Despite losing its first six games of the season — including five by one goal — the Marblehead boys’ hockey team skated off the TD Garden ice Sunday with the program’s first state title in more than a decade.
Sophomore Avin Rodovsky netted the game-winning goal in the first period, and junior goaltender Leo Burdge made 37 saves in a shutout effort to propel the sixth-seeded Headers to a 1-0 upset of top-seeded Nauset in the Division 3 state final.
“That’s always the goal every year, to bring a title back,” Marblehead coach Mark Marfione said after the program captured its first state title since 2011. “It’s fun to see how important hockey is to the town and seeing all the fans come out. It’s cool being a public school and bringing this home to the town.”
Rodovsky potted the game’s lone goal 10:19 into play, beating Nauset junior goaltender Zach Coelho (13 saves) from the low slot after receiving a pass from junior Kyle Hart from behind the Warriors’ net.
After failing to capitalize on a partial breakaway minutes earlier, Rodovsky made the most of his second chance and gave Marblehead (17-9-1) the all-important lead.
“I got really mad at myself after I missed that break,” Rodovsky said. “I just wanted to come back as strong as I could. We probably should’ve buried some more, but it was a good feeling.”
Nauset (22-2-1) did everything it could to put Burdge and the Headers on their heels. The Warriors hit the post five times and the crossbar twice, but their best scoring chance was a shorthanded scrum late in the third.
After a rebound led to multiple failed shot attempts in Marblehead’s goalmouth, Burdge tied up the puck with 4:33 remaining — and then stayed perfect the rest of the way.
“My main focus was tracking the puck and commanding the defensive side of everything,” Burdge said.
Despite being held scoreless, Nauset coach Connor Brickley said he was proud of the Warriors for playing their game in the program’s first state championship appearance since 2004.
“It’s tough,” Brickley said. “There were a lot of scrums in front of the net that just weren’t going behind the goal line, and we hit a lot of posts that just didn’t fall our way. It’s hard, but the guys know they played our game.”
Marblehead 1, Nauset 0
at TD Garden, Boston
Marblehead (17-9-1) 1 0 0 — 1
Nauset (22-2-1) 0 0 0 — 0
1, M, Avin Rodovsky (Kyle Hart) 10:19.
Saves: M, Leo Burdge, 37; N, Zach Coelho, 13.
