MEDFORD — In a physical battle from start to finish, the Bishop Fenwick boys hockey team fell just short to Medford, 2-1, at LoConte Memorial Rink Monday night.
The Crusaders overcame plenty in this one, including an early Medford goal and nine minutes worth of penalties, but just couldn’t get the goal they needed to notch a win. Medford’s only shot of the third period was the game-winner scored on a breakaway.
“We had to kill seven minutes alone in the second period,” Fenwick coach Jim Quinlan said. “That’s almost half the period. We killed it. The third period they had one shot on us. We were controlling the game and they just got one little mistake on us. One shot, one goal and they won the game.”
Diego Alvarez-Segee scored the Crusaders’ lone goal. Fenwick had plenty of other chances, including a breakaway from Ian Worthley in the second but Medford goalie Michael Corso stepped up.
“You can blame it on the coaching staff or the players,” Quinlan said. “We were playing but we couldn’t score. Their goalie made some great saves. I have to give him credit he made some nice saves in net.”
The Crusaders ripped off five shots before Medford even had a single shot on goal midway through the first, but Corso saw the puck well right from the start.
The Mustangs cashed in on their first shot a few minutes later. A nice forecheck and then assist from Anthony Petrone led to a wide open one-timer that beat Fenwick goalie Dillon Bloom to give Medford a 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders had the edge in shots on goal again in the second and this time they cashed in. Alvarez-Segee skated to a 2-on-1 chance with Nick Muzi and scored on a wrist shot to tie the game at 1-1 midway through the second.
Fenwick’s penalties started to pile up and helped Medford get back on the offensive. Alexander Michalec was called for tripping while Aiden Anthony went to the box on a five-minute major.
The penalty kill played well in front of Bloom, who tallied four saves while Muzi blocked a crucial shot to keep things tied. Worthley skated to a short-handed breakaway late in the period but Corso made a nice pad save to bail the Mustangs out.
Anthony’s penalty carried over into the beginning of the third and the Crusaders had to kill off another penalty a few minutes later, keeping them from getting much going on offense.
“They didn’t call one thing (on Medford) but they called it all on us,” Quinlan said. “The only thing I said to the referees was if you’re going to call it on us call it on them too.
“But we had the opportunities. A breakaway short-handed, things like that we have to put the puck in the net. When we get those chances we have to score and we didn’t.”
With just over three minutes left in the game, a Fenwick turnover outside its own zone led to a breakaway for Petrone, who buried the chance to put Medford ahead 2-1.
The Crusaders got Bloom pulled out the net with just over a minute left but couldn’t manage a shot on goal in a last ditch effort for overtime.
The Crusaders (4-3-1) hosts Winthrop Saturday (6).
“Now we just have to get back and refocus,” Quinlan said. “We have Winthrop next. They’re tough. Every game we have is tough.”
