UHL ROUNDUP – 7/10/22 Week 9

 

Jr. Lions 8, Phantoms 1

The Junior Lions received balanced scoring from all three lines to overpower the Phantoms. The winners were paced by a pair of goals and assist each from Jack Sheehan and Mike Spitz, while Clayton Rutherford added a goal coupled with two assists. Goaltender Declan Farrell was denied his second consecutive complete-game shutout when Jared Cappella scored the Phantoms’ lone goal with just over a minute left in the contest. The dominating win was the second time this season the Junior Lions recorded an 8-1 victory over the Phantoms, helping them remain in a first-place tie atop the West Division standings.

 

Lions 8, Patriots 4

A UHL-high six-goal performance from league-leading scorer David Wood allowed the East Division-leading Lions to pull away from the Patriots. Wood scored twice in the first period and another in the second, helping Chelmsford build a 4-2 lead by the second intermission. For good measure, the flashy forward added a natural hat trick during a six-minute span during the final period to bring his season total to 18 goals in just eight games played. Goalie Cooper Campo backstopped the Lions victory with a 33-save effort. Conner Lavery’s two goals and assist led the Patriots, who dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season.

 

Huskies 3, Vikings 1

In a battle at the top of the West Division, the rolling Huskies relied on a pretty end-to-end goal rush from defenseman Jack O’Connell midway through the third to hold off the Vikings. After a scoreless first period, the Vikings grabbed the initial lead early in the second on James Dixon’s unassisted tally and managed to hold onto that slim advantage for most of the middle period thanks to a perfect 16-save performance from starting goaltender Cole Currier. But versatile Huskies standout Jonah Winsor tied the score again with a perfectly placed snipe from the right circle over the shoulder of Nashoba Tech goalie Logan Green (14 saves) shortly before the second intermission. Following O’Connell’s highlight-reel tally, the Huskies, who greatly benefitted from a stellar 32-save effort from goalie Nathan Medeiros, stiffened up their defense before receiving an empty-net insurance goal from Jesse Gertz in the final minute to seal the victory.

 

Ghosts 9, Dracut-Tyngsboro 6

The suddenly surging Ghosts relied on a pair of power-play goals from Porter Gallant and David Maclure to outlast Dracut-Tyngsboro in a high-scoring, penalty-riddled clash. Tied 4-4 after two periods, Nate Mucci scored two of Westford’s five third-period tallies, while goalie Tyler Frazee stopped exactly half of his 26 saves over the final 15 minutes to preserve the victory. After falling behind by three goals in the first, D-T climbed back into the contest thanks to a pair of shorthanded goal just 59 second apart from brothers Nate (2 goals, 2 assists) and Jake Freelove before the first intermission.    

 

Islanders 6, Crusaders 6 (tie)

Brett Anderson’s second goal of the game with just 1:39 remaining allowed the Islanders to earn a much-needed point in the East standings against the Crusaders. Anderson had also knotted the score earlier in the third after Groton carried a 5-4 advantage into the final period thanks to Hunter Woolfrey’s second goal of the game with just over four minutes left in the second. The Crusaders soon grabbed a 6-5 lead with 9:18 left when shifty forward Carter Amidon deposited a nifty end-to-end backhand shorthanded goal over the shoulder of Islanders netminder Cameron Joos (32 saves) to complete his first hat trick for Groton since joining the club after the parity round. Younger brother Braden Amidon chipped in with three assists for the Crusaders, while both Ethan Fradkin and John Cronin posted a goal and assist for the Islanders.

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 6/26/22 Week 8

 

Lions 6, Crusaders 3

Noah Rosado added his name to the lengthy list of Lions snipers with his first hat trick of the season as Chelmsford doubled up the Crusaders. A.J. Bogiorno’s two goals for the Lions gave him a league-high 15 through eight games, while goaltender Cooper Compo turned aside 24 shots to help Chelmsford move into sole possession of first place in the East Division. The Amidon brothers were responsible for all of Groton’s scoring with Carter notching his first multigoal game for the Crusaders and Braden chipping in his second.

 

Ghosts 11, Patriots 3

Four Ghost forwards each scored a pair of goals, while Westford’s stifling defense limited North Middlesex to just 10 total shots on net the entire game. Matt Haggan, Nick Burns, Ben Solari and J.J. Funaro (4 points) all netted two goals in the rout, and starting goalie Tyler Frazee (3 saves) recorded his second shutout of the season for Westford, who snapped the Patriots’ five-game winning streak. North Middlesex scored its three goals in the third off the sticks of Brady Lavery, Cam Fors and Campbell Devine.

 

Dracut-Tyngsboro 3, Islanders 3 (tie)

Brett Anderson’s second goal of the game with 1:05 left proved to be the equalizer for the Islanders, who erased a two-goal deficit entering the third to earn the draw. Drew DuRoss scored in the final minute of the second to increase D-T’s lead to 3-1 on the strength of two early Connor Daniel goals. Anderson began the comeback midway through the third with his first goal of the season, while Islanders goalie Cameron Joos (22 saves) stopped all eight shots he saw over the final 15 minutes.

 

Jr. Lions 4, Vikings 0

Goaltender Declan Farrell posted his first shutout of the season with a stellar 24-save performance, while Hunter Hoffman scored twice and set up a power-play goal in the Junior Lions’ upset victory. The young Chelmsford squad jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first highlighted by Mike Spitz’s man-advantage tally. Vikings netminder Logan Green (6 saves) provided Nashoba Tech an opportunity to rally, posting his second shutout in relief of starter Cole Currier (15 shots, 11 saves), but the offense could never figure out Farrell.

 

Huskies 11, Phantoms 10

In a wild back-and-forth affair, the Huskies held off the hungry Phantoms thanks to an eight-point effort from forward Jake Amoroso. The Phantoms fell behind 7-3 early in the second period before storming back to take a one-goal lead entering the third as Mac Kahwati scored four of his season-best five goals in the middle stanza. But Amoroso gave the Huskies back the lead for good within the first 2:43 of the final period with his fourth and fifth goals on the day before Brendan Driscoll (7 points) added his fourth tally of the game for the eventual game-winner with 5:25 remaining. Defenseman Anu Saynanhang’s first goal of the season pulled the hopeful Phantoms back within one with 3:33 left, but the Phantoms, who received a pair of goals from both Brady McCormack and Nathan Matthews, were unable to score the equalizer despite their goalie being pulled for an extra attacker over the final 85 seconds.

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 6/19/22 Week 7

 

Patriots 7, Islanders 2

The East Division-leading Patriots raced out to a five-goal advantage before the Islanders managed to solve North Middlesex standout goalie Kyle McGrath (20 saves), scoring twice in the final three minutes of the second period. League top goal scorer Jimmy O’Keefe netted a pair and set up another in the victory. Noah Proulx deposited his team-high eighth goal for the Islanders, who were the first squad to score more than a single goal against McGrath in his five appearances.

 

Huskies 3, Jr. Lions 2

Behind an outstanding 39-save effort from goaltender Cavan Quinn, the short-staffed Huskies rallied for two third-period goals to stun the Junior Lions despite featuring only six skaters rotating through all five positions. Johan Winsor scored the equalizer for the Huskies with 8:15 remaining, his second goal of the game, before setting up Elliott Cahill on the right post for his first of the season and the eventual game-winner with 2:31 left. The Junior Lions took the lead in the second on goals from Clayton Rutherford and Hunter Hoffman.

 

Dracut-Tyngsboro 11, Crusaders 7

Two shorthanded goals early in the third period followed by a pair of empty-net tallies late helped Dracut-Tyngsboro hold off the Crusaders. Tommy Workman completed a hat trick with the first D-T empty-netter for his fourth point of the day. After scoring the initial shorthanded goal, Nate Freelove notched his fourth point of the game into the unmanned net shortly after Workman to seal the D-T victory in the game’s final minute. Hunter Woolfrey scored twice for the Crusaders, while Braden Amidon and Cole Biegel added a goal and assist apiece.

 

Vikings 7, Phantoms 1

Ryan Frazier and Zach DiBona netted a pair of goals, while Jayden Auger set up four of his club’s seven tallies as the West Division-leading Vikings overpowered the Phantoms. Mac Kahwati ruined Nashoba Tech’s combined shutout bid, scoring with just 32 seconds remaining in the third against Vikings goalie Connor Peterson (5 saves) after starter Cole Currier stopped all six Phantoms shots he faced. Netminder Travis Vancelette made quite an impression in his UHL debut for the Phantoms, turning aside 28 of the 30 shots he saw.

 

Lions 7, Ghosts 1

The Lions turned up the offensive pressure over the final 15 minutes, breaking open a close 2-1 game with a five-goal explosion in the third. A.J. Bogiorno scored twice in the final period for Chelmsford, while David Wood netted one and assisted on another during the rally, adding to his league-best 21 points (12 goals, 9 assists). Ryan Nelken scored on the power play late in the first period for the Ghosts to tie the score before Nick Lafreniere gave the Lions the lead for good by converting on the man advantage midway through the second. Goalie Mark Bierworth stopped 15 of 16 shots for Chelmsford in a fill-in role.

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 6/12/22 Week 6

 

Patriots 4, Crusaders 2

League-leading goal scorer Jimmy O’Keefe netted a goal in each period, and Maxie Caliri added a late insurance goal as the Patriots held off the Crusaders in East Division play. O’Keefe’s natural hat trick gave North Middlesex a 3-1 lead midway through the third period before Jerry Fang pulled Groton back within one with 5:49 remaining. But Caliri deposited his fourth of the season just 37 seconds later to seal the victory for the Patriots, who were backstopped again by identical 10-save efforts from goaltenders Jack Murphy and Kyle McGrath.

 

Jr. Lions 3, Phantoms 1

Bidding for their first victory, the Phantoms threw a season-high 36 shots on the Chelmsford net only to be denied all but once by Lions netminder Declan Farrell. Newcomer Brady McCormack was the lone Phantom to solve Farrell, tying the score at 1-1 in the final seconds of the first period. Hunter Hoffman’s second goal of the day proved to be the game-winner at the 4:08 mark of the middle stanza, and Mark Spitz added another less than a minute later to account for all the offense. Phantoms goalie Henry Able turned aside 23 shots.

 

Ghosts 4, Islanders 2

After the Islanders erased a two-goal deficit to draw even in the opening 2:17 of the third period, Ghosts forward Ethan Koehr netted the eventual game-winner with 10:57 remaining, beating Islanders goalie Cameron Joos (22 saves) for the second time in the contest. Brian Putney and Kaleb Acucena scored 1:34 apart early in the third to knot the score at 2-2 for the Islanders. Jack Funaro’s goal sealed the win for the Ghosts with under two minutes left.

 

Vikings 10, Huskies 6

Another short bench doomed the Huskies, as the Vikings took advantage of their opponents searching for their second win midway through the game, building an insurmountable lead by scoring five consecutive goals. Jayden Auger posted a hat trick for Nashoba Tech to go along with an assist, while Trevor Desjardins (4 points), Evan Mosscrop and Zach DiBona scored two apiece in the West Division victory. Huskies forward Jonah Winsor led all scorers in the contest with four goals, while P.J. Tittemore registered three assists in the loss.

 

Dracut-Tyngsboro 6, Lions 6 (tie)

Dracut-Tyngsboro roared back from a three-goal deficit entering the third with four straight goals to stun the Lions and take a 6-5 lead with 6:31 remaining. However, Chelmsford managed to avoid the upset loss to start regular-season play as Jack Pelkey scored the equalizer on the power play with 3:55 left on the clock. Luke Teta scored twice in D-T’s third-period rally, while Jake Freelove and Mike DesMarais both netted their second of the game during the frantic comeback. A.J. Bogiorno posted a pair of goals for the Lions, while Joe Stagnone accounted for a goal and assist.

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 6/5/22 Week 5

 

Huskies 14, Phantoms 9

Despite playing without a goalie for the entire contest, the Huskies earned their first win of the season thanks to a five-goal effort from Jonah Winsor. Carter Amidon posted his third hat trick of the season for the Huskies, while brother Bryden notched his first. Mac Kahwati powered the Phantoms offense with five goals, including four in the third period, while T.J. Venezia netted a natural hat trick to go with two assists.

 

Patriots 6, Dracut-Tyngsboro 1

Jimmy O’Keefe scored three of his four goals in the second period, twice set up by Brady Lavery, as the Patriots overpowered Dracut-Tyngsboro. Lavery added a goal of his own in the third before D-T spoiled the Patriots goalie Kyle McGrath’s bid for a fourth shutout in five appearances on Tommy Workman’s third goal of the season with just 46 seconds remaining in the contest.

 

Vikings 4, Jr. Lions 4 (tie)

The Junior Lions stormed back in the final period for what appeared to be a thrilling three-goal, come-from-behind victory on Andrew Monahan’s tally with 1:56 remaining. But the Vikings dodged the stunning defeat when Ryan Frazier netted the equalizer with just 19 seconds remaining after having pulled goaltender Logan Green (15 saves) for the extra attacker. Frazier scored on the power play in the middle of the second period helping Nashoba Tech build what appeared to be a comfortable 3-1 lead. Forward Tim Howard started the Junior Lions comeback with a goal in the opening seconds of the third before setting up Collin Holbrook on the man advantage at the period’s midway point to draw even at 3-3.

 

Ghosts 4, Crusaders 1

Jack Funaro’s power-play goal at the 9:26 mark of the second period proved to be the game-winner as substitute goalie Kyle McGrath backboned a solid victory for the Ghosts behind a 16-save performance. Ethan Koehr added a goal and assist for the winners, while Michael Faia and Ben Solari found the net in the third to put the game out of reach for the Crusaders. Cole Beigel’s unassisted tally early in the third prevented Groton from being blanked on the board.

 

Lions 6, Islanders 4

The balanced Lions attack built a 5-0 lead before the Islanders mounted a comeback with a four-goal third period. Matthew Kaplan, Manny Carvalho, Noah Rosado, Joe Stagnone and league-leader David Wood each notched goals in the opening 40 minutes for the Lions before being shut down for most of the third by Islanders goalie Cameron Joos (34 saves). Matt Ryan, Noah Proulx and Ethan Fradkin scored by the 9:40 mark of the third for the Islanders before the Lions doused the rally on Jack Pelkey’s goal with 1:30 left.

 

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 5/22/22 Week 4

 

Ghosts 4, Dracut-Tyngsboro 4 (tie)

Jacob McDougall’s shorthanded goal with 18 seconds remaining allowed Dracut-Tyngsboro to avoid a tough loss to the Ghosts after surrendering the lead by giving up three third-period goals. Westford had just taken a 4-3 advantage with 1:36 left on Nick Burns’ second goal of the season before Colby Forestall’s roughing penalty forced D-T to pull the goalie just to play 5-on-5 during the final minute. McDougall’s tying tally was his second of the game, having opened the scoring early in the second on the power play. Jack Nelken posted a goal and assist for the Ghosts.

 

Lions 15, Huskies 1

The Lions took full advantage of a short Huskies bench, breaking open a close game after the first intermission with a seven-goal second period. David Wood was responsible for a third of the Lions’ offense, netting five and assisting on another for a six-point performance. A.J. Bogiorno posted a hat trick during the Lions’ second-period outburst, while Cole Pelkey registered four assists. Carter Amidon spoiled the shutout bid by Lions goalie Cooper Campo (14 saves) with a shorthanded goal in the second.

 

Patriots 4, Vikings 1

The Patriots used a three-goal first period to hold off the Vikings, who despite the loss managed to score the first goal of the season against league-leading netminder Kyle McGrath. Forward Tony Iacovone’s second-period tally was the first McGrath surrendered in four appearances, cutting the Vikings’ deficit to two. But Maxie Caliri’s second goal of the game for the Patriots in the third put any hopes of a Vikings’ comeback to rest. Goalie Jack Murphy was a perfect 8 for 8 in relief of McGrath to register his first shutout for North Middlesex.

 

Jr. Lions 8, Phantoms 1

Collin Holbrook and Mike Spitz both netted a pair of goals as the Junior Lions overpowered the Phantoms. Jackson Malio posted a goal and two assists in the win, while goalie Ethan Robinson turned aside 20 shots in his first start of the season. Bryden Caron’s power-play goal in the second accounted for all the offense for the Phantoms.

 

Islanders 4, Crusaders 4 (tie)

The Islanders erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to earn a draw against the Crusaders. After Groton built a 4-2 lead early in the final period behind a goal and assist from Hunter Woolfrey, Islanders forward Corey McNally scored shorthanded three minutes later before Zander Green’s second goal of the day knotted the score for good with just under seven minutes remaining. Crusaders goalies Caden Woolfrey (24 shots, 22 saves) and Cam McCretton (15 shots, 13 saves) were tested with more than double of the attempts on net than Islanders netminder Cameron Joos (19 shots, 15 saves).

 

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 5/15/22 Week 3

 

Lions 12, Crusaders 2

Two early power-play goals jumpstarted the Lions offense in the first period, and another pair on the man-advantage in the second led them to a third straight victory. Two of A.J. Bogiorno’s game-high four goals occurred on the power play, leading to a league-best seven-point performance. Jack Pelkey also registered a hat trick in the rout, while David Wood posted three assists. Cole Beigel accounted for both goals for the Crusaders, who could only generate 11 total shots on the Lions’ net.

 

Ghosts 13, Huskies 1

The Ghosts took advantage of the undermanned Huskies, breaking open a close contest with an eight-goal second period, including three of Ben Svboda’s four on the day. Ben Solari netted three goals to go with an assist, and goaltenders Tyler Frazee (6 shots, 6 saves) and Connor Mierz (2 saves) combined for the victory. Braden Amidon ruined their combined shutout bid with a late third-period goal for the Huskies.

 

Islanders 7, Dracut-Tyngsboro 4

Dracut-Tyngsboro found its scoring touch too late for it to matter, trading three goals apiece in the third with the Islanders, who had already built a comfortable 4-1 lead after the opening 30 minutes. Noah Proulx posted a hat trick for the Islanders, while Matt Ryan chipped in with a goal and assist. Colby Forestall scored twice in the loss for D-T.

 

Patriots 7, Jr. Lions 1

Zander Green’s power-play goal in the second period was all the offense the Junior Lions could muster as the experienced Patriots registered seven unassisted tallies to cruise to the victory. Jimmy O’Keefe notched a hat trick for the winners, while netminder Kyle McGrath stopped all five shots he faced in the second half of the contest to post his third straight shutout for the Patriots.

 

Vikings 10, Phantoms 0

The Vikings scored five times in both the first and second periods against the overmatched Phantoms before taking their foot off the gas in the third to cruise to the victory. Three of Cody Katz’s four goals came in the second for the Vikings, while Sam Santoro set up four goals and added one of his own. Goaltenders Logan Green and Cole Currier both stopped 11 shots apiece to combine for the shutout win.

 

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 5/7/22 Week 2

 

Crusaders 2, Patriots 1

Andrew Cappella’s second unassisted goal of the game with 2:53 remaining in the contest proved to be the game-winner as Crusaders goalies Caden Woolfrey (12 shots, 12 saves) and Cam McCretton (10 saves) combined for victory. Cappella snapped a scoreless tie midway through the second period before the Patriots got the equalizer with just over five minutes left in the third on Campbell Devine’s first goal of season. Kyle McGrath started the game in net for the Patriots and refused to surrender a goal for the second straight week.

 

Dracut-Tyngsboro 18, Phantoms 3

Dracut-Tyngsboro showed no mercy on the youngster Phantoms, bursting out of the gates with a nine-goal first period, including three shorthanded tallies over a 1:07 span. Matt Lesniak, Christos Panagakis, Dylan Preston and Colin Underwood all posted hat tricks in the rout, while Tommy Workman contributed with a pair of goals and assists. Jared Cappella accounted for two of the Phantoms tallies.

 

Islanders 8, Huskies 5

Trailing by a goal entering the final period, the Islanders kept the Huskies off the board the rest of the way while netting four of their own to secure the win. Noah Proulx tied the score at 5-5 less than five minutes to the third before Zander Green netted the eventual clincher just 1:15 later. A late empty-net goal by Nate Glionna and another from Corey McNally in the game’s final minute put it out of reach for the Huskies, who were powered for the second straight week by a Carter Amidon hat trick.

 

Vikings 7, Jr. Lions 3

Four goals from Evan Mosscrop proved to be all the offense the veteran Vikings would need to hold off the upstart Junior Lions. Kyle Bouvier provided a cushion for the winners with a pair of goals, while Cody Katz converted a power-play tally. The Junior Lions also were successful with the man-advantage in the third off the stick of Josh King, while defenseman Vin Weissbach posted a pair of assists in the loss.

 

Lions 8, Ghosts 5

The Ghosts took advantage of a slow start from the Lions, carrying a two-goal advantage into the second. But the high-flying Lions awoke from their early slumber with a four-goal middle stanza as A.J. Bogiorno scored the first of his two goals. Joe Stagnone, Jack Keyo, Noah Rosado and Jack Pelky all posted a goal and assist in the victory, and netminder Cooper Campo turned aside 23 shots. Jacob Lee led the Crusaders with a pair of goals, while Jon Duffy registered two assists in defeat.

 

UHL ROUNDUP – 5/1/22 Week 1

 

Crusaders 7, Huskies 3

Forward Jerry Fang completed the hat trick on an open-net tally with just seconds remaining, while both Will Conway and Andrew Cappella added a goal and assist for the Crusaders. Center Carter Amidon accounted for all three Huskies goals with forward Jesse Gertz setting up two of them.

 

Lions 10, Dracut-Tyngsboro 2

David Wood netted a league-high four goals, while Nick Lafreniere scored once each period as the Lions blew open a close contest with a five-goal second period. Cole Pelkey recorded four assists to go along with a goal for the potent Lions, who received a 16-save effort from goalie Cooper Campo. Dracut-Tyngsboro discovered its offense in the third on goals from Drew DuRoss and Jacob McDougall.

 

Islanders 4, Ghosts 1

Noah Proulx scored twice on the power play for the Islanders, including an impossible-angle snapshot from the left hash mark in the third, as goaltender Cameron Joos turned aside 18 shots in the victory. An shorthanded tally from David Maclure with under six minutes remaining for the Ghosts spoiled Joos’ shutout bid.

 

Patriots 10, Vikings 1

A five-goal explosion in the second period, including two from forward Jimmy O’Keefe to complete a hat trick, powered the Patriots to the convincing win. Forward Max Caliri chipped in with a pair of goals and set up three others, while Patriots center Finn McNabb also posted four assists. Goalies Jack Murphy and Kyle McGrath both stopped six shots apiece to share the victory. Evan Mosscrop’s tally in the second accounted for the Vikings’ only offense.

 

Jr. Lions 5, Phantoms 2

In a clash of a pair of league newcomers, five different goal scorers led the Junior Lions to their first-ever UHL victory. Dominik Villare, Zander Green and Ryan Walsh posted first-period goals for the winners, while Collin Holbrook and Andrew Monahan added single tallies in the second. Brydon Caron netted a goal on the power play for the Phantoms, who were stymied by a 31-save performance from Junior Lions netminder Declan Farrell.