Westfield’s Joshua Adams, left, battles an Agawam defenseman. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
Westfield’s Craig Lacey, foreground, controls the puck during the first period against Agawam last month. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield High School boys’ ice hockey team has netted a long list of accolades over the course of the past two decades, but the Bombers will have to do something they have not been able to do in the last few months to retain their crown.
On Thursday night, the defending state champion Westfield Bombers will attempt to beat the top-seeded Agawam Brownies to repeat as Western Massachusetts Division 3 champs. The puck drops for the finals at the Olympia in West Springfield at 8:30 p.m.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” said longtime coach C.B. “Moose” Matthews, after his team gutted out a 4-3 overtime win over Longmeadow in the Western Mass semis Saturday. “I’ve got to get that in their heads that it’s going to get worse.”
Agawam swept the regular season series against Westfield, essentially winning a pair of one-goal games. The Brownies defeated the Bombers 1-0 in late December and won a late-season matchup 3-1, scoring an open-netter late in that game to seal the victory.
“We’re going to come out hungry,” said Connor Sullivan, who helped lead Westfield to a semifinal victory with two goals and one assist. “We’re not going to give up. Hopefully we will win Western Mass.”
Westfield, seeded second in the D3 tourney, is seeking its ninth title in 13 years.
