Venerable Codfish Bowl set for 55th edition

The recent holiday season saw veteran UMass-Boston coach Peter Belisle burn hockey sticks, burn incense and even contemplate burning pictures of various saints in order to shake off a six-year hex which has seen the Beacons fail to capture the venerable 55-year-old Codfish Bowl hockey tournament since 2014 when UMB bumped off Southern New Hampshire, 6-2, with Peter MacIntyre skating off with MVP laurels.

On Friday, UMB (6-4-1) begins that quest by taking on neophyte Albertus Magnus (0-9-2 Independent) in the opening hockey game at 1 p.m. The game will be played at Eddie Barry Rink, named for the legendary Boston State coach and ex-Bruins and Northeastern skater, who established the popular mid-winter classic.

In the other semifinal game, Fitchburg State (6-2-1 MASCAC) and Wesleyan (4-3-0 NESCAC) will tangle at 4 p.m. The winners will cross sticks in the title game on Saturday at 4 p.m., preceded by a consolation bracket at 1 p.m.

“It’s been a tough tournament for us to win,” said Belisle, now in his 14th season and gunning for career coaching win No. 200 (199-138-25). “We haven’t won it in six years. Our seniors really want to win it. They haven’t won it before.”

“I think we have a nice group coming in. Kyle Wallack, (in his first season) at Albertus Magnus, and I coached together at UConn, and (Wesleyan’s) Chris Potter and I were college roommates at UConn. Then, Dean Fuller at Fitchburg State, what can you say? A great coach and he’s always been a great guy and we’re happy to have him on our field,” Belisle said.

UMB, which went 2-1-1 in December, has won its past two games, against Johnson & Wales and UMass-Dartmouth, and appears to be finding its form. The tempo-setters are senior forward and captain Nolan Redler (12-8-20) of Winchester and Zack Bross (5-7-12), junior defenseman Nick Albano (2-9-11) of Beverly, who was invited to the Bruins’ prospects camp, and senior goalie Bailey MacBurnie (3-3-0, 2.68 GAA, .901 SP), also of Beverly. Another player who has made huge strides is junior forward Jack Riley (7-3-10), the grandson of late, legendary Army coach Jack Riley, who guided the 1960 U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal at Squaw Valley, Calif.

Belisle said capturing the Codfish title can have a huge role in jump-starting the rest of the season.

“Yeah, it can help. (SUNY) Cortland won the tournament recently and went on a run. Salve (Regina) won it and went on a good run. So, winning it can really help you for a big second half,” said Belisle. “We’re finally healthy. So that’s a good sign. Bailey (MacBurnie) battled some injuries in the first half and he’s a very good goaltender. Albano, if he has a good second half, could become a three-time All-American. We’re still young, though. We play 10 freshmen every night, including five on defense. So, we’ll probably double-shift Albano a lot back there.”

The Falcons of Albertus Magnus, located in New Haven, Conn., are newcomers and understandably struggled yet have been competitive in nearly every game. Freshman forward Cameron Weitzman of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, has been the lead marksman with 4 goals, 1 assist.

Fitchburg’s Fuller, arguably the dean of New England Div. 3 coaches in his 38th season, recently reached the 550-win plateau (553-333-58) and always has his club primed. The Falcons own a tournament record of 6-6 all-time with two titles, the most recent coming in 2010 with a 4-1 win over UMB. Fitchburg is led by sophomore forward Ryan Murphy of Wayzata, Minn., (6-5-11). Bay State skaters on the club include forward Kevin Perry (0-1-1) of Hull and defenseman Brian Glover (1-4-5) of Baldwinville, and goalie Brian McGrath (6-1-1, 3.07 GAA, .912 SP) of Worcester, all juniors.

Wesleyan, looking to become the first NESCAC entry to win the Cod since Connecticut College edged Lake Forest, 1-1 (in OT), in a 2-1 shootout victory in 2015. The Cardinal, who beat Albertus Magnus, 3-1, in its most recent outing on Dec. 6, has the most Massachusetts skaters of any of the four teams with nine (two more than UMB). Senior captain Walker Harris (2-7-9) is the top points producer while senior Tyler Wyatt leads in goals with five lamp-lighters. Senior Tim Sestak (4-2-0, 2.69 GAA, .918) is solid.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2ZIJZDa