Chelmsford, MA – Tonight we made the trip to Chelmsford to take in the season opener for the Chelmsford Lions and the Westford Academy Grey Ghosts. The vibes inside the rink were immaculate with lots of energy from both student sections who were each rocking themes: jerseys for the Westford Academy students and ski goggles for the Chelmsford home crowd. Chelmsford also brought out the student Pep Band to play the Star Spangled Banner and during intermissions. This MVC DCL tilt promised to be a great way to start conference play for both squads.
It did not take long for the scoring to get underway as senior sniper Ryan Nelken stole the puck, cruised in and ripped one for the 1-0 Grey Ghosts lead just 16 seconds in. The mood in the arena shifted right off the bat and it set the tone for the first 15 minutes. Westford Academy was big, tough and physical while Chelmsford was smaller, more nimble and quicker. That worked to Chelmsford’s advantage in the early minutes as they gained some momentum with their forecheck and quick attack in transition. They put quite a few quality shots on net, but they were all turned away by senior Kieran Humphreys. As the period wore on, the Grey Ghosts made some adjustments and began to assert their will with strong positioning and hard hits along the boards. That led to the team’s second goal as senior defender David Burke caught a pass just above the top of the circle and threw it on net, squeaking through the pads of the Chelmsford goalie: 2-0 Westford Academy. That would be our score after 1.
In the middle frame, the heat was turned up significantly. Chelmsford had a new game plan as they stepped up their physicality and it helped them make a push early in the second. They were able to stifle the Westford Academy attack, but only for a short time as the Grey Ghosts reclaimed the puck possession battle. They were stronger on pucks and worked the cycle well down low in this period, but ultimately were unable to find the back of the net. Later in the period, the Chelmsford goalie and a Westford Academy player collided away from the crease which set off a skirmish and led to a 5-minute major plus a minor penalty being assessed to the Grey Ghosts. The opening of the third period would be critical as the Lions attempt a comeback.
In the final frame, the penalties meant a 5-on-3 advantage for Chelmsford to start the period, but it was all for not as Westford Academy got a couple of key clears to return to even strength. This period was easily the roughest of the game as both teams dug in and looked to punish the opposition, in some cases before the puck arrived. There were a couple of dust-ups that led to additional penalties but they did not affect the outcome of the game. In the end, Westford Academy would prevail 2-0, with the senior Humphreys pitching the shutout.
Three Stars
- G Kieran Humphreys, Westford Academy
- F Ryan Nelken, Westford Academy
- D JJ Funaro, Westford Academy