Hingham blanks Marshfield to win Patriot Cup

BOURNE — Hours before Friday night’s Patriot Cup final, Hingham boys hockey coach Tony Messina called his players together to send them a message.

The stage was different, but the mindset had to remain the same — the Harbormen were still playing for a championship.

After playing a grueling independent schedule for nearly 20 years, Hingham was added to the Patriot League for the 2021 season. At the end of the day, the Harbormen still found themselves at the top of the hockey world. Bobby Falvey, Chase McKenna and Lars Osterberg netted goals, as Hingham captured the league championship with a 3-0 shutout of Marshfield at Gallo Ice Arena.

“The only thing we were missing was the extra people in the crowd,” said Messina. “In terms of excitement playing for a championship, it doesn’t matter what level. That’s what I told them before the game. You don’t get many opportunities to play for a championship, regardless of where it is. So, don’t have any regrets, put everything on the ice, and leave it out there.”

Late in the opening period, Falvey corralled the puck near the opposing blue line, and waited for a shooting lane. As he skated toward the point, the junior defenseman took a hack at the puck, which proceeded to bounce off a post and in, giving Hingham (14-1) a 1-0 advantage with 3:51 left in the stanza.

However, Marshfield was in a similar position as Hingham this season, switching from an independent slate of games to the Patriot League as well. The Rams played like a title contender, keeping it close early on.

Marshfield’s best opportunity came at the tail end of the second period, when Hingham was whistled for consecutive penalties. However, the Rams came up empty following a five-on-three advantage, as Theo Jacobs made one outstanding save after the next for the Harbormen.

With 8:15 left in regulation, Marshfield was whistled for its only penalty of the game, a roughing call. But the moment would prove devastating for the Rams.

As the final seconds of the ensuing power play started to bleed away, McKenna simply tried to get a shot on net from long range. The puck whistled over the shoulder of Marshfield goaltender Aidan Healey, and suddenly, Hingham had doubled its lead to 2-0 with 6:22 left. It was quite the moment for McKenna’s second goal of the season.

Osterberg would clinch the title in the closing seconds, as he threw a prayer at the open Marshfield net. The senior’s prayer was answered with a goal, ending his decorated career at Hingham in style.

“Earlier in the year, we were definitely disappointed that we weren’t going to see (the Super Eight),” said Osterberg. “But as the year went on, we realized that it’s about (playing) what’s in front of us, taking care of what we can control. And it was a really special year. We almost had a perfect season, only took one loss. Winning a championship? It just caps off a great season for the boys, and I was really proud of us.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3az6scW