The final of the John Gibson Memorial Men’s Ice Hockey League fall season was everything a championship game should be. Two evenly matched teams skated hard, played with intensity, and scored often. In the end, Brian Fraser scored 1:12 into overtime to give the second-seeded Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School team a 7-6 win over fourth-seeded Max Fitness.
At the end of three 22-minute periods of running time, the game was tied 6-6, with another 22 up on the clock for sudden-death overtime. Mike Jackson had scored on a breakaway, assisted by Tim Bettencourt, with three minutes left in regulation to put the Maxes in front, 6-5, only to have Brian Fraser answer for MVRHS one minute later with a one-handed poke of the puck through the five hole. Seventy-two ticks into the extra period, Fraser ended the game by slapping the puck into the yawning cage, with Max goalie Chuck Silvia down and out, after making the initial save.
Nelson Dickson put the Maxes up 1-0 in the first period. Bobby Branca earned the assist. Less than a minute later, Emerson Mahoney equalized, assisted by Mason Jeffers, for the high schoolers. The teams battled to and fro throughout the game. Tryson Araujo gave MVRHS a 2-1 lead, whistling a 20-foot wrister inside the left post. Jason Schwab answered for Max.
Derek Avakian and Tyson Araujo exchanged goals to start the second period. The Maxes broke free for a 5-3 lead to close out the period on goals by Kraig Mundt and Matt Mincone (assist to Nelson Dickson).
MVRHS needed less than three minutes to tie the game in the third. Sam Burke set up Tristan Araujo, who drilled in a slapper from the point to make it 5-4 and Burke tied the game, moments later, with an assist from Brian Fraser.