Behind Enemy Lines: Franklin's View of the Title Tilt

Editor's Note: We'll be running features on members of the Wilmington boys hockey team daily in advance of Sunday afternoon's Division 2 state championship game between the Wildcats and Franklin at TD Garden. Puck drops at 3:30 p.m.

Franklin boys hockey players are on a mission. On Sunday in Boston’s TD Garden, Wilmington hopes to make it mission impossible.

The Panthers lost to Tewksbury in last year’s state title game in overtime, and despite losing 15 seniors they now return to the biggest stage in high school hockey against the Wildcats Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

“They’ve set their sights on this goal of getting here, and finishing what we didn’t finish last year,” said Franklin head coach Chris Spillane. “I was fortunate enough to watch Wilmington’s game against Winthrop. I think we’re two very similar teams. They’re a fast team, high tempo. That’s how we try to approach the game. We’re going to open the ice and us every piece of it to make it a fast-paced game.”

Wilmington and Franklin took opposite paths to the final. In the South Division 2 bracket, the Panthers were 16-2-3 and the top seed. They earned a first round bye and won their three games by a combined score of 14-4.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, snagged the No. 8 seed because of a difficult regular season schedule. They , and before earning a in the .

Mansfield head coach Rick Anastos hasn’t seen Wilmington play, but he knows first hand they’ll have a steep task in front of them. His team fell to Franklin 4-2 in the regular season, tied them 3-3 in the rematch and eventually lost to the Panthers, 5-2, in the South Division 2 championship game.

“(Franklin is) a physical and aggressive team out of the gate, and they have talented players up front,” said Anastos. “I’d like to see Franklin win. You have a division champ from your league, someone we play really well against and lost to. It’s a South Division pride thing.”

Anastos said that while he doesn’t have much knowledge of the Wildcats, he’s certainly heard about them. He has a close friend in Beverly who has talked about the North teams all season, and at the top of his list was Steve Scanlon’s Wilmington squad.

“To beat Winthrop, I’m sure they’re pretty talented,” said Anastos, whose team beat Winthrop, 4-3, in the regular season.

Spillane, on the other hand, has seen the Wildcats first hand. Since his team had already sealed its trip to TD Garden, he was in attendance at the Tsongas Center where he saw Wilmington topple the Vikings in the sectional final.

“We’re very similar in that we have a few players who are by far our number one point getters,” said Spillane. “When you get to big games, you need contributions from everyone. It’s big players who have to put everyone on their shoulders and lead their team.”

The Franklin mentor said on the big stage, it takes a shift for players to get their legs underneath them. He also knows that, like last year, a close game is likely because teams are so evenly matched at this point in the season.

“After the first shift, it’s just another hockey game,” he said. “Very rarely do you get a lopsided match. It takes a lot to get to this point, having to work your way through the tournament. Them coming in as a No. 8 seed having knocked off strong teams tells me they’re ready to play hockey. I expect a really good game.”