The Bedford High School varsity hockey teams took back-to-back wins on Wednesday at the Edge. The Shawsheen/Bedford girls’ team (season record 13-6) took a 3-2 win over Gloucester (season record 14-5-2). The BHS boys’ varsity team (season record 13-4-2) had a 7-1 victory over Peabody/Saugus (season record 5-11-1).
The blood runs thick in successful Bedford hockey families, with siblings in the past and some coming up the ranks. Currently, Sophia Demeo, Violet Lorusso, Olivia O’Brien, and Lucy Scoville playing for Shawsheen/Bedford girls’ team have brothers Charles Demeo, James Lorusso, Charlie O’Brien, and Andy Scoville playing on the Bedford boys’ varsity team. Within teams, Elise and Anna McEachern play for the Rams, and Charlie and Will Siciliano, Drew and Dylan Siwik, and Ryan and Kyle McGrath play on either the boys’ varsity or junior varsity teams.
The 12 athletes in the current sibling pairs who played in the two games on Wednesday earned 13 points (8 goals and 5 assists) – which is more than half of the 25 points credited to the home teams. Tack on one earned a win in net, that’s some skilled genes.
On Wednesday, both teams played a game in honor of Morgan’s Message with an announcement, moment of silence, and student ambassadors on hand from Bedford High School’s Morgan’s Message group.
Both local teams have qualified for the postseason and are expecting to play towards the end of next week. The MIAA state tournament brackets will be released Saturday morning (bracket placement will be live streamed starting at 10:15 a.m.)
Shawsheen/Bedford vs. Gloucester
The Shawsheen/Bedford Rams were looking to avenge last month’s 6-0 loss to the Gloucester Fishermen. The starting offensive line of BHS freshman Violet Lorusso, Becca Sobol, and Sophia Babington grinded through the game – each player credited with a goal and an assist in the victory. (Violet Lorusso and Becca Sobol were named to the Northeastern Hockey League All-Star team last week.)
With some key players out for the Rams, the entire lineup stepped up and held a lead against the Fishermen with Babington’s goal coming off a faceoff six minutes into the game.
Violet Lorusso scored a shorthanded goal with three minutes left in the first period. With less than a minute left in the opening frame, Gloucester’s Halia Taylor drove the puck down the left side and dumped it in over Shawsheen/Bedford keeper Elise McEachern’s shoulder to end the period, 2-1.
The Rams relied on a steady three-player rotation of Olivia O’Brien, Corrine Foley, and Macy Savage to hold up the defensive end. Savage earned an assist on a Sobol rebound goal in the second period.
Shawsheen/Bedford didn’t tire and the entire roster played solid throughout the game. Center Violet Lorusso lead the Rams’ heads-up hockey, racing to every loose puck, playing a strong forecheck, and being aware of everyone on the ice serving up tape to tape passes to teammates. Elise McEachern had some key saves in the third to maintain the Rams’ lead.
Mirroring the end of the first period with a minute left in the third, Gloucester’s Ariana Scola scored to bring the Fishermen within a goal. Gloucester was down 3-2 with a minute to go in the game.
Timeout was called. If you guessed the Fishermen came back from the time out in the last minute of a game, down by one, and had possession in their offensive zone so pulled the goalie, you’d join the crowd to be surprised Gloucester did not pull the goalie. The clock wore out and the home team earned the most season wins in the history of the Shawsheen/Bedford team (13-6) and will head into the postseason tournament with a six-game win streak.
Bedford vs. Peabody/Saugus
With a quick pass of the Zamboni, the BHS boys faced off against the Peabody/Saugus Tanners. Like the Rams, the home team looked solid with each line working together and getting to the puck, grinding through, getting contributions from across the roster, and held the lead starting with two starting line goals in the second half of the first period.
In the first, Alex Frost drove the puck in towards the goal and made a quick backward pass to Ryan McGrath in open space. McGrath one-timed a pass across the ice to James Nichol in the right-side corner. Nichol snapped a pass across the net where Frost tipped it in behind the back of Tanners’ tender Evan Tybinkowski.
Two minutes later, on an offensive sequence in the attacking zone, Frost was along the boards and passed back to Nichol near the blue line. Nichol took a shot, blocked by Tybinkowski, but McGrath was in position and dropped in the rebound. The Bucs were up 2-0 heading into the first intermission.
The Tanners brought the game within one just over a minute into the second period when Brandon Barone took an unassisted coast-to-coast breakaway from a face-off, and made a last-second dangle to put one by diving Bucs’ goalie Max Marchionna.
In the last six minutes of the middle period, the offensive line of Andy Scoville, Jackson Tucker, and Kenny Doucet combined for two goals. Scoville lit the lamp twice with two apples to Tucker, and one to Doucet and defender Matt Savage.
Bedford was up 4-1 when a series of penalties occurred, starting with Bucs’ roughing minor and Tanners’ facemask major with six seconds remaining in the period.
The third period started out 4 v. 4, then went to 4 v. 3, then 3 v. 3, back to 4 v. 3, then 5 v. 3. Charles Demeo scored an unassisted power-play goal during the 5 v. 3 advantage.
Frost scored a second goal with five minutes left in the game on an assist from Will Siciliano. Tybinkowski shut down a few strong attempts from Scoville working towards the hat trick. Riley Foy substituted for Marchionna to finish off the game in net for Bedford.
Will Siciliano, on the ice with older brother Charlie, made the score 7-1 on an assist from more members of the 2023-2024 BHS hockey sibling crew – Charlie O’Brien and Drew Siwik.
The Bucs are expecting to host a home game towards the end of next week to start the MIAA Division 3 state tournament. Brackets are expected around 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Shawsheen Tech Earns a Top Ranking
Shawsheen Tech lost their first game of the season before going on a 20-game win streak to end the season at 20-1, including two dominant victories over Bedford nemesis Methuen. Shawsheen ended the regular season with a 7-0 shutout against a strong Watertown team. The Rams should comfortably land in one of the top three seats of the Division 3 MIAA state bracket, and with 16 seniors are looking to move far.
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