PHOTOS: Swampscott Hockey Wins One For The Ages in OT

It was big news out of Rome Wednesday when white smoke rose from a Vatican City chimney.  There well might have been white smoke seeping out of Chelmsford Forum Wednesday night, and that was more likely from the searing heat generated by two well-matched hockey teams that rocked and walloped until Noah Maercklein notched an overtime goal to give Swampscott a 4-3 win over Medway and a berth in Sunday's State Division III Finals at TD Garden.

In a game for the ages, Swampscott saw their 3-2 lead vanish with less than a minute to go and survived a shaky start to the overtime period.  But there's a reason they call it and for Medway — a Division III finalist last year, it was for them the bell tolled.

After a scoreless first period, Medway pulled out to a 1-0 lead midway through the second period, and that's where the score stood after two.  The Mustangs might have felt OK with that score, having notched two shutouts in opening round and quarterfinal action on their way to the  South Division champsionship.

But all hell broke loose in the third. Nunzio Morretti tied the game with 11 minutes left, then Noah Maercklein put Swampscott up 2-1.  With 4:26 left, Josh O'Toole collected a rebound in front of Big Blue goalie Tristan Bradley and nudged the puck through a mob scene to tie the game at 2-2.

Swampscott wasn't finished. A mere 28 seconds later, Corey Carmody answered when he found a loose puck on the left wing and fired a shot past Medway goalie Mike Narducci and made it 3-2 as the clock slipped below four minutes. 

The Blue played defense defense defense as the clock ran down, but couldn't hang on in regulation as Mustang Bobby Schindler found a crack in a pile in the Swampscott crease and tied the game with 58 second left. 

In the early going in overtime, Swampscott dodged a bullet when Mustang sniper Jack Kilty escaped for what looked like a clean break on Bradley, but was whistled offside. 

Both teams played it close to the vest in the overtime period until Maercklein nabbed his second goal of the night, and the Big Blue are off to celebrate St. Patrick's Day at the TD Garden Sunday.

To see more of Robert Marra's photography visit his website.