By Joe Kelly
Hockey is a game that exists on a spectrum of emotion. The ecstasy of winning is pitted against the agony of defeat. Barnstable’s valiant effort in the round of 16 ended with the latter in a 4-3 loss to Walpole.
There was an intensity in the air that only playoff hockey can bring. With a round of 8 spot on the line, Joseph Kennedy Arena was packed for a big time bout between the 8-seeded Red Hawks and 9-seeded Timberwolves.
After feeling each other out for the first nine minutes, the Red Hawks drew first blood. Josh Dibb capitalized on a 2-on-1 chance with Cole Butler, ripping a shot past Walpole goaltender Michael Roof. Dibb looked towards Butler, then fired the frozen biscuit into the top left corner. The Barnstable faithful erupted as the Red Hawks took a 1-0 lead.
Walpole dominated the second half of the first, with the majority of the play in Barnstable’s end. They were rewarded for their efforts at 13:32 of the period. It appeared that Michael Conners had scored a nifty goal on a net drive, but no whistle was blown and play continued. The Timberwolves made sure that this possible missed call would be rectified immediately. Seconds later, Colin McKay wristed a beautiful shot from the point to beat Barnstable goalie Bob Doherty.
Walpole carried their momentum into the second frame, taking the lead on the power play. It was either Tommy O’Brien’s great pass or the will of the hockey gods that put the puck on the stick of Michael Conners in a prime shooting spot. Conners wasn’t gonna leave this one up to chance. His shot from the point made its way through traffic and found twine to give the Timberwolves a 2-1 lead.
The lead was short-lived as Barnstable forward Beckett Rogers skilfully redirected a shot from Ethan O’Connell. It was a prime example of throwing it at the net and seeing good things happening.
Less than two minutes later, Conners struck again. Dan Morris absorbed a hit in the corner as he pushed the puck to Shane O’Donnell. O’Donnell muscled his way towards the front of the net and served it up to a wide open Connors, who snapped a shot past Doherty.
The 3-2 score would hold late in the third period. Both goalies made massive saves to keep the score where it was.
At the 11:01 mark, Levi McNally tied the game on an unbelievable individual effort. McNally sped up the left side with a full head of steam. He drove to the net with the puck on his backhand. At the last second he switched to his forehand and snuck it under the pad of Roof. The arena shook as the Barnstable crowd exploded.
Some big stops from Roof in the immediate aftermath of the tying goal proved to be massive, as the subsequent surge of Timberwolves’ pressure would culminate in the game-winning goal from Tommy O’Brien.
O’Brien showed pinpoint accuracy on the highlight-reel goal. With a Red Hawks’ defender in front of him and Doherty in prime save position, O’Brien wristed an absolute laser into the top left corner of the net. There were not many places where he could’ve scored from where he was…but he found one. With 1:20 remaining, Walpole had the lead.
Barnstable’s last gasp push with the goalie pulled wouldn’t be enough and the Timberwolves would hold on. When the buzzer sounded, Michael Roof bolted over to the Walpole student section. His teammates followed suit and a sea of orange jerseys gathered in front of the cheering fans.
Walpole Coach Joe Verderber lauded his team’s complete game effort.
“It’s a great game for the boys. They played for 45 minutes. I think that's the first time we've done that this year down the stretch.”
Verderber also praised Michael Roof, who made several clutch saves in big moments.
“He’s a phenomenal goaltender. I think sometimes we rely a little too much on him, but he's usually up to the task.”
Walpole is on to the round of 8 in the MIAA D-2 Tournament where they will take on Canton.
A dejected Barnstable looked on as their season came to a crushing end. The loss will no doubt be tougher to swallow for the seniors, who donned the red and white for one last time tonight.
Even in defeat, Barnstable can take pride in the electric atmosphere they fostered at Kennedy Arena. The game was an instant classic, and the Red Hawks left it all on the ice.
The range of emotion seen in both the winning and losing teams is jarring. But both ends of the emotional spectrum serve to create lasting memories.
The seniors will soon move on to the next phase of life, but they will carry with them the memories of emotion-filled hockey nights like tonight.
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