BOSTON — With the way Hanover junior forward Ryan Kisiel was playing on Sunday, he was the last player Medfield wanted alone in the slot in a tie game with under three minutes to play.
As Hanover senior Cam Melone hit the face-off dot on an odd-man rush, he wound up for the hardest wrist shot he could take. Medfield senior goalie Louie Slesar made the stop, but the rebound kicked out to Kisiel, who already had two goals.
Kisiel wasted no time completing the hat trick. When Hanover senior Henry Phillips tacked on an empty-net goal with 36.5 seconds left, it gave No. 1 Hanover a 7-5 lead, which the Hawks held to win the MIAA Division 3 boys hockey championship.
It was an all-time classic.
No. 3 Medfield sophomore forward Luke Dickson started the scoring in a big way, scoring twice in the back half of the first period. One was a dangle, and the other was a snipe past Hanover freshman goalie Ryan McArdle about five minutes apart, putting the Warriors up 2-0.
Hanover responded before the end of the first period when junior forward Joe Galvin knocked one in from around the net with 1:09 left.
The second period was chaos.
Just 36 seconds into the middle frame, Medfield freshman forward Max Abramson knocked in a rebound off a 2-on-1 from Dickson's shot, putting the Warriors up, 3-1.
Hanover, however, responded in a big way with Kisiel potting two power-play goals throughout the period.
When the third period began, the Hawks took the 4-3 lead when senior Brody Kiley's shot from the point found the back of the net.
Medfield tied the game, 4-4, at the 7:07 mark when senior Jake Cragan knocked in a power play goal from in front. But Hanover took the lead once again when junior Shane Fanning rushed the puck himself, got in alone on Slesar and bounced a puck off a Medfield defender and in.
Luke Dickson completed the hat trick to tie the game, 5-5, when his older brother, Matthew Dickson, hit him with a pass with 3:11 to play.
READ MORE: Check out the full MIAA D3 boys hockey bracket
Quick takeaways...
- This was an incredible game. Absolutely incredible. This was the most open and offensive MIAA championship game I've seen in my four years. As a spectator, this is what you hope every championship game is.
- Kisiel was outstanding. His first goal was off a sweet one-timer off a pass from Phillips. His second came off the puck, somehow staying in the offensive zone and finding Kisiel, who showcased a sweet finish from the slot. And the third goal was all about him picking the right spot as the third forward in the sequence. It was a game to remember for Kisiel.
- On the other end, Luke Dickson was the best player in the game. His first goal featured him completely dangling a defenseman and sniping one. His second goal was him outmuscling another defender, getting time and space and firing a snipe. And the third goal was clutch, tying the game late. His release and strength had him on another level Sunday. Don't be shocked to see him in prep next winter.
- Medfield head coach Jon Jepson rightfully rode his top line of Luke Dickson, Matthew Dickson and Max Abramson quite a bit. They were dominant.
- This game looked like it might go Medfied's way at the start. Hanover sophomore forward Jake Doherty had two breakaways early in the first period, but Slesar made phenomenal saves on both chances.
BOYS MIAA BRACKETS:Â Division 1Â |Â Division 2Â |Â Division 3Â |Â Division 4
