STONEHAM, Mass. -- After falling behind 1-0, Wilmington took advantage of special teams to slip past Wakefield, 3-1, on Tuesday night at Stoneham Arena in a Middlesex League showdown. Wakefield got on the board first when junior Brogan Chambers found Joey O'Brien in the slot for a goal. The Warriors, without a few key players, had several...
STONEHAM, Mass. -- After falling behind 1-0, Wilmington took advantage of special teams to slip past Wakefield, 3-1, on Tuesday night at Stoneham Arena in a Middlesex League showdown.
Wakefield got on the board first when junior Brogan Chambers found Joey O'Brien in the slot for a goal. The Warriors, without a few key players, had several chances to keep the momentum in their favor, but puck luck wasn't on their side.
Wilmington evened the score, 1-1, later in the first period when sophomore Riley Fitzgerald lit the lamp with a one-timer from the left wing circle on the power play. Junior defenseman CJ Petrie picked up the primary assist.
The Wildcats took the lead in the third period when senior Joseph Hill forced a turnover and raced in alone for a shorthanded breakaway tally. Wilmington's penalty kill was able to shut down numerous Wakefield power play attempts.
Junior Christopher Bernazani gave Wilmington some insurance with a tally midway through the final period.
Prospect watch
The clear standout on Tuesday night was Fitzgerald, an '03 right-shot who played his off wing. He played in all situations, including the power play where he scored his team's first goal. On the sequence leading up to his goal, he made a really nice pass to maintain possession and then found a soft spot in the defense while away from the puck.
There was no one else in the game that saw the ice like he did and he made a couple of really good passes. He also made a couple of notable plays while killing penalties. Fitzgerald has a good foundation to his game and once he gains more lower body strength, his game should elevate further.
It's not everyday you go to a MIAA game and see a coach utilizing his underclassmen the way Wilmington coach Steve Scanlon did on Tuesday. It was nice to see.
Wilmington lines
Robarge - Venezia - Kincaid
Fitzgerald - Hill - P. Kourkoutas
Courtney - Packer - Padulsky
Bernazani
Pendenza - J. Kourkoutas
Crowley - Petrie
Cuozzo
Wakefield lines
Tryder - Moniz - Miller
Souza - M. Elwell - S. Elwell
Vaca - Chambers - O'Brien
Simoneau - Locke - DeFeo
Coombs - Burns
Regan
Roberts
