State Title Berth on the Line Monday for Boys Hockey

It’s a game the Wilmington High School boys hockey team has been in before. And the Wildcats are hoping for the same result.

Wilmington skates in the North Division 2 title game for a second straight season, hoping to continue its quest for a repeat state championship performance. The Wildcats will take on Danvers at 6 p.m. on Monday night on the ice of Lowell’s Tsongas Center.

“It’s exciting,” said head coach Steve Scanlon. “The kids are pumped to play. The guys that have been there before, it helps a lot. It’s always a thrill to play up there.”

Following last week’s drubbing of Lincoln-Sudbury, Scanlon gave his players two days off before returning to practice. After several days of practices, he gave the team one more day off on Saturday before a final tune up.

Keeping his players healthy in between games was the most important thing for the long-time Wilmington mentor, who said it can be difficult to have a full week off in between action.

“I don’t think the kids like the breaks too much,” said Scanlon. “We’re trying to mimic what we did a year ago, slowly trying to build back up and stay away from injuries during practice.”

Scanlon said he believes freshman Billy Falter is due to continue his strong postseason, during which he has scored multiple goals to help the team advance. The Wilmington coach also said senior Jake Rogers, who scored a key goal in the North final last year, is “itching to play” and could have a big game.

Wilmington and Danvers did not play during the regular season, but they have in recent years. That includes a playoff meeting two years ago, which went to the Wildcats.

“For the kids, they would rather play a team they don’t really know,” said Scanlon. “Both teams are 3-0 in the tournament and that’s the only way you can look at it. Once you get into the tourney, you can’t be looking too much at what the other team is all about. The kids are just eager to play again." 

Can’t make the game? Patch has you covered. In addition to photo and video coverage, we’ll be live chatting from the game with up to the second updates.

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