Lynnfield boys hockey edges Masco to move on in tournament

STONEHAM ? Lynnfield’s 11th-seeded boys hockey team remained in the hunt with a 3-2 Division 2 North first-round victory over Cape Ann League foe Masconomet, ending the Chieftains’ seven-game winning streak.”They (Masco) were a tough draw,” Pioneers coach Vin Mirasolo said. “They are an exceptionally talented team. They were a very strong sixth seed.”Lynnfield next plays Revere Friday (5) in Stoneham. It is the third straight Pioneers-Patriots postseason matchup in as many years. The first two matchups have gone to Lynnfield, once in overtime (in 2007) and once by a 5-2 score (last year).Masco took the opening faceoff and dumped the puck into the zone. The Chieftains’ top two goal-scorers would only take 30 seconds to put a point up on the board. Andy Roach slipped a pass to a wide-open Tom Brazil, who went five-hole.The Pioneers struggled early on trying to establish any offensive penetration, as Masco dictated the play for the first 10 minutes.John Lee finally gave Lynnfield a legitimate scoring chance after picking off a pass in the neutral zone and headed a three-on-two rush. Casey Tudor made a beautiful glove save, robbing the Pioneers’ top goal-scorer. However, the impressive neutral zone play by Lee would become a common theme in this game.”John (Lee) showed that he is a really, really top-notch player today,” said Mirasolo. “He is powerful and is great at creating his own offense.”The Pioneers would strike gold at the 11:46 mark of the first period as Rocco Schelzi netted a goal. Lee was again at the epicenter of the play. He fed a pretty pass from behind the net to a wide -open Schelzi.Lynnfield would carry this newfound momentum into the second period. Lee finally put the puck between the pipes early in the second on the power play.”My linemates continue to play strong and give me opportunities,” Lee said. “We have been working hard, and (this win) feels great right now.”Pete Nutile scored on a hard slap shot from the blue line to give the Pioneers an insurance goal going into the third period.”I could tell from the beginning that something was missing out there,” Chieftains coach Bill Blackwell said. “I think we were feeling a bit sorry for ourselves out there. But we should be proud with how we played in the third period.”Masco started the third period by completely controlling the flow of the game. However, the Chieftain high-octane offense could not figure out Craig Cataldo. The sophomore goalie turned away 32 shots (16 coming in the third period) against a team that has four players with over 20 points in the regular season.”You can’t say enough about Craig,” said Mirasolo. “He had a great game.”As impressive as Cataldo played, the Chieftain offense was too powerful to not get back into the game. Ryan Dooley scored a goal with just under five minutes remaining in the game. After the goal, the Chieftains stepped up the pressure even higher, but a penalty with 40 seconds remaining, and the play of Cataldo, were just too much to overcome.Mark Connolly picked up three assists in the win.