Walpole, MA – In the Songin Winter Classic Championship game, Walpole defeated Shrewsbury by a final score of 2-1 at Rodman Arena. The game had great pace throughout the whole contest. The first started off with both teams feeling each other out but Shrewsbury got into penalty trouble with a major assessed with 6:54 left in the first. They were whistled for another penalty shortly thereafter putting them at a 5-on-3 disadvantage. Walpole jumped on the opportunity and scored a power-play goal scored by defenseman Liam Fisher off a rebound from a Kevin McElaney shot. The goal created some momentum for Walpole and they rolled with it for the remainder of the first period. The second period belonged to Shrewsbury. They came out fast and did a nice job creating chances in the period. They capitalized on the power play late in the second period to set up a meaningful third period of hockey. The goal was scored by Matthew Nuzzolilo off a nice cross-ice feed from Sam O’Connor.
The third period featured chances for both teams. Walpole capitalized to take a 2-1 lead four minutes into the frame. The goal was scored by Ryan McGlynn from Frankie Govoni. Shrewsbury tried to answer with multiple chances but could not capitalize. Walpole netminder Jack Curran shut the door for the remainder of the period to help seal the victory for his team. The Walpole defensive core did a good job clogging the middle and forcing Shrewsbury to the outside as well. Shrewsbury did not go down easy as they created looks at the net up until the final seconds. All due credit to the Rebels for calming the storm. It was an entertaining game to watch!
Three Stars:
⭐️G Jack Curran (Walpole)
⭐️⭐️ F Matthew Nuzzolilo (Shrewsbury)
⭐️⭐️⭐️F Liam Fisher (Walpole)
####
Consolation Game: Longmeadow vs Lowell Catholic
Walpole, MA – In the preceding consolation game, Longmeadow and Lowell Catholic skated to a 3-3 tie in the Songin Winter Classic. The game started off early with a push from Longmeadow controlling a decent amount of play in the first period. They could not capitalize, but the momentum shifted late in the period when Lowell Catholic capitalized on a shot from the point from defenseman Dom Valente. Lowell Catholic capitalized again scoring 40 seconds after their first goal. The score by forward Mike Devita came off a nice feed from forward Alex Pescatore. The first would end with Lowell Catholic up 2-0.
LC came out hot in the second and scored another goal early in the second. That tally was scored by forward Patrick Drew from forward Noah Mills who created a nice net-front play. Longmeadow did not give up, despite trailing by three. The momentum started to shift in their favor and a power-play goal got the monkey off their back. They created chaos in front of the net and the puck was tapped in by Simon Higgins with 9:53 left in the second. Higgins scored another goal two minutes later off a beautiful feed from froward Liam Byrne to bring Longmeadow within one. The second would end with Longmeadow down one and set the stage for a big third period. Longmeadow came out hungry in the third and scored two minutes into the frame to tie the game up. The goal was scored by Byrne off a feed from forward Cole Guidrey. Both teams would have some chances as the game went on but neither could capitalize and the game would end in a tie.
Three Stars:
⭐️F Liam Byrne (Longmeadow)
⭐️⭐️F Cole Guidrey (Longmeadow)
⭐️⭐️⭐️D Dom Valente (Lowell Catholic)
