Top-seeded Hopkinton boys jump on Silver Lake in Div. 3 South hockey

CANTON — After rolling through the Division 3 South bracket virtually unchallenged a year ago, the Hopkinton boys hockey team has already had to sweat a little in the first game of its title defense.

The top-seeded Hillers (20-1) established a four-goal lead in the second period Friday night against No. 17 Silver Lake but had to hold on as penalties piled up, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 5-3 victory.

“We watched Silver Lake and we knew they were going to be a dangerous team,” said Hopkinton coach Chris McPherson, whose team outscored foes 20-2 in last year’s sectional. “For a 17-seed, that’s a good hockey club, so it’s good to be tested early and I think that will help us moving forward. They pushed us to our limits.”

Senior captain Kyle Rogers, the Tri-Valley League MVP, led the way for the Hillers, who move on to face No. 9 Bishop Stang at the Canton Ice House on Sunday.

Five-on-five hockey was scarce in the final two periods as 17 penalties were called, including 19 minutes combined in the third.

Rogers and lethal linemates Sean Walsh and Tommy Hamblet got things going for Hopkinton with two goals just 22 seconds apart late in the first period, shoveling in a backhand from in front and picking his spot from the slot, staking the Hillers to a 2-0 lead after one.

The key sequence of the night came midway through the second. Tyler Mason pulled the Lakers within 2-1 on a 5-on-3 power play and with plenty of time remaining for the 5-on-4, but junior defenseman Ronnie Shamus stunned Silver Lake with a short-handed strike from the right circle for his first varsity goal, and Walsh and Pavit Mehra added goals in quick succession to stretch the lead to 5-1.

“It was a good snipe, he put that right upstairs. Looked like a forward,” said McPherson of Shamus. “What a first goal and what a moment for him. We are really proud of him because he really is a solid, solid stay-at-home defensemen and to see him come through in a big moment like that was really great for the team.”

David Armstrong got one back for Silver Lake (10-10-2) before the period was up, and a pretty wraparound from Kevin Cardarelli on a 5-on-3 sliced it to 5-3 with 8:42 remaining. But Gray Bailey made eight of his 18 saves in the third to preserve the lead.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2PA8rTo