'Embarrassing': Hockey coach disagrees with how this MIAA state tournament game ended

BOURNE — Wednesday night's Division 1 boys hockey Elite Eight matchup between No. 10 Marshfield High and No. 18 Arlington Catholic was an all-out thriller.

An Arlington Catholic goal with 1:13 to play in regulation forced overtime, and the two teams battled through 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 frames before going to a shootout. A.C. won the shootout by netting two goals to Marshfield's one to win, 3-2, and advance to the Final Four vs. No. 11 Winchester on Saturday.

Marshfield head coach Dan Connolly was less than pleased.

"Kids played hard on both sides for 61 minutes of hockey and it comes to a shootout? It’s embarrassing for it to be decided that way," said Connolly, who has led the Rams to two state titles and a 378-158-62 record in his 25 seasons. "The MIAA should be embarrassed."

More: 'Heads held high': Shootout eliminates Marshfield boys hockey in Division 1 Elite Eight

"It’s an embarrassment for it to come down to an individual competition," he said. "Basketball games don’t go to free throw contests. Our kids and their [Arlington Catholic's] kids deserve better. Decide it 3-on-3, 4-on-4, 5-on-5, whatever. For a goalie or shooter to have that pressure and everything, it’s just tough. Not to take anything away from Arlington Catholic. They played very well, too. But, either way, either side that won that, it was going to be terrible.”

Shootouts decide the finish of tournament games in rounds leading up to the state final, as the MIAA handbook states, "There will be no shootout in State Final Championship Game(s). Teams will play 3-on-3 until a winner isdetermined." Regardless of the round, though, the first overtime is eight minutes of 4-on-4 with each team receiving one timeout and the second overtime is 3-on-3 for an additional eight minutes.

“It’s terrible to lose that way. It’s terrible to win that way. It’s an embarrassment to have a state tournament game decided like that. You’re ruining high school kids’ careers in an individual competition," Connolly said. "Football doesn’t go to field goals. I mean, we used to come back the next day. We can come back. These kids are kids. Play it 5-on-5, 4-on-4, 3-on-3. Somehow, it’ll end."

"You see (Marshfield senior goalie) Kevin Murphy down there," he added. "(Marshfield senior wing) Tommy Carroll feels like crap that he missed. He feels like he let the team down -- he didn’t. He played as hard as he could. But people remember he missed his last shot he took in high school. … They would’ve kept playing if they could.”

Eliminated in the Elite Eight for the second straight season, No. 10 Marshfield finishes the season with a 18-4-3 record.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Marshfield hockey coach slams shootout ending in MIAA tournament games