HINGHAM — Round this time final yr, a closely favored Hingham boys hockey staff was shocked by way of upset within the Div. 1 state match’s second spherical.
The veteran-laden Harbormen didn’t neglect.
4 seniors mixed for all six objectives Saturday at Pilgrim Area, powering No. 6 Hingham to a 6-0 win over No. 11 Weymouth in a second-round matchup.
Cam McKenna and Colman Donohue every scored twice, overcoming a deceptively sturdy displaying in web from Wildcats goalie Billy Lennon (28 saves) to assist the Harbormen (16-6-2) advance to the state quarterfinals. The staff they’ll face there, No. 14 Arlington Catholic, pulled off the exact same upset (over No. 3 St. John’s Prep) that 18 Hingham seniors have been intent on stopping this time.
How a lot was that, and never losing their final alternative collectively, on their minds?
“Oh, the entire time,” McKenna stated. “I imply, it’s the primary time I believe ever that we’ve gotten to have a second spherical (recreation) right here at Pilgrim. We’re not going to lose in our house barn. It’s by no means going to occur, particularly with what number of seniors we now have right here.”
A lot of that confidence and urgency confirmed up straight away with Hingham tilting the ice for an 18-3 pictures on purpose benefit within the first interval. Lennon turned away a lot of it in a scoreless first eight minutes, however senior Sean Carroll arrange McKenna for the go-ahead purpose on an influence play with 6:50 left within the first interval.
Simply over two minutes later, Donohue rushed alongside junior Brendan McCarthy (two assists), and wristed in his feed for a 2-0 lead.
“Hingham-Weymouth recreation, something can occur,” Hingham head coach Tony Messina stated. “I’ve most likely been in these video games … as a participant, most likely 10 occasions enjoying them. As a coach, most likely, 50, 60, 70 occasions. Not on a regular basis, the staff with the most effective expertise wins. It’s who performs the toughest, who performs with emotion. And I assumed we had emotion from the start. We performed bodily, we performed exhausting, the way in which that we now have to.”
Setting the tone early is a key focus for each staff in match time, particularly when dealing with a Weymouth group using a nine-game win streak. Potting the primary purpose in opposition to their dynamic goalie was a significant increase.
“I believe it simply gave us the momentum and confidence to maintain going from there,” McKenna stated.
The Wildcats slowed down the pictures after the primary, however Lennon nonetheless confronted a number of harmful bids. Hingham potted two extra objectives within the second interval, although, off McKenna’s one-timer within the left circle and Donohue’s shot from the left level by way of site visitors.
Senior Nick Smith then netted a 5-0 lead from the highest of the fitting circle throughout 4-on-4 play early within the third, and his breakout move to senior Quinn Allen on the pink line set him up for a shorthanded purpose to cap the scoring.
Senior James Whitmore had seven of his 13 saves within the third interval, pairing with a superb job from the entire staff to safe the shutout.
“Management’s been nice all yr,” Messina stated. “Not solely the captains, not solely the blokes which were on the staff final yr … however new seniors to the staff. It’s been nice. Even the underclassmen … everybody’s been right here earlier than.”
Halfway by way of the yr, McKenna suffered a shoulder harm initially feared to be a possible season-ender.
He as a substitute returned six video games later. Now, he has 5 objectives by way of two match video games. Donohue, who didn’t rating a purpose all common season, has three.
“We’re simply not taking any staff calmly,” McKenna stated. “You see upsets on a regular basis, yearly. You understand that each staff goes to offer us their greatest, and we’ve obtained to simply need it extra. We’ve obtained to out-play them, out-battle them.”
