BOSTON – After a double overtime heartbreak against Sandwich in the 2022 MIAA Division 4 semifinals, Norwell got its revenge on Sunday at the TD Garden.
It took overtime, but Norwell defeated Sandwich, 4-3, to win the 2023 MIAA Division 4 state championship. Senior first line center Tim Ward scored the game-winner 3:31 into the extra session on a beautiful goal to send the Clippers into a frenzied celebration.
Skating four-on-four, per MIAA overtime rules, Ward came into the zone down the left wing, cut to the middle, zipped around Sandwich goaltender Mitchell Norkevicius and slid the puck into the net.
Ward was uncharacteristically quiet on the score sheet up until the goal that mattered most.
Norwell took a 2-0 lead on goals from Quinn Simmons and Nolan Petrucelli. The first-period marker from Simmons was assisted by Petrucelli and Austin Shea. Just 1:27 into the second, the Clippers extended their lead to 2-0 when Petrucelli struck on a one-timer from Joe Perniola.
It didn’t look good for Sandwich, but the Blue Knights were able to even the score on two consecutive goals from star senior Colin McIver. He picked off a Norwell defender and went in alone to get Sandwich on the board with 9:31 left in the middle frame. With 2:40 remaining in the second period, he scooped up a rebound of a Jack Connolly shot to even the score.
Despite losing momentum, Norwell regained the lead with 41.6 seconds to go in the second period. Shea cut into the middle from the left wing wall and fired a shot that squeaked through between the goaltender and the near post.
Sandwich forced overtime with 7:10 to go in the third period on a broken play. The puck squirted out to the slot where Avery Richardson cashed in for a goal just after a power play chance had expired.
The story of the game was the play of each team’s first line. Shea, Ward and Simmons factored in on three of the four Norwell goals. McIver and Chris Cardillo were major factors for Sandwich, contributing directly to two of the three goals and also generating close to all of the team’s scoring chances.
The biggest difference in the game was the fact that Norwell had slightly more depth up front and a difference maker on the blue line in senior Kevin Leary, who returned home to play MIAA hockey after initially attending Avon Old Farms earlier in his career. He possessed the ability to move pucks up ice with his feet or on breakout passes.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Check out the full MIAA D4 bracket
I don’t profess to be an expert on MIAA Division 4 hockey, having watched significantly more of the first three divisions. However, it is apparent based on records, seeds, and the fact these two teams combined for the last two titles that Norwell and Sandwich are the class of the division currently. Both Norwell and Sandwich have a few players that could skate for any Division 1 MIAA team in the state and have an impact.
Sandwich lines
Connolly - McIver - Cardillo
Richardson - Delman - Mawhinney
Creighton - Buckland - MacKinnon
Ramsey - Wojciechowski - Glover
Ellis - Corcoran
Ohman - Munk
Mahoney - McCabe
Norkevicius
Norwell lines
Shea - Ward - Simmons
Perniola - Petrucelli - Cerruti
Fischer - Johnson - Vinton
Booras - Leary
Logan - Coyle
Donovan
