Tewksbury, MA – MassNZ made the drive up to Tewksbury to catch a tilt featuring two of the top teams in D2: the 6-0 Tewksbury Redmen and the 5-1 Concord-Carlisle Patriots. Last season, this same matchup featured two of the top three playoff teams in the Division playing each other when each squad was undefeated and it was one of the better games we saw all year, so we had to drop in for the rematch. Pre-game there was a palpable buzz, as evidenced by the full parking lot 30 minutes ahead of game time. The Redmen welcomed back many of their alums as they were inducted into the TMHS Hall of Fame. Only the Redmen took the ice for this ceremony without helmets and they were all sporting mohawks. About 28 minutes later both teams came out with their helmets securely fastened and we were ready to go…
In the first period, the action was fast and furious – both teams came out bursting with energy which led to a few overskated pucks and missed shots on net. The balance of play was fairly even for both clubs but as we got deeper into the frame, Tewksbury had more possession time deep in the zone. They however would not be first on the scoreboard. That honor would belong to the Patriots as junior big man Cam Doull dished the puck off, crashed the net and pounced on a rebound five-hole to make it 1-0 Patriots. From there, the Redmen rallied and began to tilt the ice solidly in their favor. Minutes later a shot from the point by sophomore defender Jake Cunha popped loose and sophomore Jason Shreenan was there to pick up the loose change and tie this thing up. The momentum for Tewksbury continued to build and they would untie the game with less than two minutes remaining. Sophomore speedster Kevin Andriolo snagged a loose puck at the red line, beat his man and made a nice breakaway move on his backhand to give Tewksbury the 2-1 lead. That would be our score after one.
In the middle frame, it was more of the same from what we saw in the first. Tewksbury turned on the forecheck faucet and kept it running all period long. Concord-Carlisle was playing with speed and looking to find ways to break through the pressure. The Redmen were relentless and peppered the Patriot net with shots but full credit to tall senior Jason Swaim who kicked out every shot he saw. A couple of lead passes to Doull were shut down at the other end by senior goalie David Karlberg and after 30 minutes of play, the score remained 2-1 Tewksbury.
In the third period, it was once again a deluge of Tewksbury pressure and Concord-Carlisle was looking to keep pace all period. The shot disparity continued to grow, but once again Swaim stood tall against the wind and stopped every shot. His ability to compartmentalize and focus gave the Patriots the resolve to not only stay in the game but throw counterpunches. With three minutes to go, Tewksbury took their timeout and looked to regroup after a long shift. Shortly after that, they were assessed a penalty which opened the door for Concord-Carlisle. Just a minute later senior defender Ben Ohanian fed Doull who cranked a one-timer into the net to tie us up at 2-2. The game would stay that way until the clock hit triple zeroes. We were headed for OT.
In the overtime period, both sides had their chances and the play was even. A couple of Grade A looks created off of steals were rendered null and void, meaning this one would end in a 2-2 draw.
Three Stars:
- F Cam Doull, Concord-Carlisle
- G Jason Swaim, Concord-Carlisle
- F Jason Shreenan, Tewksbury