RANDOLPH, Mass. — Braintree used a fast start to jump out to an early 3-0 lead en route to a 5-1 win over Framingham in a MIAA Division 1 Hockey Tournament game on Thursday night at Zapustas Rink.
The Wamps asserted themselves from the drop of the puck. There was never a doubt as to which team was faster, stronger, skilled and more competitive. For long stretches on Thursday night, Braintree hemmed Framingham deep in the defensive zone by a tenacious forecheck and a physical brand of hockey. Three different lines scored goals in the win for the Wamps.
With the win, Braintree improves to 16-3-2 and will move on to face Pope Francis in the round of 16. It will be a rematch of a regular season contest that went the way of the Cardinals. Braintree held a 2-0 lead, but Pope Francis stormed back to escape with a win.
Scoring summary
Third line center Owen Flynn got the scoring started with a quick strike in the first period. Deni Tabaku forced a turnover on hard forecheck pressure. From the left wing corner Tabaku slid the puck to Flynn who found the twine. On the line’s next shift, right wing Jack Woods gave Braintree a 2-0 lead when he sent a low wrist shot that beat Framingham goaltender Troy Huber low on the glove side.
A nice transitional play from the first line gave Braintree a 3-0 lead. Larry Graziano gave the puck to Nolan Leonard who drove the net. His initial shot was stopped, but the rebound went right to Kyle Hutchison who was driving the far post. He easily hammered the puck home.
Framingham cut the lead to 3-1 on a second period power play. Caleb Patrick gained the blue line and fired a wrist shot that deflected off a Braintree defender and into the back of the net.
Nick Fasano regained the three-goal lead for the Wamps later in the second period. Garrett Coughlin drove down the left wing and found Fasano who was trailing the play. The right wing’s wrist shot was placed perfectly into the upper portion of the net. A power play tally late in the game finished off the scoring. Coughlin scored on a nice tic tac toe sequence with Charlie DiMartino and Fasano picking up the assists.
Why did Braintree have success?
The Wamps were the favorites and left no doubt about who the better team was in the tournament opener for both teams. As mentioned above, the Wamps did what they do best. Braintree played fast, heavy, and forechecked hard. The team did a good job of clogging the neutral zone and forcing a bunch of turnovers. It seemed there were countless times where Framingham would get it out after a long stretch, but then the puck went right back into the zone.
Braintree faces a tough opponent, Pope Francis, in the next round and the game will be played on the road. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if Braintree could pull the upset. Braintree is an older team with all but one player on the roster being a senior or junior. The Wamps play a hard and heavy game. The key will be keeping it simple, getting pucks in deep, and limiting mistakes.
While the team certainly has that lunch pail mentality, there isn’t a lack of skill. I was really impressed with the team down the middle. Leonard, Coughlin and Flynn all skate well and use their speed to their advantage. Fasano, a right wing and first unit power play contributor, and left wing Graziano each bring an element. Fasano has skill and can finish while Graziano has size, wins physical battles, and plays an honest game, always being the third man high.
Senior defenseman Danny Keagin leads the blue line. He’s a solid MIAA defender when he keeps it simple. He had a strong game, sans for one play when he tried to force a puck on the breakout. Junior goaltender Jack Fitzgerald wasn’t tested often, but he made a couple of nice glove saves and has good size.
Braintree lines
Graziano - N. Leonard - K. Hutchison
DiMartino - G. Coughlin - N. Fasano
Tabaku - O. Flynn - J. Woods
McGuire - B. Rizzo - J. Charron
Keagin - R. Norton
Ridge - D. Coady
Donovan - C. Gaffney
Fitzgerald
Framingham lines
Ferrante - J. Halpin - P. Farese
Patrick - B. Peck - D. Nichols
Auren - B. Peterson - S. Boulas
Hudson - R. White
Nichols - J. Kurzman
Albright
Huber
