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By Josh Perry
Hometown Weekly Staff
The Medfield High boys’ hockey team continued its preparation for the upcoming Div. 2 tournament by facing off against a pair of top teams at the annual Joesph Quinn Tournament hosted by Coyle-Cassidy at the Raynham IcePlex.
The Warriors rolled to a 7-2 victory over Boston Latin in the opening game to set up a rematch with Canton, which Medfield lost to in the Div. 2 South semifinal in 2015 and beat to win the South title in 2014.
The game turned into a true playoff preview with the two teams, who expect to be among the top seeds when the brackets are announced this weekend, went back and forth in a game that matched the intensity of their recent tournament meetings.
“They’re a great team, well-coached, and they skate hard with a good goalie,” said Medfield coach Toby Carlow about Canton. “If that’s the type of hockey we’re going to see the rest of the way, that’s alright.”
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second period, but Medfield fought back with goals by John MacLean and freshman Brian Abely to tie the game.
It stayed tied through the third period and through two overtime periods, with MacLean hitting the post in both.
The game eventually went to a shootout to decide the tournament champ. Senior goalie Matt Malvese (22 saves) stopped four Canton shots while MacLean and Ryan Johnson each tallied for the Warriors to get the win.
Carlow said, “Getting into these games against strong teams that are full of good hockey players…It’s good to play these difficult games because nothing’s easy from here on out.”
Josh Perry is an Editor at Hometown Weekly. He can be reached at news@hometownweekly.net and followed on Twitter at @Josh_Perry10.
