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In its biggest win of the year, the No. 4 Hingham boys hockey team was dealt a tough break.
The second period of a Jan. 11 matchup against No. 5 Arlington started with senior star forward Cam McKenna – the Harbormen’s leading scorer and a captain – tying up the game at 1-1 on a power play. Hingham kept the Spy Ponders off the board the rest of the way, and second-line junior center Brendan McCarthy netted the eventual game-winner in the third as part of a 2-1 win.
It was significant for the Harbormen (8-2-1), two games after falling 2-0 to No. 1 Catholic Memorial. But it could also be McKenna’s last game on the ice with them, as a dislocated shoulder will keep him sidelined for at least a while, if not for the rest of the year.
The Harbormen’s mentality shifted from there. But not away from chasing their first state title since 2015.
“I think the big part was, we just want to do it for him,” said junior linemate Walter Dzavik. “Because we know he’s dying to be out here right now in his senior year.”
“We know, obviously, he’s a big part of the team,” added senior captain Colman Donohue. “He has a big role, but we have a lot of younger guys like (Dzavik) and (sophomore Nick Bigelow) that can step up. We’re really relying on them, and they’ve done a great job of filling in.”
Next-man-up isn’t so easy when it comes to replacing McKenna, who’s played the most varsity games (70) and led the team with nine goals and 71 career points at the time of his exit. He’s one of the state’s top forwards.
Yet, veteran experience and scoring balance were two of the main calling cards Hingham already featured this year as a serious title contender. Bigelow, who’s played 35 career games with 32 points, is the program’s only varsity player who isn’t an upperclassman. Top-four senior defensemen Donohue, captain Sean Carroll, Nick Smith and Ryan LaRonde each have at least 30 games of experience, while all but two players across Hingham’s four lines are in their second or third year on varsity.
“I’m not worried about the offense,” said Hingham head coach Tony Messina. “We just have so many experienced players. Even some of the guys that don’t have a lot of goals, they’ve chipped in too. … Guys are getting shots on net. Everyone is contributing one way or another, and that’s when you have a good team.”
As McKenna shifts his role to leading from the bench, it’s been all-hands-on-deck in Hingham’s two games without him.
Six different players scored in a 7-0 thumping of a surging Needham group — with three goals coming from the third line. Top-liners Dzavik and Bigelow then scored in a 4-2 win over St. Mary’s of Lynn on Monday, in which Smith (two goals), Donohue (assist) and Carroll (assist) were playmakers.
“It’s looking pretty good and we’re going to keep it rolling,” Donohue said. “Get pucks deep, play physical, and that’s just our game. And we do it pretty well.”
Senior Quinn Allen has stepped up to the top line to fill McKenna’s spot at right wing, and had a power-play goal in the win over Needham. Chemistry with Dzavik (7-10-17) and Bigelow (3-10-13) is off to a solid start.
“(Bigelow is) really a playmaker and goal scorer,” Messina said. “Walter Dzavik is a goal scorer. These guys are all going to score goals for us. (Catholic Memorial) is the only game (we couldn’t), where we really couldn’t get near the net.”
The second line of junior left wing John Walsh (5-6-11), McCarthy (6-2-8) and senior right wing Brian Murray (4-9-13) has been a reliable group in big games, including a season-opening 4-4 tie against St. John’s Prep. Murray also scored twice against Xaverian (6-5 overtime loss), while third-line right wing Colin Garrity (6-1-7) added another and is tied for the third-most goals on the team.
Junior Brett Larson steps into Allen’s spot on the third line alongside Garrity and senior center Aiden Rotondo (2-2-4), who’s played in 66 varsity games. Seniors Charlie Peak, Sean Callahan and Patrick Smith have impressed on the fourth line, too.
“We have so much confidence in all of our lines,” Dzavik said. “To start the year, the fourth line tied the game against (St. John’s Prep) late, the second line was leading our scoring. I just think we have a ton of confidence in every single line.”
Aside from the experience across the ice, having a strong quartet of centers is a key advantage for the Harbormen.
“They’re there for the reason,” Messina said. “They’re like the cornerstones of the line. Could (Rotondo) play up on the other lines? Probably. But I’ve got to trust those guys. Even our fourth-line center, Sean Callahan – it’s his first time on varsity and he’s very reliable.”
In last year’s state tournament, the third-seeded Harbormen were upset in the second round by No. 14 St. John’s of Shrewsbury. It was the second time in three years Hingham was upset by the 14 seed, falling to Reading in 2023.
It’s building off that experience.
“We take last year’s loss in the playoffs as motivation,” Donohue said. “It’s kind of an early exit for us. Earlier than we expected. But we know this year, we’ve just got to bear down. We can’t go into any game expecting we’re going to win. We really just have to dial it in.”
“I think with all the seniors on the team, we just have more leadership,” Dzavik added. “With all the seniors this year, we’ve done a good job staying up with each other. … We’re just trying to keep high spirits.”
Winchester, Peabody/Lynnfield/North Reading and Shawsheen/Bedford/Lowell are the only three teams to score against the Methuen/Tewksbury girls (11-0) this year, each tallying just one goal. The Red Rangers have eight shutouts otherwise.
Returning Dream Team goalie Lydia Barnes and a stingy blue line have locked in from the start, sporting a state-best 0.27 goals allowed average midway through the season. Westwood is the next-best team with a 0.80 GAA.
The premier all-public school in-season tournament is back this weekend, featuring many of the state’s chief Div. 1 and Div. 2 public-school title contenders across two, eight-team fields.
Tewksbury (11-0), the only unbeaten boys team left in the state, made the stronger Doherty division to put its record to the test. Other Div. 2 threats Canton and Milton join the Redmen. Hingham grabbed the Doherty’s top seed, joined by Arlington and Reading as top Div. 1 threats. Strong Weymouth and Chelmsford groups challenge them.
Marshfield and Concord-Carlisle kick off the Brinn division on Saturday, before all other games play Sunday – weather permitting.
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