NORTH BILLERICA — The Tewksbury boys hockey workforce has performed loads of significant video games in March over the past three seasons. That pattern goes to proceed for no less than yet another go-round.
Led by a pair of targets from KJ Andriolo and 24 saves from netminder Cole Abruzi, the second-seeded Redmen earned a second journey in three years to the Division 2 state closing with a 5-3 win over No. 6 Westwood on Saturday night time.
“These children simply wish to play hockey. They wish to win, and so they needed to return to the Backyard,” Tewksbury coach Derek Doherty mentioned. “And now they’re in a position to. So it’s good.”
The Redmen’s (22-1-1) prime line of Tyler Bourgea, Andriolo and Jason Shreenan gave Westwood (20-3-1) matches proper from the drop of the opening puck.
That chemistry was evident on the sport’s opening tally when Andriolo was stationed on the proper put up and fired house Jake Cunha’s slap move for a 1-0 lead at 4:12.
It stayed that method till Bourgea flashed his extraordinary talents together with his workforce on the person benefit. Taking a Cunha move in his personal finish, Bourgea dangled by three defenders earlier than firing one previous Sean Joyce for his thirty ninth of the yr and a 2-0 lead after one.
Any ideas this is likely to be one other Redmen runaway have been rapidly erased by Westwood off the hop within the second. Simply 18 seconds in, Luke Martin blasted house a Nolan Lewis rebound to chop the lead in half.
It started a seesaw center quarter-hour because the workforce traded haymakers.
4 minutes after Martin’s purpose, Michael Macauda restored the two-goal lead for Tewksbury with a bullet of a wrist shot from contained in the left circle. The Wolverines weren’t finished but within the second as Connor Blaney’s 14th purpose got here on a rebound at 9:52, trimming the margin again to 3-2.
It appeared like that was how the interval was going to finish till Aaron Sosa picked up a puck alongside the appropriate wing wall. He turned and ripped a shot that was deflected on the way in which to Joyce and located its method house to make it a 4-2 sport by thirty minutes.
“Aaron has an incredible shot and he simply turned and fired and it goes within the internet,” Doherty mentioned. “It was nice for that fourth line to get one for us.”
Much more important for Tewksbury was that it adopted Doherty’s recommendation within the second intermission and stored the hammer down.
Shreenan’s forechecking early within the third received the puck to Andriolo, who didn’t miss from the appropriate faceoff dot to make it 5-2 with 11:24 left.
The Wolverines stored battling, pulling Joyce for an additional skater with three minutes left. Their perseverance lastly paid off as Blaney scored with 1:25 left however they might get no nearer.
“We labored arduous (Saturday). I imply, we weren’t good tonight. However we labored arduous, and I believe that’s what received it finished,” Doherty mentioned.
