2015 HockomockSports Hockey Awards

Franklin senior Ryan Spillane has been chosen as the 2015 HockomockSports.com Hockey Player of the Year. Spillane is the third player that has been chosen for this award and first from either the Kelley-Rex Division or from the Panthers.

Spillane was also chosen as the Hockomock MVP by the league’s coaches after leading the Panthers to a perfect 10-0 record and a league title. In addition, he led the Panthers to a 17-4-3 record and a history-making appearance in the Super 8 tournament highlighted by his dramatic overtime game-winning goal against Xaverian.

“Ryan was the top player on the top team in the Hockomock this season,” said HockomockSports.com Managing Editor Josh Perry, “but he was also one of the hardest working. He would always be out front on the forecheck and was someone that could be used regardless of the situation — from power plays to penalty kills.”

On the season, Spillane tallied a team-high 41 points, including 23 goals and 18 assists. He also combined with fellow seniors Alec Borkowski (37 points) and Joe Bourque (31) to form one of the most prolific lines in the league.

Franklin coach Chris Spillane, who is also Ryan’s father and the 2015 HockomockSports.com Coach of the Year, said, “He has very good hockey sense, extremely good hands, and shoots the puck well. He scored some big goals for our team this year.”

The coach added, “He also works extremely well with his line-mates (Joe and Alec) they all seem to play off each other’s strengths.”

Spillane was also a big-game player and provided points against top competition, as Franklin increased its strength of schedule in its second season in Div. 1.

Canton coach Brian Shuman, whose team lost to Franklin by a single goal twice this year, said of Spillane, “Ryan is such a clutch player. He has a real knack for making big plays in key moments. As an opposing player, you need to keep tabs on where he is at all times. He’s that dangerous.”

Spillane joins previous winners Brian Brooks of Canton (2013) and Tyler Provost (2014) of Oliver Ames. He is the first senior to be chosen as Player of the Year.

Honorable Mention: John Femia (Canton), Ryan Shea (Franklin), Jimmy Tierney (Oliver Ames)

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HockomockSports.com First Team
F – Sean Young, North Attleboro
F – Ryan Spillane, Franklin
F – John Femia, Canton
D – Kyle Filbert, Franklin
D – Evan Kershaw, Mansfield
G – Ryan Shea

HockomockSports.com Second Team
F – Alec Borkowski, Franklin
F – Tim Doherty, Oliver Ames
F – Matt Lazaro, Canton
D – Jackson Maffeo, Canton
D – Will Kelleher, Mansfield
G – Jimmy Tierney, Oliver Ames

HockomockSports.com Third Team
F – Drew Wilde, Milford
F – Jared Collins, Mansfield
F – Tom Hanson, King Philip
D – Mason Saunders, Franklin
D – Ben Chomyszak, Attleboro
G – Brady Grunewald, North Attleboro

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Canton sophomore defenseman Jackson Maffeo has been selected as the 2014-2015 HockomockSports.com Hockey Underclassman of the Year. This is the third year the award has been given, including the second straight time a Canton player has won the award. Maffeo was also voted a Hockomock League All Star by the coaches.

“After a strong freshman campaign last year, Jackson really stepped up for Canton this season,” HockomockSports.com Editor-in-Chief said. “The Bulldogs graduated a handful of experienced defensemen and Jackson stepped right up and was a huge reason Canton captured another Davenport title.”

Maffeo netted three goals this season and added 10 assists for a total of 13 points. His point total was the second best among defensemen in the Hockomock and first in the Davenport Division. He was seventh in points for Canton.

“Jackson is a very special player,” Canton head coach Brian Shuman said. “As only a sophomore, he was the leader of our defense and one of our top players. For twenty four games, he was out there every other shift and always against the other team’s best line. Most importantly, his work ethic is second to none, which is why he will just keep getting better and better.”

Maffeo is the second Davenport Division player to win the award, following teammate Matt Lazaro who won it last year and North Attleboro’s Sean Young (2013).

HockomockSports.com All-Underclassmen Team
F – Collin Cooke, King Philip
F – Jason McNeany, North Attleboro
F – Shaun Kirby, Canton
D – Nick Terry, Taunton
D – Jackson Maffeo, Canton
G – John Cronin, Foxboro

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Franklin senior Ryan Shea has been named the 2015 HockomockSports.com Goalie of the Year. Shea is the second player to receive the honor in its third season being awarded. Oliver Ames goalie Jimmy Tierney was the recipient each of the past two years.

“Ryan could arguably have been the MVP this season with performances that he turned in, including a second period that had everybody wowed against Malden Catholic in the Super 8,” said Hockomock Sports.com Managing Editor Josh Perry. “Ryan showed that he could compete with some of the best teams in the state.”

Shea saved 345 of the 370 shots that he faced this season for a save percentage of 93.2 and a goals against average of only 1.55. He recorded four shutouts this season and allowed more than two goals in a game only four times — twice against Malden Catholic, once against Springfield Cathedral and once against Bishop Hendricken (R.I.).

“He’s been doing it all year. You need a goaltender like that to stay in games,” said Franklin coach Chris Spillane after Shea made 39 saves in the first Super 8 game against Malden Catholic.

After the dramatic win against Xaverian, Spillane said, “You talk about goal scorers and points and things like that, that’s great but you need a guy to play in net. Defense wins championships and he’s been there for us all year long and he showed it tonight with a couple of big saves when we needed him.”

Following the season, Shea announced that he had officially committed to play at Div. III power Norwich University next winter.

Honorable Mention: Jimmy Tierney (OA), Brady Grunewald (North Attleboro), Justin Slocum (Canton)

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Coach of the Year – Chris Spillane, Franklin
Franklin head coach Chris Spillane has been chosen as the 2015 HockomockSports.com Hockey Coach of the Year. Spillane is the second coach to receive this honor in the three years that it has been handed out. Canton coach Brian Shuman won the award each of the past two seasons.

Spillane guided the Panthers to a 17-4-3 overall record and a perfect 10-0 in the Hockomock League. In addition, Franklin became the first Hockomock team to be selected for the prestigious Super 8 tournament and reached the tournament proper after an overtime win against Xaverian in the play-in game.

Although the Panthers had a slew of upperclassmen on the roster, there were a number of new players that needed to be added to the lineup and Franklin continued to build its schedule in its second season in Div. 1. Franklin tied Super 8 top seed Springfield Cathedral and lost three close games with four-time defending champions Malden Catholic.

“Franklin always has the expectation of being one of the top two programs in the league year-in, year-out,” said HockomockSports.com Managing Editor Josh Perry. “This year, the Panthers took a pretty significant leap to being considered among the best programs in the state.”

He added, “There is no question that the success stems from Coach Spillane’s leadership of the entire program.”

Honorable Mention: Brian Shuman (Canton), Mike Cripps (Attleboro), Mike Balzarini (Milford)