Buddy Ferreira Tournament: Hanifan shuts out Hingham
FALMOUTH >> Hingham was vying to return to the Buddy Ferreira Classic a third consecutive time but Reading goalie Chris Hanifan wasn’t on board with that idea.
The senior netminder was outstanding in net for the Rockets (16-5) in a 2-0 win over the Harbormen (12-7-2) as Reading advanced to the finals this Wednesday at 6 p.m. for the first time since 2018.
Hanifan stopped 38 of 39 shots on net allowing only a power-play goal in the third and was the difference for the Rockets.
“(Hingham) are good and we are used to playing them and they are used to playing us. Their power play looked good, their kids got to the net on goal, but I thought we kept them outside pretty good,” said Reading head coach Mark Doherty. “Hockey is a funny game but it’s always good to hang on.”
Nate Mulvey put Reading out in front at 6:05 of the first period as Cam Fahey hit his stick perfectly with a cross ice pass as Mulvey hit the left slot on the run. Mulvey potted his own rebound out in front of the crease for the 1-0 lead.
In the second, Nate Vitarisi flicked a wrister from the blue line and the puck found its way through a sea of sticks for the second tally of the game for the Rockets at 11:43. Fahey picked up his second helper and Ryan MacCurtain was credited with an assist as well for the 2-0 Reading lead.
Hingham was pounding the puck on Hanifan as they were all over Reading with 13 shots on net in the second but had nothing to show for it. The edge for shots on goal in the second period alone had the Harbormen with a 13-4 advantage.
In the third, Reading was undisciplined down the stretch with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that turned into the lone Hingham goal. Travis Rugg tucked the puck inside the left post from behind the net for the unassisted power play tally as the Harbormen cut the deficit in half but weren’t able to find the equalizer.
“It’s been our Achilles heel all year. I just got done telling the guys that I’m proud of them. They played hard, they did what they had to do in the last two periods and we outshot them by a large margin,” said Hingham head coach Tony Messina. “They have a great goalie, so you have to get a lot of traffic out in front and a good defense, so it’s tough to get there.”
Hingham had another man advantage opportunity with just over four minutes left in regulation, but Hanifan put back all Hingham had to offer the rest of the way. The final shots of goal had Hingham with the major 39-16 advantage overall.
“If you are not going to stay out of boxing, you get what you deserve. We are lucky we have Chris, he is a very good goalie, and he played excellent again,” said Doherty. “Not happy at al with the lack of discipline but Hingham is big, they are so well coached, and every time we play them it is a great game,
In the nightcap, Archbishop Williams advanced to face Reading for all the Buddy Ferreira Classic marbles in a 3-2 wild victory over Duxbury.
Reading and the Bishops now have the opportunity for their first-ever win in a tournament that showcases the best talent in Division 1 hockey and spans over 29 years at the Falmouth Ice Arena.
The Bishops (16-4) didn’t make it easy in one of the crazier endings to a hockey game this season. With the score 3-2, Archbishop Williams picked up a two-minute minor penalty with 1:12 remaining in regulation and followed it up with a holding penalty at 49.4 on the clock.
Duxbury (10-7-4) then pulled Anthony Rabeni out of the net to create a six-on-three advantage for the Dragons but goaltender Sean Velozo was up for the task with six saves, including a penalty shot off the stick of Duxbury captain Michael Hussey with ten seconds left to play.
During a scrum out in front of Velozo, the officials deemed a defenseman for Archbishop Williams covered the puck intentionally to set up Hussey at center ice to tie things back up for the Dragons.
“The three guys we had out there — Casey Kelly, Justin Watson, and Matt Deminico — I don’t know how many shots they blocked but it had to be three or four and won a couple of faceoffs. It was just unbelievable to stay strong and not panic in that situation,” said Bishops head coach, Chris Cunningham.
In a 1-1 defensive battle that turned into a third-period barnburner, Ben Sylvester with a classic giveand-go with Casey Kelly out front proved to be the game-winner. Sylvester ripped the twine at 8:02 of the third to get the Bishops back out in front during the see-saw final period.
In the first, Archbishop Williams went up 1-0 on a Nolan O’Neill goal while Duxbury tied things up in the second period as Mikey Yucis spun a turnover in the Bishops end of the ice unassisted as the junior forward went far top corner on Velozo, who finished with 23 saves.
Junior Finn Kelly picked up a turnover in the Duxbury end of the ice and found the back of the net for the to put Archies back out front briefly at 4:42 of the third. But Cole Martin returned the favor and tied things up 2-2 for Duxbury less than three minutes later with the second trip back down the ice to set up the wacky finish.
“After two (periods), it was tight, but I wouldn’t say nervous but concerned and Duxbury played a great game,” said Cunningham. “We told them ‘Let’s go, it’s playoff hockey and 15 minutes wins the game and moves us into the finals of this tournament’.”