By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
The defending Division 4 state champions took the first step to being the last team standing as Dover-Sherborn/Weston defeated Monomoy 4-2 on Thursday. Coming into the tournament, the Raiders realized repeating would be a tall task.
“We know we're gonna have a target on our back as defending state champions and a three-seed,” said junior Thomas Lamb. “ We just wanna play every game how we normally do: pucks deep, shots on goal [and] low rebounds.”
Dover-Sherborn/Weston found itself up early when at 12:53 in the first period, Rob Morsilli found himself in the right place at the right time, following up a shot on net from senior Sam Hinckley and slapping the puck past the goalie.
“[The goal] shifted the momentum completely,” said Lamb. “Once we get that first one, it's a lot easier from there. Giving up the first one makes the game a lot harder, especially against a good team like Monomoy. They're gonna be in it the whole way, so getting the first one was big.”
The momentum was evident with a strong defensive stand following a penalty shortly after the score and was carried out for most of the period. Sophomore Christos Rogaris kept momentum up by dangling Monomoy’s goalie with a loop around the net, causing the goaltender to fall, and slinging the puck over him for a score.
Despite the early offensive output, head coach Alex Marlow knows his team is capable of even more.
“We were shooting a lot from the perimeter and that's not our game,” said Marlow. “We like to bang and go to the net, and we just weren't making those shots. We were playing on the perimeter or behind the net. The shots were there, but it's not the quality that we like.”
Monomoy was able cut the Raiders’ lead back to one with a goal at 6:26 in the second period, but the one-goal difference would not last for long. After finding himself in a prime power play opportunity, Lamb could not connect with the puck in front of the net but made up for it with an odd man rush down the ice, sniping a shot from the right side perimeter to the top left of the net.
The third period saw plenty more opportunities for the Raiders but not many finishes. A power play blunder led to a shorthanded goal for Monomoy and a quick threat to the lead for Dover-Sherborn/Weston.
Hinckley delivered the dagger at 1:18 in the third frame, as a shot on net led to the puck trickling past the goalie through the five hole.
The Raiders next matchup came on Sunday against Northeast Metro and Lamb gave his insight on how his team can keep up the great playing.
“I feel like we can carry momentum through our good defense, especially our goalie Will Goldstein,” said Lamb. “[He] is a wall back there, and he’s keeping us in these games. He made a couple of great saves today.”
