Medfield Boys' Hockey Looks to Keep Tourney Run Alive

Another Thursday night hockey special for Medfield High School boys' hockey fans as the Warriors face-off against Pembroke in what is surely to be an exciting, action-packed game as soon as the puck drops at 5:15 p.m. in  the Gallo Arena. 

After knocking off the No. 2 team in the MIAA Division 3 South Sectional State Tournament on Sunday, Medfield set a date with 11th seeded Pembroke tonight in the Sectional Semifinals of the MIAA Division 3 South state tournament.

The Warriors are the bracket's 10th seed and Pembroke is 11, so the Warriors will be playing in their home whites. But don't let the seedings fool you. Medfield has already beaten two higher seeds, including the section's No. 2 seed – Abington-East Bridgewater, 3-0 – to advance to the semifinals and Pembroke has cruised to the semifinal round, ripping off three convincing victories enroute to tonight's match-up with Medfield. There's not too many match-ups better than this one. 

Boys' Hockey:

(11) Pembroke (14-5-4) vs. (10) Medfield (15-5-3) Gallo Arena, Bourne/Buzzards Bay, 5:15 p.m.
MIAA Division 3 South Sectional State Tournament, Semifinals

Warriors' head coach Toby Carlow was not pleased with his team's effort after a 3-0 victory over Abington in Sunday's quarterfinal round, citing poor play and lack of execution in the defensive zone. Goalie Connor Roddy was forced to "stand on his head" for the majority of the third period if he was going to keep Abington off the scoreboard. Roddy did just that and recorded the shutout for Medfield, which got two goals from Jim Magrath to earn a semifinal berth. 

On paper, Abington looked to be an explosive offensive team, netting 139 goals through 21 games this season and romped over Blue Hills, 10-3 in the first round of the tourney. Medfield made the Green Wave look average at best, playing well at times but not sustaining it for 45 minutes. It is true that Abington plays in one of the weaker conferences in the state, but a No. 2 seed is still a No. 2 seed in the tournament and the Warriors earned a quality victory over a solid opponent. Carlow knew after Sunday's win the next game would be against "a very good team" and that his Warriors would have to show up Thursday ready to go and play the game of their lives. Carlow was right about the opponent, as Pembroke in one of the toughest opponents in the bracket, and is all that stands in the way of Medfield qualifying for a Sectional Finals appearance. Here's a breakdown of each team:

Medfield: The Warriors have rattled off three straight postseason victories in the D3 South Sectional tournament, outscoring opponents, 13-4 in those games. There's no secret Carlow was not satisfied with his team's performance in the quarterfinals round and that could be a good thing for Medfield. Keeping a high school team honest and understanding "they got away with one," according to Carlow, means they likely worked harder in practice throughout the week and will likely come out with something to prove against Pembroke because the they are not ready for their season to end. Holding the Warriors to a higher standard than just making it to the semifinals is the right approach for Carlow and time will tell if his team will respond.

There's nothing new in the Warriors' game since that victory Sunday. The team's offense is still led by Magrath, Ben Cox and Tyler Etzkorn. This trio of scorers have been able to get the job done to this point of the tourney and will need to play big tonight against a tough Pembroke squad. The defense had a letdown game, leaving Roddy out to dry on more than one occasion, but still remains skilled and has the ability to limit opponent's scoring chances. Fortunately for the Warriors on Sunday, Roddy was as sharp as he's been all season and was the difference against Abington. Look for a rebound performance from a defensive unit led by Mike Brown and John O'Driscoll. 

Pembroke: The Patriot League's second-place team behind another MIAA D3 South Sectional semifinalist, Scituate, has been dominant in the tournament this season. The Titans have outscored their opponents, 24-1 to this point of the tourney, including a 9-0 romp over No. 3 seed Bishop Feehan on Sunday. It's no secret Pembroke can play on both sides of the ice and has had solid goaltending in the tourney.

Prediction: It's a semifinal round that fields four teams from two leagues: The Patriot League and Tri-Valley League. That says a lot about those divisions and the level of competition those teams face throughout the year. Medfield and Pembroke get the semifinal round started, while Scituate vs. Westwood will follow after. Bottom line: The Warriors must play better on defense than they did Sunday if they plan on making it to the Sectional Finals. Medfield is one game shy of making a finals appearance and will need to play like there is no tomorrow, because if they lose, there isn't. Pembroke and Medfield play similar styles of hockey and both are balanced teams with talent on both ends of the ice. To make the match-up even more interesting, both teams are running into hot goaltenders. This game looks like it has the potential to be very close, with the winner playing better on the defensive side of the ice. I went against Medfield once and fortunately, the team proved me wrong. It would be easy to pick Pembroke here based on the numbers, but I like the way Medfield has played in the tournament to this point and believe the Warriors have a legitimate shot at a Sectional Finals appearance. Medfield to advance.

Smith's state tournament prediction record: 3-3

Smith's regular season prediction record: 54-15