The Danvers High hockey team travelled to western Mass. Wednesday night hoping to return home with an upset victory.
The Falcons came home not only with the win, but a milestone performance for their leading scorer that will forever ensconce him in DHS hockey annals.
Senior forward Cooper Dunham scored three goals and assisted on another, giving him 100 career points, as the 21st seeded Blue-and-White took down No. 12 seeded Westfield, 4-1, in a Division 3 first round playoff game at Amelia Park Arena.
Goaltender Evan Morey was brilliant for the Falcons, finishing with 34 saves. His biggest came in the second period with Danvers clinging to a one-goal lead when he denied a 2-on-0 breakaway by the Bombers.
“Unbelievable performance by Cooper, what a game from Evan … really, by the entire team,” said Danvers head coach Bill Sheehan, whose squad improved to 10-9-2 while winning a playoff game for the second straight season.
As the Falcons’ leading scorer in the regular season with 21 goals, 16 assists and 37 points, Dunham entered the postseason with 97 career points (52 goals, 45 assists). He added to that total quickly, scoring six minutes into the opening period to give the Falcons a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes. Captain Drew Godfried and junior center Owen Swanton assisted on the tally.
Danvers then shocked the home team by netting two more goals in a 9-second span in the final minute of the middle period, with both lamplighters coming while the teams skated at 4-on-4. First, Dunham notched his second goal of the evening but converting a feed from Gaven Cooper.
Just nine seconds later, Dunham feed Swanton to make it 3-0 … and in the process give Dunham his 100th career point.
Dunham then put the icing on the Falcons’ cake with just over five minutes to play, capping off his hat trick to make it 4-0 as Colby Medeiros and Jacob Langlais picked up helpers. It was his 101st career point.
Westfield’s Joe Maffia, one of the state’s leading scorers with over 70 points in the regular season for Westfield, was shut down by Danvers for the majority of the contest. He prevented the Bombers from being shut out by scoring with 1:58 to go.
Sheehan lauded the play of defenseman Aiden Hockney, Hunter DeDominics, Jason Luti, Langlais and Godfried for their work defensively.
Danvers moves on to the second round, where they will face the winner of Thursday’s first round matchup between No. 5 Shawsheen (17-2-1) and 28th seeded Watertown (3-17).