Both goalies (Merrick and Cosentino) star, but Cohasset/Hull boys hockey defeats Abington

Jason Snow, The Enterprise
·5 min read

ROCKLAND — Norwell is the target. Though a combined tally of 0-2 against the one-loss Clippers this season, both the Abington and Cohasset/Hull boys hockey teams are out to make up ground as best they can in the South Shore League race.

As Cohasset/Hull senior Matt Mahoney put it, "Every point is crucial. It’s important to get every point you can.”

One way to stick in games is to follow the lead of anchor goaltenders -- which both teams are proud to headline in standout seniors Spencer Merrick, of Abington, and Luke Cosentino, of Cohasset/Hull.

More:HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Whitman-Hanson wrestling edges Marshfield on Senior Night

As the two teams squared off Wednesday night at Rockland Ice Rink, both fended off crucial scoring chances but the Skippers' rush convincingly won the numbers battle to hoist 35 shots on goal to come away with a 3-1 win to claim the season series with Abington and vault the team into second place in the league standings, four points behind almighty Norwell (11-1).

“It's pretty big," said Cosentino. "(Abington is) a real rival here. I mean, besides Norwell, they’re probably the best team we play. It’s good to beat them twice.”

Cohasset/Hull goalie Luke Cosentino makes the third period save on Abington's Hunter Grafton during a game on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Cohasset/Hull goalie Luke Cosentino makes the third period save on Abington's Hunter Grafton during a game on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

Both goalies -- Merrick, especially, through the first two periods -- shrugged off scoring chances one after another as the teams remained deadlocked at 0 at the first intermission and separated by a 1-0 Cohasset/Hull advantage at the second on a deflected one-timer from the point by Robbie Casagrande.

Merrick made 25 saves on the night. He is Abington's lone captain, the reigning winner of the team MVP award from last season and, also, an All-Scholastic catcher on the baseball diamond, posting a .313 batting average with 16 RBI without committing a passed ball, defensively.

More:200 and counting: Vote for the High School Girls Hockey Player of the Week

“First time we played him, he struggled a little bit (Cohasset/Hull won, 5-3). Tonight, he was outstanding,” said Cohasset/Hull co-coach Mike O’Donnell. “We have all the respect in the world for that kid. We got some bounces, but we created a lot of opportunities for ourselves."

At the 7:26 mark of the opening period, speedy right wing Luke Dunham ferociously charged Merrick on a breakaway -- one of many scoring chances created by Cohasset/Hull (6-2-2) in the first half -- and unleashed a hard-hit wrister. It was ultimately denied, just as the ensuing rebound was, and things remained scoreless.

“He’s been the backbone of our team for a couple years now," said Abington head coach Brian Woodford. "Usually, he’s a quiet leader with his play, but he was very vocal in between periods. We had a rush in the third, as we came out. That's due to him leading in the locker room too. He's our captain... he gets the guys to play for him."

Abington goalie Spencer Merrick makes the first period save on Cohasset/Hull's Luke Dunham during a game on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Abington goalie Spencer Merrick makes the first period save on Cohasset/Hull's Luke Dunham during a game on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

Through the first nine games of the season, Merrick boasted a .928 saves percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average.

Any shortage of confidence when opponents' scoring chances stack up?

“I don’t have to (reassure him). (Confidence) is there," said Woodford. "With him, it’s work ethic. He has this routine before the game that would make me pull six muscles and wouldn’t be able to play because I’m so tired. I never have to question that he’ll be ready because before the game, he shows up ready and executes. He’s always there for us.”

More:Now starting, Maddy Hermenau is still a sparkplug for Rockland High girls basketball

“He’s obviously a really good goalie. I think we just outshot them tonight,” Cosentino praised Merrick. “He played really well.”

The Skippers' goaltender had his highlights, too.

Cosentino made a cluster of saves in traffic to deny Abington (5-7) as it made the second of consecutive pushes, looking for its first lead. Counting Wednesday, the senior has anchored the team's defense to relinquish just one goal to opponents five times this season (3-0-2 in those games).

Cohasset/Hull's Robbie Casagrande scores a goal on Abington goalie Spencer Merrick in the second period during a game on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Cohasset/Hull's Robbie Casagrande scores a goal on Abington goalie Spencer Merrick in the second period during a game on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

“Luke has been outstanding for us," O'Donnell said. "The other night against Norwell, they had eight goals (8-4 loss) but to be honest, I don’t think one of them was his fault. Tonight, (Abington) had some good chances down low and he stood tall.”

The Green Wave found their way onto the scoreboard with 11:55 to go in the third period, though, as Cullen Crocker raced up the right side and ripped a heater top shelf for Abington to level things at 1.

More:Laney Larsen and Sarah Chenette have Cohasset High girls basketball back on track

Goal support quickly came to the rescue as, two minute later, Cohasset/Hull regained the lead as Luke Dunham scored an unassisted goal.

“He’s aggressive. He’s quick. Luke’s game is speed," O'Donnell said. "We got him in open ice and when he attacks with his speed and uses his legs, he’s one of the better players in the league.”

Cohasset/Hull put things away as John Higgins scored on a rebound in the waning minutes.

Cohasset/Hull players celebrate the team's third goal in the third period during a game versus Abington on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.
Cohasset/Hull players celebrate the team's third goal in the third period during a game versus Abington on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

Behind a team mostly still intact from last year's second-round tournament run, Cohasset/Hull began the season 5-0-2 and hadn't suffered its first loss until Jan. 18 (3-2 loss to Boston Latin).

“When you can start fast, the kids are pumped," O'Donnell said. "It makes the injuries, the sicknesses a little easier to deal with. A fast start is key for anyone, but really key for us.”

Cohasset/Hull plays another South Shore League opponent, Middleboro, on Saturday at 4 p.m. Abington, which was triumphant in three of four games entering play Wednesday night, returns to action Saturday against Norwell. Both are certainly games to circle on the calendar.

“Right now, we’re playing healthy. We’ve got our whole team and we’ve fixed a lot of deficiencies," said Woodford. "Tonight we feel was a letdown. Not just because of the result, because even if we played better and lost, I would feel it was still more of a productive step forward, opposed to a step back. As a team, we just had a good talk and we’re ready to put it behind us and move forward to another league foe, Norwell, on Saturday night.”

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Cohasset/Hull boys hockey defeats hockey to stay in league title race