By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Medfield put another tally in the win column on Wednesday night as they defeated Dover-Sherborn-Weston 2-0. They remain undefeated with an 8-0-1 record; however, this win came a lot harder than previous.
“When it’s a rivalry game, you always have to expect [physicality],” said goalie and senior captain Charlie Duggan. “I think we were looking forward to that and I think we played up to that challenge. I think that’s what helped us come out with a win today.”
Head coach Jon Jepson was pleased with how his team responded to the challenge, as well.
“They bumped us every time we got the puck and, defensively, I think we [were] physical and have good size so we like to make it hard for the other team in our zone.”
Medfield almost got the scoring going early into action with a shot that ricocheted off the goalie’s glove and bounced off the top of the net. Not long after, forward William Hardiman snuck one past the Raiders’ goalie. After conferring with each other, the referees confirmed the score, giving the Warriors a one goal lead.
Hardiman almost netted another goal in the first period but the puck hit the right goal post. Instead, it was forward John Sanderson burying the puck top shelf, right corner with 2:42 to go before first intermission.
Into the second period, Medfield found themselves short-handed twice but was able to hold off the Raiders. That continued all the way through the final horn as Medfield claimed their second shutout of the year, much in due to the efforts of Duggan.
“He comes every day with an unbelievable attitude,” Jepson had to say of his goalie. “I’ve tried to give him a day off here and there and he wants to be on the ice. He’s just very positive, and he’s a quiet leader back there. When he’s in net, the guys know: just get a couple and we’ll be alright.”
Duggan took the more classic, humble approach when talking about the goose egg on the scoreboard: “I thought I did fine… My defense in front of me, they help me out a lot. I honestly can’t take [all the credit for the shutout]. They limited a lot of the shots. It was pretty easy for me today.”
Medfield now successfully trudges along to their fourth game in seven games against Norwood.
“We’ve talked this week a lot about proper nutrition and hydrating and getting enough sleep,” said Jepson. “It’s tough. They’re tired – physically and mentally I think, so we try to mix practices up a little bit. [We are] definitely not battling in practice, more flow to get some lactic acid out of our legs. At the end of the day, Norwood is not gonna care that we’re playing four games in seven days.”
