans as they upped their game and intensity following the goal. The Trojans made it a point to finish every check and they settled into a groove towards the end of the opening frame. Newton South quickly responded with some effective offensive possessions that were shut down by Jeff Coyle. The Lions exited the first with a 1-0 lead.

Bridgewater-Raynham came out for the second period with tons of energy. Despite this, they were still outmatched in their own end which led to a Lions’ deflection goal by Ryan Quirk just over a minute into the period. Newton South used this momentum to increase their pressure and take control of the game. At the halfway point Newton South was generating a plethora of quality chances, forcing the Trojans to play on their heels. Boaz Sonderling from Newton South scored an impressive five-hole goal on the odd-man rush to extend the Lions’ lead to 3-0. At this point, Newton South was neutralizing any oncoming attacks from their opponents with relative ease. With seven seconds left we saw offsetting minor penalties, the first infractions of the game. The second period came to an end with the Lions operating on cruise control, leading the Trojans 3-0.

Once again, the Trojans were the more energetic team to start the third period. By utilizing their physicality and focusing on executing their forecheck, Bridgewater-Raynham were able to find some success early on. Their newly found spark led to Newton South committing a tripping minor, putting the Trojans on the man advantage. This was a huge opportunity to get themselves back in the game.The Trojans were impressive in their ability to cycle the puck to open up passing lanes. Despite the Trojans best efforts, they were stood up by the Lions’ goaltender Nathan Lacoste as the man advantage came to a conclusion. At the halfway point of the third period it was clear that Bridgewater-Raynham needed a goal quickly, but Newton South was simply not allowing them the opportunity. Late in the game and still trailing by three, the Trojans made a last ditch effort by applying pressure on the forecheck and creating offensive opportunities. Their efforts would come too little too late, as the Newton South Lions skated to a 3-0 victory.

Three Stars:

  1. G Nathan Lacoste, Newton South
  2. F Boaz Sonderling, Newton South
  3. F Jake Urquiola, Newton South

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne, Massachusetts for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Falmouth Clippers faced off against the Hingham Harbormen.

Right away it was evident that Hingham had a significant size advantage when the two teams stood in their benches beside each other. Unphased by the larger opposition, Falmouth played well in the opening minutes. This, coupled with a fantastic save by the Clippers goaltender Jack Braga made for an exciting start to the game. Soon after, Falmouth’s Darren McDonald flew down the right wing and sniped high shortside to give his team the early lead. As a whole, it seemed that Falmouth was flying early, which led to their success in transition. Hingham seemingly wanted to make their physical game a priority which did help their offensive options open up. Despite this, with under five minutes to go in the period Falmouth’s Kevin Norwood (visiting from Plymouth North) scored a beautiful backhand shot off the post and in on the feed from Evan Hallissey. A huge difference maker in this period was how effective Falmouth was in executing their forecheck. Their ability to do so is what led to their second goal, and plenty of other chances. Falmouth then committed a cross-checking penalty with three minutes to go in the period, giving Hingham a much needed power play. Thirty seconds into the man advantage Hingham’s Paul Forbes scored a missile of a one-timer from the right faceoff dot on the feed from Chase McKenna to cut the lead in half. Then with 1:30 to go in the first period Falmouth’s Evan Hallissey (another Plymouth North Eagle) ran the opposing goaltender. That earned him a five-minute major and a game disqualification, as the Hingham goaltender would need to be helped off the ice. With Hingham backup Luke Merian now in net, the Harbormen went to work on their five-minute power play. The period ended with Falmouth in the lead at 2-1.

Hingham started the second period with about three and a half minutes left on their man advantage. With a minute and a half left on the power play, Falmouth committed a minor penalty for a cross-check. This was a huge opportunity for Hingham to capitalize on a long 5-on-3. Hingham’s Chase McKenna scored on a laser of a shot that went bar down on the power play to even the game at two apiece. Hingham’s goaltender Luke Merian made a spectacular save and did a full split, leading to another Harbormen goal by Sean Garrity to take the lead. Then right after the Harbormen drew a tripping call, putting them back on the man advantage. Hingham was buzzing and the energy in the building had completely shifted in their favor. Hingham’s spirited power play was fueled by their superb puck movement, which is one of the reasons why they had the most deadly power play unit so far in the tournament. Despite the Harbormen’s best efforts, Falmouth was able to kill off the penalty. Soon after, John Choueiri scored on a wrister for Hingham that increased their lead to two. Hingham then proceeded to dominate at even strength as if they still had the man advantage. With a minute to go in the period, it was clear the intensity of this game was reaching its boiling point as the play got more chippy and the cheers grew louder. Hingham exited the second period with a 4-2 lead.

At the start of a highly anticipated third period, Hingham’s Aidan Brazel ripped a shot on the rush to extend the lead to 5-2. Falmouth’s Darren McDonald scored a rebound goal soon after. The game had begun to balance out as chances were happening at both ends of the ice. Paul Forbes then scored on an impressive deke to increase Hingham’s lead to three with less than five to go in the game. Hingham continued to pressure the Clippers in their own end as things ramped up physically which led to yet another Hingham power play. Less than ten seconds into the power play, Allu Linna scored in tight to capitalize on the man advantage, assisted by Ronan Mulkerrin and Tommy McNally. With two minutes left in the game, the result seemed to be a formality as Hingham would continue to dominate the contest. With 90 seconds left in the game, Darren McDonald would finish a deke on the breakaway to complete his hat trick. Right after, Falmouth committed another minor penalty to put Hingham on the power play again. Hingham’s Tommy McNally then scored with 12 seconds left and ended the game with a final score of 8-4.

Three Stars:

  1. F Paul Forbes, Hingham
  2. F Darren McDonald, Falmouth
  3. F Chase McKenna, Hingham

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Thursday, March 18

Bourne, MA – We took another drive down to the Cape in order to take in the second weekend of action as part of the Buzzards Bay Showcase. The first game on the day featured the Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans vs the Falmouth Clippers from Gallo Arena. Falmouth was aggressive from jump street and owned the majority of the action in the first period. The Clippers played good, strong, assertive hockey and BR’s saving grace was the strong goaltending of Richard Popson, who kept the Trojans in this contest early and as a result, the score after 1 was tied at zero. The second period featured more of the same. Falmouth had plenty of chances but could not find the back of the net.  The Trojans struggled to kickstart their offense and rode their hot goalie for another stanza and after two, it was still tied at zero. The third period was a totally different game. The Trojan forward Dean Mason opened the scoring with a great goal off of a D zone turnover with assists going to D Shane Breslin and F Sam Hoffses. Falmouth broke the seal on their end off a nice rebound goal by visiting F Kevin Norwood (Plymouth North).  That was the final goal the Clippers would score on the night.  The Trojans followed with two more goals from F Jack Dion and F Kyle Wilcox and they tacked on an empty net goal by F Ben Kmito.  The story of this game was the goaltending by both Trojan goalies (Popson and Jeff Coyle) who split the contest and were the key to keeping their team in the game to allow them to explode for four tallies in the final period. Final score: 4-1 Trojans win. This loss by Falmouth eliminated them from Semifinal consideration.

Three Stars:

  1. G Richard Popson, Bridgewater-Raynham
  2. F Dean Mason, Bridgewater-Raynham
  3. F Kevin Norwood, Falmouth

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Bourne, MA – We took another drive down to the Cape in order to take in the second weekend of action as part of the Buzzards Bay Showcase. The second game on the day featured the Tewksbury Redmen vs the Natick Redhawks from Gallo Arena. Tewksbury opened this game with a great shorthanded goal by star defenseman Caden Connors. In a great individual effort, he created a turnover at the Tewksbury blue line and took it up ice and sniped a short-side goal.  Throughout this entire game, the Redmen never took their foot off the gas. In the second period, Tewksbury added two more goals from sniper F Jason Cooke and a second from D Caden Connors while continuing to own the puck possession. In the third period, Connors completed his hat trick to sew up this result with the assist going to Will O’Keefe. In order to break up the shutout, Natick did make some noise as the third period progressed, with goals by big rig F Nick Polymeros and sophomore F Liam McWhinnie to cut the deficit in half, but that’s as close as the Redhawks would get. Final score: Tewksbury wins 4-2. This loss eliminates Natick from Semifinal contention and puts Tewksbury in the hunt for the wild card playoff spot.

Three Stars:

  1. D Caden Connors, Tewksbury
  2. F Jason Cooke, Tewksbury
  3. F Nick Polymeros, Natick

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Bourne, MA – We took another drive down to the Cape in order to take in the second weekend of action as part of the Buzzards Bay Showcase. The third game on the day featured the Hingham Harbormen vs the Newton South Lions from Gallo Arena. Hingham came out of the gates flying right from Jump Street. Despite playing with pace, the Lions were able to crack the scoreboard first. Newton South’s Max Lieman scored a quick goal on the first shot of the game for his team. Hingham would waste no time getting that back when junior Ryan Burns tipped a puck out front to find the back of the net and it up. Rushing right back Lions forward Camden Cardamone buried a juicy rebound to end the first period with a 2-1 Newton South lead. In the second period Hingham distanced themselves by scoring three straight goals. Forward Bill Jacobus scored his first with a heads up rebound putback in front of the cage.  Next was forward Sean Garrity for the Harbormen with the assists coming from captain Paul Forbes and Drew Carleton. Just minutes later Jacobus would bury his second rebound of the period giving Hingham a 4-2 lead.  The period was largely owned by Hingham however, Newton South forward Tim Dobies scored late in the period to keep the game in reach at 4-3. Hingham kept the pressure up the entire third period, getting another goal from striker Lars Osterberg and capping off a great performance with an empty netter from Aidan Brazel. Final score: 5-3 Hingham wins and Newton South was eliminated from playoff contention.

Three Stars:

1. F Bill Jacobus, Hingham
2. F Paul Forbes, Hingham
3. F Nathan Cohen, Newton South

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Friday, March 19

Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone had their eyes on this entertaining matchup between the Red Raiders of Lowell and Flyers of Framingham. As the Buzzards Bay Showcase is coming to an end, this game saw the two sides play competitive hockey, despite the fact that both teams could no longer qualify for the playoffs. Both sides’ goaltenders kept them in the game and made this one fun to watch. 

Throughout the first period, the defense and goaltenders wrote the story for both sides. The biggest standout among the skaters of both sides was Lowell defenseman and captain Keegan Cote. Cote was able to move the puck with ease to create opportunities for his side, while also shutting down the Framingham attack while he was on the ice. However, Framingham goaltender Kyle Patriarca stood on his head throughout this period, where he stood on his head to keep his side in this game. Initially, Framingham had a goal waved off, which initially looked like it would open the scoring. Then, only a few minutes later, F Tommy Duane would officially open the scoring for Framingham. The puck deflected off a few defenders to land clean on the forward’s stick, where he took advantage of this opportunity, and ripped a shot home to give his side the lead. This lead would hold into the first intermission. 

This game would keep the same narrative when the game entered the second. Nearly immediately, Framingham continued to pile onto their lead. D Dom Leone of the Flyers got on the board barely two minutes into the second. The defender picked up the puck and was able to find the back of the net with little effort to double his team’s lead with a majority of the game still left intact. Only shortly after this goal, Cole Deletti got on the board to add to his team’s lead. Deletti picked up the puck off a turnover in his offensive zone and capitalized on this opportunity to increase his side’s lead to 3-0.  The third period began the way the Flyers would want, defensively. Framingham did their best to keep the puck deep within their offensive zone, keeping the Raiders away from their net and keeping the shutout intact. This remained the case until there were under two minutes remaining where junior Lowell forward Nathaniel Haley put one home. Off an offensive zone faceoff, Haley picked up and simply fired an unsuspecting shot past the Framingham goalie to cut his team’s deficit to two. However, this would be too little too late, as Framingham would hold off any Lowell offensive attempt to maintain their lead and win the game; a 3-1 victory. 

Three Stars: 

  1. G Kyle Patriarca, Framingham
  2. D Dom Leone, Framingham
  3. D Keegan Cote, Lowell

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Bourne, MA – The final round robin game of the Buzzard’s Bay Showcase tonight gave us something that we’ve been longing for, a defensive matchup. This game between Marshfield and Lincoln Sudbury began with an extreme emphasis on this part of the game, with most offensive possessions being shut down from the start. Both teams would use this to set the tone, which lead to an excellent game from both sides. 

In the first period, the story was written by both goaltenders. First, Marshfield goaltender Aidan Healey stood on his head in the beginning of the first period to preserve the shutout for his side. Lincoln Sudbury goaltender Logan Herguth had an extremely similar performance, which held the game scoreless until the waning moments of the first period. With under a minute to go in the first period, sophomore defenseman Brady Clark was able to find the back of the net from the slot to open the scoring for the Rams, a lead they would take into the first intermission. The second period followed an extremely similar narrative as the first. One goal was scored in this frame, a clean shot through by junior forward Dan Kane put one home to double his squad’s lead prior to the third period. 

The third period followed much the same pattern. Marshfield cycled out their two goaltenders, but both stood strong between the pipes, keeping their side of the scoresheet clean for the majority of this game. It wasn’t until the last five minutes when senior Lincoln Sudbury forward Jacob Noyes would find the back of the net to get his Warriors on the board. This goal would help Lincoln Sudbury mount a comeback attempt, but it would be too little too late by that point. The Marshfield Rams would be able to hold on to their victory to advance into the playoffs of the Buzzard’s Bay Showcase with a 3-1 victory. They will face Tewksbury at 6pm tomorrow.

Three Stars:

  1. F Dan Kane, Marshfield
  2. G Brady Quackenbush, Marshfield
  3. F Jacob Noyes, Lincoln Sudbury

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Saturday, March 20

Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Tewksbury Redmen faced off against the Marshfield Rams in the semifinals on Saturday.

The opening moments of the game provided some exciting, high-paced action going end-to-end with Tewksbury leading in the physicality department. This led to them being shorthanded around a minute in due to interference. Marshfield had an active power play but came up short on the scoreboard. Soon after their man advantage expired, the Rams took a penalty sending them to the kill. Then a minute into the power play, the Rams took a second consecutive penalty for a hit from behind, providing Tewksbury with a minute of a 5-on-3 power play time. After their man advantage failed, Redmen forward John Beatrice scored on a rebound off a 2-on-1 shot by Sean Lane to put the Redmen in the lead at 1-0. Beatrice had a golden opportunity on his next shift to score on an open net in front of the crease, but the diving backcheck effort of Daniel Kane from Marshfield denied him the opportunity. Tewksbury was getting the better quality chances but Marshfield was still playing at a high pace and keeping the game somewhat even. With thirty seconds left in the period, both teams were given offsetting penalties. The tension in this game was rising and the players were responding with increased physical play. The period came to a close with Tewksbury ahead 1-0.

The start of the second period proved to be reflective of the first period, fast paced action at both ends. However, we saw Marshfield was now the team leading the physical game. Three and a half minutes into the period, Marshfield would take their third hit from behind penalty, all of which occurred in open ice. The Rams would respond with a suffocating penalty kill where they gave up seemingly no quality chances. This was a huge statement for Marshfield after being outplayed in the opening frame. Tewksbury responded with a plethora of chances in front of the net that were all denied by Marshfield goaltender Aidan Healey. Immediately at the other end, Tewksbury’s star defender Caden Connors had a diving block that saved a goal for his team. Both teams were operating at maximum effort, raising the stakes even higher for this game. Solid chances were occurring at both ends, but both goaltenders proved to be too sharp. That was until Tewksbury’s big junior forward Jason Cooke finished a shot in front off a 3-on-1 feed from Cole Stone to double their lead to 2-0 with just over a minute left in the second period. Marshfield then found themselves in penalty trouble yet again with 40 seconds left in the second period. They proceeded to piece together an effective kill to close out the period trailing by two.

After killing off the spillover penalty minutes Marshfield was being outshot 30-6 and needed to generate some offense. Tewksbury would merit an interference call three minutes into the period, giving the Rams a much-needed man advantage. After a very active power play, the score remained the same. Halfway through the period saw Marshfield getting pinned in their own end, thankfully Aidan Healey turned away all of the quality chances to keep his team in the game. The Redmen would continue to employ their relentless pressure and overwhelm the Rams. Moments later, however, Marshfield’s Cam McGettrick would fire home a rebound in front to cut the lead in half with 4:46 to go in regulation. Then with 3:50 remaining, Tewksbury would be sent to the box for tripping, giving Marshfield a prime opportunity to even the score. The Rams were swarming their opposition on the power play, leading to Tewksbury taking a timeout halfway through the man advantage. As soon as the penalty was killed, the Redmen committed another penalty with 1:45 left in regulation. Marshfield called their timeout, leading to an eerily quiet atmosphere full of anticipation. With the goalie pulled, Marshfield’s best efforts on the power play were not enough as they fell short to Tewksbury 2-1. The Redmen would advance to compete in the Championship game of the Buzzard’s Bay Showcase.

Three Stars:

  1. F Jason Cooke, Tewksbury
  2. F John Beatrice, Tewksbury
  3. F Cam McGettrick, Marshfield

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Bourne, MA – Neutral Zone was in attendance at the Gallo Arena in Bourne for the Buzzards Bay Showcase for several games over the weekend. One of these matchups took place when the Waltham Hawks faced off against the Hingham Harbormen in the Semifinals on Saturday.

Thirty seconds into the opening frame Waltham merited a trip to the box with a hit from behind, putting Hingham on the power play. Hingham did a tremendous job of moving the puck on the man advantage but came up short for their efforts. The Harbormen would carry the momentum of their early power play and translate that into some dominant offensive zone time. However, Waltham was finding success generating offense in transition. At the halfway point of the period, the Harbormen still had the Hawks on their heels, outskating them and winning the majority of loose pucks. Giant Hingham goalie Luke Merian made a diving save with five minutes left, a rare chance given up by the Harbormen. This was followed by Waltham’s Jack Perry responding with a diving save of his own just a minute later. The first period was shaping up to be a goaltending master class. Waltham’s Jack Perry yet again stopped a tough shot in front with two minutes to go in what was an impressive first period for him. The first came to a scoreless close with Hingham setting the pace.

The second period started with Hingham and Waltham trading Grade A scoring chances. Perry made his presence known with yet another highlight-reel save. Moments later Hingham forward John Choueiri would rip a shot high short side to give the Harbormen the 1-0 lead. Hingham would proceed to apply even more pressure, accumulating a plethora of high-quality shots as a result of their aggressive forecheck. Waltham would push back and establish a good chunk of zone time following Hingham’s extended possession. This would lead to a Hingham penalty for elbowing, putting the Hawks on the man advantage. After a great display of puck movement on the power play, Waltham would fall short, including a missed breakaway shot right as the penalty expired. The Hawks were buzzing after this, earning themselves a multitude of opportunities. The final minute of this period was chaotic, with the action going up and down the ice leading to some highly entertaining chances. The period came to a close with Hingham still leading 1-0.

Hingham came flying out of the gates to start the third period. They did a great job of dictating the pace of play, controlling the puck for most of the opening moments and getting pucks on net. But, Waltham forward Anthony Attardo suddenly flew down the wing and ripped a shot off the post and in off an assist from defender Justin Cormier to tie the game. The game then became a free-for-all, with both teams constantly battling for loose pucks at either end. With four minutes to go Hingham seemed to have regained control of the game, squeezing Waltham in the offensive zone as they were used to doing. However, with two minutes to go Waltham was hounding the Harbormen and threatening with numerous quality chances. The Hawks called a timeout with 90 seconds to go in regulation with the faceoff placed in Hingham’s defensive zone. The tension in the building could be cut with a knife, as a very key faceoff in Waltham’s end took place with under thirty seconds left, then again with 12 seconds remaining. We ended regulation tied at one apiece, leading into a five-minute, 3-on-3 sudden-death overtime scenario.

It didn’t take long to end this one as Hingham showed great poise with the puck in their opening overtime possession. Hingham’s Aidan Brazel scored on a 2-on-1 feed from forward Sean Garrity to win the game for the Harbormen in what was an exhilarating finish to an amazing contest. They will play Tewksbury on Championship Sunday at 1:40pm.

Three Stars:

  1. F Aidan Brazel, Hingham
  2. F John Choueiri, Hingham
  3. F Anthony Attardo, Waltham

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Sunday, March 21

Bourne, MA – A Sunday matinee game was the setting for the Championship game of the Buzzard’s Bay Showcase. The Tewksbury Redmen took on the Hingham Harbormen to find who would take home the inaugural Pat Serio Cup. The two teams duked it out over a forty-five game that was a non-stop thrill ride for viewers and attendees alike. 

To begin the game, the Redmen came out absolutely firing. They brought the pace right to the Harbormen, doubling them up in shots for the first portion of the period. This was where junior Hingham goaltender Luke Merian was able to shine. Despite the onslaught of shots from Tewksbury, Merian was able to stand tall (quite literally at 6’6) and keep his team in the game, until the 12 minute mark of the period. This was where junior Jason Cooke was able to fire a quick shot from the point that flew clean through bodies in front and past a sprawling Merian to break the tie and give the Redmen a 1-0 lead, which they would take into the first intermission.

The second period would start similar to the first, with Tewksbury playing hard and fast. However, the pace would begin to change, heavily because of the play of senior Paul Forbes, who began dictating play and turning the tide in favor of his team. This would pay off shortly after, as Drew Carleton would fire a rocket from the point to even the game at one all. After the goal, Tewksbury would make an unexpected goaltending change, bringing in Benjamin O’Keefe in place of Chase Perault. Minutes later, a misplay in the Redmen defensive end would lead to a second Hingham goal. Sophomore Bill Jacobus would take advantage of an unexpected takeaway to put the puck into a yawning Tewksbury cage to give his team the lead. This Harbormen lead would sustain into the third period. 

The final period of the Showcase would be one to remember. Right off the bat, a mishap would strike again for Tewksbury. During a two-on-one opportunity, junior Alex Barzowskas attempted to fire a pass across the slot, which deflected off a Tewksbury defender’s stick and into the back of their net, doubling the lead for the Harbormen. Late in the period, Tewksbury would gain a 5-on-3 advantage. During the power play, Jason Cooke would again find the back of the net in a similar fashion that he did earlier off a screamer from the point, cutting his side’s deficit to just one. In the final minute, with the goalie pulled, the Redmen would again find themselves deep in the offensive zone. As the puck popped loose in the crease, players banged all around, half hoping to clear the zone, the other half attempting to tie the game. As players all fell around the puck, the referee’s whistle would blow with seven seconds remaining in the game: a penalty shot was called as a Hingham defenseman covered the puck in the crease. Captain Will O’Keefe of Tewksbury was tapped to take the shot that would potentially send the game to overtime. He moved in, went backhand to forehand, looked to beat Merian high, but was stoned by the 6’6 goaltender’s left pad, keeping the game at 3-2. Subsequently, the puck dropped in the offensive zone, and the Redmen were able to gain possession again and fire a strong shot onto the net, which was thrown aside again by Merian, preserving the lead for his squad, and securing the Championship for the Hingham Harbormen, who are the first recipients of the Pat Serio Cup and win the first ever Buzzard’s Bay Showcase!

Three Stars:

  1. G Luke Merian, Hingham
  2. F Jason Cooke, Tewksbury
  3. F Paul Forbes, Hingham

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