Monomoy-Mashpee Boys Hockey Searching For Program’s First Postseason Win

When first-year coach Chris Harlow took over the Monomoy-Mashpee boys hockey program at the start of the year, he didn’t shy away from big expectations. 

Harlow spoke about the Sharks’ ability to qualify for the Division 4 state tournament and the opportunity the co-op program has to potentially earn its first postseason victory. 

As No. 30 Monomoy (12-8-0) prepare to open the tournament against No. 35 Keefe Tech (8-8-0) on Tuesday night, after the Chronicle’s deadline, Harlow stressed that the Sharks are hardly satisfied with their accomplishments enroute to the program’s first postseason appearance since 2022.

“I think the boys are incredibly excited that we’ve accomplished what we’ve accomplished so far, but we understand we’ve got to go to work,” Harlow said. “Even though we’ve come leaps and bounds throughout the season — we won our league for the first time ever, we have clinched a playoff spot and we’ve achieved the most wins in Monomoy-Mashpee history — we understand we’re still a No. 30 seed and we have to go to work.”

The Sharks enter the tournament with plenty of momentum after finishing the regular season with victories in five of their last six games, including a hard-fought 4-3 win at Upper Cape Tech in their finale Feb. 19.

While senior Casey Hughes has been a fixture in the team’s box scores all season, Harlow praised sophomores Max Cronen and Owen Cloney for elevating their games in recent weeks. 

“Casey has been consistent for us all year, but Owen Cloney and Max Cronen have really ramped it up the last five games,” Harlow said. “They are two guys that are red hot right now. It seems like every time I turn my head, Max Cronen is scoring a goal.”

The Sharks will have the familiarity of beginning their postseason run at the Tony Kent Arena in South Dennis, a crucial advantage against a Keefe Tech squad that will have to make a 100-mile trek to the Cape from its Framingham campus. 

Harlow is hopeful the Monomoy-Mashpee faithful will provide a home-ice advantage while creating an impactful environment that will give the Sharks an edge.

“It’s huge being able to have a postseason game at our rink,” the coach said. “We’ve had amazing support from the student body and staff this year, so being able to have that during the playoffs is a huge advantage and sparkplug for us.”

With no common opponents between them, Monomoy-Mashpee enters Tuesday’s game with limited knowledge about Keefe Tech and its playing style. Still, Harlow is confident that the Sharks can achieve their goal of earning the program’s first post-season victory if the team brings the intensity it carried out throughout its historic regular season.

“I think being prepared for anything any team can throw at us is far more important than necessarily knowing what set or formation a team is going to throw,” Harlow said. “Our biggest thing is we need to make ourselves difficult to play against — that’s what we need to do moving forward in order to have success.”