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Anyi Folkers

The boys hockey team made it to the Division 3 North sectional finals, something the program has never done before.

Following a tremendous playoff game, the CRLS boys hockey team finally lost to the Lowell Red Raiders in the Division 3 North sectional finals. Cambridge fell to Lowell in a 3-1 battle between two of the best teams in Massachusetts Division 3 hockey. 

The game finished with a two-goal margin, yet the score failed to demonstrate just how close the game was. For much of the game, Lowell led Cambridge by only one goal, but a late goal on the Cambridge empty net sealed the Falcons’ fate. This exciting game may not have been the result the team was hoping for, but it was still a momentous achievement for a program that had never made it this far since CRLS was founded in 1977.  

Coach Mark Marfione felt his team could have won but that “tournament hockey is tough, and sometimes you play well and don’t get the win.”

This low-scoring game showcased two impressive performances by both the Cambridge and Lowell goalies. CRLS goalie Lukas Foley-Fiore ’21 managed an impressive 28 saves throughout the game, while the Lowell goalie managed 33 total saves. 

Lowell started the game strong with a quick goal less than three minutes into the first period. Following the lethargic start, Cambridge eventually settled down and killed off two power plays in the first period with saves from Foley-Fiore, Cambridge’s hero for most of the game.  

Inside the first minute of the second period, Paul Magalhes ’23 scored, evening the score to 1-1. Magalhes’s goal was the first that Lowell had allowed throughout the entire tournament. Despite this achievement, after failing to capitalize on a series of Lowell penalties, Cambridge went down 2-1 with eight minutes to go in the second period. 

Cambridge continued to search for holes in the defense after Lowell’s second goal, but they did not succeed. For the last few minutes of the game, Cambridge peppered the Lowell net. In a last-gasp effort to find a goal that would salvage their season, the Falcons pulled their goalie with under two minutes left in the game. However, Cambridge still could not score, and with a minute left the Red Raiders scored on an empty net to settle the contest with a score of 3-1 as the final seconds ticked off the clock. 

Reflecting on the loss, Luc Denney ’21 said, “I felt like we outplayed them. They’re a really good team, but we still probably should have won.”

Jasper Sieniewicz ’20, a goaltender, agreed with Denney: “It was a game of inches. They were definitely beatable.” Sieniewicz went on to commend the Falcons: “I’m really proud of us because we were able to score on a goalie who had been shutting out every team that he faced.”

The team graduated a strong group of seniors, including five league all-stars who will be sorely missed. Coach Marfione praised the mentality of his team and the graduating class saying, “Teams don’t look forward to playing us because our players are confident and they play for each other and for their city. I love the mentality of our players.”