Warriors (4-12-1) need three points in three games to qualify for tourney

CAPTAIN TYLER PUGSLEY made 28 saves against Melrose on Tuesday, including this stick save. Also pictured is Mike Lucey (15).(Keith Curtis Photo)

Published in the February 15, 2018 edition.

By DAN ZIMMERMAN

STONEHAM — It might be a cliché that is applied far too often in these situations but in the case of the Wakefield Warriors boys’ hockey team, their backs are definitely against the wall after dropping their rematch to Melrose, 3-1.

With three games remaining in the season, the 4-12-1 Warriors must win at least one and tie another in order to advance to the MIAA Tournament for the first time since reaching the quarterfinals in 2013.

Down the stretch, Wakefield will face Stoneham on Saturday night followed by a pair of matinees during next week’s winter break, including a non-league bout with Brookline and a regular season finale against Wilmington. Excluding Brookline, both of the other two opponents have recently defeated the Warriors.

“Since the beginning of the season, one of our goals has been to make the post-season,” said Wakefield coach Chris Gianatassio. “We have an excellent opportunity to do just that although we know it will be an uphill battle.”

With the win over Wakefield at the Stoneham Arena on Tuesday night, Melrose improved to 10-7-1 overall and qualified for the post-season, snapping a three year hiatus.

“We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy night,” said Melrose coach Vin Mirasolo, whose team handily defeated Wakefield, 6-1, in their earlier meeting. “Wakefield played a tough game and we’re just happy to get out of here with this win and qualify for the state tournament. It was a culmination of a lot of hard work.”

This late season rematch between archrivals was starkly similar to the Warriors’ most recent contest against Wilmington, in which they skated well throughout but suffered a brief, yet costly third period breakdown that resulted in a pair of quick Wildcat goals.

Facing Melrose, it was scoreless until deep into the second period when the Red Raiders pounced on the Warriors for two quick scores, a minute apart.

First to strike was Shea Champagne, who collected a pass from linemate Zachary Farrell, gained the blue line, and patiently waiting for a screen to develop in front of goaltender Tyler Pugsley before rifling a wristshot. Brendan Fennell, who scored twice in the first game between these teams, made it 2-0, beating Pugsley low to the glove side.

Despite a stretch of downtime, Pugsley was exceptional in net, turning aside 28 shots in all, including a dozen in each of the first two periods.

“It took me a couple minutes to get back into it but after that I was feeling pretty good,” said the senior netminder. “My defense did a great job forcing a lot of long shots and allowing me to see the puck. We did a have a brief lapse and I let a couple in but other than that, I felt good about how I played.”

Charles Haggerty added
insurance for the Red Raiders at the 5:04 mark of the third, fishing a loose puck out of a scrum in front of Pugsley.

“I thought Wakefield played a good game tonight,” said Mirasolo, who wraps up his regular season with Burlington and North Andover. “Their goalie played great but I thought at the end, we had a little more firepower. I have a lot of respect for that team.

Wakefield answered on a power play midway through the third frame, as Oliver Miller knocked in his fifth of the season on a feed from Jake Regan. Brendan Vacca also earned an assist on a goal that snapped a scoreless skein that had persisted for more than seven periods.

Melrose committed a flagrant penalty with exactly two minutes remaining and Gianatassio used the opportunity by substituting Pugsley with a forward. Skating 6-on-4, Wakefield had several good chances but spent most of the time skating back to retrieve the puck.

“We’ve said it all year but we have a very young team and sometimes, that inexperience has been an issue,” said Gianatassio. “But we’re confident that we can put together a few good games in the week ahead and earn the points we need to make the tournament.”