Big Blue wins first playoff hockey game in 44 years

STONEHAM – In the opening minute of Saturday’s game against Swampscott, St. Joseph Prep forward Will Rennie threw a check that dropped a Big Blue player to the ice, then skated over to do a little trash talking.For the remaining 44 minutes, Swampscott did everything it could to silence the Boston school’s playoff run, snapping a 44-year playoff hex with a 10-1 Division 3 North quarterfinal triumph.”This was a big win for us,” said head coach Gino Faia. “It’s good to break this jinx.Faia continued, “We moved the puck well, had our forecheck going, used our speed and made some nice plays.”The game was a little more definitive than that. A generous estimate gives sixth seed St. Joseph only three quality offensive shifts on the day as Swampscott lived in the Phoenix zone, outshooting its opponent 59-12.Defenseman Trevor Massey had a lot to do with that as his aggressive stance at the blue line prolonged possessions and yielded plenty of scoring opportunities.”When the game opened up, we tried to move up fast and forward. That’s when things happen,” said Massey, who finished with two goals and an assist. “Chemistry is a big part of our offense and we have a lot of depth.”Saturday bears that out as the Big Blue had 12 players hit the scoresheet. Cody Carmody had a hat trick while freshman Noah Maercklein and Nunzio Morretti added a goal and three assists each. Stevie Dandreo and Peter Doyle notched their first varsity points in the win.The only sour part of the day came with 5:02 left to play. With St. Joseph growing more frustrated and chippy in the blowout, a scrum broke out near the Big Blue bench that ended up coming to blows. Two players from each squad were sent to the penalty box and one of the tournament officials came onto the ice to talk to both coaches. After a five-minute pause to sort things out and calm things down, the contest resumed.”It’s hard if they’re chippy, but if we retaliate we could get called for a misconduct and miss a game,” Massey said. “We have to be bigger men, realize we’re playing for the team and walk away.”Third seed Swampscott walked away from the victory without any expulsions and will be at full strength against semifinal opponent Marblehead, a 4-2 victor over Rockport, Wednesday at Chelmsford Forum. Marblehead, the second seed in the sectional, has outscored Swampscott 11-3 in two regular season victories.