Marshfield vs. Franklin in final
Marshfied’s senior leadership has played together in a host of meaningful games.
Facing a talented Tewksbury team riding a seven-game win streak, the senior captains showcased that big-game experience.
Tommy Carroll scored the first two goals of the game, Cam McGettrick supplied three assists, and Michael Bekerian recorded a goal and an assist as No. 6 Marshfield raced past No. 2 Tewksbury, 4-1, in the Ed Burns Coffee Pot Tournament Peter Doherty Division semifinals at Bentley Arena in Waltham.
Marshfield (14-2-2) advances to face No. 8 Franklin in the Doherty championship Sunday at Warrior Ice Arena.
To open the scoring, Carroll redirected a Bekerian shot from the point, tipping it underneath the armpit. Fourteen seconds later, junior Jason Lavoie equalized for the Redmen (12-2-0). Carroll potted the final tally of the first period with 20 seconds remaining.
“It’s not all about being vocal, it’s about showing that you want to be out there and doing your job,” said Carroll. “Everyone’s behind you working hard; success comes with it. We’re rolling, we work hard, and we’re a family.”
Teddy Devoe tapped home a McGettrick feed on the backdoor to increase the lead to 3-1 in the second period.
“Every time we went back to the bench, we would tell each other what we did wrong and right,” said McGettrick. “It was great telling each other, ‘Do that, do this.’ Good, constructive criticism.”
Bekerian tallied the final goal off a McGettrick feed in the third period. The first players to greet the Rams’ top defenseman were McGettrick and Carroll, celebrating Marshfield’s first trip to the Doherty championship since 2021, when they won the tournament.
“I think these guys are mentally tough, they’re strong, they’re committed to playing a team game, and have the motto ‘Not on my shift’ and they worked hard to make sure nothing [bad] happened on their shift,” said Marshfield coach Dan Connolly.
The Rams were flawless with a man down, extending their run of not allowing a power-play goal this season.
Franklin 2, Reading 1 — Junior Liam Hager and senior Ben Paterson scored as Franklin (10-6-0) rode two first-period goals to victory over No. 5 Reading in the Doherty Division semifinal.
“You get in the top division and anyone can beat anyone,” said Panthers coach Chris Spillane. “I’ve watched Marshfield play a couple of times, they’re good, they’re fast, they’re skilled. They’re a challenge for us, but we want a challenge.”
Belmont 4, Walpole 0 — Adam Bauer scored twice, Leo Packard and Liam Guilderson notched a goal each, and Ethan Bauer turned aside all 19 shots he faced at Rodman Arena for the Marauders (7-8-1) to advance to the Brinn Division final Sunday.
“We made a commitment as a team to play our style of hockey,” Belmont coach Tim Foley said. “Grinding it out, pucks in deep, play physical and play with speed.”
Norwood 3, Braintree 1 — Sam Lally, TJ Martin, and Ryan Valeri struck for the 20th-ranked Mustangs (12-1-1), who continue to maximize their first Coffee Pot appearance with a win over the Wamps (7-7-1) to advance to the Brinn Division final.
“It’s a great tournament,” Norwood coach Chuck Allen said. “We get to play different teams. I’m proud for these kids, more than anything. They’re starting to believe they can win.”
Anthony Amato made 36 saves for the Mustangs.