Athlete Of The Week: Colin Ward

ORLEANS – Nauset senior Colin Ward picked the perfect time to etch his name into the record books. 

The senior from Chatham notched his 100th career point after netting three first-period goals to set the tone and help the top-seeded Warriors roll to a 9-0 victory over No. 16 Danvers in the Division 3 state tournament Round of 16 on Saturday at Charles Moore Arena. 

“It felt great to get out there and work hard and get the momentum fast,” said Ward, who scored three goals in the span of 6:16 to help the Warriors build a 6-0 lead by the first intermission. 

Ward demonstrated his hand-eye coordination and marksmanship with his goals, which came on perfectly-placed wrist shots into the top shelf of the Falcons’ net. 

“Colin has a phenomenal shot — we know that,” Nauset coach Connor Brickley said. “Half the time we’re yelling at him to hit the net because he could have so many more goals this season. Tonight he was hitting his spot, and you can see the effect that he has on it.”

Ward and the Warriors advance to the state quarterfinals against No. 8 Marblehead in a rematch of last year’s state final, a 1-0 win for the Magicians. The teams will square off with a trip to the state semifinals on the line at 5 p.m. Thursday at Gallo Ice Arena. 

“I’m definitely looking forward to that,” Ward said. “I’ve thought about [the state final] for about a year now, and we’re ready to get back at them.”