Norwood High Boys' Ice Hockey Beats Walpole, 3-2, in Overtime

The Norwood High boys' ice hockey team defeated Walpole, 3-2, in overtime, Friday night at the Gallo Arena in Bourne in the first round of the Division 1 South tournament.

The Mustangs will now play Hingham Sunday at 2 p.m. back in Bourne in the quarterfinals. The Harbormen are the No. 2 seed with a 14-7-2 record after beating Brockton, 6-0, in their first round game. 

Norwood dominated the overtime period, getting the game-winner from John Galvin with an assist by Tim Glover.

“I just told them to get the puck in the net,” said Norwood head coach Bill Clifford. “Shoot from everywhere, and go hard for the net. That’s what we did and it paid off in the end.”

Norwood kept the puck almost exclusively in Walpole territory, with the exception of about two minutes.

“It was a very good run,” Clifford said. “It was a good game for us. Probably great for the fans to watch, but it was a little heart attack for us coaches.”

Walpole head coach Ron Dowd said his team played very well, but couldn’t get ahead of Norwood or match their shooting. In the end, Walpole had 24 shots on goal while Norwood had 37.

“Norwood’s a good team, I tip my hat and I wish them the best of luck,” he said. “Once we got our legs under us, we started carrying the play a little bit, especially in the third period, but Norwood’s a good team. These kids gave everything they had and I’m very grateful for it.”

Walpole’s Todd McNamara scored seven minutes into the third period, assisted by Derek Reinart and Tim Farrow, tying the score at two and forcing the overtime.

In the second period, Norwood retook the lead with a goal from Mark Powers, assisted by Rourke Flynn and Tim Kent for a 2-1 lead.

Walpole had another opportunity to score and tie during a powerplay, but were unable to capitalize on the advantage. A penalty on the Rebels cut their power play short, giving Norwood an advantage.

The Rebels tied the score at one on a goal by John MacDonald with John White getting the assist at the 10:46 mark of the second period. 

Norwood had 20 shots on goal at the second period, while Walpole, 14.

In the first period, Norwood’s Tyler Grover scored first for a 1-0 1:45 left in the period, assisted by Galvin on the power play.

Norwood improved to 13-5-2 on the year, while Walpole finished their season with a 9-7-5 mark.