Medfield Hockey Teams Battle Division Opponents Tonight

Wednesday is hockey night for Medfield sports fans as both Warriors' clubs are in play and on the road tonight.

The boys' hockey team looks to stay near the top of the Tri-Valley League tonight as the team takes the ice with TVL foe Dover-Sherborn at 7:40 p.m. The girls' are in Quincy tonight for a Southeastern North division showdown with North Quincy at 5:15 p.m. 

Girls' Hockey: 

Medfield (12-1-2, 10-0-2) at Quincy/North Quincy (4-8-2, 3-6-1)
Quincy Youth Arena, Quincy, 5:15 p.m.

The Warriors are coming off their first loss of the season Tuesday and will look to regroup on the road against Quincy/North Quincy this evening. 

Medfield head coach Molly Norton sounded relieved that her team lost 3-1 to Medway/Ashland Tuesday because it "got the monkey off their backs" and the team would no longer be distracted about an unbeaten season. Norton said she would much rather lose a game in the regular season then in the state tournament and she was proud of her girls' efforts despite the loss. Medfield beat Quincy/North Quincy, 3-0 on Jan. 8. Quincy/North Quincy is 1-5-2 in its last eight games. 

Prediction: Medfield played well against a tough Medway/Ashland team and if a bounce of the puck went the other way and not off Amanda Cronin's skate, it could have very well been another victory for the Warriors. Tonight, playing in its fourth game in five days, Medfield faces a divisional opponent it should have little trouble beating. The Warriors already defeated Quincy/North Quincy once this year and will look for the season sweep. Coming off a loss, Medfield will do one of two things. It will be motivated and focused to get back into the win column, forgetting about the loss. Or the Warriors will let the loss linger in their minds and come out sluggish and off their game. I expect a refocused effort and at least a two-goal victory from the determined Warriors. Medfield to win. 

Boys Hockey: 

Medfield (11-3-2, 8-1-1) at Dover-Sherborn (4-6-2, 3-5-1)
West Suburban Skating Rink, Natick, 7:40 p.m.

The Warriors return to Tri-Valley League play after a 3-1 victory over Burrillville, R.I. Sunday. Medfield remains in second place of the TVL, 1.5 games back of Westwood, while Dover-Sherborn sits in fifth place out of eight teams. 

Medfield beat D-S, 4-1 on Jan. 15 and will look to capture another league victory tonight to stay within striking distance of first-place Westwood. 

Prediction: It would be surprising if Medfield fell to the Raiders. The Warriors consistently get exceptional play from goalie Connor Roddy and have the talent up front to outskate opponents that lack strong defense. Dover-Sherborn has scored as many goals as it has given up this season (52) while Medfield's differential is 64 goals for and 32 against. Medfield to win this one handedly. 

Smith's season prediction record: 40-9