Squirts continue to play well: The Agawam Squirt AA team continued its successful season, competing favorably against some of the best teams in the Valley League. Against a tough Acton-Boxborough team, down 3-1 in the third period, the gutsy Chiefs fought back in dramatic fashion to end in a 3-3 tie. While the tie was secured by a brilliant shot from the left point by Billy Curtis, the Chiefs were kept in the game throughout by another solid game in net by Henry Cabot.
The Chiefs also received solid defensive efforts by Clint Gourdeau, Michael Ayers, Aidan Cann and Cooper McNinch. Agawam also benefited from strong contributions offensively by Colby Guyer, who scored the game's first goal, Will Jones, Conor Evers, Cameron Guyer and George Gibson.
The next day, the Chiefs traveled to Saugus to play a Wizards team known for their disciplined play and crisp passing. Led again in net by Cabot, who held the Wizards scoreless, the Chiefs held off the Wizards through strong efforts on both ends of the ice. In this game, two goals by Will Jones were all the Chiefs would need to secure a well-deserved 2-0 win. Head coach Matt Cann continues to be very proud of his team, which continues to play hard against solid competition, a trait that will serve them well as they near the end of the season and prepare for another Valley League playoff run.
Mites Avenge a Loss: The Agawam Mite AA travel hockey team took on crosstown rival Cape Ann last weekend at Pingree School. Looking to avenge a 10-4 lopsided defeat three weeks earlier, the Chiefs came out buzzing from the opening shift to the final buzzer.
Luc Moruzzi got the Chiefs on the scoreboard first with a late first-period goal, and Jimmy Ayers made it 2-0 early in the second. Excellent defense by Chase Davis, Jack Curtis, Dylan Cole and Emmett Harris kept Cape Ann off the scoreboard midway through the game. The game remained very tight until midway through the third period, when Jack Erdmann broke through the Cape Ann defense and tallied with seven minutes to go, followed by an insurance goal from Ayers one minute later. Agawam ended up winning, 5-3.
The coaching staff applauded the team for their aggressive skating and teamwork. Great offensive pressure from Lucy Werner, Sam Curtis, Herbie Collins and Charlie Faldi, as well as outstanding net minding from Drew Dolan made it a great win for the Chiefs.
Agawam sits atop their division with an 11-2-2 record and have two more league games before traveling to Graf Rink in Newburyport to compete in the Larry Fournier Invitational the first week of March.
Pee Wee Team wins two: The Agawam PeeWee A team defeated Tewksbury, 5-0, on Friday night. Agawam got a solid effort in net from Squirt goaltender Henry Cabot, who was making a guest appearance in net. Strong defensive performance by Sam Cabot, Mark Roselli and Brynne O'Connor and relentless back checking by Corina Dorr and Ben Gibson aided Cabot in his shutout. Henry Jones got the Chiefs on the board in the first period, potting a nice feed from Christian Fabbri. Simon Peterson made it 2-0. Fabbri then made it 3-0 backhanding a top corner shot after a feed from Jones. Mark Roselli scored to make it 4-0. Connor Gilligan finished the scoring.
The Chiefs fought from behind to defeat Methuen, 4-3. Trailing 3-2 with four minutes to play, Connor Gilligan tied the game, and then, two minutes later, Tucker Spencer netted the game winner. Gilligan, Peterson and Dorr were the other goal scorers. Jones (2), Nate Hyde, Spencer and Fabbri had the helpers. The Chiefs improved to 14-4-2 on the season, earning them the top spot in the Valley League "A" South Division.
