Situation repeats itself for Scituate

Crowley, held without a goal for the final 47 minutes of regulation, scored his third goal of the game on Scituate's first possession of overtime, giving the Sailors a 7-6 victory over Dover-Sherborn at Harvard Stadium for their second straight state title.

"Coach drew it up for me," said Crowley, an All-American. "I just took the opportunity and went to the net and it worked out. Thank God."

Crowley scored a goal in each of the first two quarters, helping to spot the Sailors a 3-0 lead. But after that the D-S defense took over, not allowing a goal until Scituate tied it at 6-6 with 7:39 to go in the fourth.

"We were getting opportunities," said Scituate first-year coach Mark Puzzangara. "Crowley was getting his looks, [Greg] Reynolds was getting his looks. Their goalie made some huge saves. He really kept them in the game."

Dover-Sherborn sophomore goalie Jeff Williams was the player of the game, making 15 saves and holding the potent Scituate offense at bay.

"The last two games he's just been outstanding," said D-S coach Brian McLaughlin. "His improvement this year has been unbelievable."

His goaltending turned into an offensive spark for the Raiders. They answered a 3-0 deficit with three straight goals to end the first quarter, including one following a Scituate man-advantage during which Williams made two huge saves.

Scituate goalie Matt Palubicki made 10 saves. "Matt played his best game of his career," said Reynolds, a senior attacker.

"A lot of people didn't say he could do it," said Puzzangara of Palubicki. "We graduated an all-league goalie. But he put a lot of those rumors to rest. He was our first star, by far."

The win was extra special for the coaching staff, which received criticism after a 5-5 start.

"People were questioning what we were doing," said Puzzangara. "But as a staff we had a plan and we set the goals high for these guys. Once we got to that 10-game mark things just turned around for us."

Division 2 East final:

Walpole 11, Concord-Carlisle 7 - The Rebels used strong defense early at Harvard Stadium to get past the Patriots and defend their sectional title, advancing to tomorrow's state final in Worcester.

"I thought we were ready and we just got beat," said Concord-Carlisle coach Tom Dalicandro. "They did a great job on the defensive end and we just couldn't score."

Walpole opened a 5-1 lead by the 7:28 mark of the second quarter behind Kyle Guilbert's two goals and two assists.

"They put their best poles on the middies," said Walpole coach Jason Andalo. "But then [Adam] Niden gets a goal and then Guilbert gets a goal. We really had six guys playing offense today."

Concord-Carlisle battled back, scoring twice before the break and then the first two goals of the second half. The final goal was by J.B. Henderson, off a pretty bounce pass by Cole Fisher.

But Walpole responded with five straight goals to put the game on ice. Guilbert led all scorers with four goals and two assists, and the Rebels' Ryan Izzo had a hat trick.

Fisher led the Patriots with a goal and two assists.