By Joe Kelly
Hopkinton Goalie Colton Spavento ecstatically bolted up the ice and celebrated seconds after the final buzzer sounded on a 2-1 victory over Barnstable in the Island Creek Oyster Cup at The Bog. Spavento put together a 35-save masterpiece in the win.
It was a playoff-like atmosphere from the start. Big hits, back-and-forth scoring chances and outstanding goaltending were the defining factors of the game. There was a championship spot on the line and it showed.
The game started off well for Barnstable as Cole Butler netted his first career varsity goal just a few minutes into the game off a nifty pass from Max Clark.
Despite scoring first, the Red Hawks were thoroughly outplayed in the first period. They were able to weather the storm for the first 12 minutes, then things began to unravel. Hopkinton’s Matt Pedroli got the Hillers on the board with 2:42 remaining in the period on an unbelievable individual effort.
Pedroli showed yet again that good defense leads to good offense. He blocked a Barnstable shot from the point and collected the puck. From there, he turned on the jets, zooming past the Red Hawks defense and beating goalie Bob Doherty.
Goaltender Bob Doherty kept his team in the game for long stretches, turning away 25 of 27 shots. Red Hawks Coach Tim Grace showered praise on the netminder after the game.
“Our goalie Bob Doherty stood on his head. We kind of come to expect that out of him.”
The only two goals he let in came within a 2 ½ minute span at the end of the first.
And that leads us to the back-breaking goal that would prove to be the game winner for Hopkinton. Sustained pressure in the Barnstable zone eventually led to Connor Merkel giving the Hillers a 2-1 lead with just 8 seconds remaining. Had the Red Hawks been able to withstand the Hiller pressure, we might be looking at a different story, as the next two periods were a physical war of attrition. Grace credited Hopkinton’s effort in the opening frame.
“Even though we managed to score first, they came right back at us. I thought they had a dominant first period and it looked like they hadn't won a game yet. They wanted it a little bit more than us.”
Despite numerous chances, the Hopkinton defense and goaltending stood strong for the final two periods, but this didn't without some drama. With just over 2 ½ minutes remaining, Hopkinton took a brutal boarding penalty that drew a strong response from Barnstable. After a timeout, Coach Grace made the decision to pull the goalie to make it a 6-on-4. A chaotic two minutes followed, with the Red Hawks peppering Spavento with scoring chances. But he would not budge, turning away everything that came his way and securing a 2-1 Hiller's victory.
They will face Duxbury in the Oyster Cup championship on Sunday. They took down rival Scituate 4-3 in the second game. Barnstable and Scituate face off in the consolation game. How do the Red Hawks turn the page after a tough loss? Coach Grace weighed in:
“It's just trying to play a full 45 minutes of hockey. I think that's kind of been our problem so far this season,” remarked Grace.
"Staying gritty and just keeping it simple is what our motto's been. But I think they'll be ready to go on Sunday.”
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