Sometimes, the puck just doesn’t bounce your way.
That was the overall energy of the No. 1 Nauset Warriors (23-2-1) following their 1-0 loss to No. 6 Marblehead in the MIAA Division 3 State Championship game.
It was a game in which Nauset exited the ice feeling like they did exactly what they set out to do. The Warriors entered the game with four straight postseason wins by a combined score of 18-2, but even with the confidence, head coach Connor Brickley felt his team came out apprehensive early.
Still, even not playing up to their own lofty standards, the Warriors nearly scored less than a minute into the game. Even after Marblehead took the lead through Avin Rodovsky in the first, Brickley credited the way his team settled in.
Settling in, but facing troubles at the goal
“First period you could definitely tell that we had some nervous energy out there, but those guys settled in after that, (and the) second and third periods were exactly our game,” Brickley said.
The Nauset defense held firm for the rest of the game, as the offense continued to prod for an equalizer. The Warriors piled on their usual pressure, but were unable to beat the Magicians’ goalie Leo Burdge.
Along the way, the Warriors hit the frame of the goal five times, including Brody Bassett hitting it twice on back-to-back shifts.
There’s an inevitable frustration that comes with missed opportunities, but Brickley felt good that the Warriors maintained their personal brand of hockey.
Ultimately, it’s those moments that cost Nauset the title, but Brickley said after the game, that he couldn’t have asked for more out of his group.
We ‘played to our team game.’
“It’s tough (because) they did everything that we wanted them to do,” Brickey said. “It’s not like they played any differently from games past. That’s exactly our team structure, (and we) played to our team game.”
The micro view is a gut-wrenching title game loss, but zoom out, and it starts to paint a much different picture.
After an Elite Eight loss in 2023, Nauset bounced back to reach TD Garden. In two years with Brickley at the helm, Nauset has won 40 total games, and emerged as a state-wide power.
That progress is something that no title game loss will take away from this team, and after the game, senior assistant captain Aaron Howard said his last ride with the Warriors was a special one.
“Finishing the season number one, obviously making it to the state finals, that’s something in and of itself,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do it with…
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