Boys and girls hockey earn pair of shutouts

[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]

By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor

The Walpole High School boys and girls varsity hockey teams were each victorious this past week over Braintree, both via a shutout.

The boys secured a 1-0 victory on the road against the Wamps on Wednesday thanks to a 29-save performance by senior goaltender James Corcoran, followed by a 3-1 victory over Natick on Saturday.

Walpole’s win on Saturday puts the Rebels at 18-0-1 on the season and masshshockey.com currently has Walpole ranked at No. 9 in the state. If the Rebels are able to win out and see any of the top-eight teams currently above them (Hingham, CM, Austin Prep, Central Catholic, BC High, Pope Francis, Arlington, Marshfield) lose in the next two weeks, the Rebels could very well make their first trip to the Super Eight in school history this March. If not, the Rebels will surely earn a very high seed in the Massachusetts State Tournament.

On the girls side, the lady-Rebels played host to the Wamps on Wednesday and earned a 2-0 victory behind a 26-save performance by senior goaltender, Frankie Bonanno. Sophomore Audra Tosone’s goal late in the first period gave the Rebels a 1-0 lead heading into the third period before sophomore Olivia Malone gave Walpole some insurance late to seal the win at 2-0. The win puts the lady-Rebels at 7-5-2 on the season and still well-within reach of a berth in the state tournament if they keep up their winning ways during the final stretch of the regular season.

At the time of print, the boys will return to the ice on February 15 when they travel to Newton North before playing host to rival Norwood on February 18 to close out conference play. The girls will play host to Newton North on February 15 before their annual grudge match with Norwood on February 18, followed by a pair of non-conference match-ups against Duxbury and Canton to end the regular season.