Kingston, MA – A rare Monday matinee game was played today as part of round three of the Patriot League Cup, and was a D1 grudge match for South Shore bragging rights. The game was between the Duxbury Dragons, playing out of their home rink, and the Hingham Harbormen, who entered as one of the top seeds in the Patriot League bracket. This game was played over three conventional fifteen minute periods and collectively the two teams battled it out and left it all on the ice in this win or go home matchup.
The first period started, and from the get go the Harbormen were in control. They were heavily controlling the offensive zone, but could not find the back of the net. For the first ten minutes, the defense of the Dragons shined, as they stifled most Hingham opportunities to open the contest. However, with 6:25 remaining in the first, the Harbormen would break through. A slick cross crease pass from senior forward Evan Corbett hit junior Sean Garrity on the tape for an easy tap-in to open the scoring. Minutes later, the Harbormen were at it again, this time on the power play. Senior captain Paul Forbes found his spot opposite Ovechkin’s office, was set up for a nice wrister and scored top shelf to put Hingham up 2-0, a lead they would take into the first intermission.
The second period followed the same script as the first. One thing that stuck out about Duxbury from this game was their willingness to create offense via the counter-attack. This was seen in the first few minutes of the second period, but ultimately they had nothing to show for their efforts. Just over four minutes into the second period, however, the Harbormen picked up where they left off. Sean Garrity was able to get free in the neutral zone and moved in for a breakaway, where he roofed a shot over the Dragons’ goaltender, making the game 3-0. Fast forward five minutes, and Hingham was able to get another on the board. This time, junior defenseman Drew Carleton found the back of the net after he rifled a shot from the point, through the Dragons’ defense and past their goaltender. Then, with less than a minute remaining in the period, there was a nearly identical play, with Carleton putting one home from the point. Both goals together made the game 5-0 for the Harbormen, where the game would stay into intermission.
The third period was the most quiet of the three. Duxbury had multiple opportunities to decrease their deficit, but the performance of senior Hingham goalie Theo Jacobs helped ensure that didn’t happen. When the Dragons created offensive pressure, Jacobs was there all game to shut down any attempt at a Duxbury comeback. A third of the way through the final frame, forward Andrew Concannon scored his first of the game. The Hingham sophomore made a nice move around a Dragons’ defenseman and floated a backhander on net that trickled in to make the game 6-0. This is where the game would stay until the final buzzer; a shutout for Theo Jacobs and a big playoff win for Hingham.
The Harbormen are next headed to Gallo Arena on Wednesday where they will take on Scituate in the Patriot League Semifinals.
Three Stars:
- G Theo Jacobs, Hingham
- F Sean Garrity, Hingham
- D Drew Carleton, Hingham
