Five factors why Taunton hockey is reaching new heights this winter

TAUNTON— When No. 25 Taunton took down No. 40 Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth, 6-2, Monday night in the MIAA Division 3 Preliminary Round, it was the first time any of the current Tigers had tasted postseason victory.

While Taunton made the Division 3 tournament the past two seasons, they suffered first-round exits at the hands of Nashoba and Dighton-Rehoboth/Seekonk while being outscored a combined 10-1.

This year though, there's been something a bit different at the Aleixo Arena. A young but experienced squad with a plethora of scoring options, backed by a solid set of defensive lines and a battle-tested netminder, the Tigers' building potential the past few years seems to have come to fruition this winter. Taunton went 14-7-1 in the regular season with a Hockomock League second-best 87 goals, three more than longtime powerhouse and Hockomock Davenport winners Canton, as they finished third in the Hockomock Kelley-Rex.

"I’m very impressed with them," Tigers coach Kris Metea said. "They’ve worked very hard. We’ve been in a lot of battles this year, a lot of one goal games and we’ve played a lot of tough league competition, so I don’t think they were afraid of it."

Here's a look at the tools that helped bring Taunton to where they are now and delivered them their first tournament win since 2020.

1. A multi-faceted attack

The Tigers had 10 different players on the score sheet Monday night, with five different goal scorers. Junior defenseman Matt Maher led the way with a pair of goals and an assist while freshman forwards Breighdyn Simmons and Jamie Vallarelli and junior defenseman Travis Cashman also found the back of the net.

For Metea, it's something that's crucial to the team's success.

“Having balanced scoring is always going to be important,” Metea said. “If you’re only one line deep, you’re very easy to defend. Once you can get a second and a third line starting to score, teams have to start paying attention to every line and hopefully it opens up chances for everybody.”

2. Speed

The Tigers are a team that likes to play fast, using their strong skating skills to overpower appointments and turn around chances quickly. Taking an early lead, as they did against the Hawks, is something Metea said helps allow them to settle in and play the way they want.

It's something that Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth coach Mark Cabral, who got his start in coaching as an assistant for Taunton while Metea was a player, was truly impressed with.

"They play how we want to play," Cabral said, praising their speed and puck control. "They're a little faster than us and certainly have guys that can shoot the puck. I thought it was a great team effort on their part and by (Metea) and his coaching staff."

3. Resilience

Even when things don't go their way, the Tigers know they can figure out a way to get back in control.

After taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission, the Tigers were faced by an equally resilient Hawk side that quickly took over possession and momentum, cutting the lead in half through a Cam Wilbur power play goal during a 5-on-3 disadvantage. That determination though was something Metea expected from a team led by his former coach.

"They slapped us around a little bit and we had to weather that storm, but we faced it and then we got some chances and buried them to get the momentum back," Metea said.

Taunton struck right back with a goal of their own on their first power-play opportunity as Hathaway fed Cashman in front of net, then doubled down with the first of Maher's two goals in the final minute of the period to take a 4-1 lead into the second break. From there, the Tigers maintained control and never looked back.

4. Goaltending

Junior Cam Tomaszycki, who stopped 23 shots Monday night, is a third-year starter in goal.

"Cam's great," Metea said. "He wears his heart on his sleeve and when he’s on, he’s on."

Tomaszycki started off the third period with five saves, quelling early concerns of the Hawks retaking momentum. Southeastern/Bristol-Plymouth did get one back midway through the period courtesy of senior forward Thomas Leger.

5. "Rising to the challenge"

Facing consistent powerhouses like Canton and Franklin in league action helps prepare the Tigers for any challenge, and they'll have another one Thursday as the travel to No. 8 Pembroke out of the always-challenging Patriot League Fisher Division, for the Round of 32.

Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday night at the Hobomock Arena in Pembroke.

Taunton Daily Gazette sports reporter Cameron Merritt can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @CamMerritt_News. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to the Taunton Daily Gazette today.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Five factors that led to Taunton hockey's first playoff win since 2020