Medford boys hockey falls to Wellesley in D1 State Tournament

WELLESLEY - It was a fantastic start, yet a heartbreaking finish for coach Ned O'Keefe and the Mustangs boys hockey team Tuesday night.

Wellesley senior tri-captain Brian Pezzulich keyed a second period comeback, as the No. 31 ranked Raiders knocked off No. 34 Medford 4-1 in preliminary round action of the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament at the Boston Sports Institute.

The Raiders advance to play second seed Xaverian in the round of 32 on Feb. 26.

Medford (11-11) came out strong staking a 1-0 lead early in the first period. However, Wellesley (10-11) caught its second wind, potting three goals in the middle period, including two 19 seconds apart, to complete its comeback.

"I felt we came out great," said Medford Coach O'Keefe. "Second period we just got tired legs and wilted down. We got tired.  Wellesley just had more strength than us."

O'Keefe shortened his bench, skating two forward lines and two defensive pairings for much of the game. But after its initial thrust, Medford seemed fatigued as Wellesley regrouped.

"It’s been happening to us all year,” said O’Keefe. “I've been relying on the same 10 kids. Today, I thought we were better than that team. I had all the confidence in the world going into the second period. We just collapsed."

Medford came out firing on all cylinders applying plenty of pressure on Wellesley senior goalie Conor Foley. Senior Diego Menes led the charge with some nifty stick handling, complemented by the hustle of junior quad-captain Nolan O'Keefe and Colin O'Keefe. The talented trio traded heady shifts with senior quad-captain Evan Ciarlone and juniors James Camuso and Jacob Murdoch, buzzing the Wellesley net.

After several glittering opportunities, the Mustangs finally cashed in on the power play. Camuso one-timed a drop pass from Menes for the go-ahead goal with 5:56 remaining in the opening period.

The Mustangs' blue-line brigade, consisting of senior quad-captain Carter Charron, junior Colin Lee, sophomore Cameron Lind, and senior Gabe Kennedy, held the Raiders to just a handful of shots in the opening stanza.

Meanwhile, Medford goalie Rowan Maywalt helped hold the fort. The junior netminder made several sparkling saves, denying both Owen Keating and Nolan Coyle in close, preserving the 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

The Mustangs' backup goalie, Maywalt did a decent job filling in for senior quad-captain Gabe Rudolph, who missed the game due to a one-game suspension after getting in a fight in Medford’s last game.

"I think [Rowan] played good in the first period," said coach O'Keefe. "I don't think Wellesley had more than three shots that period. I thought we blanketed them."

However, Wellesley continued to press, striking three times in the second to take control. Keating netted the equalizer midway through the stanza on a goal-mouth scrum. Pezzulich followed 19 seconds later, scoring off a clean breakaway. The senior rifled a high wrist shot, beating Maywalt glove side to take the 2-1 lead. Senior Evan Farley scored off a two-man advantage late in the period, as the Raiders built a 3-1 lead by the second intermission.

"They came out in the second period playing a different system," said coach O'Keefe. "They kept a guy high and kept sending someone in. That messed us all up."

Wellesley’s Aiden O'Connell iced the game with an early third period tally as the Raiders held on for the victory.

The Mustangs will lose nine seniors in the offseason, including forwards Brody Sherblom and James Montello, defenseman Nick Perito, and goalie Cole McDermott. But the coach feels the future remains bright with a bumper crop of prospects looking to earn some ice time.

"We're going to build," said O'Keefe. "We specifically have three eighth-graders coming in, including two goalies. We're just going to build off that."

"We're going to dwell on this loss right now, because it’s upsetting," he added. "We could have won this game. So, I'll give it a couple of weeks, before we start building for next year."