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D-Y boys hockey needed a hero to survive Bourne's upset bid. Enter Aidan Powers.

andré simms, cape cod times
·4 min read

DENNIS -- In the playoffs, it doesn't matter how you win, all that matters is that you did.

That certainly rings true for the No. 7 Dennis-Yarmouth/Cape Cod Academy/Cape Cod Tech co-op after the Dolphins 2-1 overtime win over No. 26 Bourne in the MIAA Division 4 Round of 32. The Dolphins will host No. 10 Ashland (11-10) in the Sweet 16 on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Tony Kent Arena.

"Ultimately, in the end, I think it's just two gritty high school hockey teams," D-Y coach Lew Alberti said.

The game was far from smooth sailing for the Dolphins (14-8-1). Despite registering their first shot on target less than a minute into the game, they'd have to wait until the third period to get on the scoreboard.

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By that time, the Dolphins found themselves down 1-0, thanks to a second period goal from Canalmen junior Dom Bonito. The Dolphins had the advantage in total shots, but still found themselves needing to battle back.

When the moment finally arrived, senior forward Aidan O'Reilly scored to level the game just over four minutes into the third period.

BOURNE 02/18/2023 DY's Andrew Popovich takes the puck up the center at the DY vs. Upper Cape Tech game at Gallo Arena this Saturday.
BOURNE 02/18/2023 DY's Andrew Popovich takes the puck up the center at the DY vs. Upper Cape Tech game at Gallo Arena this Saturday.

The goal came because the Dolphins never panicked and the reason they never panicked is because this is an extremely experienced team lead by seven co-captains and 14 seniors.

"I think it was huge tonight," Alberti said of the Dolphins experience. "They were in there (the locker room) themselves in between the second and third period. ... talking to each other, and psyching each other up, getting each other motivated, and that's just who they are."

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Neither team found a winner in regulation, which meant sudden-death overtime. At that point, it becomes less about tactics, and more about who's going to step up to make a play

Enter D-Y forward, and senior captain, Aidan Powers.

The Dolphins had fast starts in all three periods and overtime proved to be no different. Off the opening faceoff, the Dolphins controlled the puck and after a shot from John Valerio (Cape Cod Academy student) was saved, Powers popped up in the right place at the right time to bury the golden goal and send his team to the next round.

Aidan Powers of Dennis-Yarmouth and Christopher Sherwood of East Longmeadow tangle as Kendrick LaFleche takes the puck on Feb. 7, 2022.
Aidan Powers of Dennis-Yarmouth and Christopher Sherwood of East Longmeadow tangle as Kendrick LaFleche takes the puck on Feb. 7, 2022.

"I'm shifting in front of the net, trying to get open for John in the corner," Powers said of how the play developed. "He fires it on the net and it just winds up on my stick, so (I) just put it in."

Unfortunately for Bourne, overtime winners require an overtime loser, but coach Frank Carpenito had nothing but positive things to say about how his team fought.

"Entering into the year, I don't think anyone even thought we'd make the tournament, and here we are one play away from moving on," Carpenito said.

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At the heart of that fight was eighth-grade goalie Jackson Palmborg, who throughout the night saved a barrage of Dolphin shots. Carpenito said post game that he could not be prouder of his shot stopper, as well as his deputy and classmate Reece Burgess.

"He was absolutely phenomenal, but that's what we've come to expect from him, as well as Reece Burgess our other goalie" Carpenito added postgame. "One of the hardest decisions was, who do we go with today? Because they've been so valuable to this team."

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The Canalmen are a young team that hung with a far more experienced D-Y group. Bourne (8-12-1) has 13 skaters who are either freshmen or in eighth grade on their roster, compared to the 14 seniors on the Dolphins. Carpenito sees the bigger picture despite the loss and is excited about the direction of the program.

"We knew tonight if you took the average age of teams they were way ahead of us," he said. "The way that our kids stood up, it shows what they're made of, and it shows that character that we have in (our) room, and it just makes you feel good (about) what we can do in the future."

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: D-Y boys hockey advances in D-4 tournament with OT win over Bourne