Goalies shine in Marshfield’s 1-0 victory over Franklin boys
Quackenbush outlasts Wagner
With 4:46 left in a game destined to be determined by the first goal, Marshfield junior Stevie Faria found the puck on his stick in a high-scoring area. He had possessed the puck there earlier and elected to pass.
This time, he fired the shot.
It smashed against the twine in the top corner and gave the No. 5 Rams a 1-0 win over No. 12 Franklin in Saturday’s Div. 1 second-round contest. The Rams (19-3-2) now move on to the quarterfinals to take on No. 4 Pope Francis next week.
“I’m like ‘oh wow, I’ve got the puck on my stick,”’ Faria said. “I had to put it home for the boys.”
The Round of 16 matchup was otherwise defined by the stellar goaltending. Brady Quackenbush made 29 saves for the Rams, while Franklin’s Colby Wagner made 24.
“I don’t even know what to say ,” Marshfield coach Dan Connolly said. “He’s dialed in, he’s focused, the kids rally around him and he is a captain for a reason. He doesn’t get rattled and is in control out there.”
The first period featured numerous chances from both sides, with about four high quality opportunities for Marshfield and two for the Panthers. After this point, Franklin seemed to get the upper hand in chances.
“We withheld their push in the first and pushed back really strong in the second,” Franklin coach Chris Spillane said. “We had several scoring opportunities, missed some nets, and I knew it was going to come down to a one-goal game.”
Many of the aforementioned chances came on quick passes from the potent Franklin offense that hung 11 goals on Andover in its previous matchup. Quackenbush used elite positioning to neutralize every shot.
“It’s a lot of communication with the defense,” Quackenbush said. “It gets pretty loud in here, I like to stay focused and locked in. We also need to stay on the same page and know what is going on together.”
On the other end, Wagner was tested with numerous blasts, one of which even clanked against the crossbar. Another notable opportunity was the one Faria decided to selflessly pass on, something Connolly told him to adjust.
“told me to take the shot instead and I totally agreed,” Faria said. “The rest of the game I was just trying to take as many shots as I could.”
After Faria’s eventual winning goal, the Panthers increased pressure in the final minutes, including around two minutes with six skaters. Quackenbush and the defense handled the pressure and locked down the win.
“We have so much chemistry on and off the ice,” Quackenbush said. “It’s seamless.”