By Avonlea Cummings
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
Blades sliced the ice on Wednesday evening as the Westwood boys' hockey team hosted the Hopkinton Hillers at the Canton Ice House for their third league match of the season. In a hard-fought battle, the Wolverines fell to the Hillers 4-7, concluding the night's competition.
As the puck dropped, Westwood engaged in a spirited contest with Hopkinton. The Wolverines displayed composure on the ice, executing intelligent passes and aiming to score goals. The first period was thrilling as Westwood and Hopkinton traded points. The Hillers secured the lead with 13:44 remaining in the period, making it 1-0. In a swift response, Westwood's freshman Matty Donovan netted a goal with assists from Timmy Molloy and Brady Dumais, tying the match at 1-1. The back-and-forth action continued, with Hopkinton scoring their second goal at 8:40. Undeterred, Westwood persisted, and with 55 seconds left in the first period, junior Timmy Donovan scored the Wolverines' second goal, ending the period with a 2-2 score.
Entering the second period, Westwood and Hopkinton contended for puck possession. The Wolverines demonstrated resilience and skill, defending against Hopkinton's challenges. Over ten scoreless minutes passed before Hopkinton broke through Westwood's defense at 4:31, taking a 3-2 lead. Shortly thereafter, Hopkinton scored again, closing the second period at 4-2.
Cheers erupted from bundled-up spectators as the third period commenced. The Hillers added two more goals early in the period, extending their lead to 6-2. Despite the formidable lead, Westwood continued to battle, facing Hopkinton's challenges head-on. With 6:37 left in the third period, senior Max O'Brien scored for Westwood, narrowing the margin to 6-3 with assists from junior Sean Blomquist and junior Josh McCabe. Just eight seconds later, Blomquist scored, bringing the game to 6-4 and prompting cheers from the crowd. However, the Hillers scored again with just over four minutes remaining, sealing the final score at 4-7 for the Wolverines.
Head coach Matt Sebet provided insights on notable plays and commended certain players for their efforts on the ice throughout the match.
“I think we battled in that first period, obviously going down one to nothing, then tying it up and then going down again 2-1, and just to tie it back again. There was a lot of resiliency in the period there, it felt like we were building up there. Our penalty kill was good too, it was nice to only take one penalty here tonight. I like the way Matty Donovan played tonight, that was his first career varsity goal tonight, and I liked the way he was moving. His brother Timmy Donovan Jr. was one of our best forwards tonight, keeping it simple, head down, driving the net, and getting pucks on, which is exactly what we talked about,” said Sebet.
