The Marblehead High Hockey Headers (17-5-1, eighth seed) are back in the State Division 3 Elite 8, and after last year’s state championship run, they fully understand what’s at stake and what it will take to get back to where they were last March.
On paper, the Marblehead boys are only two games away from returning to the TD Garden to defend their state title, but in reality, they know they can’t look beyond the next game. All of their efforts since beating the Dracut / Tyngsborough co-op (17-3-2, ninth seed) last Friday night at Salem State’s O’Keefe Complex, 4-2 in a Division 3 Sweet 16 game have been turned to preparing for Nauset (21-0-1), the top seed, who defeated Danvers (8-12-2, 16th seed), 9-0. That Sweet 16 matchup took place 24 hours later at the Charles Moore Arena in Orleans. The Elite 8 game between last year’s state finalists is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, at the Gallo Rink in Bourne, starting at 5 p.m.
Marblehead hockey fans remember Nauset, because they were the ones who were frustrated by goalie Leo Burdge and the Headers at the TD Garden last year on St. Patrick’s Day. Avin Rodovsky’s first period goal held up the rest of the way to help secure the program’s second state title ever. The first one occurred just 13 years earlier in 2011.
Coach Mark Marfione has developed that blueprint for success since taking over the program in 2023. Immediately, after beating the Middies last Friday night, Marfione told the media what he was going to do next.
“We (the coaching staff) will be focusing on the Nauset / Danvers game tapes as soon as that game is over tomorrow night (March 1),” Marfione said right after Friday night’s game against Dracut. “We’re definitely not ready to end this season anytime soon.”
Some of Marfione’s players had their own opinions who they want to play in the Elite 8 game. “We want Nauset,” said sophomore forward Noah Feingold after the win over the Dracut co-op. Feingold had a key assist on what turned out to be the game-winning goal by junior forward E.J. Wyman in the third period.
Captain Kyle Hart, who had a goal and an assist in the Round of 16 game, thought it would be fun to play Danvers in the Elite 8. “I don’t think the Northeastern Conference has ever had two of its teams play each other in the Elite 8,” said Hart right after the Dracut game.
But Hart knows that his team won’t back down from anybody. “Everybody here in this locker room has stepped up to the challenge, and is prepared and ready to go for what lies ahead.”
While Hart and his fellow senior captain Crew Monaco scored goals against Dracut, two underclassmen also lit up the scoreboard. Wyman, of course, was one of those non-seniors, who said afterwards that it was definitely the biggest goal he has ever scored in a hockey game. “To score a goal in this setting and in this arena with my boys in that locker room makes this moment really special to me,” he said.
Monaco, who scored the game-winning goal against Blackstone Valley with seconds left in regulation to begin the postseason, got his teammates going again with a first period goal against the Dracut co-op assisted by junior forward London McDonald and Hart.
“Scoring again felt good, and this time we got that spark that we needed early on in the game,” said Monaco.
The senior captain doesn’t care who they play in the Elite 8 game. “We’re just excited to play, no matter who wins that game between Nauset and Danvers, so we’ll just have to wait and see,” he said.
The Middies tied it up at 8:01 of the middle stanza on a goal by Drew DuRoss from Charlie Wilkie. But almost three minute later, Hart regained the lead with a goal setup by his linemates Hayden Gallo and Monaco. However, Dracut got the equalizer again, when Matt Lesniak shot one past Burdge. Beau Blakley and Brenden Modeski set it up. With 46 seconds left in the period, Dracut thought it took the lead, but it was called back, because the puck was kicked into the net. Seconds later, DuRoss incurred a five-minute major boarding penalty for his hit on sophomore defenseman Jimmy Ryan. Ryan was able to skate to the bench, but sat out the rest of the game, while applying an ice pack to his injured shoulder. Marfione said afterwards that he thinks Ryan will be OK to play in the Elite 8 game.
The Middies were able to kill off that penalty in the third period, but with 9:11 left on the clock Wyman and Feingold teamed up to produce what turned out to be the game-winning marker. Six minutes later, Gallo, the other non-senior who scored in this game, netted the all-important insurance tally from Hart.
It was your typical back and forth tournament game. Marblehead enjoyed a slight edge in shots, 32-28, while Burdge did his part once again to limit the opposition’s scoring opportunities. He came up with 26 stops.
“This time of year, you don’t get any style points for the win,” said Marfione. “We were able to (grind) out another win to move on to the next round.
“Dracut’s a good team. They won their league, but we know how to win the close games,” added the Marblehead coach. “Leo once again controlled the rebounds in front of his net to keep us in another game.”
Following the Blackstone Valley game, Hart pretty much echoed the sentiments of the entire team that has carried them to so much success the last two years. “We’re just focused on playing of our game,” he said.
That attitude should serve the team well going forward, as they hope the season continues for three more games all the way to the TD Garden and another state conquest.
