Overview
Franklin and Mansfield are rivals in every sport, but in hockey with packed crowds, hard hitting action and almost always a Kelley-Rex Division title on the line, the rivalry takes on an extra edge. The games are always tight, intense, and physical and on Wednesday night at Pirelli Veterans Arena the top two teams in the division and only two teams without a league loss this season face-off to continue the series.
There is little surprise that Franklin is back atop its perch in the division with 18 seniors returning, including its top scoring line of Ryan Spillane, Alec Borkowski, and Joe Bourque, who returned from an early season injury to score in the win over Oliver Ames last week. Spillane and Borkowski are two of the top scorers in the league again this season.
Franklin has also been able to rely on experienced defenders such as Kyle Filbert, Mason Saunders, and Nick Morris to not only provide physical play in the defensive zone but carry the puck and get the Panthers transitioning to offense.
Led by the top defensive pairing of Will Kelleher and Evan Kershaw and the scoring of junior Billy Grant and senior Jared Collins, this is a Mansfield team that gets everything out of the talent at its disposal and left one coach saying that this may be the hardest working Hornets team he could remember. Younger players like Matt Farragher and Pat Sunderland have also emerged to add depth.
Coming into the season goaltender was a question mark for both teams, but the emergence of Ryan Shea (Franklin) and Anthony Visconti (Mansfield) has helped solidify the back lines and occasionally steal a point.
The Panthers have cut their teeth against D1 opponents in the early going, including an impressive tie against Super 8 contender Springfield Cathedral, as well as a win over Canton, a tie with Bridgewater-Raynham and a 1-1-1 record in the loaded Mount St. Charles (R.I.) tournament. After winning its first playoff game since the transition from D2 to D1, Franklin is looking to build on that momentum and continue the progress of the program.
The Hornets are playing one of their most difficult schedules to help prepare for the D1 tournament and got off to a tough 0-3 start but have won three of four since. Mansfield also beat Canton for the first time since 2008, and even with a number of players lost to graduation (and the South Shore Kings) the Hornets are in the mix for a league title once again.
There is little love lost between the programs after last year's after the whistle action so the energy on the ice should be very high. Expect a packed house at The Vet, as it almost always is when Mansfield takes on Franklin, and expect both teams to play like the league title is on the line because it very well could be.
There is little surprise that Franklin is back atop its perch in the division with 18 seniors returning, including its top scoring line of Ryan Spillane, Alec Borkowski, and Joe Bourque, who returned from an early season injury to score in the win over Oliver Ames last week. Spillane and Borkowski are two of the top scorers in the league again this season.
Franklin has also been able to rely on experienced defenders such as Kyle Filbert, Mason Saunders, and Nick Morris to not only provide physical play in the defensive zone but carry the puck and get the Panthers transitioning to offense.
Led by the top defensive pairing of Will Kelleher and Evan Kershaw and the scoring of junior Billy Grant and senior Jared Collins, this is a Mansfield team that gets everything out of the talent at its disposal and left one coach saying that this may be the hardest working Hornets team he could remember. Younger players like Matt Farragher and Pat Sunderland have also emerged to add depth.
Coming into the season goaltender was a question mark for both teams, but the emergence of Ryan Shea (Franklin) and Anthony Visconti (Mansfield) has helped solidify the back lines and occasionally steal a point.
The Panthers have cut their teeth against D1 opponents in the early going, including an impressive tie against Super 8 contender Springfield Cathedral, as well as a win over Canton, a tie with Bridgewater-Raynham and a 1-1-1 record in the loaded Mount St. Charles (R.I.) tournament. After winning its first playoff game since the transition from D2 to D1, Franklin is looking to build on that momentum and continue the progress of the program.
The Hornets are playing one of their most difficult schedules to help prepare for the D1 tournament and got off to a tough 0-3 start but have won three of four since. Mansfield also beat Canton for the first time since 2008, and even with a number of players lost to graduation (and the South Shore Kings) the Hornets are in the mix for a league title once again.
There is little love lost between the programs after last year's after the whistle action so the energy on the ice should be very high. Expect a packed house at The Vet, as it almost always is when Mansfield takes on Franklin, and expect both teams to play like the league title is on the line because it very well could be.
HockomockSports.com Staff Picks | ||||||||||
Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Jeffrey Pickette |
Jarett Leonard |
Alex DaLuz |
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Game of the Week Staff | ||||||||||
Hockomock Sports |
Hockomock Sports |
SMAC |
Hockomock Sports |
Select Hoops |
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Hockey |
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Mansfield @ Franklin Wednesday, 8:00 |
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Hockey Record | Lanigan 7-2-1 |
Perry 7-2-1 |
Pickette 4-5-1 |
Leonard 4-1-0 |
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Boys Basketball |
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Boys Basketball Record | Lanigan 10-3 |
Perry 11-2 |
Pickette 10-3 |
Leonard 3-3 |
DaLuz 4-3 |
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Girls Basketball |
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Girls Basketball Record | Lanigan 10-2 |
Perry 10-2 |
Pickette 9-3 |
Leonard 6-0 |
DaLuz 6-0 |
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Total | Lanigan 27-7-1 |
Perry 28-6-1 |
Pickette 23-11-1 |
Leonard 13-4-0 |
DaLuz 10-3 |