Wildcats Score Key Win over Walpole to Keep Tournament Hopes Alive

With the sharp shooting skills of Derek Hurley, the boys hockey team emerged with a crucial win. Hurley led the way, recording a pair of goals as the Wildcats escaped with a 4-3 win over Walpole in Wednesday night’s Bay State Conference match-up at Iorio Rink.

As a result, the Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak, and improved to 8-7-2 overall with five games remaining.

“It was a huge two points for us,’’ said coach Paul Noonan. “The kids played very hard, and Walpole is a very tough team in the league. We stayed with them, and we were finally able to capitalize on some scoring opportunities. This win puts us that much closer to clinching a tournament berth; but we still have a lot of work to do to get to where we want to be.”

In the first period, the Wildcats grabbed a 2-0 lead on goals by Robbie O’Neil before the Rebels closed the gap within one. After Hurley’s second goal of the game, the Rebels retaliated and trimmed the lead to 3-2 late in the second before Terence Walsh added a key insurance goal early in the third. With close to 3:00 remaining in the contest, the Rebels struck again and closed within 4-3. In the final seconds, the Rebels removed their goaltender for the extra attacker, but the Wildcats held ground as goaltender Jay Hankard stopped several key shots in the closing seconds to secure the win. Also contributing on the scoring was Paul Curran, who added two assists.

“(Hankard) came through with some clutch saves for us,’’ said Noonan. “We were in control of the game, but (Walpole) kept coming back and making a run at us. Defensively, we played well, and we were able to get the puck out of the zone when we had to.”

Minding the blue line, the Wildcats were guided by defenseman Danny Curran while Hankard stopped 21 shots en route to the win.

“The win was huge for us, and now we need two wins in our final five games to qualify for the tournament,’’ said Noonan. “Points are at a premium for us, and we need anything we can get to get into the tournament.”

Despite a valiant effort, the Wildcats suffered a tough 3-2 defeat to Natick on Saturday night. Through the first two periods, both teams were mired in a 2-2 tie before the Red and Blue knocked down the game-winning goal with close to 5:00 remaining in the third.

“It was a great game, and it was pretty much back and forth throughout,’’ said Noonan. “The guys played hard, and it really could’ve gone either way. It’s just unfortunate, that we couldn’t even get a point out of it. Everyone did a great job, but we just came out a bit short.”

Offensively, senior captain Jack Davis and Brian Higgins led the Wildcats, recording a goal apiece in the losing effort.

In last Wednesday’s battle against top ranked Weymouth, the Wildcats suffered a tough 4-2 loss. Through two periods, Weymouth cruised to a 4-0 lead before the Wildcats struck back with a pair of third period goals. Leading the way was Higgins, who recorded a goal and an assist in the losing effort.

“Weymouth is one of the best teams in the state, and they’re probably going to be a Super 8 team,’’ said Noonan. “The kids didn’t give up, and they hung in there until the end. I’ve been happy with the way we’ve been playing, but we just need to find a way to capitalize more on our scoring opportunities.”

The Wildcats won’t return to the ice until Monday when they’ll face-off against Wellesley Monday night at Babson College.