Mites: The Gateway Mites team played their best game of the season despite a 13-11 loss to Nantucket on Saturday. Nantucket took a quick 2-0 lead in the opening minutes, but the Mites battled back ending the first period with a 7-6 lead. The teams battled back and forth in an exciting second period, but Gateway could not hold on to the lead. Brayden Cannon led the team with four goals. Ben Hebbel, Thomas Clavell, and Patrick Tripp each had two goals and Bree Killion had two assists. Charlie Carroll played a very strong game, ending the night with a season high 49 saves. Gateway, as always, never gave up and played hard right down to the buzzer. The Mites are back in action next Saturday against Martha’s Vineyard.
Squirts: Gateway Squirts played a tough game Saturday versus Lower Cape White. Despite Lower Cape’s efforts, Gateway skated away with the 5-3 win. The team worked a great defensive game, keeping the puck moving zone to zone. They skated hard and showed great passing as well. Goalie Ryker King had some key saves, only allowing one point each period. New comer Tyler (Ty) Riberio showed he can really play a defensive game and fit well with all his teammates. Scorers included Matthew Quinlan with four, Nathan Riberio with one and an assist, and Joe Urnek with an assist. Next week it’s the Squirts versus Lower Cape Black.
Bantams: Shutout goaltending from Zachary Pateakos and Steven Strachan allowed the Gateway Bantams to turn a subpar performance into a 2-0 victory over the Hanover Bantams. Hanover came into the match up averaging nearly five goals against per game. However, Gateway’s careless puck possessions and lack of intensity provided Hanover with the opportunity for an upset. The game remained scoreless late into the second period when Josh Smolinsky found the back of the net with a puck off the sticks of Robert Ramsay and Jake DeMoranville. The third period saw plenty of end-to-end opportunities for both teams, highlighted by a two-man breakaway for Hanover that was snuffed out by Strachan with less than two minutes to play. Playing for the tie, Hanover pulled their goalie and added a sixth skater, only to find heartbreak in Zack Lovendale’s empty netter in the closing seconds.
Middle School 1: The Middle School 1 team took on a tough FR Shaughnessy team on Friday, coming away with a 3-2 victory. The action was back and forth in the early stages, as the teams seemed to be evenly matched. The opponents struck first on a failed attempt to clear the zone; they took advantage and found an opening on a one timer right in front of the net. The Jr. Vikings countered less than a minute later, with Quirino doCanto finding Tyler Lovendale in the slot, who quickly deposited the puck in the back of the net. The two combined just thirty seconds later with help from Matthew Maloney as doCanto again found Lovendale out front, who then lifted a pretty backhand shot over the goalie’s shoulder. The Jr. Vikings stepped it up on defense, not allowing their opponent to score again in the first, while adding another goal themselves. Vyper Latulippe scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Zack Lovendale and Kaleb Riggle. Both teams had a strong, defensive second period, with no goals scored. The Jr. Vikings continued to play tough defense in the third, allowing just one more goal and holding on late for the win. Alex DeMarco stepped it up in net after a couple tough outings, stopping all but two shots.
Middle School 2: It was a winning afternoon for Middle School 2 versus Mansfield. Middle School opened the game with a goal by Jack Martins followed by two more goals by Bryan Gallagher and Johnny Rodrigues to end the first period with a score of 3-0. With a great team effort and fantastic passing, the team continued to score with Makayla Lorance getting a goal and Gallagher earning a hat trick to end the second period 6-0. Jake Demoranville had an outstanding game in net with a near shut out, but with five seconds left in the game Mansfield managed to score, ending the game with a 6-1 win for the Jr. Vikings.