ARLINGTON, Mass. — It took Tewksbury one minute to put itself one step closer to being the top public school in the MIAA, despite being in Division 2.
In 60 seconds during the second period, the Redmen scored twice, which was enough to win 2-1, advancing to the Ed Burns Coffee Pot tournament championship.
First, sophomore forward Jack Ryan tipped a shot past Arlington goalie John Snider. Then, exactly one minute later, junior forward Kevin Andriolo took it himself around the Arlington net, got a shot off and got his own rebound, which he scored on.
Tewksbury rode those two goals to hold on.
The Spy Ponders opened the scoring with 28.4 seconds left in the first period when senior forward Cam Petrillo received a pass from senior Nolan Russell and rifled one past Tewksbury sophomore goalie Cole Abruzi.
Tewksbury improved to 14-0-1 and will play the winner of Hingham-Canton. Arlington fell to 11-4-0 and will play the loser of that game.
Let's dive into some standouts and takeaways.
Tyler Bourgea
Tewksbury, 8/7/2007, F, right shot, 6-0/170Â
Bourgea had multiple scoring chances on his first shift, which made it all the more impressive that Arlington prevented him from scoring. Still, Bourgea was able to drive play and rack up scoring opportunities. Head coach Derek Doherty had Bourgea going over the boards every other shift. Bourgea found ways to get open to gain possession, and late in the game, he did provide coverage down low in the defensive zone as the center. Bourgea was a step above.
Jake Cunha
Tewksbury, 2009, D, right shot, 5-10/175
Cunha was a beast on Sunday. His quick skating and assertiveness had him rushing pucks and creating scoring chances, while still getting back on defense. He was physical and never afraid to step up and make a big hit in the neutral zone. In his own zone, he maintained close gaps and showcased a great stick in disrupting opposing puck carriers. There were no hits he didn't finish, and he never shied away from taking on Arlington's big forwards.
READ MORE:Â Our boys MIAA midseason report
Cameron Duval
Tewksbury, 1/15/2008, D, right shot, 5-9/170Â
Duval was similarly effective on defense. He showed strength in his 1-on-1 battles. On one sequence in the first period, he got under Arlington forward Drew Beck, who is 6-foot-5, and took him down as the puck was coming to the netfront, preventing a scoring chance. Duval consistently used his body and frame to separate players from the puck. Another sneaky asset in Duval's game: his shot.
Kevin Andriolo
Tewksbury, 7/30/2009, F, right shot, 5-5/130Â
Andriolo only played half the game after leaving midway through the second with an injury. But Andriolo's goal was the eventual game winner, and it all came from his compete. Arlington made it very difficult for Tewksbury forwards to get to high-danger areas, so when Andriolo sped down the wing, there was no route to the middle. He wrapped it around and got a chance, but Snider made the save. Andriolo, however, stuck with it and potted the rebound.
John Snider
Arlington, 2009, G, catches leftÂ
Snider is the reason this was a one-goal game. He was very square to shots and never overcommitted to chances. That was especially true on Bourgea's many shots. Late in the third period, Snider got his stick on a floating wrister from Bourgea out by the point. He robbed him moments later with the blocker.
Nolan Russell
Arlington, 6/12/2007, F, left shot, 5-9/165
To no surprise, Russell was Arlington's best scoring chance creator. He made a sweet pass in tight to Petrillo for Arlington's lone goal. Early in the first period, when Tewksbury was the better team, Russell tipped a shot that went just wide for the Spy Ponders' first big chance. On a penalty kill in the second, Russell ragged the puck in Tewksbury's zone and hit senior Armen Vartainen with a pass in front, and Vartainen just missed a goal.
Cam Petrillo
Arlington, 10/28/2007, F, right shot, 6-2/194Â
Petrillo peppered Abruzi with shots throughout the game. His goal was on a quick, accurate release that went over the netminder's glove. On power plays, the Spy Ponders consistently fed Petrillo for one-timers. There was one at the end of the second period where it felt like Petrillo kept getting shots off. He had a key chance late in the game through traffic that Abruzi stopped.
READ MORE: 10 standouts, takeaways from Pope Francis' win over Hingham
Takeaways
- Tewksbury was the better team on Sunday, but the Redmen weren't overwhelmingly better. Arlington did well at keeping Tewksbury's lethal forwards to the outside and making them settle for low-danger chances. Even during long offensive-zone sequences, the Spy Ponders did their best to keep Tewksbury to the perimeter.
- One thing Tewksbury did really well: Negate Arlington's Hail Mary-style breakouts. Arlington's defenders often throw pucks into neutral ice to create odd-man rushes for forwards. Tewksbury played aggressively, however, and the third forward high would sink back into the neutral zone or one of its defensemen would step up for the interception.
- Every year, Arlington has defensemen who aren't flashy but just get the job done. On Sunday, it was junior Will Mahoney, who consistently made important defensive plays. In the first period, he dove behind Snider after a Bourgea shot bounced off the goalie and was going in. But Mahoney knocked the puck away, preventing a goal. In the third period, Mahoney was beaten by Bourgea, who caught him flat-footed, but Mahoney hustled back, took a good angle and forced Bourgea wide.
