The Littleton/Bromfield/Parker boys ice hockey team is 6-3 following losses to two nonconference teams at the start of the new year. But the team remains undefeated in conference competition. The Tigers played two conference games in late December, winning both and rising to first place in the six-team Coughlin Conference.
The Tigers faced off against conference opponent Oakmont Spartans Dec. 21, taking the lead halfway through the first period when Harvard’s Fin Piekos scored his first high school goal following a nifty pass from Littleton freshman Gavin Werling. Tigers goalie Charles Becker turned back many scoring opportunities, keeping the score 1-0 late into the third period and leading to the most exciting sequence of the season so far. With less than two minutes remaining and the Tigers on a power play, a mishandled puck at the blue line provided Oakmont a partial breakaway. Becker easily turned away the initial shot, but with the Tigers defenders unable to get to the rebound, Becker faced a second shot, which he also blocked. After a timeout to settle down, the Tigers returned to the power play, with Littleton’s Tyler Edwards scoring an insurance goal to put the game away and preserve Becker’s well-earned shutout, his second of the season.
On Dec. 26 the Tigers played the Fitchburg/Montachusett Tech Red Raiders, the last remaining conference opponent. The Red Raiders took advantage of the Tigers’ penalties, scoring the game’s first goal, which was quickly matched by Littleton defenseman David Ming scoring at the end of first period. Following a second period goal by Harvard’s Zach Lizotte, the third period saw both teams scoring two goals apiece, with Littleton freshman Paul Doyle scoring both to earn the Tigers a 4-3 win and a 5-0 conference record.
The Tigers participated in a holiday tournament with an initial game against host Grafton Gators. The Tigers recorded the game’s first goal with Littleton’s Doyle scoring off a rebound, but the stronger and faster Gators took over from there, scoring eight goals, only to be interrupted by Harvard’s Conor Glew scoring on a power play. Following the 8-2 loss to Grafton, the Tigers beat the Worcester/Leicester Wildcats 3-1 in the consolation game, with Doyle scoring twice and Zach Lizotte once.
The first two games of 2023 saw the Tigers going up against Division 3 opponents Dracut/Tyngsborough and Northbridge. The Tigers got off to a strong start against undefeated Dracut/Tyngsborough, ending the first period with a 3-1 lead following goals by Littleton’s Ethan King and Harvard’s Conor Glew and Thomas Welborn. A few minutes into the second period, Dracut/Tyngsborough seized on the Tigers’ undisciplined play, scoring six goals in just over three minutes of play, with a final score of 9-3.
On Saturday the Tigers hosted the Northbridge Rams in a closely contested game with many penalties handed out to both teams. Littleton’s King scored the Tigers’ first and last goals, with Harvard’s Glew scoring the team’s second goal, but Northbridge was able to take advantage of the Tigers’ turnovers, winning the game 5-3.
Brian Piekos is a Littleton/Bromfield/Parker Tigers parent.
