Melrose opens with a 4-4 draw vs. Stoneham

Published January 8, 2021

By JENNIFER GENTILE

QUINN MCCARTHY’S two goals helped the Red Raider hockey team cement a 4-4 tie against Stoneham last Saturday. (Jennifer Gentile photo)

MELROSE—Hockey fans are rejoicing as the high school season is cleared to play with games now underway. That includes fans of the Melrose Red Raider hockey team, who opened their season last Sunday on the road against the Stoneham Spartans and skated to a 4-4 draw after battling back from a 3-1 deficit. 

Last year Melrose entered playoffs with an 11-8-3 record—thanks to a seven-game winning streak at the end of their season. While Melrose fell to sectional semifinalist St. John’s of Shrewsbury in the opening round, they reaffirmed themselves as a playoff staple in the Div. 1 North field.

So, what’s different this year? Opponents. With no playoffs or Super 8 games happening this winter, Massachusetts high school teams will strictly be competing against their league opponents. For Melrose, that means just their rivals in the Middlesex Freedom (“Small”) League: Burlington, Stoneham, Wakefield, Watertown and Wilmington. The good news is that there is a lot of talent in those teams so fans can expect some competitive hockey when they stream games from home this season courtesy Melrose High TV (via YouTube).

The Red Raiders return with a new goalie. On Saturday, freshman Joe Smith stepped into the net against the Spartans. He is backed up by a solid returning defense, which includes Melrose’s Will Pierce, Will Brandon, Gavin Crowley and Joe O’Keefe, along with Anthony Delgenio and Jason Pino. 

Representing Melrose as captains this season are seniors Charlie Haggerty and Brendan Fennell. Both are first-line players who pack a scoring punch. Haggerty is referred to as a “very skilled player” by Melrose head coach Vin Mirasolo, while Fennell, Middlesex League MVP, is a premiere, multi-sport athlete known statewide for his athletic skills. On Saturday, he helped spoil Stoneham’s victory with his late-game goal with thirty seconds left to tie the contest up 4-4. Joining Haggerty and Fennell on the first line is Quinn McCarthy. When this trio is together, they are a tough out. “This is probably the best first line in the league. It’s definitely up there,” says Mirasolo, who now has 284 career wins. 

Watch out for their second line, which is manned by junior center TJ Sullivan and senior wings Joe McNeely and Kevin O’Keefe. “TJ is going to be the mainstay of this line and we’re really counting on him,” says his coach. Look for overall contributions from Joey Zarella, Mark Alward, Patrick Cotter, Jamie Haggerty, Connor O’Leary, Tyler Muse, Dom Lamente and Colin Fahey.

On Sunday, Melrose opened their season at the Stoneham Arena against the Spartans and battled to a wild 4-4 tie, having fought back from early deficits of 2-0 and 3-1. Melrose’s Brendan Fennell scored with just over 30 seconds left in the game to prevent the loss and secure a 4-4 draw. Prior to that, Melrose had been down 2-0 before a goal from Melrose’s Quinn McCarthy, assisted by Fennell and Charlie Haggerty, that made it 2-1. That was matched a Haggerty goal (assists by Fennell and Will Pierce) to even it up 2-2. Stoneham took a lead of 3-1 with just over ten minutes left in the game, thanks to a hat trick by Joe Kranefus, but Melrose came back in a flurry of scoring as the clock ticked away. Melrose’s third goal came at the perfect time courtesy of Quinn McCarthy, who was assisted by Fennell and Will Pierce. Stoneham looked like they had the game wrapped up when Nikko Jokiaho scored with a few minutes left to give them the 4-3 advantage. But Melrose’s Fennell scored the equalizer that would fortunately end the game in a tie. Both teams face a rematch this Saturday to complete their two-game series. 

Coach Mirasalo spoke of the season’s outlook. “We understand this is a day-to-day thing. Honestly, so much can change. Games may be postponed, canceled. It’s really about them going out there, being competitive, representing their school and having fun.”

This season Melrose will adjust to mask-wearing, temperature checks, limited practices, no locker rooms and scrums that can’t involve more than 2 players. But overall the modifications appeared do-able on Sunday and Mirasolo predicts a normal, competitive season. “This league is wide open. Anything can happen. But this will be a very different year, and things will certainly change as the season continues,” he says. “We want to play as uninterrupted as possible, have fun and win games.”

Melrose will have a rematch against the Spartans this weekend. The action takes place Saturday evening at 5:00 p.m. at Stoneham Arena. Fans can watch on Melrose High TV on YouTube at  https://www.youtube.com/user/melrosehightv or tinyurl.com/melroselive.