Holiday tourneys reveal teams’ mettle
Peter Frates, who inspired millions in his spirited seven-year battle with ALS, would have turned 39 Thursday.
Fittingly, the championship game for the boys’ hockey tournament bearing his name was played on his birthday, with his alma mater, St. John’s Prep, scoring a 1-0 overtime victory against defending Division 1 champion Pope Francis at the Essex Sports Center in Middleton.
Prior to Prep’s 3-0 semifinal win over BC High Wednesday, Peter’s father, John, and brother, Andrew, spoke in the Prep locker room. Peter’s 9-year-old daughter, Lucy, dropped the puck pre-game before taking a picture with the Eagles. His mother, Nancy, and other family members were also on hand.
“It’s such a special event and transcends beyond the result of a hockey game,” said St. John’s Prep coach Kris Hanson. “It’s a community event.”
Given his profound impact on the lives of those around him, the Peter Frates Classic holds a special place in the schedule.
“It’s what we build our schedule around, to be honest,” said BC High coach John Flaherty. “We know that we have two tough games at the end of December.
You don’t want to play easy games, get to that point, and get hit with the iron.”
For many high school hockey (and basketball) teams across the Commonwealth, holiday week tournaments help create a December to remember. Records go out the door for the winner in holiday tournaments, which serve as a measuring stick of where teams are.
The opportunity to win a trophy and compete against quality teams, often from other leagues, increases the compete level across locker rooms. Marshfield reaped the benefits of an energized group, scoring six goals to down Framingham in the semifinals of the MHL Cup, which also features St. John’s Shrewsbury and Franklin.
Franklin won the tourney with a 3-2 overtime victory against Framingham.
Winning a tournament championship can spur positive momentum for the rest of the season. It can pay dividends in the heightened intensity of the win-or-gohome environment of the postseason.
“These two games here are different from your other games because you’re playing under a bit of pressure,” said Marshfield coach Dan Connolly. “With an in-season tournament, there’s a little bit more motivation.”
For many programs, alumni return to watch their team compete. After the rush of the start of the season dissipates, holiday tournaments serve as an energy booster prior to the opening of conference play.
“You play your first couple games, it’s good to get going, but you need that spark again,” said Connolly. “You usually have good crowds at the game and it gives you that little extra motivation, playing in front of your former teammates and your buddies.”
The same serves true at Boston Latin in the Michael Giordano Christmas Classic at the Murphy Rink in South Boston. The tournament honors the memory of the former Boston Latin alum and three-sport coach. Alumni of the program dotted the crowd, exuberantly recalling stories of thrilling victories from their playing days.
With colleges, prep schools, and junior teams off, coaches scout many of the top tournaments. A handful of scouts were at the Peter Frates, the MHL Cup, and the inaugural Arrow Holiday Classic, which boasted an impressive field that included Xaverian, Hingham, Braintree, and Archbishop Williams.
“We get a lot of guys to come and scout the games,” said Xaverian coach Dave Spinale. “That’s exciting for our guys.”
Scouts have access to video of standout players, but prefer do their evaluation in person to gauge a player’s performance in highstress situations, what kind of teammate they are, and how they react to adversity.
Holiday tournaments can also reignite old rivalries. In the Battle Road Classic, Concord-Carlisle narrowly defeated Acton-Boxborough for the second time in five days.
“Rivalry games, if there’s any animosity at all, it can bring your team together,” said Concord-Carlisle coach Rian Murray. “If it’s physical, you want to play for your teammates. There’s that extra pride and bragging rights in it.”
Not all teams stay local. Tewksbury has ventured to Gorham, Maine, to test its mettle in the Maine Tournament. Brookline has also headed north, traveling to Middlebury, Vermont, to compete in the Buster Brush Holiday Tournament. Trips out of state provide a bonding experience for the players.
Nauset, under second-year coach Connor Brickley, wanted to experience playing in a holiday tournament. The Warriors joined the Island Creek Oysters Cup, also featuring Duxbury, Scituate, and Weymouth.
“When you’re on the outside looking in, a lot of the big teams get into the tournaments, one way or another,” said Brickley. “For me, it’s a big way early in the season to get the win-or-go home feel. Against these teams, it’s a great way to see where you’re at.”
Brickley wanted to utilize the holiday season to cement his program as one on the rise. On Dec. 23, Nauset defeated Malden Catholic — teams that had never played each other until this season — in front of a sold out crowd at Charles Moore Arena.
“It’s an opportunity to showcase your program,” said Brickley. “We can go into an environment where we can put ourselves on the map.”
Ice chips
R Friendly rivals Hingham and Marshfield are once again teaming up to raise money on behalf of Hockey Fights Cancer.
After combining to raise more than $31,000 ahead of their game at Pilgrim Arena on Dec. 31, 2022, the Rams and Harbormen will try to one-up themselves prior to dropping the puck New Year’s Eve at The Bog.
“We’re always looking for ways to better ourselves off the ice,” Hingham coach Tony Messina said.
Marshfield has long played its annual Green Cup game against Duxbury on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, generally raising money for a different type of cancer research each season.
“Both programs did a tremendous job raising funds for a great cause,” Connolly said. “It’s a good hockey game, but it’s all about the benefits of what the programs can do to help.”