Headers and Rams Have Another Post-Season Appointment

Marblehead and Shawsheen will hit the ice Saturday night at 5:40 p.m to decide the Division Three North championship at the Chelmsford Forum in North Billerica.

It’s the third year in a row the two teams have met in the tournament, splitting the first two meetings.

Shawsheen disposed of Wayland 3-2 in a shoot-out in the first game of a playoff doubleheader Thursday. The Rams came into the tournament as the number one seed, with Marblehead at number two, so a rematch between the schools seemed likely.

The Headers put together three great periods, knocking out the number three seed, Dracut, 5-1.

Dracut came into the game with league MVP Garrett Beaulieu in the net, averaging close to 40 shots a game. Marblehead held the Middies to only 18 shots on net and pumped 33 on Beaulieu, scoring five goals for the second straight playoff game.

Senior Ryan Dempsey put Marblehead up 1-0 with a wicked slap shot from the top of the face-off circle that broke through the goalies’ pads. Hunter Graves and picked up the assists. The goal came at 11:37 and gave Dempsey 21 for the season.

Ian Maag made it a two goal lead 1:37 later, set up by the Koopman brothers, senior captain Ben and freshman Tom. Marblehead went into the first intermission playing their best hockey of the playoffs, Dracut struggled to get any sustained attack on Header goalie Tony Cuzner.

The lead could have easily been four goals after one, but senior winger Alex Whitmore hit the post twice.

Tom Koopman picked up his third assist of the game at 5:09 of the middle period, setting up Dempsey for his second of the game. Jake Kulevich also had a helper on Dempsey’s fifth goal of the tournament.

Shaun Conley gave Dracut some life when his shot from the point found the back of the net with 3:52 to go in the second.

Marblehead kept up an aggressive forecheck late in the period, and the hard work paid off with 40 seconds to play. Tyler Bates knocked one in right along the ice by Beaulieu, set up by Cam Rowe and Dempsey.

Marblehead closed out the second outshooting the Middies 25-15, dominating all three zones.

Marblehead fans outnumbered Dracut fans by a 4-1 margin, the Dracut skaters had to deal with it on the ice, and hear about it from the stands.

The Headers kept up the pressure in the third, there would be no repeat of Sunday’s letdown against Latin Academy.

With 3:58 to go, senior Chris McLeod picked up goal number 20 on the season, from Tyler Gelineau and Austin Haley.

Marblehead had two assists on every goal they scored Thursday night, all three lines were clicking against Dracut.

The Headers improve to 17-4-3 on the season, and with a win Saturday, they can defend their Division 3 North crown. The only thing standing in their way are the Rams from Shawsheen.

Marblehead defeated Shawsheen 4-0 in last year’s semifinals, before winning the title with a 4-2 win over Concord-Carlisle.

Shawsheen took a semifinals win over Marblhead in 2009, 2-1 in a shoot-out.

The puck drops at 5:40 p.m., Saturday at the Chelmsford Forum.

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