Boys Hockey in Final Four
Team Plays Xaverian on Sunday
The boys hockey team earned a spot in the D1 Final Four.
March 10, 2023
On Wednesday night, the #14 seed RMHS Boys Varsity Hockey Team advanced through the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Division 1 Boys Hockey tournament, placing them in the Final Four and making them the only public school team with a chance of moving on to the championship game at the TD Garden.
The Rockets had success in the rounds of 32, 16, and now 8 of this year’s playoff tournament. With a 4-1 win against #19 Woburn, a 4-0 win against #4 Hingham and a 1-0 win against #11 Braintree, the beginning rounds of the playoffs are off to a great start. Interestingly, the team had losses against all of these teams in the regular season but were able to come out on top during the Round of 32, the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8. The team moves forward to the Final 4 for the first time since the 2019-20 season.
This year’s varsity team has a roster of over 30 players, 5 coaches and a team manager and achieved a record of 11-7-4 during the regular season. They started off the season strong in mid-December, carrying 6 wins, 3 of those a complete shut out by goalie Chris Hanafin (‘24). Playing at the TD Garden for the D1 state championship would definitely be a dream come true. — Matt Fichera ('24)
Head Coach Mark Doherty has been coaching the team for just under 15 years now. Doherty told The Patriot Ledger, “Woburn beat us, Hingham beat us, and Braintree beat us. Three very good opponents. These last two games were amazingly intense. We’re just thrilled to have persevered.”
The team traveled to Zapustas Arena, ‘The Zap’, in Randolph, MA for their game against Braintree. Anonymously donated fan buses were provided for the first time in order for the most students to be in attendance for the game, and the 1,200 ticket limit was reached within one day of sales. The student section during this away game was stronger than ever, as it took up almost half of the available stands. Videos and pictures of the fans can be seen on the Instagram account @rmhsstudentsection, which is run by a handful of the senior class at RMHS.
Forward Matthew Fichera (‘24) can be credited with the goal that locked in a win this past Wednesday, assisted by 2 of his fellow teammates. Fichera shared, “Obviously with the massive student section we have rallying behind us, it’s been a huge influence on our game. The support that they give us during the games is incredible and it forces us to refuse to lose in front of them.” It is clear that the 200 fans behind the class do nothing but benefit the players on and off the ice.
Fichera is hopeful that the team gives it their best against Xaverian in the Final Four, despite that they are the 14th seed and Xaverian is the 7th seed. “No one thought we would have gotten this far in the season and we are not even close to finished,” he said. “We hope we give it our all against Xaverian.” He added, “Playing at the TD Garden for the D1 state championship would definitely be a dream come true.”
The Final Four game will be held on Sunday, March 12th at 5:30pm at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. If the Rockets are able to secure a win during this round, they will play in the championship game on March 19th, at the TD Garden in Boston. There, they will play the winner of the other Final 4 matchup, either Pope Francis or Saint John’s Prep.
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