By Meghan Foley
Hometown Weekly Staff
BOSTON — Medfield High played a high-scoring game in the Division 3 State Final, Sunday at TD Garden, but came up just short.
The Warriors led top-seeded Hanover for the first half of the game before falling, 7–5.
Sophomore Luke Dickson led the attack for Medfield with a hat trick. Hanover’s Ryan Kisiel and Henry Phillips had two goals each to pace the Warriors’ offense.
This is the second year in a row the Warriors have gone to the state finals, after a 4–1 loss to 1st-seeded Nauset Regional last year. This year, the Warriors were the third seed after a 16–4 season while the Hanover Hawks took the first seed with 16–2–2 after moving up from D4 to D3 this year.
“It obviously wasn’t the ending we hoped for but the team literally left everything they had on the ice. We battled adversity all year long and the boys kept responding in positive ways,” said Warriors’ Head Coach Jon Jepson. “Words won’t give justice to how proud I am of the 22 student athletes we have on this team. Not many people believed we could make the return to The Garden after losing all the seniors we did last year but the 22 kids in that locker room believed and went out and got it done.”
On paper and on the ice Medfield and Hanover seemed evenly matched, the teams battling to a 3–3 deadlock through the first two periods. That set the stage for a wild final 15 minutes with the State Championship on the line.
A minute into the third period, Owen Fessenden poked the puck out of the possession of a Hawk, averting a breakaway. Soon after, the Hawks took the lead for the first time in the game, 4–3, on a goal by Brody Kiley. Six minutes later, however, the Warriors jumped back up to a tie with a goal by Jake Cragan, assisted by Avery Stein and defenseman Captain Owen Mix.
Hanover moved back in front two minutes later with a lucky goal where Shane Fanning’s centering pass deflected off a Medfield player’s skate and into the net to make it 5–4. But Medfield wouldn’t fold. Two minutes later, Luke Dickson scored again, making it 5–5, assisted by Matthew Dickson. The goal earned Luke a hat trick and Matthew his fourth assist of the game.
The Warriors had just 20 seconds to celebrate the hat trick goal. Kisiel’s second goal of the game brought the score to 6–5 with 2:51 left in regulation. The Warriors were unable to tie the game and the Hawks got one last point off of an empty-netter with 36 seconds remaining.
However, this loss wasn’t due to a poorly-played game. With five total goals and a two-goal lead over the 1st-seeded team in the league, the Warriors made it clear that they may well have won on another day.
Medfield got off to a strong start and scored the first goal about halfway through the first period when Luke Dickson made the shot off of assists from Captain Matthew Dickson and freshman defenseman Owen Fessenden. Freshman forward Avery Stein made a good attempt a few minutes later but was unsuccessful, and senior goalie Louie Slesar had to fend off a few shots in a row.
With 1:39 remaining, Luke Dickson earned his second goal after bodying a Hanover player to get to the puck first and get a clear path to the net. This goal also gave Matthew Dickson his second assist.
Freshman Max Abramson was almost able to sneak the puck by the Hawks’ goalie during the following play, but 30 seconds later, Hanover responded and brought the score to 2–1 with just over one minute remaining.
Between periods, fans cheered and waved in hopes of being shown on the jumbotron before the players returned for the second period.
It wasn’t long until the Warriors were celebrating again when Abramson scored from the left side of the net only 36 seconds into the period, assisted by Matthew and Luke Dickson, Matthew earning a hat trick of assists.
Slesar made a save by the post and then at the top of the crease, but the Hawks scored on their next try. A few minutes later, Abramson blocked a shot by sliding on the ice between the Hanover players and Slesar.
Avery Stein rapidly brought the puck up the ice before passing it by a Hanover defenseman to senior defenseman Jake Cragan, but they were not able to score. On the next play, Slesar made a critical save, keeping low and thwarting what easily could have been a goal for the Hawks. Minutes later, Slesar stopped another attempt by diving at the puck from the crease just before a Hawk could get a good handle on it.
Slesar made a stop on another play where the puck rebounded far away from him and a Hanover player moved to pick it up, but senior defenseman Luke Feldman also got a stick on it and prevented a shot on net.
With 8:15 left in the second period, however, Hanover was able to get a shot by Slesar and tied the game at 3–3.
Still, Louie Slesar was not discouraged and continued to steal the show during the second period. With three minutes left, an unfortunate touch made by a
Warrior put a loose puck in the middle of the Medfield end with no one but a Hanover player to pick it up. As the Hawk turned back and sprinted after it, Slesar launched himself from the crease into the slot, covering the puck and beating the Hanover player, who was forced to leap over him. Slesar made another few saves before the period was over and held the game at a tie at the end of the second.
