Groton, MA – MassNZ kicked off game two of its doubleheader by driving out for a primetime matchup of D4 contenders. This pitted the MIAA’s number three-ranked team in the Division, the Littleton-Bromfield Tigers, against the 17th-ranked squad, the Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley Blue Knights. This matchup is a carbon copy of the one we saw last year late in the season and it doubled as Senior Night for the Tigers who celebrated nine members of the Class of 2026 and the venue was decorated to fete with streamers, balloons and customized banners hanging from the balcony. On a separate note: we have to ask why Groton School doesn’t allow spectators to enter through the front doors of the venue like nearly every other venue in the MIAA? We were able to get our heart rate pumping with the full walk around both sheets, entering past the practice rink: but there has to be a better way right? Feel free to write your State Senator or Congressman…. With that out of the way, we were ready for hockey as the puck dropped between these top squads.
In the first period, the Tigers came out hot and controlled the majority of the early puck possession. They were feeding off the momentum each line produced in prior shifts and as a result the Blue Knights were pinned in their own end for long stretches. It did not take long to break the seal on this game as 2:17 in the Tigers struck with senior captain Conor Glew firing a quick shot in the slot to make it 1-0 Tigers. They would double that lead 19 seconds later as sophomore Blake Hannon got to the netfront and fired home a strong shot to make it 2-0. After the second tally, the Tigers continued to turn up the heat and they refused to let Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley cross the red line with possession. They were not able to string more than two passes together for the opening 10 minutes but as the period wore on the Blue Knights did create a couple of shots on goal to tilt the ice back to even. That momentum was short-lived as the Tigers would score again with 1:07 left in the frame. Senior Andrew Archer attacked up the middle and drifted towards the faceoff circle using the defender as a screen, wiring home a crossbody shot far side to make it 3-0 Tigers. That would be our score after one period of play.
In the second period, once again, the Tigers came out like a house on fire and used their combination of speed and power to knuckle down the Blue Knights. It was difficult to keep pace with their puck movement and their physicality: there was so little room to operate offensively. Over the course of the period, LAS was able to get a few quality shots on net, but Littleton/Bromfield was putting up a heavy volume of quality looks. They would pad their lead at the six-minute mark as junior Caelan Piekos fired a bomb from the point that was deflected on its way in. It may have hit a teammate or an opponent, but either way it found the back of the net to make it 4-0 Tigers. Less than a minute later they were back on the scoresheet as Hannon drove hard to the net off the wing and teed up a streaking Conor Glew to make it 5-0 Tigers. Shortly after the goal there was a frustration penalty assessed to LAS and ultimately a small skirmish broke out. Once the dust settled, two Blue Knights went to the sin bin and the complexion of this one changed. In the subsequent 5-on-3, the Tigers would score again as senior Liam Glew teed up a point shot that was tipped home by sophomore Kelly Logan to reach the all-important 6-0 margin. This ensured that the third period would be 15 minutes of elapsed running time. There was a bit more pushing and shoving throughout the period but cooler heads seemed to prevail as both teams went to the locker room with the score 6-0.
In the final period, the vibe was very different. The Tigers took their foot off the gas and were content to let the clock run given their substantial lead. For the opening half of the period, they largely tried to play keep away, but LAS was beginning to build some momentum of their own. Clearly, there was something said on the bench or in the locker room because they played one of their grittiest periods of hockey to get themselves back into this game. It all started with 6:30 to go on the power play as a shot by Jack Heffernan was tipped home by fellow senior Andrew Nicosia to make it 6-1. The clock kept ticking, but LAS was not quitting. They added another goal with 4:40 left as sophomore defender Nathan Richard fired home a low shot through traffic to make it 6-2. At that point, the Tigers felt the disturbance in the force and put this game to bed officially by scoring a minute and a half later at the netfront as Hannon shoveled one home to make it 7-2. This further emboldened the Blue Knights to make another push and they would get a little closer. With 2:30 left in the period, Nicosia made a nice read and fired a low shot on net that snuck through the Tigers goalie to make it 7-3. With a minute to go, they would cut the lead down again as a shot through traffic in front hit senior Sean McGrath’s stick on the way in to make it 7-4. Ultimately, the Blue Knights ran out of time on their comeback and the Tigers would add a goal with 30 seconds left as a shot by Liam Glew was put home at the netfront by his brother Conor to give us our final score: 8-4. Both teams would soon await the final Power Rankings and playoff bracket…soon to be revealed on Saturday…
Three Stars:
- F Conor Glew, Littleton/Bromfield
- F Blake Hannon, Littleton/Bromfield
- F Andrew Nicosia, Lunenburg/Ayer-Shirley