Wilmington Boys Hockey Team Passes Stern Test Against Lynnfield

The varsity hockey team hosted the Lynnfield Pioneers Saturday evening at , and after a hard-fought battle, came away with a 3-0 victory to add to their record.

From the very outset, it was clear the Wildcats were facing a tough opponent. The Pioneers knew they would have to play physical, fast-paced hockey if they wanted to defeat an experienced Wildcat team.

“We knew we were playing one of the best teams in our division.” Lynnfield coach Vin Mirasolo said. “The Wildcats are a talented, veteran team.”

It looked as though the first period would end scoreless, until captain Brian Hurley scored the first Wildcat goal with 3:34 left in the period. He was assisted by forward Cam Owens.

Although Lynnfield found difficulty in scoring, they were able to prevent the Wildcats from increasing their lead on two separate occasions when they found themselves shorthanded after a couple of penalties. When the horn sounded signaling the end of the first,Wilmington led, 1-0.

As the second period began, both teams continued with the same hard-hitting play as the first. The period would end with neither team scoring, although Lynnfield would findthemselves in a power play situation with 50 seconds left in the period, but were unable to capitalize.

“We tried to stress the importance of the first goal against a good defensive team,” Wilmington coach Steve Scanlon said. “We had a strong second period, and had nothing to show for it. We talked in the locker room about not getting frustrated and look for a good opportunity.”

When the third period began, the Wildcats did just that when captain Dalton Rolli picked off a clearance pass and scored an unassisted goal at 14:04 putting Wilmington up 2-0.

The Wildcats were able to prevent Lynnfield from scoring, and with a little over a minute left in the game, the Pioneers pulled their goalie. But assistant captain and forward Andy Owens were able to score on an empty net with a minute left in the game making the score 3-0.

“I thought it was a hard fought game by both clubs,” said Scanlon. “The goaltending was excellent.”

The Wildcats next host Amesbury Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. at Ristuccia Arena. They then travel to Newburyport on Saturday. Puck drops at 7 p.m.