Nauset Boys, Nauset-Monomoy Girls Back In Hockey Tournaments

ORLEANS – Yet again, Charles Moore Arena is about to serve as the epicenter of playoff hockey in the Lower Cape.

The Nauset boys team and the Nauset-Monomoy girls squad will begin their state championship quests Wednesday night with a doubleheader at Charles Moore Arena.

The fourth-seeded girls (17-2-1) will host No. 29 Dennis-Yarmouth (5-13-1) in the first round of the Division 2 state tournament at 5 p.m. The top-seeded Warriors boys (18-1-1) will then host No. 33 Diman (16-4-1) in the first round of the Division 3 tournament at 7:15 p.m.

Diman earned the right to face Nauset after skating to a 5-3 victory over North Quincy on Monday night in the preliminary round. Nauset-Monomoy enters its game with experience against D-Y after the Warriors swept the regular-season series with an 8-0 victory Jan. 10 and a 7-1 win Jan. 15.

Both Nauset teams will be entering their respective state tournaments with a ton of momentum after finishing dominant regular seasons with strong finishes.

The boys haven’t lost in their last 18 games, posting a 17-0-1 record during that span. They suffered only one loss this season — a 6-4 decision at Nantucket on Dec. 13 — and one tie (1-1 against Weymouth on Dec. 27) before finishing the regular season with a 15-game win streak.

The girls lost two road games — a 5-2 decision at Falmouth on Dec. 13 and a 4-2 loss at Pope Francis on Feb. 11 — in addition to a 2-2 tie against Falmouth on Jan. 20. Like the boys, the girls enter the playoffs with a win streak after ending the regular season with a 5-1 victory over Martha’s Vineyard on Feb. 17 and a 4-1 win over Bishop Feehan on Feb. 21.

For both teams, this year’s postseason will serve as redemption after last season ended in heartbreak. The boys advanced to the state quarterfinals before losing to Watertown, 3-2, after allowing the game-winning goal in the final five seconds of action. The girls, who competed in Division 1 last winter, suffered a 4-0 loss to Notre Dame Academy in the second round.