Varsity Boys Hockey Team
The Norwell High School Varsity Boys Hockey Team started their journey for the coveted Massachusetts State Championship last Wednesday. Their first game was against Groton-Dunstable, who boasted a 1-18 record; they snuck into the tournament with the number 30 seed because of the strong competition they faced throughout the season. The Groton-Dunstable team fought as hard as they could to knock off the number three ranked Clippers; however, they were no match dropping the game 3 to 1. The game started and the Clippers were ready to defend their 2023 State Title in front of a packed crowd at the Bog. The puck dropped at 7:20 and within the first couple of minutes the captain, Nolan Petrucelli, found the back of the net propelling the Clippers to an early one, nothing lead. However, much to Groton-Dunstable’s dismay the great Quinn Simmons would double the lead with a beautiful wraparound goal. The scoring remained at a standstill until about halfway through the second. When Groton-Dunstable team was able to tally a goal from a shot off the rush. The score remained 2-1 until good ol’ Quinn Simmons, hammered one in from the point. The puck weaved its way through the Groton-Dunstable defenders and ended up in the back of the net making the score 3-1. The score remained the same until the final buzzer. Clippers were the winners advancing them to the Sweet 16. The Clippers sailed into the sweet 16 against a tough 14 seed Lunenburg team. The scouting report being a young team with good defense, but not very physical. The game plan was simple: hit them and get them to shy away from the game as a whole. With crucial goals by Quinn Simmons, Matt Cerutti, and Aiden Coyle, as well as huge hits from Ricky Deagle, Charlie Borass, Matt Cerutti, and Joey Perniola. The Clippers were able to dominate Lunenburg both physically and on the scoreboard, cruising into an elite 8 matchup against Hanover. The boys beat the young Hanover team 3-2 earlier in the season, but the score doesn’t tell the full story, the Clippers could have won 4-1 if they capitalized on the empty net,
but instead the Hanover Hawks scored with 11 seconds left; regardless the boys won and Hanover played a respectable game. There is no denying that Hanover is a good young team, and the boys will have to come home with a hard fought victory Thursday night in Woburn, to fulfill their goal of advancing to the Final Four.
