BUZZARDS BAY ­­­­– The Nauset boys hockey team has had a target on its back all season.

Following a stellar regular season that only had a single loss, the Warriors entered the postseason as the No. 1 seed and favorite to take home the Div. 3 state championship. Following a 6-0 victory over No. 12 Somerset-Berkley in the semifinals, a chance to do just that exists.

“They had a goal in mind to start the year,” Warriors head coach Connor Brickley said. “It’s nice to see that come to fruition. They have worked extremely hard every day and it’s great when we play and coach together.”

The Warriors came out hot. The onslaught of offensive pressure paid off when Aaron Howard tipped in a shot from Joseph McManus into the back of the net to give Nauset a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Logan Poulin tipped in the second goal moments later, and Jake Eldredge tipped in a Poulin shot before the period was up to give the Warriors a huge 3-0 lead.

“We just go in with the rankings don’t matter, numbers don’t matter mentality,” Poulin said. “We have a ‘screw you’ mentality towards the other team.”

It would not take long for Nauset to build on the lead. Poulin ripped a shot from the top of the circle to make it 4-0, and a Colin Ward one-timer off an Eldredge cross-crease pass put the Warriors way ahead going into the final frame.

A Julian Krivos tally in the final period would round out the scoring.

“These boys have been working hard all season,” Krivos said. “All of us have been putting in that work, putting in that time. Every single one of these kids deserves to make that trip right now.”

The Warriors will face No. 6 Marblehead in the Championship bout. This is the first time Nauset has reached the final since 2004 and Poulin reiterated that the team is not satisfied yet.

“It’s something we haven’t done in a long time,” Poulin said. “We are really happy with this, but the jobs not finished.”