By Jennifer Kamionek, Nancy Carter and Tina Labadini
The Concord-Carlisle High School hockey teams all played on Saturday, December 16 on the road against Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School in the annual Warriors 4 Warriors/Patriots 4 Patriots (W4W P4P) Benefit Hockey games.
In its twelfth year, W4W P4P honors L-S graduate 1st Lt. Scott Milley, who died in battle in Afghanistan in 2010. The community-building event has raised more than $120,000 for the 1Lt. Scott F. Milley Memorial Foundation and other military support organizations.
Junior varsity thriller
The junior varsity game kicked off the trio of W4W P4P games at New England Sports Center. C-C was ready to take on L-S in a rematch after a 2-2 tie two weeks ago.
With Sam Griswold in net, the Patriots came in ready to be a force on the ice — and Tyler Kamionek found the back of the net just 42 seconds into the game, with help from linemates Owen Moynihan and Alex Fivek putting the pressure on L-S early and creating a turnover. Freshman defenseman Fisher Tibbet held the blue line strong while Kamionek trailed the forecheck on the side wall by Moynihan, then picked up a loose puck, drove the net hard, and backhanded one by the L-S netminder.
In the second period, L-S fought back. Despite some spectacular Griswold saves, L-S was successful enough with 7:22 left in the middle period to knot up the tight-knit game. C-C kept up the intensity and held the score to 1-1.
In the third period, both teams were determined to leave it all on the ice.
With just 5:07 remaining in the game, Moynihan won the faceoff and passed back to Kamionek, and once again with his speed he drove to the net for an impressive goal between his legs, propelling C-C into the lead once again. Griswold turned away 28 shots in a strong performance in goal, keeping L-S from scoring again. Final score: 2-1.
Girls hockey action
The C-C girls teams faced off at 3 p.m. The Patriots knew it would be a tough game against a strong L-S squad and went in skating hard.
Spectators could feel a change in the atmosphere on the bench after three quick first-period goals by L-S. After a good talk in the locker room and switching up the lines a little, they came back onto the ice, giving it their all once again.
L-S scored four more goals in the second period.
C-C went back to the locker room before the third period and, according to Coach Steph Jahnle, “had an even better talk.”
The team “really focuses on the game and what they need to improve and even more important is the support they have for each other,” Jahnle said. “They had a lot of insight, and we all agreed to go back out and think of this as a 0-0 game each shift.”
The Patriots came out in the third to cheers, and while C-C was ultimately defeated 7-0, in the words of Jahnle, “The growth of the team through the game was a win.”
Men’s varsity showdown
The men’s varsity teams gathered on the ice at 5 p.m. for a heartfelt speech by Steve Milley in tribute to his late son. The color guard performed and Lincoln-Sudbury’s a cappella group presented the national anthem, followed by a ceremonial puck drop.
The teams were well matched for the showdown and stayed locked in a first-period stalemate until the 12-minute mark, when Will Manchuso buried his first of the night off a pass from Jay Carter. L-S answered back almost immediately, tying it up 1-1.
With just 30 seconds left in the first, Jay Carter converted on a pass from linemates Joe Grasso and Manchuso, letting the team retire to the locker room for the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.
In the second period, C-C showed pressure upfront and steely defense in back.
Senior goaltender CJ Bailey was busy all night stopping pucks and corralling rebounds. Fighting off a shorthanded two minutes halfway through the second, Manchuso buried again with help from Carter and Stoddard Healey, making it 3-1. Senior Kal Lonergan was a key part of the play with physicality and tenacious work on defense.
C-C found itself on a power play with five minutes to go, and it didn’t take long — 15 seconds to be exact — for them to score again. Sophomore Cam Doull controlled the puck down low in the offensive zone and passed to Manchuso, who set up Carter for a one-timer from the blue line. Unfortunately, L-S wasn’t going away quietly and responded a couple of minutes later, closing the gap to make it 4-2.
The third period brought more goals on both sides and the fan sections did not disappoint, cheering on their teams and electrifying the building.
L-S crept even closer, scoring at the 10-minute mark to make it 4-3. Less than a minute later, Manchuso got his hat trick goal on a pass from Carter. At 5-3, the C-C student fans were going wild!
With about eight minutes left in the game, things got even more physical. Finding themselves short-handed again, the C-C muscle came out in Lonergan, Healey, Derek Labadini, Trevor Bailey, Chris Sim, and freshmen Chris Bono and Joe Grasso. The guys didn’t relent and played a clean but heavy third period that made all the difference in keeping the puck out of C-C’s end.
For the final minutes, C-C’s team played smart, dishing pucks to the corners and not chasing the other team.
With 35 seconds on the clock, Cam Daley chipped the puck past the L-S defender in the neutral zone and Carter picked it up with speed and netted his third goal of the game for a final 6-3 victory. CJ Bailey made 30 saves on blistering shots and tricky deflections.
“It’s a huge win for our program and I’m just really proud of the boys,” Head Coach Rian Murray said.
“I’m especially happy for the seniors. They hadn’t beaten L-S yet during their high school career, so this meant a lot to them. They did a great job leading the way tonight.”
Next up: Men’s Varsity in Waltham at 7 p.m. Wednesday, December 20.
Learn more at lswarriors4warriors.com
