On Feb. 27, Boys’ hockey defeated Braintree 2-1 in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 South Tournament. The Rebels had a competitive game ahead of them, as they were ranked 12 out of 15 and the Wamps were the fifth seed. 

“Going into Braintree was very exciting. Although we had heard rumors of suspended players, we knew it would be a tough game regardless because of their depth and past success as a program,” senior captain Liam Fisher said. “We had won the last three regular season games to qualify for tournament, so the mindset heading into Braintree was to just keep going. We wanted to keep our momentum flowing into the postseason and leave everything out there on the ice.”

Prior to the start of the playoffs, seven members of the Braintree team were suspended and unable to play in Thursday’s game. Despite this setback, Braintree did not give up and kept the game neck-and-neck until the very end. The Rebels were the first to score with a power play goal by senior captain Marc Hirshom with three minutes left in the first period.

“After I scored to take the lead early, my immediate reaction was to celebrate with my team because it was a great play all around and everyone was playing with high emotions to get revenge on Braintree after they beat us early on in the season,” Hirshom said.

The Wamps were quick to respond with a goal only two minutes later, keeping the Rebels on their toes as the first period came to an end. The second period commenced with the Rebels underhand following a penalty from senior Thomas Frucci at the end of the first period. The score remained at 1-1 for the entirety of the second.

“After the second period, we knew that we got dominated the majority of the period and the next goal would ultimately win the game. We talked about our need to keep up the pressure and to win our battles,” senior captain Matt Donnelly said.

Following the intermission of the second period, the Rebels came out stronger than ever and were able to capitalize during another powerplay. Advancing the score to 2-1 was Hirshom with his second goal of the night. Even so, the fight was not over yet; there was still 12 minutes left in the game and Braintree continued to push hard.

The efforts of both teams continued until the buzzer went off ending the game, advancing the Rebels into the second round of playoffs. There was nothing but cheering as the whole team stormed the ice and gathered near the student section.

“Going into Duxbury, I am excited to play another good, competitive team. We scrimmaged them early in the year and it was a fairly even game, but in playoffs, the best comes out of both teams, and it will come down to who wants it more, and who is willing to leave it all on the ice in order to advance,” Fisher said.

The Rebels’ next game is Saturday, Feb. 29 against the number four seed, Duxbury.