Lawrence, MA – Thanks to fortuitous timing, we made it to the Lawrence Valley Forum early and found a coveted parking spot near the entrance. But more importantly, we were here to watch last year’s D2 champs Tewksbury Redmen take on the Scarlet Knights from North Andover. This game had one of the better atmospheres we’ve seen so far this season with two loud student sections battling it out over every hit and every penalty. This one promised to be a thrill ride based on the electricity in the building.
In the first period, the Redmen got off to a hot start, putting immediate pressure on North Andover but the Scarlet Knights were able to withstand the push and delivered a couple of body blows to announce their presence. Tewksbury fought fire with fire and blew up a couple of Scarlet Knight players as well to fire up their student section. North Andover continually found ways to interrupt the offense of Tewksbury by getting their sticks in passing lanes and protecting the house well. Tewksbury remained undeterred as they peppered netminder Troy Takeshian with a bevy of shots, but he found a way to kick them all out. On we went to the second with goose eggs on the scoreboard.
In the middle frame, it was a carbon copy of what we saw in the first with both teams playing with physicality and looking to deliver the knockout blows on each shift. You could tell that the Tewksbury game plan was to get the puck in deep and fire shots on net and they were able to execute that strategy early which led to their goal. Big senior forward Ryan Flynn delivered a big hit that allowed the puck to come loose in the defensive zone where it was picked up by senior forward Brady Chapman who transitioned it up ice. Chapman faked going around the back of the net and fed the puck out front where a waiting senior captain D Nick Dicioccio fired it home from the slot: 1-0 Redmen. From that point on, North Andover began to push back and generated of couple of Grade A looks but unfortunately did not find the back of the net. Tewksbury continued to throw everything on net, but Takesian was terrific in shutting down shots through traffic. We would go to the room with the score still 1-0 thanks to his effort.
In the final frame, Tewksbury held the territorial advantage, but North Andover started to chip away with an increasing number of opportunities coming off transition. Credit to the Scarlet Knights who were making plays at both ends despite being heavily outshot. They were excellent at tying up sticks, using their strength and size on the back end and getting the puck up to their forwards to create better chances. Despite the progress, they were unable to solve senior Ben O’Keefe who finished with 10 saves according to the team’s Twitter, pitching the shutout. Full marks also to Takesian who tallied 49 saves. Final: Tewksbury 1, North Andover 0.
Three Stars:
1. G Ben O’Keefe (10 save SO), Tewksbury
2. G Troy Takesian (49 saves), North Andover
3. D Nick Diciocco (GWG), Tewksbury