BOURNE – You could almost see it coming.
Deadlocked in a well-played, 0-0 tie, Barnstable High committed an inauspicious 1:30 minor penalty with just 1:20 left in the first period yesterday afternoon at the Gallo Ice Arena, and the Hingham Harbormen pounced on the opportunity.
Barnstable High School’s Donnie Brodd went down fighting yesterday afternoon, but his Red Raiders were eliminated from postseason play by Hingham, 7-2.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports
With 0:30 seconds left in the period and most of the power play still in full effect, Hingham looked razor-sharp with crisp passing and a flawless offensive set-up on Barnstable’s end. Hingham’s Matt Egan was the ultimate beneficiary of that synergy when he put his Harbormen on the scoreboard, 1-0 (assisted by sophomore Matt Demelis and senior captain Mike Saleski).
It would prove to be a lead that the 10th-seeded Harbormen (14-8-3) would never relinquish as the boys from across the bridge eliminated Barnstable from the postseason, 7-2, in yesterday’s MIAA Boys’ Hockey Division 1 South Sectional Seminfinal at the John Gallo Ice Arena.
The Old Colony League Co-Champion Red Raiders’ season ends at 15-6-1. Hingham returns back to Gallo Ice Arena on Sunday night to face top-seeded Xaverian at 6:15 in the South Sectional championship.
While both teams battled extraordinarily well through the second period, it was with just 2:03 left that the Harbormen turned up the volume on what would quickly devolve into an onslaught. With his team ahead 1-0, Hingham sophomore forward Jeff Gordon found the back of the net (assisted by Demelis and Billy McNally) to make it 2-0. Just 0:18 seconds later (1:45), Hingham tore out a piece of the Red Raiders’ heart when Jack Hennessey walked in on Barnstable goalie Dylan Campbell and beat him through the five-hole to make it 3-0.
But there was still some of that Red Raider magic left from the previous two postseason wins.
Down 3-0, Barnstable Red Raider senior captain Donnie Brodd let fly a vicious slap shot 0:37 seconds after Hennessy’s goal for Hingham, and made it 3-1 (1:08, assisted by Matt Kaski and Kevin Conway). Slightly taken aback by the Red Raiders’ reticence to go down softly into the frigid, bitter, winter’s eve, Hingham watched as Kaski took a rebounded shot by Brodd and made it a 3-2 game just 0:48 seconds later. With 0:20 left in the second period, it appeared a true battle was about to rage.
Hingham High’s Matt Egan celebrates the game’s first goal when he scored in the first period to make it 1-0.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports
“I thought for two periods we were in a perfect position,” Barnstable head coach Scott Nickerson said. “Unfortunately, it fell apart so rapidly. We couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
Armed with a 3-2 lead heading into the third stanza, Hingham came out of the locker room after Barnstable and appeared as calm and poised as Patton’s Third Army rolling into France. Whatever magic Barnstable had stirred up in the final minute of the second period, as it were, would prove to be the last the Red Raiders possessed in their uncanny bag of tricks.
That became evident when Hingham sophomore forward Demelis buried his first of two goals into the back of the Barnstable net just one minute and four seconds into the third period (13:56/assts. Marc O’Rourke and Hennessy). The score stood at 4-2, Hingham. It was the first shot Hingham took in the third.
The bell began to toll for Barnstable when Hennessy notched his second goal of the game just over two minutes later (11:40) to make it 5-2 (assts., Jeff Gordon, Jack Forbes).
“They were too deep for us in the end,” Coach Nickerson said. “I’m proud of the boys. They gave it everything they had. It just wasn’t enough.”
Barnstable fans’ spirits were uplifted at the outset of the game when senior assistant Mike McDonough’s #2 was called out for the starting lineup. McDonough, out with what had appeared to be a season-ending shoulder injury over a week ago, returned to the ice to a heartfelt round of applause. McDonough left his heart on the ice yesterday in his final game after a stellar season, and played with true Red Raider pride even though it seemed noticeable that the All-Cape & Islands defenseman was in noticeable discomfort. McDonough took a check into the boards near the end of the first period and had to leave the game for a while, only to return of his own volition in the third frame. Sadly, his trademark bazooka slapshot was minus its usual mustard.
Hingham High celebrates after the final buzzer and races over to back-up goalie Jack Santilli in yesterday’s 7-2 win for the Harbormen.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports
Barnstable had clearly run out of gas in the third frame, having run basically two lines throughout the affair, while Hingham continued to roll out horse after horse from its bench. With 5:04 left, Demelis made sure that Barnstable’s box of magic had been closed when he netted his second goal of the night to make it 6-2.
To be fair to Barnstable senior goalie Dylan Campbell, the former back-up tender was pelted with a litany of Hingham shots throughout the entire third frame. The Red Raiders simply seemed unable to clear the puck or set up their offense the scant two or three times it got the puck down the other end. Barnstable as outshot in the third period, 23-1. Hingham’s total tally for the night was 39-20, giving Campbell 32 saves and his opposing goalie, Matt Personeni, 18.
With 0:41 seconds left, the last dagger was thrust into Barnstable’s side when sophomore Drew Hickey scored on a rebounded save (asst. Colin Flibotte).
“They should hold their heads high,” Coach Nickerson said. “And be proud they represented Barnstable High School well.”
Just four penalties were called in the game, three on Hingham and one on Barnstable.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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