Shawsheen eliminates Marblehead in shootout

WOBURN – For the past two years in the state tournament, the Marblehead hockey team had lived by the sword of winning one-goal games. On Tuesday, at O’Brien Rink, the Headers’ luck ran out ? and this time they lost by one goal in the Division 3 North semifinals.Despite thoroughly dominating No. 3 Shawsheen for 45 minutes, the Headers found themselves in overtime and eventually a shootout, where the Rams scored on three of four chances against Aaron Reny to clinch a 2-1 win and a date with Concord-Carlisle in the North final on Sunday at the Chelmsford Forum.”It’s kind of an empty feeling right now,” Marblehead coach Bob Jackson said. “We really didn’t want to get into a shootout because it gives anyone a chance to win then. It’s anyone’s game at that point.”The Headers (12-7-4) were also doomed by a controversial call to begin the shootout. Reny came up with a save on Shawsheen’s Joe Sodergren on the Rams’ first of five attempts. The officials, however, ruled that Reny had left his crease before Sodergren touched the puck, resulting in a violation and another shot for the freshman.Sodergren didn’t miss the second time, tucking the puck between Reny’s pads to put Shawsheen up 1-0 and give the Rams the momentum.”You hate to lose a state tournament game on a goalie violation,” Jackson said.Chris McLeod scored on Marblehead’s second shot to even things through two rounds before controversy returned on Mike Derosa’s third-round chance for Shawsheen.Reny looked to have made a pad save on Derosa’s bid and one official had indicated no goal. But the goal judge behind the net turned on the goal light as the puck trickled across the line to give Shawsheen a 2-1 advantage.After Ben Koopman missed on Marblehead’s fourth chance, Ryan Arensbach sent the Rams to the final when he rifled a shot inside the left post.”Shawsheen played really hard and with a lot of heart and did a great job,” Jackson said. “Their kids left it all on the ice and so did ours. I feel so bad for all of them.”The Headers dominated the play in regulation for long stretches but couldn’t solve senior goalie Evan Walsh, who made 34 stops just to keep his team breathing.The Rams actually struck first when Shawn Donovan’s centering pass hit the skate of Kyle LeBlanc and went past a helpless Reny at 5:48 of the opening period. Yet before the fans could even settle back into their seats following LeBlanc’s goal, Ryan Dempsey tied the game for Marblehead 33 seconds later.Marblehead would own the next 22 minutes of playing time, but Walsh stopped 23 shots over the first two frames to preserve the 1-1 tie.”We had chances, but not finishing has been our problem all year and (Tuesday) it reared its ugly head,” Jackson said.The Headers had 1:13 of power play time to begin the third but didn’t convert. They got another chance at 5:19 when Matt Grace was called for boarding but once again came up empty.The Rams went shotless, meanwhile, for the first seven minutes of the third before pelting Reny with nine in the final eight minutes. Mike Digiorgio nearly ended the festivities in the final second for Shawsheen, but he tipped Sodergren’s pass just wide of the right post at the buzzer.Shawsheen carried the play in overtime, but the Headers’ Justin Levine had the game on his stick with 1:15 left; however, his shot towards an open net missed to the left.