Athlete Of The Week: Zach Coelho

BOURNE – Adversity finally struck the Nauset boys hockey team. 

After a regular season full of dominant, lopsided victories, the top-seeded Warriors found themselves in a 1-0 hole after senior Kyle Hart bested Nauset senior goaltender Zach Coelho to give eighth-seeded Marblehead a first-period lead during Thursday’s Division 3 state quarterfinal at Gallo Ice Arena.

Coelho and his Nauset teammates didn’t panic, however. Instead, the netminder stood tall during the rest of the opening period before the Warriors offense ignited for five goals en route to a 5-1 victory. 

On Sunday, Coelho pitched a perfect shutout — his third of the postseason — to help Nauset clinch a second consecutive state championship appearance after an 8-0 semifinals win over fourth-seeded Scituate.

“It’s difficult when you’re not getting shots, but you have to lock in and not focus on anything going on around you, not look up at the crowd and get distracted,” said Coelho, a Truro resident. “When you’re paying attention, it’s pretty easy to stay focused.”

Coelho will be the final line of the Warriors’ defense when the team meets second-seeded Medfield in the state final at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at TD Garden. 

Although Coelho hasn’t faced an onslaught of shots throughout Nauset’s four postseason games, his timely saves and impact as a leader have been a driving force that has helped the Warriors remain the only unbeaten team in the state. 

 “He’s awesome. He gives us a lot of confidence,” senior Logan Poulin said of Coelho. “I know personally I can be myself out there knowing he’s going to have my back. He’s definitely one of the reasons we’ve gone so far back-to-back years.”