Following a discouraging loss against the Hopedale Raiders, the Littleton/Bromfield boys varsity hockey team rebounded, winning the Bellingham Tournament for the third year in a row. The tournament consisted of two games played Dec. 26 and 27 against Stoughton and Bellingham at the Veterans Memorial Arena in Franklin.
The Littleton/Bromfield Tigers dominated the game against the Stoughton Black Knights, winning 12-0. Littleton senior forward James Peterson was the first to score, shooting the puck past Stoughton’s goalkeeper just four minutes into the game. He was assisted by Bromfield senior Alex Magan. Four minutes later, Littleton senior Danny Angell stepped onto the ice for the first time since being sidelined for four games with a concussion. Angell is a key member of the Tiger defense, so his teammates were relieved to have him back. With 3:41 left on the clock, James Peterson scooped the puck into the net for a second Tigers goal, assisted this time by freshman forward Maddox Lizotte and senior forward Justin Montepeluso. Minutes later, Lizotte scored the Tigers’ third goal with an assist from Christopher Berger, and the first period ended with Littleton/Bromfield in the lead 3-0.
Littleton/Bromfield kept possession for most of the second period. Junior Ben Hays scored two goals within three minutes, giving the Tigers a 5-0 lead. His first was assisted by senior Ryan Hunt and sophomore Aaron King; his second by Hunt and junior forward Nicholas Brown. Moments later, Hunt himself scored twice, first with help from senior Sean Keefe and sophomore Derek Peterson, and then with assists by Montepeluso and Magan. He was followed by Hays, who scored his third goal of the night and Littleton/Bromfield’s eighth with assists by Hunt and Peterson, ending the second period with the Tigers ahead 8-0.
Two minutes into the third and final period, it was Montepeluso’s turn and he joined the shootout by dodging Stoughton’s goalkeeper and scoring with an assist from Henry Hays. Forty seconds later, Peterson put the puck in the net again with an assist from sophomore Timmy Kelleher and Hunt. Ben Hays scored with two minutes left in the last period, the last goal of the night, as well as his fourth goal in the game. Hays was assisted by Angell and Brown.
The Littleton/Bromfield Tigers ended the game 12-0 and the next day headed to the second game of the tournament, which pitted the Tigers against the Bellingham Black Hawks.
The Tigers wasted no time taking charge. One minute into the first period Angell scored with a direct shot from the blue line with an assist from James Peterson. No other goals were scored in the remaining minutes, leaving Littleton/Bromfield in the lead at the end of the first period, 1-0.
The Tigers scored twice in the second period. The first goal was scored by Montepeluso, assisted by Lizotte and James Peterson. Three minutes later, Peterson flicked the puck into the net, scoring a third goal for Littleton/Bromfield, assisted by Lizotte and Montepeluso.
Nine minutes into the third period, Hunt scored with an assist from Ben Hays and Berger. Senior forward Dan Paxton followed with another goal two minutes later, assisted by Kelleher. The final goal of the night was scored by Magan with an assist from Brown and Hunt.
The final score was 6-0, a victory for Littleton/Bromfield that won them the Bellingham Tournament trophy.
As of Jan. 22, the Tigers were fourth in the five-member Coughlin Conference with an overall 12-game record of 5-6-1. They were scheduled to play St. Bernards/St. Peter Marian on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Groton School Rink #2.
Erin Flynn is a Bromfield freshman.
