Jr. Redmen Squirt AAA Hockey team splits weekend action, improves to 4-1 on the season.

The Jr. Redmen Squirt AAA Hockey team split weekend action with a convincing 3-0 win over Newburyport and a 7-1 loss to Wilmington.  The weekend split runs the Jr. Redmen Squirt AAA record to 4-1.

On Saturday September 21st the Jr. Redmen hit the road for a battle with Newburyport at Haverhill Valley Forum.  The Jr. Redmen once again got off to a fast start as they took an early 1-0 lead just 1:44 into the game when defenseman Andrew Grieco made a great play at his own blue line to break up a Newburyport 2-on-1.  Jason Cooke picked up the loose puck, skated through 2 Newburyport defenders and sent a great cross-ice pass to Jake McDonough who fired a one-timer into the back of the net.  Newburyport battled right back and created offensive zone pressure but the Jr. Redmen got great defensive efforts from Daniel “Bone-Crusher” Kierce (filling in for the short-handed Jr. Redmen) and Jack Griffin.  The Jr. Redmen took a 2-0 lead with just over 2 minutes to play in the 1st period when Jason Cooke fired a hard wrister from the right face-off circle over the goalie’s blocker, assist to Alex Pescatore.   The 2nd period saw lots of offensive zone pressure by both teams but no goals were scored.  Newburyport carried the play in the early parts of the 2nd period, getting off many high-quality scoring chances but Jr. Redmen goalie Ben O’Keefe made a number of highlight reel saves to keep the score at 2-0 for the Jr. Redmen.  The Jr. Redmen had chances of their own when the line of Maci Chapman, Conor Cremin, and Justin Rooney worked the cycle down low resulting in a Cremin shot ringing off the post.  Sean Murphy used his speed to break up a Newburyport breakaway and quickly turned the puck up ice, deking around 3 Newburyport defenders but his wrist shot was saved by the goalie.  On the very next shift Billy Doherty stole the puck from a Newburyport defender to the left of the net and fired a quick backhander that the goalie made a great save on.  The 2nd period closed with a flurry of shots by Newburyport but once again O’Keefe was there to shut the door.  The Jr. Redmen came out flying in the 3rd period, determined to leave the rink with a perfect 4-0 record.  Timmy Sweeney took a nice pass from Jack Griffin and fired a high wrister that rang off the crossbar.  Justin Rooney gave the Jr. Redmen the insurance goal they were looking for with 6:02 left in the game when he fired a shot under the sliding goalie for the 3-0 lead.  Newburyport kept attacking but was unable to penetrate the rock-solid Jr. Redmen defense of Grieco, Griffin, Murphy, and Kierce.  The Jr. Redmen worked hard in the final minutes to preserve the shutout of their goalie Ben O’Keefe.

The Jr. Redmen Squirt AAA Hockey team was back at Haverhill Valley Forum on Sunday morning for a 6:30am battle against the Wilmington Wildcats.  The Wildcats scored early and often and took it to the Jr. Redmen for the majority of the game, resulting in the 1st loss of the season for the Jr. Redmen.  The Jr. Redmen fell behind early when the Wildcats scored just 2 minutes into the game.  The Jr. Redmen battled right back and tied the game 1-1 when Sean Murphy made a great individual play, taking the puck the length of the ice, and beating the Wildcat goalie with a nasty wrist shot.  The Jr. Redmen had chances to take the lead when Brady Chapman, Alex Pescatore, and Jason Cooke had consecutive shots but the Wildcat goalie made the saves.  The Wildcats had chances of their own but Jr. Redmen goalie Ben O’Keefe made a handful of outstanding saves to keep the score tied at one.  The Wildcats scored 2 quick goals late in the 1st period to take a 3-1 lead.   The 2nd period was a battle between two fast, highly skilled teams with great goaltenders.  The Wildcats had the early chances but Jr. Redmen goalie Ben O’Keefe and the defensive unit of Andrew Grieco, Jack Griffin, Sean Murphy, and Andrew Della Piana kept the score at 3-1.  The Jr. Redmen had chances to cut into the Wildcat lead when Timmy Sweeney, Jake McDonough, and Maci Chapman worked the powerplay well but the Wildcat goalie made back-to-back saves.  Justin Rooney and Billy Doherty each had scoring chances midway through the period that were turned aside and Conor Cremin use his quickness to win a battle for a loose puck but his backhander just missed going into the back of the net.    The Wildcats increased their lead to 4-1 with 12.2 seconds left in the 2nd period.  The 3rd period was completely dominated by the Wildcats as they scored 3 times in a 3 minute span to put the game out of reach.  The Jr. Redmen left the rink tired and no longer undefeated but looking forward to getting back on the ice and playing “Jr. Redmen” hockey.