Vineyard-Wareham runners-up in Eric MacLean Tourney

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Felix Colon locks sticks with a Coastal Stars opponent. — Photo by Ralph Stewart

A combination team composed of PeeWee players from Martha’s Vineyard and Wareham came up a pair of goals short Sunday morning at the MV Arena in the championship game of the annual Eric MacLean Memorial youth hockey tournament. The Coastal Stars of Cohasset and Marshfield skated away with the title, following a 3-1 win.

The teams played to a scoreless stalemate in the opening period. T.J. Boyd put the Stars on the board 5:22 into the second stanza by finishing off some nifty tic-tac-toe passing in front of the MV-Wareham crease. Just 95 seconds later, Vineyarder Ian Trance broke free down the right boards, cut in toward the Stars’ goal and fed a perfect centering pass to Quirino doCanto for the tying goal.

The third period was a nailbiter. Matt McGrath gave the Stars a 2-1 lead with 6:38 left on the clock by tucking the puck inside the left post for a power-play goal. MV-Wareham responded with waves of pressure but Stars goalie Gus Kastrud made five big saves to preserve the lead. At the other end of the ice, MVW netminder Alex Demarco kept the Stars in check with some fine saves of his own. The Stars put the game out of reach with 51 ticks left, courtesy of an empty netter by Jake Blinn.

At the conclusion of the championship game, Tricia Bergeron, mother of the late Eric MacLean, presented the champions and runners-up trophies. Eric was a Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School senior, who played varsity football and hockey, when he died in an automobile accident in 2001.

Four other teams competed in the tournament: Martha’s Vineyard 1 (MV 1), North Shore, South Shore, and Enfield, Connecticut.

For the third weekend this winter, the ArtCliff diner food truck was parked in front of the Arena to whet appetites and make stomachs happy.

Earlier Sunday morning, Martha’s Vineyard 1 prevailed in the third place consolation game, 6-3, over South Shore. Hunter Meader chalked up a hat trick and one assist to lead the hosts. Peter Gillis, Felix Colon, and Lauren Boyd also lit the lamp, while Hoffie Hearn (2), Gillis, and Jackson Pachico picked up assists.

The tournament began Friday afternoon with MV 1 skating against the Coastal Stars. Joseph Serpa scored in the first period and early in the third to give the Vineyard a 2-0 lead, but the Stars showed the heart of a champion by scoring three times in three minutes to grab a 3-2 win. Aiden Marek had a pair of assists for MV 1, while Alexa Pil had one.

In Friday’s nightcap, MV-Wareham skated to a 4-4 tie with South Shore. Tyler Lovendale had a goal and an assist. Zack Lovendale, Ian Trance, and Colby Zarba also scored for MVW.

Each team played twice on Saturday. The morning got off to a rousing start for the locals as MV 1 put eight pucks into the mesh during a prolific third period, en route to a 12-1 romp over Enfield. Aiden Marek scored four goals, Hunter Meader three, Jackson Pachico two; Peter Gillis, Joseph Serpa, and Hoffie Hearn one apiece. Assists went to Joseph Serpa (3), Felix Colon (3), Hunter Meader (2), Zachary Vukota (2), Hoffie Hearn, Peter Gillis, Alexa Pil, and Joshua Dix.

Martha’s Vineyard-Wareham was also victorious in the morning session, defeating North Shore 5-1. Quirino doCanto tallied twice, assisted first by Ian Trance, then by Tyler Lovendale. Ian Trance, Colby Zarba and David Krauthamer scored the other MVW goals. Robert Ramsay had one assist. Alex Demarco was the winning netminder.

Saturday evening, South Shore scored twice in the third period to upend Martha’s Vineyard 1, 4-3. The Vineyard netted all three goals in the second period. Aiden Marek scored from Hoffie Hearn and added a second from Alexa Pil. Hunter Meader scored the final goal, courtesy of Alexa Pil and Peter Gillis.

Martha’s Vineyard-Wareham closed out a busy Saturday by shutting out Enfield, 4-0. Coleby Paling, Colby Zarba, and Ian Trance scored unassisted, while the Lovendales, Tyler from Zack, combined on the final tally. Alex Demarco earned the shutout in goal.