Arlington, MA – The 19th-seeded Chelmsford Lions hit the road for a Round of 32 showdown, traveling to Ed Burns Arena in Arlington to take on the 14th-seeded Arlington Catholic Cougars.
AC pushed the pace from the drop of the puck, immediately establishing their game plan by putting pucks behind Chelmsford’s defensemen and hunting them down with an aggressive forecheck. It was a physical brand of hockey early, with AC finishing checks and forcing turnovers. The pressure paid off with 12:45 remaining in the opening period. Senior captain Sam Mathews started the play with a crisp D-to-D pass in the neutral zone to fellow senior captain Brody Lawhorne. Lawhorne quickly sent the puck up the middle, where it was tipped by junior Connor Keough and collected by freshman Landon Masters just inside the blue line. Masters wasted no time, snapping a quick shot that beat Chelmsford junior goalie Will McNeal over his right shoulder to give AC a 1–0 lead. Just a minute later, Chelmsford headed to the power play. They generated a couple of quality scoring chances, but freshman goalie Stephen Camara stood tall between the pipes, turning everything aside. The man advantage shifted some momentum in Chelmsford’s favor as they began to apply steady pressure and gain extended offensive zone time. AC answered the bell again midway through the period. Senior captain Stephen Constantine cut across the high slot and fired a puck toward the net, where sophomore Brayden Boczenowski appeared to get a piece of it, redirecting it past McNeal to extend the Cougars’ lead to 2–0. The rest of the first period was back-and-forth, with both teams creating a few solid opportunities. Chelmsford went back on the power play with just over two minutes remaining in the period but came up empty-handed, as AC carried the two-goal advantage into the break.
The second period was packed with special teams action, as both teams found themselves shorthanded multiple times throughout the frame. AC earned the first power play of the period at the 13:43 mark and they made it count. Senior captain Tyler Heldenbergh took a feed from Constantine down to the left of McNeal, and fired a shot on net. The puck bounced off McNeal and landed right in middle of the crease, where freshman Cael Colarullo was waiting to knock it home through the five hole, extending AC’s lead to 3-0 Just a minute later, Chelmsford had their turn on the man advantage, but Camara turned aside every opportunity. At five-on-five, AC controlled the pace through the middle stanza, spending the majority of the period in Chelmsford’s end and dictating play with sustained offensive zone pressure. At the five-minute mark, AC was whistled for another penalty and this time they capitalized. Sophomore Connor Melville cycled the puck low to junior Aidan Kenney who fired the puck cross crease where sophomore John Rossetti was posted up. Rossetti’s initial shot was stopped but he put the rebound up over a sprawling Camara, getting Chelmsford on the board and cutting the deficit to 3–1. AC responded quickly. Just two minutes later, Boczenowski made a huge hit on a Chelmsford player against the wall in the AC defensive zone to spring Constantine in on a breakaway. Constantine made a smooth forehand to backhand fake before sliding the puck past McNeal to restore the three-goal cushion and make it 4–1. With three minutes remaining in the period, Chelmsford went back on the power play. Midway through the advantage, AC took another penalty, giving Chelmsford a lengthy five-on-three opportunity. Despite the two-man edge, Chelmsford came up empty-handed, and AC carried their 4–1 lead into the final period
Chelmsford went on the power play just a minute into the third period, looking to cut into the deficit early. They generated several quality scoring chances, but Camara shut the door, tracking pucks well through traffic and controlling rebounds to keep them off the board. As the period wore on, AC continued to apply steady pressure, wearing down the Lions with their physical play and puck possession. AC dominated offensive zone time, imposing their will along the boards and below the goal line. McNeal was kept busy in net, making multiple strong saves to prevent AC from extending their lead. Chelmsford struggled to generate a sustained offensive push at even strength and couldn’t find the spark they needed to climb back into the game. AC went on the power play with 5:30 remaining in regulation, but McNeal and the Lions penalty kill unit successfully killed it off. However, with 3:40 left in the period, Chelmsford was forced right back onto the penalty kill. The Lions did a solid job clogging shooting lanes and blocking shots, once again keeping AC off the board. Despite their late efforts, time was not on Chelmsford’s side. With just a minute remaining, AC closed things out and secured a 4–1 victory in the opening round of 32.
Three Stars:
- F Stephen Constantine, Arlington Catholic
- F Brayden Boczenowski, Arlington Catholic
- F Cael Colarullo, Arlington Catholic