RallyNorth.net

Headers eager to prove this season was no fluke

WORCESTER | The assumption after the Marblehead High hockey team lost to Scituate, 8-2, in the Division 3 state semifinal last night was that the Headers will be back here next season and do better.

The magic ends for Marblehead

WORCESTER | The Marblehead High hockey team had an otherwordly state tournament run, beating teams it wasn't supposed to beat and playing like it was destined to go out on top.

But the Headers not only ran out of miracles, they ran out of steam against Scituate last night.

Headers can learn from this experience

On Hockey
Phil Stacey

WORCESTER | You can look at this game one of two ways.

The pessimist would say that Marblehead was in over its head in the Division 3 state semifinal last night, giving up four goals before the game was eight-and-a-half minutes old and got hammered, 8-2, by the defending state champions from Scituate.
Then there would be the view from the intelligent hockey observer.

'Senior moments' could pay huge dividends for Headers

Jackson Barber's friends are getting ready to play spring sports at Marblehead High. He's not part of that group.

No disrespect intended, but he doesn't want to be part of that group for a few more days.

Headers hope to take the wind out of Sailors in tonight's state semifinal

A lot of sectional champions | especially those that win it all after being seeded as low as 12th to begin the tournament | are happy just to advance to the state semifinals.

You might say the Marblehead hockey team, the current Division 3 North champs, are happy with their playoff result so far.

Rival coaches say Marblehead has paid its dues

Nobody in state hockey circles could have foreseen Marblehead's improbable run to the Division 3 state semifinals, right?

Wrong. Geno Faia did.

Faia, the head coach at arch rival Swampscott High, knew | just knew | that whoever got out of the Division 3 first round matchup between his Big Blue and the neighboring Headers was going to go very far in the state tournament.

Bates brothers a key for Marblehead hockey

Marblehead High junior winger Andrew Bates could have chosen not to play high school hockey.

The trend in recent years has been for top talent all over New England to forego their schoolboy days to chase on ice dreams in various prep school and junior league venues. To be sure, Bates certainly appears to have the skill set needed to do so.

Dream season rolls on for Marblehead icemen

There's no need for the boys on the Marblehead High hockey team to pinch themselves. Their amazing Cinderella run through the Division 3 North bracket might be a dream come true, but it is indeed a reality.

Bates, Reny deliver underdog Headers first-ever North title

NORTH BILLERICA -- If a picture is worth 1,000 words, the look on Marblehead senior Eric Fader's face as he hoisted the Division 3 North championship trophy might as well have been worth one million.

Simply put, one thousand words aren't enough to describe the joy Fader and the 12th-seeded Headers (14-10-0) felt when, against all odds, they dropped No. 2 Concord-Carlisle, 1-0, to win the first sectional title in school history at the Chelmsford Forum last night.

Marblehead icemen come together, find selves in North title game

How many teams begin a season winless in their first four games, then wind up two games away from winning a state championship?

The Marblehead High hockey team doesn't know the answer | and you'll forgive them if they don't really care. That the Headers have managed to turn the trick themselves is enough to keep them occupied.

Headers smother top seeded Trinity Catholic, advance to Division 3 North final

NORTH BILLERICA | It was likely the furthest thing from Ellery Smith's mind.

The Marblehead High sophomore hockey forward probably wasn't thinking he had just scored the game's only goal when he threw the puck towards the net a mere 54 seconds into last night's Division 3 North semifinal against top-seeded Trinity Catholic at Chelmsford Forum.

Headers punch semi ticket with shootout win

WATERTOWN | Through three periods plus an overtime session, the Marblehead hockey team threw as much rubber at Boston Latin Academy goaltender Mike Newhall as you might expect to find at Tire World. The Dragons' stalwart matched the Headers step for step in making 41 saves to keep last night's Division 3 North quarterfinal deadlocked 3-3.

Marblehead stuns Swampscott in OT of tourney opener

SALEM | Marblehead High hockey goaltender Aaron Reny stopped everything short of the kitchen sink last night against arch rival Swampscott in the first round of the Division 3 North tournament.

In overtime, he finally got his reward.

NEC Small champion Big Blue blank Marblehead

Having already secured their first-ever Northeastern Conference (Small) title earlier in the day thanks to Saugus' 2-1 loss to Winthrop, the Big Blue kept the good times rolling with a 3-0 blanking of arch rival Marblehead that night.

Marblehead a state-tourney qualifier

Freshman Chris McLeod picked an opportunistic time to score his first goal of the season, stuffing home Alex Whitmore's pass in a 3-1 Marblehead victory over Salem that earned the Magicians a ticket to the state hockey tournament.

Gundersen's big night sparks Marblehead rout of Lynn

Sophomore Anders Gundersen had a huge day, scoring three goals (all on the power play) and dishing out two assists as visiting Marblehead went to the Connery Rink in Lynn and hammered the Lynn Jets, 7-2.

Bates' late goal gives Marblehead much needed victory

SALEM | Both the Marblehead High and Bishop Fenwick hockey teams are battling to qualify for the state hockey tournament, and any win either team can secure these days is huge.

It appeared the two teams would have to settle for one point each when they faced off against each other last night at the Rockett Arena. That is, until Marblehead junior scored on a rebound with just over a minute left, powering the Headers to a 2-1 victory.

Swampscott inches closer to tourney berth with win over Marblehead

A year ago, the Swampscott icemen had three games to earn one point in order to break a decade-long postseason drought. The Big Blue fell short of that goal, but the sting hasn't subsided. Though the streak extended to 11 seasons, the slump could come to an end as soon as next Saturday after a 4-0 win over rival Marblehead put Swampscott within a point of the postseason once again.

Marblehead midseason grade: B-

First half analysis: Six wins in their last nine games have the Headers back in the Division 3 North playoff chase. Balanced scoring and a slew of youngsters who are gaining experience with each game have been keys to their turnaround.

Third-period rally sends Marblehead icemen past Revere

It all came together for the Marblehead High hockey team over the final 20 minutes of last night's contest with Saugus. A team that has struggled to maintain consistency for much of the season, the Headers put together one of their best stretches of hockey this winter, rallying from a two-goal deficit to score three straight and capture a big 3-2 victory at Revere.

Reny backbones Headers to victory over Winthrop

Goaltender Aaron Reny played what head coach Bobby Jackson called "the best game of his career" in stopping 30 shots as Marblehead downed Winthrop, 4-1.

Andrew Bates popped in two goals and added an assist as the Headers (4-6-0) snapped a two-game losing streak.

Tanners dominate Marblehead

After the first period, Peabody hockey coach Mark Leonard was afraid he was watching the Tanners continue a bad habit they have picked up early this season.

Peabody totally dominated play in the first period against Marblehead last night, but clung to a one-goal lead. Leonard's speech during the first intermission was enough to get things going, however, as the Tanners came out flying, scoring two quick goals on their way to a convincing 8-2 victory at the McVann-O'Keefe Rink.

Marblehead hockey shades Saugus

SALEM | When a hockey team is as starved for goals as the Marblehead boys had been so far this year, things can get ugly. Any team with that had lit the lamp just twice in their first four games would be prone to gripping their sticks with extra fervor and customary nerves.

Salem nets first win of the season

Though it was a loss, the Salem High hockey team gathered a lot of momentum from its contest against Winthrop last Saturday night. Last night, they were able to parlay it into their first victory of the season, a 2-0 triumph over Marblehead (0-3).

Marblehead Boys Ice Hockey Preview

Last year's record: 8-11-2 (lost to Northeast Malden, 3-2, in Division 3 North first round)

Coach: Bobby Jackson (2nd year, 8-11-2)

Key returnees: Eric Fader, Sr. C (6-8-14); Jackson Barber, Sr. D (1-5-6); Aaron Reny, Jr. G (7-10-2, 3.50 GAA, 1 SHO); Andrew Bates, Jr. RW (9-8-17); Chris Donahue, Jr. LW (9-4-13); Anders Gunderson, Soph. D (1-3-4); Mike Cohn, Jr. D (2-2-4); Ellery Smith, Soph. C (2-2-4); Tyler DeCotis, Jr. RW (0-1-1).