By Paul Vozzella
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter
To finish another chapter in its up-and-down season, the Rockets were unable to pull out a win against Walpole on Wednesday night by a 4-0 score, falling to 9-8 on the season.
Needham has managed to score three or more goals in nine games this year. Conversely, the team has not been able to score any goals in three out of the last five games, including its game versus the Timberwolves.
“We play together as a team,” said captain Tommy Peabody on the difference in offensive production. “I think everyone in the locker room, myself included, knows we’re not there right now. We’re gonna do everything we can to get back to [the point of producing more].”
The vast majority of the first period looked like a stalemate with Needham not being able to produce much on offense while locking down Walpole’s offensive attack. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves were able to break through, scoring with 1:30 left in the frame.
In the second period, Needham had several advantages due to Walpole penalties but they were unable to net any goals.
“There was just a lot of perimeter stuff,” said Head Coach Mike Hoban. “We didn't really execute on two-on-one chances. It was all just keeping it on the outside and being content with shots on the outside. Walpole’s goalie was great. We didn't get him moving laterally to create a really good opportunity.”
With Needham down 3-0 after two quick goals, Hoban made the decision to switch goalies about halfway through the period. Senior Conor Espinola took over between the pipes for the Rockets.
“[We needed to] try to create some spark,” said Hoban. “It wasn’t an indication of how our goalie was playing; it was more [so we could] get some jump.”
Espinola and Needham locked down the Timberwolves’ offensive attack for the rest of the period but eventually surrendered another goal in the first minute of the third period. The key to finishing the season strong is forgetting about the game and getting back to work, according to Peabody.
“[We have to] trust each other, move past this game right away, get back to practice tomorrow [and] keep the energy high.”
While the state power rankings give Needham a good chance to make the playoffs, it will not be until the ten-win mark that it is a certainty. They faced Waltham (13-5) on Saturday, Barnstable (13-4) on Monday and wrapped-up the regular season against Hopkinton (7-8-2) on Tuesday.
