The Littleton/Bromfield/Parker Tigers maintained their start-of-the-season winning streak for five games before suffering their first loss in the championship game of a holiday tournament.
On Dec. 18, the Tigers traveled to face off against the Gardner Wildcats. In first period play the Tigers had several high-quality scoring opportunities, including a two-minute power-play sequence with multiple shots on goal, all of which were rebuffed by Gardner’s goaltender. Ironically, the Tigers scored their first goal while shorthanded when Littleton junior Andrew Archer pressured the Gardner power-play unit, gaining possession of the puck and putting it in the net with a quick shot.
Tigers’ Jake Taglieri (#9) congratulates teammate Gavin Werling (#2) on his first of three goals against Gardner. (Photo by Brian Piekos)
The Tigers’ puck-possession advantage continued through the second period, including a goal by Harvard senior captain Zachary Lizotte. For most of the third period, the Wildcats played aggressively and with two players in the box, gave up a power-play goal when Littleton senior captain Ethan King scored, putting the Tigers ahead 3-0. Thirty seconds later, with Tigers still on a man advantage, Harvard junior Conor Glew put the game away, scoring a wraparound goal.
In net for the Tigers was Harvard junior Jacob Dangel who earned his first varsity victory and shutout, turning back several scoring chances. He made a remarkable save in the second period, sliding across the net to contest a slapshot that seemed destined for the top corner of the net until it was rejected by Dangel’s blocker.
Two more wins at home
On Saturday, Dec. 21, the Tigers had their first home game of the season, hosting the Fitchburg/Monty Tech Red Raiders. In front of a large crowd, the Tigers started the game with high-energy play that quickly resulted in a goal when Littleton junior Gavin Werling picked up a loose puck near the blue line, attacked the net, and scored with a strong backhand shot to the far side of the net. Three minutes later the Red Raiders responded with a goal of their own.
The Tigers continued to control play and were able to regain the lead when Ethan King provided Harvard’s Liam Glew a clear shooting path by carrying the puck to the right of the net and passing the puck backward to the left-shooting Glew. With 15 seconds remaining in the period, the Tigers scored again, taking a 3-1 lead when Littleton’s King put a shot on net from deep in the corner, catching the Red Raiders’ goalie by surprise. With a 3-1 lead and controlling most of the play through the second and third periods Littleton’s Werling added two additional highlight-reel goals resulting in a hat trick and a 5-1 Tigers victory.
The Tigers continued their Coughlin Conference winning streak while hosting the Oakmont Spartans Dec. 23. The Spartans’ bench was sparse, with only 12 skaters compared to the typical 18–20 skaters most varsity teams dress for games. Through half of the first period, the Spartans’ two sets of forwards were able to hang in there against the Tigers’ balanced three-line rotation. The Tigers’ first goal came halfway through the first period, and they quickly added two more goals before the period ended. They scored two additional goals in the second period and capitalized on the tired Spartan bench with four goals in the third period. Of note in the Tigers’ 9-0 victory was Gavin Werling’s three goals for hat tricks in back-to-back games and a shutout by Harvard senior captain goaltender Tyler Proteau.
Playing against Division 3 teams
The Tigers’ tradition of participating in holiday tournaments shifted south this year to the Blackstone Valley Holiday Tournament, where they faced off against Division 3 Hopedale-Milford Blue Raiders on Dec. 28. The Tigers showed no sign of concern playing the upper-division Blue Raiders and scored two and a half minutes into the first period when Littleton’s Werling stole the puck from a Blue Raiders player in the neutral zone and quickly scored with a shot to the upper far corner of the net. The Blue Raiders tied the game four minutes later when a pass from the corner found an open Blue Raider in front of the net for a quick-shot goal leading to a 1-1 tie at the end of the first period.
In the opening play of the second period, the Tigers were the beneficiary of “puck luck” when Littleton freshman Blake Hannon’s shot from inside the blue line deflected high over the net and strongly bounced off the protective glass to the front of the net and off the Blue Raider’s goalie for a goal. In the third period Littleton junior Andrew Archer added two more goals, earning the Tigers a spot in the tournament championship with a 4-1 victory.
On Dec 30 the Littleton/Bromfield/Parker Tigers faced off against the Taunton Tigers who beat host team Blackstone Valley Beavers. Taunton, the fourth largest high school in Massachusetts with a student body almost half the size of the entire town of Harvard, is a Division 3 program and also came into the tournament championship game with a 5-0 record. As play got underway, it was clear Taunton’s size, skill, and depth would be a challenge for Littleton/Bromfield /Parker’s agile and skill-focused style of play. Taunton’s first goal came just over three minutes into the game, and they added a second goal late in the first period. Taunton scored three more goals in the second period.
Littleton/Bromfield/Parker tried to adjust to the more physical style of play and were rewarded with their only goal of the game when Harvard senior captain Jack Dunn swept the puck into the net after a frenetic sequence in front of the Taunton goal. With two additional goals in the third period, the Taunton Tigers won the championship game 7-1.
The Tigers, with an overall record of 5-1 and 4-0 within the conference, continue nonconference play against Division 3 Northbridge Jan. 6 before resuming Coughlin Conference matchups Jan 8. in a rematch against the Gardner Wildcats and an away game against St. Bernard’s on Jan. 11.
Brian Piekos is a Tigers ice hockey parent.
