Boys Hockey Team Clinches GBL Title
– Allison Goldsberry
The boys varsity hockey team clinched the Greater Boston League title with a 5-1 win at Somerville on Wednesday night. The Mustangs are undefeated in the GBL with five wins and are 7-7 overall.
“Congrats to every player in the program. Winning the GBL and qualifying for the state tourney are the first two goals we have in place for ourselves. I have a tremendous amount of respect for the way these kids conduct themselves every day. They genuinely care about each other and it is a pleasure to be around them. I am very happy for them!” Said Head Coach Steve DeBenedictis.
Both the offense and defense really came together to pull out a decisive win over Somerville. Coach DeBenedictis credited the defense for keeping up the pressure.
“We did a good job playing a smart, solid third period…I thought our Dmen had one of their better games this year. Charlie Chouinard has been very strong lately along with Brian Whooley. I thought Will Brennan made good solid decisions transitioning the puck, and Paul Zizzo had his best game of the year. Kevin Nazzaro also saw important minutes tonight and played well. Those guys get a lot of grief from me, so it was nice to be able to tell them how well they played,” said DeBenedictis.
The game was 2-1 at the end of the first period. Derek Mecrones, assisted by Zizzo and Brett Mecrones, scored an early goal on a breakaway. Jon Nazzaro (Tyler Zizzo, Brett Mecrones) made it 2-0 when Mecrones made a great cross-ice pass to send Nazzaro in alone, who finished with a nice shot short-side.
“Brett made a great play just before his line was coming off the ice. A lot of kids would have dumped the puck in, but he showed nice awareness seeing Jon wide and hit him in stride,” said Coach DeBenedictis.
Somerville managed to squeeze in its lone goal at the very end of the first period. When the Mustangs came into the second period they “did a nice job re-establishing themselves” after Somerville’s goal and didn’t let up. Tyler Zizzo (Brian Enos) made it 3-1 at 4:18 with a shot through a screen after Enos made a nice pass to free him up while DJ Galvin made it 4-1 at 6:33 from the slot after intercepting a pass.
“I was happy to see DJ make a strong play. He has so much talent and I’ve been on him pretty good lately, so it was nice to see him respond,” said DeBenedictis.
Nazzaro (Jake Porrazzo, Chouinard) completed the scoring on a powerplay goal at 13:05.
It was a “bit of a quiet night” in goal for Jimmy Cecchini, who “continues to be solid” while only allowing just over two goals per game, said Coach DeBenedictis.
Medford hosts Everett at 5PM on Saturday and is on the road against Arlington on Monday.