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Longmeadow makes quite a splash, entering this week's MIAA boys' lacrosse Top 25 poll at No. 11 while making its season debut.

The Lancers crack the rankings this week after notching a Top 25 victory over Central Mass Power Algonquin. However, they weren't the only Western Mass. squad entering the poll this week, as South Hadley -- only a half-game behind Longmeadow in the Wheel standings at 5-0 -- also makes its season debut at No. 22.

(Editors note: Rankings do not reflect Tuesday's results or the adjustment in records made in accordance with Foxborough's forfeited win over No. 12 Reading.)

A BIG WIN
Aside from Longmeadow, the team covering the most ground this week is Dover-Sherborn. The Raiders hop up 10 spots to No. 15 after a huge 6-3 win over Tri-Valley League rival Medfield -- showing why they're to team to beat (again) in Division 3. Now, we could have been more harsh on the Warriors, but we still believe Medfield is the team to beat in Division 2, so we're keeping them in the Top 10 at No. 7 -- for now. Also drawing a significant boost from a conference win last week is Andover, which moves up seven spots to No. 16 after a thrilling overtime victory over Merrimack Valley rival Billerica.

DOVER, Mass. -- Medfield senior Sarah Honan thrives in situations where most keepers would feel uncomfortable.

Succeeding against a medley of free position shots and one-on-one breakaways last night, Honan made 12 difficult saves as she battled defending Division 2 state champion Warriors (8-2, 5-2) to a 10-6 besting of Tri-Valley League foe Dover-Sherborn (6-2, 3-2), at Nora Searle Field.

“I love free position shots,” said Honan. “I like to stay on my toes, just watch the ball all the way to my stick and hopefully I come up with the save. Crashing together as a team and moving together.”

Honan's impressive outing was aided with five goals from fellow senior Katelyn Noschese and a strong showing from the Warriors' man-to-man defense.

Looking Like Defending Champs: The Warriors were looking to bounce back after a poor second half on Wednesday that lead to a tough 14-9 loss to fellow league power Hopkinton (6-2). Medfield was ahead for 46:01 of the 50 minutes on Friday as they edged away for good off a four goal streak in the first half.

Sophomore Lauren Tschirch crashed the net then lowered her head into a group of defenders to draw Medfield's first free position. She buried the effort top-net for a 2-1 lead at 18:11.

Noschese cradled her way past two straight defenders to net a 5-1 goal and end the run with 7:13 left in the first half.

“Not only does it physically prepare us, but it mentally prepares us to stay in games and not let up,” said Noschese. “First of all move the defender (and) get her off track then fake the goalie and just shoot to the corner she is not protecting. It forces them to crash on you.”

Noschese cut out in front of the goal from behind the crease and nailed a 10-yard effort to help clinch the game at 10-6 with 5:07 left in the game. The Warriors moved into their "stall" offense after that score as they wasted of the rest of the clock.

“I was very proud of how smart they were,” said Medfield coach Kathleen McCullough. “It is kind of like a stall if we are in a situation where we need to maintain possession. No shots (allowed).”

Senior Management: Lauren Harrity's two goals and one assist did little justice to show the senior midfielder's influence on Medfield's offensive management. Harrity played a role in half of the Warriors' scores, including the two straight tallies that put her team ahead 9-5 with 13:47 left.

The senior looped around the crease to setup both goals as she lobbed passes to freshman Grace Crowell and sophomore Hailey Tschirch for 10-yard scores and the 9-5 advantage.

“She is just very dynamic,” said McCullough. “If she gets covered too hard she knows that she is going to have to feed the ball and if they are not playing hard defense on them she knows to go to goal.”

Unable to Gain Ground: Dover-Sherborn struggled to pull even as they twice scored two scores then gave up a pair of goals.

Senior Nora Klemmer (three goals) converted a breakaway off a personal draw victory with 21:50 left in the game. Within 44 seconds, she lost two defenders as she cut away from net and produced enough space to sneak a 7-5 score along the post to finish the second run.

“Her first two shots did not go and she was able to adjust to the type of shot that was going to work,” said Dover-Sherborn coach Erin Newton. “We need to make sure we are capitalizing on fast breaks. Our offensive end needs to be quicker in terms of our cuts and our of ball movement.”

TVL As A Playoff Standard: Five of the eight teams in the Tri-Valley League made last years' postseason. The TVL has represented both of the two available girls' lacrosse state titles for the past two years.

In league games like last night's represent a good example of postseason play especially for the two Division 2 squads that played.

“We know that every team comes out strong against us (and) we can't really let up,” said McCullough. “We learned a lot just from our last game against Hopkinton.”

Defending Division 1 state champion Duxbury opens another season as the No. 1 team in our initial MIAA boys' lacrosse poll Top 25 poll.

The Dragons, despite losing 10 Division 1 recruits off of last year's team, are deep again and looking for their 10th state title in the last 11 years. They will surely face a stiff challenge from Lincoln-Sudbury, which checks in at No. 2, and boasts a host of Division 1 talent in its own right. Last year's Division 1 state runner-up Needham begins the season at No. 3

CROWDED IN D2
Once again, the Division 2 race should be one to watch. Defending state champion Concord-Carlisle gained the highest ranking by a D2 team, peaking at No. 5. But they'll field challenges throughout the year from a bunch of D2 teams huddled in the Top 10. Hingham claims the No. 6 spot, followed by Catholic Memorial (No. 7), Reading (No. 9) and Medfield (No. 10).

The Central Mass competition in the division will also be tightly contested with defending sectional champion Algonquin (No. 16), but look for Grafton to make a push, starting out at No. 18, and No. 23 St. John's (Shrewsbury) is always a force.

There is one lone Division 3 representative in our initial poll, with defending state champion Dover-Sherborn appearing at No. 13.

Attackmen:
Tyler Bogart, Soph., Catholic Memorial
Jordan Dow, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Jay Drapeau, Jr., Westford Academy
Brandon Jaeger, Sr., Dover-Sherborn
C.J. LoConte, Sr., Duxbury
Andrew Melvin, Sr., Medfield
Nick Menzel, Jr., Archbishop Williams
Nico Panepinto, Sr., Needham
Robbie Pisano, Sr., Needham
Tyler Reilly, Sr., Grafton
Andrew Smiley, Jr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)

Midfielders:
Kevin Bletzer, Jr., Catholic Memorial
Will Blumenberg, Soph., Concord-Carlisle
Caleb Brodie, Jr., Hingham
Alec Brown, Sr., Wakefield
Tucker Ciessau, Sr., Scituate
Dan Delaney, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Henry Guild, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
Carson Hart, Sr., Wayland
Davis Kraft, Sr., Algonquin
Matt LaCroix, Sr., Westfield
Drew O’Connell, Jr., St. John’s Prep
Mikey Panepinto, Jr., Needham
Kieran Presley, Sr., Amherst
Bryan Rotartori, Sr., Grafton
Jack Wheeler, Jr., Xaverian

Long-stick Midfielders:
Nick Brozowski, Jr., Concord-Carlisle
Mike Elcock, Jr., Needham
D.J. George, Sr., Arlington Catholic
John Sexton, Jr., Lincoln-Sudbury

Defensemen:
Evan Boynton, Sr., Concord-Carlisle
Tim Gillis, Soph., Cohasset
Brian Uva, Sr., St. John’s Prep
Luc Valenza, Sr., Foxborough
Jay Walsh, Sr., Duxbury
Tyler Weeks, Sr., Andover
Ian Yanulis, Sr., BC High

Goaltender:
Andrew Blood, Jr., Walpole
Matt Comerford, Sr., Reading
Ryan Goodall, Sr., Dover-Sherborn
Nick Marrocco, Jr., Duxbury
Giles Ober, Sr., Algonquin
Jake Reynolds, Jr., Scituate
D.J. Smith, Sr., Billerica
Robert Treiber, Jr., Medfield
Tighe Van Lenten, Sr., Masconomet

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Earlier this week, Alison Butler was honored as ESPNBoston.com's Miss Hockey, an award that recognizes the top female high school hockey player in the state. On Saturday, the St. Mary's of Lynn star suited up for the final time as a high schooler, taking part in the inaugural Aleppo Shriners MSHCA High School All-Star Classic.

As she has done throughout her tenure at St. Mary's, which included a Division 1 MIAA state championship a couple of weeks back, Butler, yet again, put her pure offensive talents on display as she scored a pair of goals to help lead the North All-Stars to a 4-2 victory over the South All-Stars at the DCU Center.

"I hadn't skated in nearly two weeks so it took a couple of shifts to get my hockey legs back," said Butler, who now set her sights on playing for St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. next season.

Butler scored the lone goal in the opening period _ a hard wrist shot from the low right slot that slipped underneath the catching glove of South goaltender Mimi Borkan (Medfield) coming with only seven seconds left. She would add her second tally during the final minute of the second period, tipping in a rebound past Braintree netminder Rachael Brazil which would stake the North squad out to a 3-1 advantage.

"It's kind of sad that (high school hockey) is over for me," said Butler. "I wish I could play another year because it has been a lot of fun but I also can't wait to go to St. Anselm. I'm excited the way things have gone for me (at St. Mary's). My hard worked has paid off."

It was looking as though the opening period would result in a scoreless standstill. But with time ticking down, Butler, with the puck on her stick, was left all alone coming down the right side. Seeing her opportunity, Butler ripped a shot past Borkan giving her squad the early lead.

"Alison is such a great player," said North head coach Amanda Ciarletta, who is also coaches the Lexington High girls team. "I don't have the privilege of coaching her over the season but she hustles all the time, is fast and makes smart plays. It was fun being able to coach her today."

Just 1:11 into the middle period Westford Academy's Kim Lizotte would extend the North advantage to two goals after gaining control of a loose puck inside the South crease and sticking it into the back of the net.

Throughout the early portion of this contest, the South team was having its fair share of difficulty trying to generate much offense. That would change, however, at 7:28 of the second period after Duxbury's Hannah Murphy flew down the right halfboard and
blasted a shot from 25 feet out that snuck underneath the cross bar making it a 2-1 game.

"This was a fun event for everyone," said South and Franklin High head coach Margie Burke. "A lot of these girls have played against one another in high school and club teams so it is great for them to comeback and play together on one team. It's an all-star game and it's all about having fun."

North was able to cling to its one-goal lead until Butler netted her second score seven minutes later.

The final period became an old-fashioned offensive shootout with each team getting quality chances on net. Falmouth High product Alexa Scribner managed to inch her club closer by putting back a rebound score coming at 4:07 which made it 3-2.

Hoping to sieze momentum off of that goal, South spent the remaining minutes of the period working feverishly in attempting to notch the equalizer. But such hopes were cast aside after Lexington's Sara Lehman broke into the South zone, skating past two defenseman and beating Duxbury netminder Rachel Myette with a pretty backhand goal at 8:12 which gave North back its two-goal cushion and the victory.

"That's a typical Sara Lehman goal," Ciarletta said. "She one of my players on my team at Lexington and it's always great to see her hands working and moving the puck. Today she got the goalie beat which was great. She practices those kinds of plays all the time in practice. I'm really happy she was able to get a goal for us, especially on a play like that."

WORCESTER, Mass. -- ESPN Boston High Schools editor Brendan Hall is joined by MassLive.com producer Jay King and videographer Greg Story to break down Saturday's MIAA boys and girls basketball State Championships. Champions were crowned in six divisions, three each for boys and girls.

(Video by Greg Story)

WORCESTER, Mass. -– Jen Narlee wrestled to rebound her own shot between two defenders then tossed up a second effort. Rebounding another miss, the senior eyed junior Alison Mikleszko in the lane and flipped her a pass to set up a point from the foul line and Medfield's largest lead of the night.

The Warriors 38-21 advantage at 5:37 in the third was the finisher of a crucial 13-point run that epitomized their ability all season to hack away at teams in the paint. Initializing all 13 points in the streak from within the paint, Medfield girls' basketball (25-3) cruised to a 54-36 victory over Nashoba Regional (22-3) to win its first Division 2 championship at the DCU Center yesterday afternoon.

“We run a five-on-five defensive drill where we give the offense points if they can pass it into the paint,” said Medfield coach Mark Nickerson. “Our interior passing has been outstanding all season. Those practices where we are really focused on defense really helped our passing as well.”

Junior Lauren Petit nailed a top-of-arc trey to help Medfield pull ahead for good up 5-4 at 5:37 in the first quarter. The Warriors
started a 13-0 run ahead 25-21 with 55 seconds left in the second quarter off a putback by sophomore Payton Ouimette.

Three minutes later Mileszko hit what was a fourth straight point from the foul line for Medfield to grab a 17 point advantage. The
Warriors netted 12 of 20 from the line.

“The last few games we have been pounding it inside in the paint and trying to get to the line,” said Nickerson. “Trying to get their 'bigs' in foul trouble.”

“If I can not get anything off the dribble then I usually look outside,” added Narlee.

Petit lead the Warriors with 18 points and four three-pointers. Ouimette tallied 11 points and nine rebounds, while Narlee netted 10 points and grappled eight rebounds.

“In past games (teams) had been pressuring us up high,” said Petit. “My mentality was to attack and once they slipped off to shot.”

Stopping The Size: Nashoba held the Warriors scoreless for 6:21 between the third and fourth quarter, but was only able to muster six points. Medfield used its usual 1-2-2 half-court trap in the first half, but adjusted to a man-to-man front in the second.

Sophomore Erin Cressman forced an old-fashion three to start the run with four minutes left in the third quarter, while junior Emmalie Keenan spun off a high pick then hit the lane to force a pair of points off free throws and a 38-27 deficit with 7:49 left.

“Our main concern was their size,” said Nashoba coach Beth McNamara. “We have been up against size before, but not at every position. We just had to work hard and use our speed.”

Keenan and Cressman lead Nashoba with 12 points.

Holding Ground: Petit twice nailed a three-pointer in the final quarter to push the Warriors back ahead by 15. The junior followed up her second trey with a layup off a pick by junior Katherine Thomas and a bounce pass assist to junior Kristin Fechtelkotter to help her team finish with its largest lead 54-36 with 1:08 left.

“He kept reminding us pretty much every game (that) you have to work on this,” said Narlee. “We knew it does not matter if you have a perfect record. It is about improving every single game.”

BOYS

Division 1
Springfield Putnam 50, Mansfield 48 (OT)

Division 2
Brighton 59, South Hadley 41

Division 3
Danvers 66, Smith Academy 50

GIRLS

Division 1
Central Catholic 53, Holy Name 48

Division 2
Medfield 54, Nashoba 36

Division 3
Archbishop Williams 60, Lee 33

EASTERN MASS. FINALS

Boys

D1: Mansfield (24-2) vs. Central Catholic (21-5)
Brendan Hall: Whatever the fourth-quarter lead is, you might as well double it. Both squads are terrific finishing teams. Still, it’s hard for me to go against The Illuminati. Pick: Mansfield
Chris Bradley: The way Central Catholic is playing defensively, they can’t be beaten by anybody in the state. Tyler Nelson is on another level from pretty much any guard in the state in terms of playmaking, while his backcourt mate Lucas Hammel is great on-ball defender. Pick: Central Catholic

D2: Brighton (19-6) vs. Scituate (21-3)
Hall: Last month I said that whoever came out of the D2 North tournament would be battle-tested enough to run the table. Brighton came back stronger than ever after last season’s disappointment, and they are playing as well as any right now. Malik James has been playing his way into Super Team consideration at this current clip. Pick: Brighton
Bradley: Brighton’s toughest tests of the Division 2 tournament have passed—the Bengals beat Melrose and North Andover, two of the best teams in the state. A great season by Scituate, but I can’t see any of the teams left in the Division 2 field hanging with Brighton. Pick: Brighton

D3: Danvers (22-2) vs. Martha’s Vineyard (18-5)
Hall: Save a bad weekend at the Comcast Tournament, Falcons have survived every test given to them this season. With the Vineyard, there is always the element of the great unknown. We know the Vineyarders can run, but so can the Falcons. Pick: Danvers
Bradley: What a run by the Vineyard, beating Wareham in the D3 South final. That being said, Danvers has proven that they are hands-down the best team in the state. Expect a few treys each from Nick McKenna, Nick Bates, and Vinny Clifford. Pick: Danvers

Lynnfield (16-7) vs. Bishop Connolly (18-6)
Hall: Pulling for Scott Barboza’s alma mater to get some hardware here. Pick: Connolly
Bradley: Connolly has a slew of quick, athletic guards who can score and put a lot of pressure on opposing teams defensively. I foresee Lynnfield struggling with that pressure. Pick: Bishop Connolly

Girls

D1: Braintree (24-2) vs. Central Catholic (20-5)
Hall: Defense wins championships, and the Wamps have one of the best defensive players around in Bay State Conference MVP Bridget Herlihy. Four of the Wamps’ five starters are sophomores or younger, including Herlihy, yet this is one of the tallest lineups in the state. Gonna be fun to watch this crew the next few years. Pick: Braintree.
Bradley: Make it another sweep for Central Catholic boys and girls in the state semifinals. I’m calling upset here, expect a huge game from Casey McLaughlin. Pick: Central Catholic

D2: Reading (23-0) vs. Medfield (24-2)
Hall: Would be cool to see one of the state’s finest athletes Jen Narlee bring home a state title in two sports this calendar year, but you don’t get to 48 straight wins without some role players stepping up. Rockets’ workhorse Olivia Healy will get hers, but the hero will once again be someone else. Pick: Reading
Bradley: Well, I don’t have the guts to pick against an Olivia Healy-led team. Anybody who does--feel free to raise your hand. Pick: Reading

D3: Archbishop Williams (21-5) vs. Pentucket (24-1)
Hall: Does this qualify as an upset if I go with Pentucket? Sachems have been quietly waiting in the grass all season long. Monday night, they will strike with a first-round haymaker. Pick: Pentucket
Bradley: A great run by Archbishop Williams here in the final stretch of the season. I know this has been a highly-anticipated matchup all year, but I’m going to pick what some may call the “upset” and go with Pentucket, but expect an absolute thriller Pick: Pentucket

D4: Fenway (14-7) vs. Greater New Bedford (20-4)
Hall: Tajanay Veiga-Lee was the hero last year against this same GNB squad, but I like the Bears getting their revenge Monday night. Pick: Greater New Bedford
Bradley: Fenway's girls are battle-tested and on quite a roll right now, as they've won seven games in a row. Pick: Fenway

***

CENTRAL/WEST FINALS

Boys

D1: Springfield Putnam (22-1) vs. Milford (20-3)
Hall: I love the way Putnam plays so inspired, and their whipping of Springfield Central in Saturday's D1 West Final might be the Beavers' high water mark of the season. Look for big games out of KayJuan Bynum and David Murrell. Pick: Putnam
Bradley: Putnam has more talent and more speed than Milford, but during their tournament run the Hawks have displayed the type of toughness and poise that it takes to go to the state finals. Milford doesn’t have a go-to guy, but they have a team full of kids who aren’t afraid to take the big shot-which is why they’ll beat Putnam and give Central a run for their money in the state finals. Pick: Milford

D2: St. Bernard's (19-4) vs. South Hadley (16-7)
Hall: Bernardians made it this far last year, only to meet a disappointing end. They're back again, and more determined. Pick: St. Bernard's
Bradley: The Bernardians will have a significant size advantage, as well as one of the better scorers in Division 2 in John Crawley. Count on St. Bernard’s to punch their ticket into the D2 state finals. Pick: St. Bernard's

D3: Smith Academy (21-3) vs. Littleton (24-1)
Hall: Here's a team we missed the boat on. Smith took the D3 field by storm, and from what I understand they're a loaded bunch. I like their chances in this one. Pick: Smith Academy
Bradley: Littleton hasn't lost a game since December, thanks mainly to a high-scoring attack and exceptional play from senior guard Chris Murray. They certainly weren't the favorite in a tough D3 Central field, but they made it out alive. Pick: Littleton

Girls

D1: Holy Name (22-2) vs. Chicopee (16-7)
Hall: Junior center and Providence commit Brianna Frias is a monster on the boards, and my pick for Defensive Player of the Year. Long-time Naps coach Barry Finneron has his best shot at a state title in a while. Pick: Holy Name
Bradley: Holy Name is on quite the run and couldn’t be any higher emotionally after absolutely blowing out Wachusett in the D1 Central final. Sophomore Gigi Gunther is a future star. Pick: Holy Name

D2: Nashoba (21-2) vs. Hoosac Valley (19-5)
Hall: Going with strength of schedule in this one, and the Chieftains delivered powerhouse Tyngsborough its first-ever loss within Central Mass. to get to this stage. Pick: Nashoba
Bradley: All five of Nashoba’s starters could be considered go-to scorers, they’ve had such an even scoring attack all year. Their balance offensively is going to give Hoosac plenty of problems. Pick: Nashoba

D3: Lee (18-5) vs. University Park (23-1)
Hall: Death, taxes, and the Lee Wildcats on the DCU Center floor competing for a state title. Pick: Lee
Bradley: Lee is clicking at the right time, beating favored power Sabis in the Western Mass. Division 3 finals. Not only that, Stephanie Young has shown several times this year that she can break 20 or 25 on any given night. Pick: Lee

BROCKTON, Mass. -– A look at the rosters showed that No. 2 Medfield held a distinct height advantage over No. 6 Scituate when they squared off at Massasoit Community College in a Div. 2 South Sectional semifinals showdown on Wednesday night.

In fact, the Warriors' five tallest players each had at least one inch on the tallest player suiting up for the Sailors.

Sophomore Payton Ouimette made sure that advantage was put to good use on both ends of the floor as she led the Warriors to an impressive win, 57-41, sending Medfield to Saturday’s Sectional title game against No. 4 Duxbury at UMass-Boston at 2 p.m.

The 5-foot-10 Ouimette poured in a game-high 17 points while pulling down a whopping 16 rebounds to pace Medfield’s attack.

“It might be a mistake [for teams to not focus on Payton],” said Medfield coach Mark Nickerson. “She’s a beast. You saw that today. She’s a real gamer. She’s come up big for us when we’ve needed her and we really needed her to today. We would’ve been in a lot of trouble offensively if we didn’t have her today.”

Ouimette had plenty of company on the glass as Medfield out-rebounded Scituate 41-21 in the win.

20 of those 21 boards came on the offensive end, giving the Warriors plenty of extra chances to score. They also forced Scituate’s defense into pressured situations, resulting in 32 trips to the free throw line for Medfield.

“It would’ve been nice to finish those possessions a little bit earlier,” said Nickerson. We talked about having the size advantage and trying to work the ball into the paint. They made it difficult for us by putting pressure on our guards. We struggled to get it in there, but once we did they worked real hard to finish or get to the line.”

The Warriors connected on 23 of the free throws, led by Lauren Petit’s 11-for-14 performance from the charity stripe. Petit finished with 16 points in all, added five rebounds as well.

Medfield also got strong showings from Jen Narlee (10 points) and Kristin Fechtelkotter (seven points, seven rebounds, two blocks).

Perhaps equally as important to Medfield’s success in knocking off the defending sectional champ was their defensive work against Stonehill commit Kelly Martin.

The 5-foot-8 guard had to fight for everyone of her points -– and she wound up with 15 of them. She connected on just two field goals, scoring the rest of her points by getting the foul line.

“Kelly Martin was a handful for us,” said Nickerson. “We tried chasing her, we tried trapping them, we tried a little bit of a man-to-man, it was just tough stopping her off the dribble. We tried to keep her out of the paint, we chased her –- we had three or four different players chasing her around trying to keep the ball out of her hands as much as possible. We know she’s a great shooter, but she’s probably even better off the dribble.”

She also added seven rebounds, three blocks and four assists in the final game of her high school career.

Sarah Hoffman helped keep Scituate (19-4) in the game, scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds in the final game of a season that surprised many people as they won the Patriot League Fisher Division before another impressive tourney run.

“Those seniors carried the team all year,” said Scituate coach Matt Lewis. “I think that we proved a lot of people wrong. A lot of people thought, because of the players we graduated last year, that this would be something of a rebuilding year. I think they really proved their critics wrong and got us back to this point.”

While teams at the top of our poll continue to jostle for position as the Super 8 selection meeting nears, there was some movement at the back end of our latest MIAA boys' hockey Top 25 poll.

Medfield returned to the poll at No. 23 after claiming the Tri-Valley League title and repaying rival Medway (while knocking the Mustangs from the Top 25) for the Warriors' lone loss of the season. Canton also marked its return to the poll since the 2010-11 season, entering with a 13-3-0 record.

Also, this week, Archbishop Williams makes its first-ever Top 10 appearance, ahead of its penultimate Catholic Central matchup with Austin Prep on Wednesday. In addition, Malden Catholic forged its way back into the Top 10, following a Super 8-caliber, 4-0 win over No. 10 Central Catholic.

FRANKLIN, Mass. -- Medfield needed some sort of spark after giving up a shorthanded goal late in the first period and senior captain Ben Cox delivered it during the intermission between the first and second periods.

His message was about staying calm and composed in the face of a potential onslaught by rival Medway, and from the seniors down to a group of talented freshmen, the Warriors heeded his words.

Medfield strung together four straight goals in the second period and put themselves in the driver's seat for the Tri-Valley League championship with a 5-2 victory over the Mustangs at Sgt. Pirelli Rink Wednesday afternoon.

"What really turned us around was our captain, Ben Cox," explained Warriors freshman Matt Treiber, who had two goals and an assist in the win. "He got us really fired up during the first intermission. He just told us to go out there and do our job and that we can beat this team like we did today if we play our game."

With the memory of a 6-2 thrashing by Medway (12-1-3 overall; 9-1-2 TVL) earlier in the season still stinging, Medfield (16-1-0; 11-1-0) found itself on its heels as the Mustangs scored a pair of shorthanded goals. Jack Kilty got the first one, scoring on a breakaway with 2:11 left in the first, and Bobby Schindler scored in similar fashion just 11 seconds into the second.

Penalties would be an issue all night long, and with Cox's intermission speech eventually taking hold, Medfield made some adjustments to its extra-man strategy that paid immediate dividends. Rather than cycling the puck up high, the Warriors elected to move deeper in the zone and cashed in as freshman John MacLean fired a perfect pass to Justin Hirschfeld for a one-timer just 18 seconds after Schindler's goal.

Treiber continued the roll, burying a nice feed from Tyler Etzkorn at 3:44 to tie the game at 2-2. MacLean then put Medfield ahead for good, pouncing on the rebound of a shot by sophomore Will Murphy with 3:46 to go in the frame.

The Warriors added one more power play marker by Matt Crowell and a third-period score by Treiber for the final margin.

Undisciplined play did Medway no favors as the team took 13 penalties and had two players ejected in the third period.

"I thought we came out relatively well in the first period but once we started getting the penalties in the second period it obviously changed the whole momentum of the game to Medfield's favor," Medway head coach Chris Ross admitted. "Once we had those few penalties in a row we never recovered. We stopped moving our feet, we were undisciplined. I was not happy with how we played at all.

YOUTH SERVES WARRIORS WELL
The atmosphere was electric as fans from both towns filled the rink and made to make their presence felt. A potential league title was on the line, not to mention the heated rivalry between two towns who regularly battle one another for the TVL title.

Young players who may not be fully used to such situations are excused if they don't handle the elements well, but such was not the case for Medfield.

Freshmen Matt Treiber and MacLean combined for three goals and two assists while sophomore blue-liners Murphy and Hirschfeld made strong contributions as well.

"It's great to have kids who can come in here and play at this level and be very relaxed and handle the situation," Medfield head coach Toby Carlow praised. "I think this being the second time we've done this - big crowd, loud, great atmosphere - they were more relaxed this time, thats for sure and it showed. They're a good group of little players and I'm happy to have them, thats for sure."

Added Cox, ""We had some of the younger guys like Matt, who really stepped up, and John MacLean. It was really huge when they take some of the weight off the older guys. We just told them to keep their heads. Medway gets a little chippy sometimes, and so do we in big games, but we had to keep our composure and I think we did that."

TVL RACE
Both teams came into the game tied atop the Tri-Valley League with 20 points, and the Mustangs had a chance to clinch at least a share of the title. Medfield changed all that with the win, and can now claim the crown if they can take down Dover-Sherborn next Wednesday.

"The kids knew if they they wanted to have a chance at the league title we had to come here and do this," Carlow said. "They did it and now it's one of those things where you control your own destiny."

Ross explained why the league race is now in Medfield's control, despite the fact that the two teams could end up tied in points once league play is complete.

"I don't forsee Medfield losing out any games. It's a weird situation. There's a rule that a team can opt out and Hopkinton opted out of playing Medfield so it will go by winning percentage. So if they win their next game they clinch the TVL title no matter what we do, even if the points end up even."

FRANKLIN, Mass. -- Medway hockey’s seniors have done a lot in their high school careers to date, including skating on the Garden ice last year as the Division 3 Eastern Mass. champions.

But there was one thing that eluded them in the previous two seasons heading into Wednesday night: a win over Tri-Valley League rival Medfield.

“They’ve been our kryptonite, so to speak,” Mustangs head coach Chris Ross said.

Medway bucked the trend, jumping on the previously undefeated No. 21 Warriors early and often en route to a 6-2 win at Sgt. Pirelli Veterans Memorial Rink.

Mustangs senior forward Jack Kilty tallied a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point game

“This is the first game that we’ve played three, complete periods,” Ross said. “It’s the first time we’ve scored six goals, our previous high was five, and to do it against a ranked Medfield team, I’m proud of these guys.”

Kilty got Medway (5-0-2, 4-0-1 TVL) started with his first of the game at 1:40 of the first. No. 2 came midway through the first before Kevin Kaufman’s backdoor stuff in off a terrific cross-ice pass from Kilty gave the Mustangs a 3-1 lead at the first intermission.

Medway opened up with a two-goal second period, with junior forward John Guerrero taking a ricochet off the end wall for a 4-1 lead before Kilty capped his hat trick with 2:10 remaining in the second.

The Mustangs added another insurance marker in the third on Tim King’s blast, assisted by Bobby Schindler and Andrew DeCristoforo.

Both Warriors (7-1-0, 4-1-0) goals were scored by Matt Dresens, who raised his season goal total to 14.

Medway’s Mike Boldy and Medfield’s Ben Cox both had two-point games with a pair of assists, respectively.

“Everybody came out and played their role, nobody didn’t play good,” Kilty said. “We took the game to them and came out with the W.”

Taking a look at our updated MIAA boys' hockey Top 25 poll, there are a couple teams making an entry this week.

Xaverian checks in at No. 21 on the heels of a four-game winning streak following the Hawks' opening night loss to Reading. Medfield also makes its first-ever Top 25 appearance, slipping into the last spot. The Warriors have outscored opponents by a 41-3 margin while starting the season undefeated at 6-0-0.

Here's a look behind this week's poll:

(Note: Wednesday night's results are not reflected in this week's poll.)

LANCERS STILL ON TOP
Despite some tense moments at last week's host Christie Serino Christmas Classic, Malden Catholic remained at No. 1, as the Lancers managed to emerge with three points (win over Hingham, tie against Austin Prep) at the tournament despite trailing in both games. MC also went on to tie BC High, 2-2, in its Catholic Conference opener on Wednesday.

MIDDLESEX LEAGUE TEAMS ON THE MOVE
The two biggest movers of the week were No. 13 Wilmington and No. 14 Winchester, which both moved up five spots this week. The Wildcats have bounced back from an opening night loss to Woburn with five straight victories, while the Sachems remained unbeaten and took No. 6 Reading to the limit in a 2-2 tie.

There can be little question over the top two teams in the final 2012 girls' soccer Top 20 poll.

The Division 1 and 2 state champions, Franklin and Medfield, proved their worth over the course of undefeated seasons capped by victories over Top 5 teams in the state finals. A combined record of 43-0-4 speaks for itself.

The two defeated finalists, Nashoba and Belchertown, also proved they belonged in the top five. Both teams were unbeaten going into the finals.

Two of the biggest upsets in the tournament ended the season for top seeds East Longmeadow and Peabody. Both teams dropped in the rankings after seeing their seasons end abruptly. Oliver Ames and Duxbury were the big movers up the rankings after impressive runs to their respective sectional finals.

Two teams were added to the rankings after tournament win streaks that caught just about everyone by surprise.

Beverly made it all the way to the state semifinal behind striker Caitlin Harty and goalkeeper Casey Cook. The Panthers won the incredibly deep D1 North sectional, which few (if anyone) had predicted.

Weston's run to the D3 state title is even more amazing as it was the 17th seed in D3 North and romped its was through the sectional. The only goal it gave up in the postseason was in the opening round against the 16th seed Georgetown. Weston outscored its next four opponents 19-0. A 1-0 win over Sutton in the finals meant that Weston had to be included in the rankings.