BOURNE — The Marblehead Miracle almost happened for a second straight season.
But unlike a year ago, Nauset Regional flexed its muscles in crunch time and came out on top.
Tied after two periods before a packed barn Thursday at Gallo Ice Rink, the top seeded Warriors scored four times over the final 6 minutes and 49 seconds to knock the defending Division 3 state champion Headers out of the playoffs with a 5-1 win.
“I don’t think the final score reflects how the game was as a whole at all,” said Marblehead captain Kyle Hart, whose early goal gave the Headers their only lead. By scoring, he finished with 129 points, third all-time in MHS hockey history. “But Nauset’s a hell of a team, and you can play as well as we did and sometimes it still doesn’t swing your way.”
Marblehead had stunned Nauset, 1-0, for the Division 3 state title at TD Garden a year ago on St. Patrick’s Day. The Warriors were naturally hungry to have a rematch Wednesday night, and while Marblehead kept it close through almost 40 minutes of action, ultimately Nauset (22-0-1) simply had too much firepower.
“I’m sure they’ve had this game on their calendars since last March 17,” said Hart. “I would’ve done the same thing if I were in their shoes.”
Marblehead (17-6-1), the No. 8 seed, managed just one shot in the third period and was outshot, 29-15, overall. Nonetheless, head coach Mark Marfione said he was “incredibly proud” of the effort his players put forth.
“They left it all out there and worked their butts off,” said Marfione said. “But Nauset is a team you can’t make any mistakes or have any lapses against. Any space at all and they’ll make you play. They can really shoot.
“We played as hard as we could,” he added. “Unfortunately, you can do that and sometimes still lose.”
Hart stunned the capacity crowd by scoring just 128 seconds in, taking a pass from fellow captain Crew Monaco and sweeping out front toward Nauset netminder Zach Coelho before tucking the puck past him.
“That was a special moment,” an emotional Hart said of his team-leading 16th goal and 47th of his career. “I take a lot of pride in wearing this jersey, and to be able to pot one in my last high school game, representing my school and going down the line (in front of the MHS bench) one more time with all my teammates and in front of our parents and fans, that was a moment I’ll never forget. It was a huge confidence boost for us.”
Senior captain Leo Burdge, who blanked the Warriors in last year’s title game, was again magnificent against a Nauset squad that kept coming in waves. He stopped all 11 shots he saw in the first period and another eight in the middle stanza; the only one to get by him was a rebound that Zach Weiner pushed past his stick 2:13 into the frame.
“I thought we played well in the first period, and even better in the second even though they scored,” said Marfione.
But Nauset kept the pedal to the metal over the final 15 minutes. Alternate captain Colin Ward finally broke through with 6:49 to go, posting up in the crease and knocking home a rebound to make it 2-1.
That seemed to give the Warriors even more confidence, as they took advantage against a tiring Headers’ club. Logan Miller followed Ward’s tally with a high snapshot from between the circles a minute-and-a-half later. Ward connected again from down the left wing boards with a perfectly placed shot over Burdge’s right shoulder, and Jake Eldredge concluded the scoring with 30 seconds left on the clock.
“For more than two-and-a-half periods we played a tight checking game and got in shooting lanes,” said Marfione. “But they got a few small openings and took advantage. There’s no margin of error with them; when they got that third goal, it was emotionally deflating.”
“Hockey’s a game of fractions that add up,” added Hart, “and they did all the little things to help close us out.”
Captain Sean Dolan had another sensational game on defense for Marblehead, blocking numerous shots while playing nearly 30 minutes of hockey against one of the state’s most talented teams.
“This was a special group, and I’m forever proud to be a part of it,” said Hart. “I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and how we played this season, coming off of that state championship year when everyone was gunning for us.
“The culture has shifted here, and there’s a lot of guys coming back who’ll have a big chip on their shoulders,” he added. “For those lucky ones, I hope they keep that culture going and keep it going for another 50 years.”
Nauset 5, Marblehead 1
Division 3 state quarterfinals
at John Gallo Ice Rink, Bourne
Marblehead;1;0;0;1
Nauset;0;1;4;5
First period: M, Kyle Hart (Crew Monaco, Sean Dolan), 2:08.
Second period: N, Zach Weiner (Colin Ward), 2:13.
Third period: N, Ward (Jake Eldredge), 8:11; N, Logan Miller (Zach Coelho), 9:54; N, Ward (Oscar Escher), 11:44; N, Eldredge (Logan Poulin), 14:30.
Saves: M, Leo Burdge 24; N, Zach Coelho 14.
Records: M, 17-6-1; N, 22-0-1.
Contact Phil Stacey
@PhilStacey_SN