MARLBORO, Mass. — The Minuteman Flames will return to USA Hockey Nationals for a second straight season as the team won the Massachusetts Hockey 15 Only State Championship on Nov. 14 at the New England Sports Center.
The Flames, coached by Peter Masters and Jerry Buckley, upset Boston Hockey Academy, Cape Cod Whalers and Neponset Valley River Rats en route to the title. While the team looks vastly different, sans a handful of players, the Flames’ 2006 birth year will return to nationals in Michigan this March after getting an at-large bid in 2021.
The 15 Only division at the state championship featured plenty of surprises and nerve-racking games over the course of the two days.
There were five key storylines to the weekend that I’ll touch on below.
