Warriors Eye Second Upset Win

Wakefield hockey head coach Derek Edgerly and his Warriors have a fever. And the only prescription- is more winning. 

“It’s like a sickness I guess,” said Edgerly. “When you win you don’t want to lose anymore.”

Winning is all the Warriors seem to be doing as of late, as Wakefield continues its impressive run through the Div. 1 North sectional. After a 4-1 win over Belmont, a team the Warriors hadn’t beaten since last season, the Warriors knocked off the second-seeded Reading Rockets in a 1-0 shutout in the semifinals. 

Their next test will come on Wednesday night at 7 p.m., when the team travels to Chelmsford to take on third-seeded Billerica (10-2-8) in the semifinal round. But while it won’t be easy taking down another top-seeded team, Edgerly has several key components that can keep up Wakefield’s winning way.

“I think we have one of the best goalies right now in Joe Cerulo,” said Edgerly. “He’s playing great net. John Sartell, what a great captain. When John plays a full 45 minutes we just win all the time. And when Kevin Doherty plays Kevin Doherty hockey, just moving his legs and passing the puck, we win every game.”

The Warriors have let up just one goal this postseason and have allowed just 36 goals during the regular season while finding the net 62 times on offense. 

Billerica finished second in the Merrimack Valley League at 12-2-7 overall and have scored nine goals en route to Wednesday night’s semifinal game. That includes a 5-4 overtime win against 14th-seeded Chelmsford in the first round and a 4-1 win over 11th-seeded Arlington Catholic in the quarterfinals. 

“I’ve watched Billerica twice now,” said Edgerly. “They’re a good team. They’re very physical and a very good skating team. They come out that Merrimack Valley conference which I think is a very good league. We have respect for them.”

Wednesday night’s game will be Wakefield’s biggest since losing in a shootout to Arlington Catholic in the Div. 1 North finals in 2009. Despite the added pressure, Edgerly said his team is showing no signs of stress. 

“The kids come more prepared than anything and we’re just having a lot of fun,” said Edgerly. “In any tournament you’ve got good teams getting knocked out, you’ve got bad teams that win, now it just comes down to whoever is the luckiest team. You have to have a lot of luck on your side but you still have to be a good team.”

With top-seeded St. Mary’s of Lynn and fifth-seeded Winchester duking it out on the other side of the bracket, Edgerly thinks Wednesday night’s game will have huge implications for the rest of the tournament. And with the right amount of luck and a little bit of skill, the Wakefield Warriors will survive to see another day. 

“I think either team that wins this game is going to represent the North in the (state) finals,” said Edgerly. “We’re a very young team. We just have to stay positive and keep our composure.”