Westboro, MA – This was a game we had circled on our calendars for quite some time. We had not yet seen the Indians of Billerica in person this season and having won 15 straight games gave us more than enough reason to drive down to Northstar Arena to catch this game against the Colonials of Shrewsbury. With so few games left in the regular season, we felt this was a great opportunity to see them against a D1 opponent who is just outside the Top 20 in their own league. In addition, the MVC/DCL title was up for grabs: win this game and the Indians would have their first league title since 2011. Both teams came out juiced up for warmup, Billerica took two hot laps and we were ready to get this thing started.
In the first period, Shrewsbury came out looking to set the tone and they immediately put pressure on the Billerica defense, pinning them deep and putting multiple shots on net. It was clear the game plan for the Colonials was physicality and a strong forecheck which paid dividends for them quickly in this game. Just 3:50 into the frame the Colonials would strike first. Senior Gino Evangelous made a strong outlet pass up ice after gathering a Billerica clear. He connected with freshman Rylen Moore who snapped a shot home five-hole to give his team the 1-0 lead. Just over two minutes later they would double their lead as they kept the pressure on. Senior forward Jaxon Sabataso drove the net hard and put the puck on net one-handed, holding off a defender in the process. His shot produced a juicy rebound which found the stick of junior defender Drew O’Connell who buried to make it 2-0 Colonials. The momentum resided entirely on the home team’s bench and they continued to step up their physicality and Billerica struggled to get shots on net. You could tell Shrewsbury was feeding off the potential to be a spoiler in this game and knock Billerica from the ranks of the unbeaten. The period would continue with Shrewsbury setting the pace, and despite a late Billerica push, the clock hit triple zeroes. Billerica was looking for a heavier effort coming out for the second.
Sure enough, the Indians did exactly that as the period began: they put pressure on the Colonials right away and drove the net hard. Too hard in fact, according to the referees who waved off an early puck in the net claiming the goalie was forced in with 18 seconds elapsed in the frame. Regardless, that hard effort truly set the tone for the period as Billerica was far more aggressive and battled harder to win pucks. That effort would pay off on the scoreboard just 3:26 in as an infraction was whistled on Shrewsbury and it shifted the momentum. Off the opening possession, a scrum ensued in front of the net and the last touch belonged to junior Timmy Murphy who cut the lead in half: 2-1 Shrewsbury. The momentum at that point had entirely shifted to the Indians who were peppering the Shrewsbury net with regularity. The pressure would continue all period as the Indians were peppering the Shrewsbury net but senior Ethan Feldman was able to keep them at bay. That lead would remain unchanged until 10 minutes into the frame when Billerica finally drew even. A turnover was created by senior forward Cam Penti below the goal line and he chipped it into the slot where senior Ed Conley was waiting to fire it home to knot us up at 2-2. Just a minute later, the game would be untied as senior captain Dan Viscione made a brilliant play, creating a turnover, slipping the puck through a defender’s legs and depositing it to make it 3-2 Billerica. The road cheering section was giddyup with the turn of events, but the game would slow down considerably with 3:23 left on the clock just after the goal was scored. The referees found a large divot in the ice near the Indians bench and instructed both teams to head to the locker room early while ice repairs were made. Sure enough, they were able to keep us on time and get the cut in while making a solid repair. The teams cam back out for the final 3:23 and Billerica’s momentum had not slowed as most of the remainder was played in the Shrewsbury end. It was 3-2 after two.
Following a very short breather at the benches, the teams got back to action in the third period. Billerica once again was pushing the pace and winning most of the puck battles, however, throughout the period, Shrewsbury began to push back and generated a handful of quality looks, a couple of which trickled just wide of the cage. The scales were even at the midway point of the period, but once again, Billerica found that extra gear and put their foot firmly on the gas. They even added a fourth unanswered goal 9:31 into the frame when senior forward James Columbus and Viscione worked a pretty give-and-go play and Viscione ended up cleaning up the rebound to make it 4-2 for his second on the night. With roughly five minutes to go, the game seemed largely academic at that point and most of the chirping was happening in the stands between groups of parents from both teams. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and this game ended in a 4-2 win for Billerica over Shrewsbury. They move to 16-0-0 and after clinching the MVC/DCL regular season title they now have three games remaining as they look to run the table against Westford Academy, Lincoln-Sudbury and Woburn.
Three Stars:
- F Dan Viscione, Billerica
- F Timmy Murphy, Billerica
- F Jaxon Sabataso, Shrewsbury