By Max Clifford
Hometown Weekly Reporter
A raucous Loring Ice Arena in Framingham was the most fitting setting for a physical showdown between the Medfield High School varsity boys’ ice hockey team and the hosts from Shawsheen Valley Technical High School. The Warriors gave the second-seeded Rams all they could handle, but a second period goal made the difference in a 1-0 defeat.
As they had in their first two playoff victories - a 2-1 shootout victory over Wakefield Memorial and a 2-1 upset of seventh-seeded Triton - Medfield leaned on goaltender Charlie Duggan in the early goings. Duggan kept the Rams out of the net in the first period, but was met with equally strong play from Shawsheen Valley’s Mike Cedrone.
Several opportunities presented themselves to the Warriors in the first, but Cedrone, who had allowed just one goal in the playoffs before Wednesday, kept the clean sheet in tact.
With just under nine minutes to play in the second period, Medfield’s Charlie Hardiman poked a puck loose in the Shawsheen crease only for Cedrone to cover it up just before it could be converted.
Though the Warriors outshot the Rams in the second, it was a Shawsheen Valley shot that finally broke the tie. With just under five minutes remaining before the second intermission, a faceoff in front of the Medfield goal provided Shawsheen captain Liam Milne the perfect angle to slide a puck between the legs of Duggan for the game’s first score.
The third period saw the Warriors in desperate need of a goal to tie the game and the Rams in search of a goal to extend their lead. As both offenses continued to rain down shots, both goalies were untouchable. Inside of nine minutes, Cedrone was knocked to his backside during a possession but managed to collapse his glove on a Medfield shot. With three minutes on the clock, Duggan swatted away consecutive shots and clamped down on a third after the ensuing faceoff.
With both keepers putting the opposing offense in a whirlpool, tensions got hot between the two sides. A few extra jabs from the Warriors and Rams kept the spirit of playoff hockey alive and earned the referees their game checks.
As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Medfield season came to a close, their final overall record reading 14 wins, seven losses, and a tie.
