Games of the Week - 3/16 & 3/17
The Breakdown:
Hockey
#7 Franklin vs. #3 Wilmington (N), Sunday, 1:30, TD Garden
Franklin will meet Wilmington on Sunday at the TD Garden in a rematch of last year’s state championship game, which the Wildcats won 3-2 behind a Cam Owens hat trick. The Panthers will be making their third straight appearance at the Garden after clinching the Division 2 South title with a 3-1 win over Oliver Ames at Gallo Ice Arena.
This has not been the typically dominant season for Franklin, but head coach Chris Spillane has seemed to pull the best out of his squad in winning the Kelley-Rex Division and the D2 South. The win over Oliver Ames was arguably the team’s best performance in several weeks as Franklin controlled the game and held the Tigers to only 17 shots. It was also the first time during the playoff run that Franklin did not have to come from behind.
Sunday’s opponent will not be awed by the success that the Panthers have had in recent years. Wilmington is arguably one of the top teams in the state regardless of division, was up for Super 8 consideration earlier this season, and rolled through the D2 North sectional including a 7-2 win over Danvers in the finals. Wilmington beat Burlington, who is in the D1 state final, twice this season and lost by only a goal to Malden Catholic, who is in the Super 8 final.
This is unquestionably the best team that Franklin will have faced this season. Owens is the program’s all-time leading scorer (taking the spot previously held by his brother) and will be the focal point of the Wilmington attack, but his linemate Brendan McDonough was mention by Spillane as the main threat. McDonough notched a hat trick in the win over Danvers. In net, the Wildcats have Drew Foley, who was referred to as maybe the program’s best ever goalie by Scanlon following a win over D1 Winchester.
Both Spillane and senior Cam Curley spoke after the D2 South final about the Wildcats being a team with a remarkably tough top line and a team that likes to skate. Spillane noted that this might be the type of game where Franklin needs to be more physical and aggressive. Both coach and player also highlighted the Panthers’ depth as being something that Franklin can exploit.
Franklin is a hard team to game plan for because it gets contributions from up and down the roster. Curley has led the team in scoring in the playoffs, but seniors Aiden Isberg and Dennis Pisani have also been creating chances. The third line featuring sophomores Alec Borkowski and Nick Downie has also been excellent in the playoffs and Borkowski has scored goals in each of the past two games. Let’s not forget Troy Donahue, who was one of the Panthers best forwards this season, and senior Mike Patjane, who is currently battling an ankle injury.
The key matchup will be the top line of Wilmington versus the top defensive pairing of the Panthers. Junior Kyle Powers and senior Ryan Lessard are going to have to be physical and will need to force Owens and McDonough into the corners and away from Devon Maloof.
Franklin has been a team that needs to grind out results this season. Wilmington has been dominating. That does not mean that the final will be an easy coronation for the defending champs, but Franklin will need to play its best game of the season to bring home the program’s first ever state title in its fourth attempt at the Garden under Spillane. He does not want to be the Marv Levy of high school hockey and it is going to take a great effort to make sure that does not happen.
Boys Basketball
#1 Mansfield vs. #2 Putnam (W), Saturday, 7:30, DCU Center
A question and answer preview of Putnam with NEHoopNews.com's Terrence Payne
1. How has Putnam made it from the #2 seed in the West to the State Finals against Mansfield?
Putnam was 19-1, so the Beavers aren't a Cinderella story. Putnam has/had kind of a little brother syndrome. Springfield Central has all the tradition and is only about a mile away from Putnam. The Golden Eagles to continued to gather attention and the No. 1 seed in the Western Mass. tournament. That added a chip on their shoulder and when Putnam got the change to prove their worth, Putnam did what Putnam did all year, play strong defense and rebounded the you know what out of the basketball. On the roster, the tallest player that sees the floor is 6-foot-3, but Putnam does not have a height advantage. They out toughed Central's frontline and outrebounded Milford 36-16 on Tuesday. In fact the Beavers had as many offensive rebounds and the Scarlet Knights had total rebounds.
2. Who are the players who have made noise for Putnam?
Senior forward Kayjuan Bynum and junior forwards David Murrell are the stars. Bynum is 6-foot-3, Murrell is 6-foot-2, but they'll crash the glass with anyone in the state. On offense the two of them can handle and make the occasional jumper, so they're a mismatch offensively. Dizel Wright and Jonathan Garcia are very good perimeter defenders and two more rebounders to go with Bynum and Murrell. They are the ones that spark the fast break.
3. What are some of Putnam's strengths on offense and defense?
Defense feeds the offense. Putnam isn't great in the offensive set, but is the best conditioned team in the state. Match that with their speed, length and athleticism and Putnam forces turnovers and gets out in transition. Apply full court pressure at your own risk. West Springfield did so with a man-to-man press in the Western Mass. semifinal and the Beavers turned that into fast breaks. Putnam can also switch up into a zone defense. A 1-3-1 applied on Milford in third quarter stopped the Scarlet Hawks offense. After the game Milford was amazed by the speed and ability Putnam had to limit the passes.
4. What are some things Mansfield should look to expose against Putnam?
Half-court set is not great for Putnam. If they can get out and run, Mansfield is in trouble. If the Hornets can limit those transitional buckets, Mansfield will be in good shape. The fourth quarter has been dubbed "Putnam's quarter." Because Putnam is so conditioned and so tough defensively, at that point their opponent is tired and up against the ropes. The beginning of the fourth quarter is when Putnam breaks down their opponent.
5. If Putnam wins the the game on Saturday, what's going to be the reason?
Rebounding. Putnam didn't play its best defense against Milford and had to play two guys who spent most of the year on jayvee in the first half. But their rebounding helped give them a five-point halftime lead. It's not Bynum and Murrell that control the glass, Wright at 5-foot-10, grabbed eight offensive rebounds en route to 12 on Tuesday night. The defense and rebounding is a consistent part of Putnam's success. If they win the state title, which will be the first-time in school history, it will be on the defensive side of the floor and on the glass.
#7 Franklin vs. #3 Wilmington (N), Sunday, 1:30, TD Garden
Franklin will meet Wilmington on Sunday at the TD Garden in a rematch of last year’s state championship game, which the Wildcats won 3-2 behind a Cam Owens hat trick. The Panthers will be making their third straight appearance at the Garden after clinching the Division 2 South title with a 3-1 win over Oliver Ames at Gallo Ice Arena.
This has not been the typically dominant season for Franklin, but head coach Chris Spillane has seemed to pull the best out of his squad in winning the Kelley-Rex Division and the D2 South. The win over Oliver Ames was arguably the team’s best performance in several weeks as Franklin controlled the game and held the Tigers to only 17 shots. It was also the first time during the playoff run that Franklin did not have to come from behind.
Sunday’s opponent will not be awed by the success that the Panthers have had in recent years. Wilmington is arguably one of the top teams in the state regardless of division, was up for Super 8 consideration earlier this season, and rolled through the D2 North sectional including a 7-2 win over Danvers in the finals. Wilmington beat Burlington, who is in the D1 state final, twice this season and lost by only a goal to Malden Catholic, who is in the Super 8 final.
This is unquestionably the best team that Franklin will have faced this season. Owens is the program’s all-time leading scorer (taking the spot previously held by his brother) and will be the focal point of the Wilmington attack, but his linemate Brendan McDonough was mention by Spillane as the main threat. McDonough notched a hat trick in the win over Danvers. In net, the Wildcats have Drew Foley, who was referred to as maybe the program’s best ever goalie by Scanlon following a win over D1 Winchester.
Both Spillane and senior Cam Curley spoke after the D2 South final about the Wildcats being a team with a remarkably tough top line and a team that likes to skate. Spillane noted that this might be the type of game where Franklin needs to be more physical and aggressive. Both coach and player also highlighted the Panthers’ depth as being something that Franklin can exploit.
Franklin is a hard team to game plan for because it gets contributions from up and down the roster. Curley has led the team in scoring in the playoffs, but seniors Aiden Isberg and Dennis Pisani have also been creating chances. The third line featuring sophomores Alec Borkowski and Nick Downie has also been excellent in the playoffs and Borkowski has scored goals in each of the past two games. Let’s not forget Troy Donahue, who was one of the Panthers best forwards this season, and senior Mike Patjane, who is currently battling an ankle injury.
The key matchup will be the top line of Wilmington versus the top defensive pairing of the Panthers. Junior Kyle Powers and senior Ryan Lessard are going to have to be physical and will need to force Owens and McDonough into the corners and away from Devon Maloof.
Franklin has been a team that needs to grind out results this season. Wilmington has been dominating. That does not mean that the final will be an easy coronation for the defending champs, but Franklin will need to play its best game of the season to bring home the program’s first ever state title in its fourth attempt at the Garden under Spillane. He does not want to be the Marv Levy of high school hockey and it is going to take a great effort to make sure that does not happen.
Boys Basketball
#1 Mansfield vs. #2 Putnam (W), Saturday, 7:30, DCU Center
A question and answer preview of Putnam with NEHoopNews.com's Terrence Payne
1. How has Putnam made it from the #2 seed in the West to the State Finals against Mansfield?
Putnam was 19-1, so the Beavers aren't a Cinderella story. Putnam has/had kind of a little brother syndrome. Springfield Central has all the tradition and is only about a mile away from Putnam. The Golden Eagles to continued to gather attention and the No. 1 seed in the Western Mass. tournament. That added a chip on their shoulder and when Putnam got the change to prove their worth, Putnam did what Putnam did all year, play strong defense and rebounded the you know what out of the basketball. On the roster, the tallest player that sees the floor is 6-foot-3, but Putnam does not have a height advantage. They out toughed Central's frontline and outrebounded Milford 36-16 on Tuesday. In fact the Beavers had as many offensive rebounds and the Scarlet Knights had total rebounds.
2. Who are the players who have made noise for Putnam?
Senior forward Kayjuan Bynum and junior forwards David Murrell are the stars. Bynum is 6-foot-3, Murrell is 6-foot-2, but they'll crash the glass with anyone in the state. On offense the two of them can handle and make the occasional jumper, so they're a mismatch offensively. Dizel Wright and Jonathan Garcia are very good perimeter defenders and two more rebounders to go with Bynum and Murrell. They are the ones that spark the fast break.
3. What are some of Putnam's strengths on offense and defense?
Defense feeds the offense. Putnam isn't great in the offensive set, but is the best conditioned team in the state. Match that with their speed, length and athleticism and Putnam forces turnovers and gets out in transition. Apply full court pressure at your own risk. West Springfield did so with a man-to-man press in the Western Mass. semifinal and the Beavers turned that into fast breaks. Putnam can also switch up into a zone defense. A 1-3-1 applied on Milford in third quarter stopped the Scarlet Hawks offense. After the game Milford was amazed by the speed and ability Putnam had to limit the passes.
4. What are some things Mansfield should look to expose against Putnam?
Half-court set is not great for Putnam. If they can get out and run, Mansfield is in trouble. If the Hornets can limit those transitional buckets, Mansfield will be in good shape. The fourth quarter has been dubbed "Putnam's quarter." Because Putnam is so conditioned and so tough defensively, at that point their opponent is tired and up against the ropes. The beginning of the fourth quarter is when Putnam breaks down their opponent.
5. If Putnam wins the the game on Saturday, what's going to be the reason?
Rebounding. Putnam didn't play its best defense against Milford and had to play two guys who spent most of the year on jayvee in the first half. But their rebounding helped give them a five-point halftime lead. It's not Bynum and Murrell that control the glass, Wright at 5-foot-10, grabbed eight offensive rebounds en route to 12 on Tuesday night. The defense and rebounding is a consistent part of Putnam's success. If they win the state title, which will be the first-time in school history, it will be on the defensive side of the floor and on the glass.
The Pick:
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| HockomockSports.com Picks | ||||||||||
| Ryan Lanigan |
Josh Perry |
Dan Libon |
Andrew Cyr |
John Botelho |
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| HockomockSports.com Staff |  |
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| #1 Mansfield vs. #2 Putnam Saturday, 7:30 @ DCU Center |
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| #7 Franklin vs. #3 Wilmington Sunday, 1:30 @ TD Garden |
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| Hockey | Lanigan 5-3 | Perry 5-3 | Libon 5-3 | Cyr 6-2 | Botelho 5-3 |
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| Boys Basketball | Lanigan 10-3 | Perry 9-4 | Libon 10-3 | Cyr 9-4 | Botelho 3-4 |
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| Girls Basketball | Lanigan 5-2 | Perry 6-1 | Libon 6-1 | Cyr 6-1 | Botelho 1-0 |
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| Total | Lanigan 20-8 | Perry 20-8 | Libon 21-7 | Cyr 21-7 | Botelho 9-7 |
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