Dedham is a red-hot opponent hoping to make its own history
By Cary Shuman
Dan Panciocco was the captain of the 1976 Dedham High School hockey team. That team lost to Braintree in the Division 1 quarterfinals at the Garden. Had Dedham won that game, it would have played Winthrop in the Eastern Mass. finals.
As Vikings fans all know, Winthrop went on to defeat Braintree and Springfield Cathedral to win the 1976 Division 1 state championship.
Forty-nine years later, Dan Panciocco finally gets his shot to play Winthrop at the Garden as the second-year head coach of Dedham High School.
“It’s kind of like a cycle for me – it’s Dedham-Winthrop again,” said Panciocco, a retired 32-year officer and detective in the Dedham Police Department.
Panciocco’s team, that includes eight seniors, has been on a tremendous roll in the MIAA Tournament. The Marauders have scored 19 goals in four games and its goaltender, Noel Adams, the Tri Valley League Large Division MVP, has posted three shutouts (over Rockland, Dover Sherborn, and Hudson) and allowed only one goal for an 0.25 GAA.
“We’re peaking,” said Panciocco. “We’ve been playing very well in the tournament. I’m happy with the effort. I’ve got great senior leadership. We made a couple of adjustments (moving senior, two-year captain, Brian Dunne, from defense to offense), and we just caught on fire. The last four playoff games, we’ve given up only one goal. Hudson had not been shut out all year. We were the first team to shut them out.”
Senior forward Timmy Holton is Dedham’s leading scorer, netting two goals in the 5-0 victory over Hudson in the semifinals.
Dedham is in Division 4 and plays a tough schedule against higher-division Tri-Valley League teams. In fact, Medfield, is playing in the Division 3 state final Sunday. This season Dedham defeated Norwood for the first time in 20 years.
“Tri-Valley is a tough league with Division 2-3 teams,” said Panciooco, noting that his team is undefeated against Division 4 opponents.
Like Winthrop head coach Dale Dunbar, who played on two NEC championship teams for the Vikings and at BU, Panciocco went on to attend New Prep and ULowell, which was then a Division 2 program under coach Bill Riley.
“I know that Dale played at BU and in the NHL,” said Panciocco. “And we saw the coaches [Mike Norris and Mike Eruzione] on the bench when they played Stoneham – your coaching staff is well-recognized and highly regarded.”
Panciocco said Dedham fans are excited about the chance to bring home the school’s first-ever state championship.
“The town support has been unbelievable. Dedham’s never gotten this far,” said Panciocco. “My 1976 team, the 1966 and 1967 teams, got to the semifinals, but we’re the first to get to the finals. It’s a history thing for us.”
Paniciocco expects a close, hard-fought game on Sunday.
“Winthrop’s a great team,” said Panciocco. “They’re going to be hard to beat. It’s going to be a tough game. I don’t see either side winning in a blowout. We know one thing: Winthrop will be ready to play hard. Hey, they’re the favorites. They’re the higher seed. We are the underdogs.”