GLOUCESTER — What began as your run-of-the-mill Monday night high school hockey game in February turned out to be anything but.
Featuring three ties, seven lead changes, and three goals within a 44-second span late in the third period, visiting Marblehead left the Talbot Rink victorious after senior captain Crew Monaco buried a rebound out front with 2:12 left in regulation, allowing the Headers to defeat their hosts from Gloucester, 5-4.
“We didn’t have the best energy tonight, but we did enough to win,” head coach Mark Marfione said. “We showed good resiliency by constantly answering them and did a good job at the end closing it out.”
Now 15-2-1 on the season, Marblehead — which was without the services of its leading scorer, London McDonald (out sick) — can clinch the Northeastern Conference title with a victory over Masconomet Wednesday at Salem State’s Rockett Arena (7:30 p.m.).
Gloucester head coach Derek Geary called it “a stinging defeat” on multiple occasions postgame while also taking some of the blame for some late-game decisions on the part of his squad.
“It’s one of those games where we felt it was our night somehow, the way we came back. It felt like Marblehead was ripe (for the picking),” he said. “But we didn’t make the little detailed plays that need to be made to win hockey games: winning faceoffs, knowing the faceoff assignment and playing it, not blocking a shot or starting and stopping.
“We’re all accountable when detail plays end up costing us the game,” Geary added. “I’m disappointed in our execution and not being able to fulfill the mission it terms of the extra effort it takes to win a game like that. And yo have to credit Marblehead always; they never stop. They make detail plays, they’re never conveniently second into the corner, they get after it hard. Time and time again they win the hustle plays in crunch time … they found a way to make the last good play and win the game.”
The contest was knotted up at 3-3 in the third period after Gloucester had rallied from an earlier two-goal deficit. Captain Cade Cooper connected on a power play early in the third to even things up.
It remained that way until there were under three minutes to play. Mere seconds after being robbed out front after picking up a turnover in the GHS zone and rifling a shot on net, Marblehead freshman Teddy Dulac buried this opportunity to give Marblehead a 4-3 lead. The sequence came about following a Gloucester miscommunication on a defensive zone draw.
“Teddy has had his ups and downs like most players, “said Marfione, “but lately he’s really getting better each time out and knows how to bury his chances.”
But the Fishermen (now 9-8-2) responded just 20 seconds later when Cooper took a pass from Giacomo Martell and banged in his team leading 12th lamplighter of the season, tying it at 4-4.
The pendulum swung back in Marblehead’s favor — and for good — a mere 24 seconds thereafter. Another offensive zone faceoff win saw captain Kyle Hart (goal, 2 assists) draw the puck back to Jimmy Ryan at the point, and the sophomore defenseman hammered a shot on net. It was stopped, but there wasn’t a Fishermen in sight of Monaco, who greedily jammed in the rebound for the game-winning goal.
“Crew plays so well positionally that he’s always in the right spot and always a threat to score,” acknowledged Marfione. “The (nine) goals are an added bonus from that.”
“Games like t his come down to faceoffs. Games like this come down to not stickhandling at the offensive blueline and instead getting it in the zone for a forecheck. Games like this come down to being swivel-headed and looking around danger zones,” said Geary.
The four goals allowed by Marblehead — which had surrendered just 18 in its 17 contests — were the most it had allowed in a game this winter. (Winthrop scored three, with one of those being an empty netter).
Marblehead sophomore Will Sullivan and Gloucester freshman Cam Amero traded first period goals 18 seconds apart before the visitors scored a pair early in the second to take a 3-1 lead. Hayden Gallo knocked home a second chance rebound just 35 seconds in, and Hart snapped in a loose puck in the low slot. Gloucester got one back before second intermission when defenseman Sam Sanfilippo cashed in with a high snapshot while barreling down the slot.
The Fishermen will wrap up their regular season this Saturday at home against Masconomet. It will be their second meeting in eight days, with Gloucester beating the Chieftains, 3-1, last Saturday in Haverhill.
Marblehead 5, Gloucester 4
at the Dorothy Talbot Rink, Gloucester
Marblehead;1;2;2;5
Gloucester;1;1;2;4
First period: M, Will Sullivan (Noah Feingold, Avin Rodovsky), 6:02; M, Cam Amero (un), 6:20.
Second period: M, Hayden Gallo (Kyle Hart, Crew Monaco), :35; M, Hart (Monaco), 3:46; G, Sam Sanfilippo (Chris Dailey), 6:22.
Third period: G, Cade Cooper (Colby Warren, Giacomo Martell), ppg, 2:29; M, Teddy Dulac (Jimmy Ryan), 12:04; G, Cooper (Martell), 12:24; M, Monaco (Ryan, Hart), 12:48.
Saves: M, Leo Burdge 19; G, Trey Marrone 27.
Records: M, 15-2-1; G, 9-8-2.