Westfield ticks in last minute
A year after it lost the Division 3 state final to Scituate by one goal, Westfield got even by getting ahead in the final minute yesterday at TD Banknorth Garden.
Ryan Leonard took a pass from the right corner from Sean Frere, then slipped the puck past goalie Jamie Murray with 50.8 seconds left to give the Bombers a thrilling 3-2 victory and the state title.
Frere had taken the puck down the right side but lost control when he reached the corner. Still, he managed to push the biscuit toward the net. The puck bounced slightly off Murray, allowing Leonard to tip in the championship-winning score.
"Sean was forechecking hard as usual - he's in there grinding it out - and I was just being the high man coming down the slot and he found me," said Leonard, a junior defenseman. "And I just put it through the five-hole."
The goal capped a roller coaster third period.
The Bombers took a 2-1 lead at 3:52. From in close, Dan Ross deflected Anthony Howard's pass from near the blue line past Murray.
But the Sailors, who displayed great resiliency through the tournament, came through again at 11:52. Senior captain Dan Galvin quickly set up and fired a shot that zipped through Alex Wiggs's five-hole to tie the game at 2-2.
"I thought we were going OT," said Westfield coach C.B. Matthews Jr. with some relief. "Then we were going to see which team was in the best shape. We skated hard during practices, and thank God we didn't have to go through OT with [Leonard's goal]."
After failing to score on multiple power-play opportunities, Westfield finally capitalized, netting the winner after a Scituate holding penalty with 2:14 to play.
After the tragic passing of Scituate defenseman Tim Mahoney last month, the defending state champions rallied and charged through the tournament to earn their second straight title match with the Bombers, whom they defeated, 1-0, last year at the Garden. When yesterday's game ended, one Sailor crumpled to the ice and put his head in his arms. Another smashed his stick on a goal post, then broke it in two against his knee.
Although his team's valiant effort didn't result in another state title, Scituate coach Mike Breen said his players should be proud of what they accomplished this season. But he said it will probably take a while for them to get over yesterday's defeat.
"The kids just battled right to the end," he said. "They've been through so much this year and they take it as a big letdown, but I told them to get over it as soon as possible. That was just a great battle and everyone should be proud of the job they did.
"It was such an emotional season and now they have to face the reality. I'm just hoping they can handle it. This is a loss and like any other loss, it takes time to get over it and I just hope they do it in a good way, a positive way, rather than a negative way."
Rich Asselin gave Westfield an early lead, taking a behind-the-net pass from Josh Gearing and slapping the puck past Murray to give the Bombers a 1-0 lead just 29 seconds into the game.
The hitting increased in the second period. Scituate defenseman Pat Mahoney was tripped up and had to be helped off the ice with 11:23 left after he was unable to put pressure on his right foot. He managed to return and late in the period, his team tied the game at 1-1. Senior forward Pat Duggan took a pass from fellow senior Jamie Pratt and blasted the puck into the upper right corner of the net with 36.7 seconds left.
