By Ken Chaisson
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
On Sunday, February 9, 2025, Walpole played Marshfield in a consolation game of the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament at the Canton Ice House.
The Burns Tournament, named after legendary Arlington boys’ hockey coach Ed Burns, features 16 of the best public high school hockey teams in eastern Massachusetts. Burns coached Arlington boys' hockey for 50 years (1947-1997), winning numerous championships.
Walpole and Marshfield were part of the Brinn Division. In the first round, 11th-seeded Marshfield defeated 14th-seeded Norwood, 9-1, while 13th-seeded Walpole lost to 12th-seeded Chelmsford, 2-1.
In the next round, Walpole beat Franklin, 4-0, on Feb. 2, while Marshfield lost to 10th-seeded Canton, 5-2. Walpole’s win marked coach Ron Dowd’s 200th career victory.
In the Brinn Division final, Weymouth will play Canton, while Belmont faces Arlington in the Doherty Division championship.
Marshfield is ranked 19th in the Division 1 MIAA power rankings with a record of 12-5-1. The Rams entered the game having won four of their last five. They’ve won the Brinn Division championship in the Burns Tournament two of the past three years.
Walpole is ranked 7th in the Division 2 seedings with a record of 6-7-3. The game against Marshfield was the second in as many days for Walpole, following a 1-1 overtime tie with Natick on Saturday.
It’s a rare out-of-conference matchup between the two schools.
Marshfield buzzed the Walpole net early, but junior goaltender Mike Roof stopped several dangerous attempts. In the span of two minutes, the scoreless game quickly turned into a 3-0 deficit for the Timberwolves. Walpole had consecutive power plays late in the period, but couldn’t convert. The period ended with Walpole behind, 3-0, with senior Richie Hayes in goal and tired legs from Saturday’s overtime effort.
In the second period, Marshfield scored on a power play late, going up 4-0. Walpole’s best chance came when junior Mike Conners was stopped on a breakaway with 20 seconds left.
Marshfield opened the third period with a shorthanded goal, but Walpole responded with a power-play tally from Aiden Hoyle, assisted by Joe Finkelstein. Marshfield finished the scoring with a fourth goal from senior center Jack Doherty, making it 6-1.
Both teams will learn their final playoff seeding once the regular season ends later in February.
