Ed Burns Coffee Pot finals: Marshfield, Norwood claim crowns
BRIGHTON >> The Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament committee pulled out all the stops this year to help hype up its 3rd annual battle for public-school team supremacy.
In its two division championships on Super Bowl Sunday at Warrior Ice Arena, teams lived up to that hype.
Sixth-seeded Marshfield kicked off the day with a master showcase of defense and goaltending, as well as star performances from Teddy Devoe (four goals) and Cam McGettrick (goal, four assists), to win the Peter Doherty division title over No. 8 Franklin, 6-1. The championship was the Rams’ second in the tournament’s three years, and Devoe took home the Doherty MVP award.
Their third-period eruption set the stage for a barnburner to follow in the Walter Brinn title game, which saw No. 6 Norwood deliver a comeback, 2-1 win over No. 4 Belmont in double-overtime. Anthony Amato was nails with 36 saves, keeping the Mustangs in it long enough to help deliver the championship in their first year playing in the tournament. Andrew Gillis’ gamewinner helped him secure Brinn MVP honors.
In all, it was a fitting conclusion to another great tournament.
“Just to be in this game twice in three years is pretty special, and then to win it is even more special,” said Marshfield head coach Dan Connolly. “You got some of the top teams in the state, never mind within the public schools.”
“Big game like this was like a state tournament game,” added Norwood head coach Chuck Allen. “It gets you ready for the state tournament. … Flip a coin and see who’s going to win. It’s great for us to come in and win it.”
The tunnel leading to the locker rooms after the Doherty championship echoed with McGettrick repeatedly yelling, “Two times,” reflecting the energy that comes with the Rams’ second crown in three seasons.
Marshfield used goals from Michael Bekerian and Devoe to build a two-score lead in the second period, only for Dan Daley’s goal two minutes later to cut the deficit in half. The Rams’ third of four penalties gave the Panthers an advantage to try to tie things up heading into the third, too.
But McGettrick, who assisted the game’s first goal, stole the puck at his own blue line during the penalty kill and skated past everyone the rest of the way for a critical shorthanded goal just over one minute into the third. He then assisted on Devoe’s second goal 30 seconds later, Devoe’s hattrick goal with 8:43 left, and again on Devoe’s fourth goal to put the game away.
“It’s amazing,” McGettrick said. “I thought that playing these good teams made us come together and actually play good together. We’ve been playing very individual lately, and I thought it brought us (together) as a team.”
Kevin Murphy was named most outstanding goalie, picking up 14 saves. The defense in front of him was stellar as well, disrupting much activity on the senior despite moments of lengthy pressure from the Panthers.
“We know that (Franklin) first line is very good,” Bekerian said. “(Murphy) always says it, ‘We’re on a boat and we’re rowing, we’re all working for each other.’ … We work together as a unit.”
“We went from (Murphy) on out,” Connolly added. “I mean Murph played a great game in net, but the defensemen played great blocking shots.”
Having your second line combine for five goals always helps, too.
The second game was a true battle between locked in goaltenders, as both Belmont’s Ethan Bauer (29 saves) and Amato were in contention for most outstanding goalie recognition. The Marauders generated more dangerous looks offensively through most of the first three periods, though, and it reflected in a 1-0 lead — on Leo Packard’s goal — heading into the final 5:30 of play.
But minutes after Allen took a wayward puck off his face to bleed profusely on the bench, Norwood rallied in front of him.
Sam Lally scored the game-tying goal with 5:14 left, finishing off a pass at the left circle. Offense seemed to open up in response with teams trading rushes through the end of regulation. Bauer and Amato stood tall.
Amato came through even bigger in 3-on-3 double-overtime, stoning six high-quality looks to keep Belmont from hoisting the trophy.
“I think we would’ve lost that game without (Amato),” Lally said.
Then, with 4:14 to go, Lally’s shot off Bauer bounced right to Gillis for the gamewinner.
“I was gassed, and I just brought the puck into the zone,” Lally said. “I just took a shot on net and Gilly got the tap in there. … It was a great feeling, one of the best. That’s what we play for, overtime goals like that.”
Pulling out the win was meaningful on multiple fronts for Norwood, which entered the tournament feeling slighted it ranked 14th overall despite a stellar record. Not only did they show they stack up with good teams from well-respected leagues, but also gutted out a win the night after losing in overtime to Westwood.
“Our goal was to win this, that’s one of our goals and we did it,” Allen said. “We hung in there, I give a lot of credit to my senior leadership. And the kids never quit.”
“We didn’t get the highest rankings this tournament, we knew were better than where we (were placed) and we showed it,” Lally added. “We were coming off a bad loss last night and we just put it all out there tonight. … It feels awesome.”