Arlington, MA – In a pivotal Middlesex League matchup on Saturday afternoon, the 7th-ranked Rockets of Reading HS traveled to the Ed Burns Arena to take on the 8th-ranked Spy Ponders of Arlington HS.
Arlington came out flying from the drop of the puck, buzzing around the Reading zone and generating several scoring chances early on. Arlington was quick to jump on loose pucks and they showed excellent team speed, while the forwards did a strong job of driving the net hard and creating traffic in front. The Spy Ponders generated consistent pressure on the Reading defense. Senior Drew Beck was a physical presence early and often, delivering some big hits and creating some space for his linemates. With 9:00 remaining in the period, Reading would go on the power-play, but Arlington responded with a strong penalty kill. Senior goaltender John Snider stood tall during the sequence, making several key saves to keep the game scoreless. Reading began to gain some offensive zone time in the final few minutes of the period, turning up the physicality. Big body checks were delivered at both ends of the ice, and both goaltenders were tested. Reading senior goaltender JT Coyne was solid all period, making several key saves to keep the game scoreless. Overall, Arlington controlled the first period, as their team speed and tenacity set the tone, and the score remained 0-0 heading into the intermission.
The second period saw Reading come out playing physical and controlling play for much of the early frame, but it would be Arlington who struck first. With 13 minutes to go, Beck drove hard to the net, attempting to slip a shot five-hole on Coyne. The save was made, but the rebound found sophomore Evan Raab, who banged it home to give Arlington a 1-0 lead. Then on the very next shift, Coyne had to make another fantastic two-on-one save, keeping Reading within striking distance. Reading continued to press, hemming Arlington in their own zone for long stretches with tenacious forechecking, making it difficult for the Spy Pomders to break out. Despite the pressure, Snider remained sharp, turning away several tough chances to maintain the lead. With 6 minutes to go, Arlington would double their lead as senior Nolan Russell beat the defense, cut to the net, and his shot redirected off a Reading defenseman and slid under Coyne, giving Arlington the 2-0 lead. The final minutes of the period were back and forth, but Arlington would go on the power play with 2:30 to go. Reading’s penalty kill held strong, and Coyne was solid, ending the second period with Arlington leading 2-0.
In the third period, Reading pushed hard to get back in the game, playing physical and working relentlessly. They got pucks behind Arlington’s defensemen and forechecked aggressively, pinning the Spy Ponders in their own zone for long stretches. Despite the pressure, Arlington defended well, and Snider made several key saves. With eight minutes to go, Arlington turned the puck over at the top of the faceoff circle, and a Reading player gathered it and slid to an open forward in the slot. Snider made a point-blank pad save through a screen to keep the score 2–0. Arlington countered with a few chances of their own, but Coyne came up with a few critical saves to keep Reading within striking distance. With two minutes remaining, Reading took a timeout and pulled their goalie for an extra attacker, setting up a faceoff in Arlington’s end. Arlington won the faceoff, and senior Evan Sparks cleared the puck down the ice into the empty net, giving Arlington a 3-0 lead. Arlington wasn’t done yet. With under a minute left, Russell stripped the puck off a defender’s stick, walked up the wall to the hashmark, turned and fired the puck to the net. Coyne was trying to fight off a screen and never saw the puck as it went right under him into the back of the net, giving Arlington its fourth goal of the game. The Spy Ponders would walk away with the 4-0 win on home ice.
Three Stars:
- G John Snider, Arlington
- F Nolan Russell, Arlington
- D Drew Beck, Arlington