Watertown, MA – For our second game of the day covered on video, we were able to take in a Sweet 16 matchup where 12th-seeded Dracut/Tyngsboro Middies traveled to the John Ryan Arena in Watertown to take on the 5th-seeded Watertown/Wayland Raiders.
The first period was all Raiders. They played with possession in the Middies’ end for a good chunk of the period. Running a low-to-high passing attack and creating good scoring chances from the point. Dracut/Tyngsboro sophomore goalie Connor Cole was busy all period and made some good saves, but none better than a 2-on-1 lateral save on Raiders senior forward Aidan Campbell who was wide open in front. But Watertown/Wayland would get on the board a couple minutes later on a harmless dump-in by junior defenseman Caden Salzman. It looked like Cole just misjudged it and it gave Raiders the 1-0 lead. They would add to the lead with a couple minutes left in the period. On a 2-on-1 , junior forward Alec Banosian got a pass from sophomore Shane Desmond and beat Cole far side. The period would end 2-0 in favor of Watertown-Wayland.
The Raiders continued where they left off in the first. They did a good job of getting pucks behind Dracut/Tyngsboro’s defenseman and applying good pressure which created multiple turnovers. Watertown/Wayland would make it 3-0 when junior James Erickson blocked a shot at the point and went in on a breakaway, beating Cole over his right shoulder. The Middies would go on the power play with seven minutes to go in the period and capitalize. Senior Tommy Workman got a pass across the slot from junior Colin Underwood and hammered a one-timer beating Raiders goalie Casey Williams. Watertown/Wayland continued to carry the play and Cole made a few great saves to keep the game at 3-1.
Dracut/Tyngsboro came out in the third with some pushback but couldn’t really get any quality chances. The Raiders were a bit cavalier in their own end but it didn’t end up costing them. At the eight-minute mark, Watertown/Wayland would go on the power play and once again Erickson would bang home a Campbell pass in front of the net for his second of the game and the Raiders’ fourth. Erickson would complete the hat trick two minutes later when he beat Cole on a wraparound. Dracut/Tyngsboro would double up their score when junior Matt Luis banged home a loose puck past Williams with six minutes left in the game. The game got a bit chippy and the Raiders found themselves on a 5-on-3 power play. Raiders senior defenseman Jack Dickie scored on a Banosian rebound giving Watertown/Wayland their sixth and final goal of the game. The Raiders advance to Elite 8 with a 6-2 win today and will face Nauset on the road in the next round on March 8 at 6pm.
Three Stars:
- F James Erickson, Watertown/Wayland
- F Alec Banosian, Watertown/Wayland
- D Jack Dickie, Watertown/Wayland
