BILLERICA – When the Bedford boys hockey team’s 14 seniors were freshmen, Essex Tech beat it in the 2022 Div. 3 first round for the Hawks’ first tournament win.
The Buccaneers took their turn to make program history in the rematch Thursday night.
Senior goalie Max Marchionna (33 saves) was instrumental to keep things scoreless after a rocky first period, setting the tone for his fifth straight shutout as No. 6 Bedford (19-3-1) punched its first Final Four ticket with a 3-0 state quarterfinal win over No. 3 Essex Tech at the Chelmsford Forum.
Senior defenseman Logan Cox had a hand in all three of the Bucs’ third-period goals to pull away, setting up senior Ryan McGrath for the go-ahead goal before scoring a pair himself – one on an empty net.
Bedford, which hasn’t allowed a goal all tournament, matches up with No. 2 Medfield in the state semifinals. The Hawks’ strong season with a record-setting senior class ends at 18-4-1.
“I’m so happy for the guys,” said Bucs head coach Brian Seabury. “Fourteen seniors, they’ve been gearing up for this thing for four years. To get that done in that fashion, I’m really proud of them.”
“To make it all the way to the Final Four, it feels really good to have that work pay off,” Marchionna added. “From kids up until now, we know each other really well. … We love each other, and I think that friendship is what helps us.”
Bedford’s game plan all year has been to take care of the defensive zone and bide its time until chances arise to take advantage late.
Essex Tech threatened with heavy pressure and a pair of Grade-A chances in the first period, but 11 saves from Marchionna kept the Hawks off the board. Bedford found its legs in the second period to lead shots on goal 10-8 in the frame, before erupting in the third period.
“That’s a really good team over there,” Seabury said. “We were very fortunate early to hold them off and then kind of play the way we play. … It was right up our alley, this is kind of our style.”
First was Cox’s dish to McGrath for a vicious one-timer, giving Bedford a 1-0 lead with 12:37 left to play. Only two minutes later, Cox hit twine on a wrister to double the Bucs’ lead.
“As we got more comfortable in the game, we got sort of confident,” Cox said.
Essex Tech’s dangerous attack dialed up the intensity in the third with 14 shots on goal, but Marchionna denied them like he has throughout the whole tournament.
“As long as we win, I don’t really care that much (about starring),” he said. “I’m happy that I have (five) shutouts in a row, we need to keep that energy going onto the Final Four.”
“One, (Marchionna’s) been outstanding,” Seabury added. “Two, our D-zone coverage has been excellent.”
It wasn’t too long after the Hawks pulled goalie Teagan Moreau (18 saves) that Cox scored the empty-netter with 1:21 left to seal the game and cap yet another strong showing from Bedford’s defensemen.
“Those guys have gotten better and better,” Seabury said. “(Senior Charles Demeo) makes those guys better. The defensemen have played terrific in the tournament.”