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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
There have been a lot of good high school hockey programs over the years in the state of Massachusetts. Catholic Conference powers like Catholic Memorial, BC High, Malden Catholic, public programs such as Burlington, Reading, and other Western Mass purebreds like Springfield Cathedral have all held decades of dominance, both in the Super Eight and in the MIAA State Tournament.
The common denominator between the majority of these powerhouse hockey programs, however, is that sooner or later, they take a step back. It happened at CM following the departure of head coach Bill Hanson, and no program in the state of Massachusetts has been able to stay at minimum state tournament-caliber good for almost the last four decades, except one.
That program is Westwood.
On February 2, the Wolverines (10-1-5, 9-0-5) cruised past Bellingham, 9-2, to clinch a postseason spot for a state record 37th straight season. The win continued an unbeaten streak dating all the way back to December 29 against Canton, which at the time of print stands at 11 contests following a 4-3 victory over Hopkinton on February 6 and 2-1 over Medway on February 9.
With the regular season winding down, there is no doubt that the Westwood boys have to be considered one of the favorites to come out of Division II South. The Wolverines will take on Lynnfield on February 16 before gearing up for the state tournament.
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter at @fLAno0.
