Sailing right along
Scituate rolls to Div. 3 title game
WORCESTER - Before anyone could get comfortable at the DCU Center last night, Scituate jumped all over Marblehead in a Division 3 boys' hockey semifinal.
The Sailors scored four goals in just over eight minutes en route to an 8-2 victory, and punched their ticket to TD Banknorth Garden, where they will defend their state title Sunday against Westfield, which beat Gardner, 3-2, in the other semifinal.
Top line forwards Danny Galvin (hat trick) and Pat Duggan (two goals) spearheaded the offense. Mac Luciani, a preseason transfer from BC High, also scored twice.
"That whole line, they can skate really well and shoot really well," said coach Mike Breen, whose team moved to 13-6-5.
After seizing a 4-1 lead after one period, the Sailors refused to allow the freshmen-laden Headers back in the game.
Breen told his team not to try to hit its younger opponents out of the building, and his team focused on scoring rather than intimidating.
Brad Stenbeck opened the floodgates before Galvin potted two quick strikes. Luciani added another before Marblehead's Anders Gundersen got his team on the board.
Ben Koopman scored early in the second period to cut the deficit to two goals, but the Headers couldn't take advantage of three power plays in the frame.
Luciani and Duggan scored in the second, and Duggan and Galvin struck in the third.
Jamie Murray was solid, stopping 18 Marblehead shots.
Tony Cuzner (14 saves) and Aron Reny (9) split time in net for Marblehead. The Headers, who came into the playoffs with a .500 record, ended their season at 14-11-0.
After the final horn sounded - and the scorekeeper finished writing everything down - Marblehead coach Bob Jackson reflected about the Sailors' postseason.
"They're on a mission," he said of Scituate, which has outscored opponents, 25-9, in the tournament.
No doubt the Sailors are steamrolling their competition. But it's apparent they're playing with more than just back-to-back state titles in mind.
Even Breen acknowledges they're trying to blow teams out. After all, he admits he played his top line - Jamie Pratt, Duggan, and Galvin - for long stretches even when the score was 8-2. But it could hardly be considered an act of poor sportsmanship.
"I was trying to get [the score] to nine, for Timmy Mahoney, who we lost during the season," he said.
The Sailors have dedicated their playoff run to Mahoney, a sophomore defenseman who died in an automobile accident Feb. 2.
He wore No. 9.
Mahoney was announced alongside his brother, Pat, in the team's starting lineup, at his customary spot on defense, and the coaching staff wore blue-and-white pins adorned with No. 9.
Now, the team will get a chance to dedicate a state title to Mahoney.
