Mashpee Hockey Survives Penalty-Filled Game

By: Rich Maclone
Published: 01/08/10

The Mashpee/UCT ice hockey team got off to a great start against Durfee on Monday afternoon, scoring three times in the first period to control the game. The Hilltoppers obviously took exception to the Falcons’ success and decided that if you can’t beat them, then you might as well beat up on them.

Turning to borderline goon tactics the Hilltoppers were able to turn the game around. Durfee was able to make a game of it, coming all the way back to within a single goal of MHS in the third period. However, in the end MHS/UCT, which allowed itself to fall into retaliatory actions later in the game, held on for a 5-3 win over the Division I school.

MHS/UCT Coach Shawn Chicoine was not happy with the way that the game was played, or that his team got involved in the back-and-forth trips to the penalty box with Durfee. In total, there were 21 penalties called in the contest, with Durfee serving 12 of those. DHS went to the box seven times in the third period alone, while Mashpee had six of its nine total infractions called in the third.

“We got out of our rhythm. You start playing to the level of play and you’re right down there with them when that happens,” Chicoine said.

Chiocoine said that Durfee seemed to want “penalties and anarchy.” “It was a real disappointment how we reacted to that. We’ve got some older players that have to react better to it,” the coach said.

Early on the Falcons played some of their best hockey of the season as they scored three to take control. Tomy Barolomei started things off by crashing the net and putting one in for a quick 1-0 lead. The Falcons then scored two in a span of 32 seconds to assert command of the game. Sean Foley, who would later leave the game with a wrist injury that could cost him a few games, tucked in a rebound between the keeper and the near post on a rebound of a shot by Dan Toth at the 10:10 mark to make it a 2-0 affair. Then, at 10:42, captain Liam Sullivan scored an unassisted marker as he intercepted a Durfee clearing pass in front of the DHS net. He quick went from forechecking to attacking and backhanded one by the goalie.

The game looked to be all but over when the Falcons took a four-goal lead just 2:10 into the second period. Kyle Murray blasted a slapper off a faceoff that whistled by the goaltender for a 4-0 lead.

From that point on, though, things deteriorated into a pushing and shoving match that saw plenty of slashing, hooking, and a few skirmishes that luckily never got totally out of control.

Durfee seemed to feed off the mayhem and battled back to cut the lead to 4-1 midway through the second period on a second chance shot.

In the third period DHS got a power play goal just 2:45 into the stanza and then added a breakaway goal at the end of an MHS/UCT power play that made it 4-3.

It could have gotten worse, but Mashpee goaltender Connor Tremarche (17 saves) came up with some of his most important stops of the day late in the game. Tremarche stopped two point blanks bids to tie it up before Sean Conaway scored a pivotal goal with 3:56 left to go that gave the Falcons some much-needed breathing room. Conaway took a pass from Sean Crosby and let a slapper fly from the left point that found an opening. The power play goal gave the Falcons a 5-3 lead and they held on from that point.

Mashpee is back in action tomorrow, looking to get to the .500 mark for the season. The Falcons take a 3-4 overall record into a South Shore League game against Harwich at the Kennedy Ice Arena at 4 PM.

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