The Littleton/Bromfield/Parker boys ice hockey team ended its regular season Feb. 15 with a hard-fought 2-1 loss to conference opponent Gardner/Murdock. The loss followed a 3-2 overtime win against nonconference opponent Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School two days earlier, Feb. 13.
The Tigers hosted the Blackstone Valley Tech Beavers on senior night, honoring Littleton’s co-captain Tyler Edwards and defenseman Henry Wengal. The Beavers are a new Division 4 team this season; they were previously joined with Grafton.
The Beavers’ game plan seemed to focus on physical play, finding any opportunity to make contact with their opponents, and they were rewarded with a goal five minutes into the first period. The Tigers struggled with the physical play, and the puck remained in their defensive zone throughout the first and second periods. But they were able to prevent the Beavers from adding to their 1-0 lead.
A game plan that includes body checking often comes with penalties, and the Beavers were penalized throughout the game, including in two situations in the third period when the Tigers had a two-man power play advantage. Halfway into the third period, with the Tigers on their second two-man advantage of the period, Littleton freshman Paul Doyle, possibly frustrated with the team’s ineffective power play efforts to that point, decided to try a different approach. Retrieving the puck from the Tigers’ defensive end, Doyle raced up the left side of the rink into the Beavers’ offensive zone, drove to the front of the net while surrounded by two defenders, and finished the end-to-end rush with a shot that beat the goalie’s blocker.
Energized by Doyle’s singular effort, the Tigers were able to press the Beavers, who took another penalty with six minutes remaining in the game. Toward the end of the five-minute major power play, the Tigers evened the score when Harvard junior and co-captain Evan Piekos scored on a one-timer slapshot following a cross-ice pass from Littleton freshman Jake Taglieri. With the score tied 2-2, the teams went to overtime, a five-minute period in which each team has only four skaters on the ice. The overtime period saw each team with good scoring opportunities, but with less than a minute remaining, Harvard sophomore Zach Lizotte scored the game-winner after benefiting from a well-executed passing play by Harvard freshman Liam Glew and Littleton’s Doyle.
A Wildcats victory
For their final regular season game, the Tigers visited the Gardner/Murdock Wildcats Feb. 15. A few minutes into the game, the Wildcats scored with a deflected shot off a faceoff win. The remainder of the first period had the puck spending most of the time in the Wildcats’ zone, with the Tigers having good scoring opportunities—all denied by the Wildcats’ goalie.
Early in the second period, the Wildcats took a 2-0 lead following a scramble in front of the net. The Wildcats’ goalie continued to hold off the Tigers through the second and most of the third period. With a minute, 20 seconds remaining, the Tigers pulled their goalie to add a sixth skater and were rewarded when Harvard freshman Conor Glew scored with a skilled tip off a shot from the point by Piekos. Despite a solid 45-minute effort from the Tigers, the Wildcats’ goalie bettered their effort and was able to hold on for a 2-1 victory, giving the Tigers their only conference loss for the season.
The Tigers ended the regular season with an 11-7 overall record and 9-1 Coughlin Conference record. As the Coughlin Conference champions, the Tigers are the top seed in the Class C Central Mass. Athletic Directors Association tournament and had a bye into the semifinal game Feb. 22. Commenting on the postseason, Coach Kevin Lizotte said: “We’re looking forward to the Central Mass. and State tournaments. We will play some familiar competition in the Central Mass. tourney. I really like our team depth and balanced scoring. We’ve had the luxury of playing three lines all season and that should help in the postseason tournaments.”
Brian Piekos is a Littleton/Bromfield/Parker parent.
Littleton’s Tyler Edwards keeps the puck in the opponent’s zone.(Courtesy photo)
