By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The bench looked a little different Tuesday night, but the result was still the same. Despite head coach Jon Jepson being absent while dealing with an illness, the Warriors were able to pull out a close 2-1 victory over Dover-Sherborn/Weston. They are yet to suffer their first loss of the season and stand at 16-0-1.
The Warriors are not only making noise locally, but on a bigger scale, as well. Heading into the game, Medfield was ranked as the number one hockey team in Massachusetts and 15th in the nation, according to MaxPreps.com.
“You know, it's nice to be recognized,” said captain Charlie Duggan. “[Medfield is] a smaller town. We generally don't get a lot of looks at us, but we can play, and it's good that that's being recognized this year.”
Duggan’s performance versus the Raiders was deserving of recognition in itself. He faced numerous shots from right outside the crease, only letting one sneak by in the third period.
“I think my defense helped me a lot,” said Duggan. “They cleared bodies and obviously the shots were close, but they were clear vision… I stayed aggressive and I was able to make the plays.”
Medfield got off to just about as quick of a start as you can ask for with forward Luke Dickson netting the puck 13 seconds into action. The Warriors had another chance to score later on in the period as a loose puck was sitting in front of the Raiders’ net; however, no one was able to tap it in before the goalie dove on top of it.
The second period saw potentially the biggest gut-check performance for Medfield up to this point in the season. With Dover-Sherborn/Weston coming out of the gates firing, no goals were relinquished early. With 5:12 left in the frame, Medfield committed a penalty. Only 18 seconds later, another penalty forced them into a 5-on-3 scenario. With a terrific defensive stand, the Warriors were able to fend off the Raiders’ offensive attack to kill the penalties.
Captain forward Jack Gwaltney tacked on another goal for Medfield just over two minutes into the third period. The Raiders answered almost immediately, with a goal of their own, but that was all the scoring that would take place the rest of the game.
Now, with only three games left, an undefeated season is on the horizon. Like something out of Hollywood, the Warriors will face currently undefeated Nauset Regional in their regular season finale. Nauset is ranked just behind Medfield as second in Massachusetts and 19th nationally, according to MaxPreps.com.
“They're a very talented team,” said Duggan. “Obviously, they work hard. They're a physical team and we're excited to be able to test ourselves against them before the season ends.”
Before they take on Nauset, the Warriors play Bellingham and Medway – two teams they beat by multiple goals earlier in the season.
