Sports

JIM’S VIEW: A Tough Hockey Doubleheader for High School, Semi-Pro Teams

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The John A. Ryan isn’t the only rink around that gets used with the frequency that matches Massachusetts drivers running red lights, but it sure feels that way. This past Saturday at 4 p.m. Watertown/Wayland was faced with the challenge of trying to end a drought dating back to Dec. 23 — as in the last (and only) time they won a hockey game, and they had to do it versus the sixth ranked Spy Ponders of Arlington. Up next would be the Boston (nee Watertown) Gold Kings of the Senior Power Play Hockey League as they welcomed the first place and undefeated Hudson Valley (as in New York State Hudson Valley) Reapers to the JAR. Six periods of hockey on a Saturday on the eve of a predicted whopper snowstorm. Up first, Watertown/Wayland versus Arlington, and the Spy Ponders showed why they are one of the best teams in the State. They played disciplined hockey, they skated hard and fast, they passed well, and they never seemed out of position. Arlington scored 43 seconds in and it was all they would need on this afternoon. They scored seven more times though on the way to an 8-0 shutout. 

Earlier in the week Watertown/Wayland played a top 20-ranked Winchester tight in impressive fashion, ultimately losing 3-2. One wondered if Watertown/Wayland could carry that effort over to this game, but it was ultimately an unfair expectation. This is not to say that Watertown/Wayland gave up or failed to play hard. That hasn’t been the case all season, despite the frustration that comes from entering the game with a 1-11 record. But Arlington was relentless with every aspect of their game, and made it very difficult for a team that struggles to score goals as it is, to find scoring opportunities.  

Seven games remain for Watertown/Wayland to grow and improve. They remain a young team with a lot of underclassmen, and the Watertown/Wayland coaching staff will refuse to let this team hang its collective head. They will practice hard and play hard, and don’t be surprised if a win or two knocks on the door in the weeks ahead!

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boys Hockey Brings Their A-Game And Almost Pulls Off a Big Upset 

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Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m. at the John A. Ryan Arena, with Watertown/Wayland Raiders Hockey in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, one and all were treated to an excellent hockey game. Watertown/Wayland was faced with the challenge of trying to end the losing streak against the Winchester Red & Black, ranked 14th in the Boston Globe Top 20 as of last week and fresh off a big win at Belmont. 

On top of that, Watertown/Wayland was facing an excellent goalie, Senior Macklin O’Flynn, the 6’3″, 190 pound lefty. And aside from a seven goal shellacking at the hands of top-3 Hingham a few weeks back, Winchester had given up only 12 goals in 8 games. On this afternoon, though, the Raiders gave a great effort and deserved a better fate than a 3-2 defeat. The first period highlighted the fact that the Raiders top line of Center Lukas Wynn and Forwards Luke Egan and Griffin Wood can play with anyone.  These three are tired young men at the end of most games, as their ice time is double or more than the other two lines combined.  And after a Winchester goal by Leo Dagostino gave the Red & Black a 1-0 lead, the Raiders top line line came through seven minutes later to tie it at one.  Griffin Wood, positioned perfectly to the right of goalie O’Flynn, knocked home a rebound created by some nifty play from Luke Egan.  

Recent home games have found the Raiders in a hole and trailing by two or three goals after one period, so the 1-1 score was refreshing and certainly must have given the Raiders some confidence going into the second period. And look, you don’t get awarded a goal for simply winning the period, but Watertown/Wayland was the better team in period number two, and even had the better scoring chances. 

The only penalty of the game was called in the second, a two minute roughing call (can you say cheap shot?) administered by Winchester’s Caiden Brady on Lukas Wynn. Wynn had trouble getting up and after being examined by the trainer had to be helped off the ice by two of his teammates as he couldn’t put weight on his right leg. Watertown executed a solid power play which included a few testers on O’Flynn, but they couldn’t score. More importantly, though, what looked like perhaps a serious injury to first-line forward Wynn was miraculously not, as he started the third period between his first-line mates Egan and Wood. The third period started pretty evenly with the score still knotted at 1, but senior Axel Osborn changed that when he hammered home a third rebound attempt top-shelf over a beleaguered Raiders goalie Findlay MacDonald. It should be noted that MacDonald was once again excellent in net, and made three excellent saves at close range in this exchange, but no one was able to clear the rebound and Osborn’s special shot made it 2-1 Winchester three minutes into the third. A little over three minutes later Caiden Brady made it 3-1, and thoughts of a magical third period, a first win in a month and an upset of a ranked opponent seemed to have faded faster than a Drake May strike into the end zone for a touchdown. But, oh, thee of little faith. On this day the Raiders had a response. A team that had scored only 16 goals in 11 games leading into today, made it 3-2 just over a minute later thanks to the first line once again. Luke Egan got the goal, with assists from his linemates Wood and Wynn. All three deserve a start of the game! So, with 8 minutes gone and only 7 remaining, could Watertown/Wayland come up with the equalizer and send this game to overtime?

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boys Hockey Struggles Against Melrose

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It was matinee-Saturday at the John A. Ryan Arena as Watertown/Wayland and Melrose faced off with a 12:30 p.m. puck drop. Watertown/Wayland, in the midst of 7 of 8 at home, was obviously eager (desperate?!) to get off to a good start and put together a 45 minute game on the way to breaking into the win column in league play. Watertown/Wayland came into the game 0-7 in Middlesex League play and Melrose 1-5. But, as they did last Saturday versus Stoneham,  Watertown/Wayland gave up two early goals to Melrose, and just couldn’t figure out a way to light up the lamp on the way to being shut 3-0. I’m going to sound like a broken record, but this edition of Watertown/Wayland Hockey is better than its 1-10 record. Coach John Vlachos ran out three lines on this day, and each did some good things. The number one line of Lukas Wynn, Griffin Wood and Luke Egan created the most pressure on Junior goalie Cole Matthews, but found it difficult to “muck it up” in front of him. Most of Watertown/Wayland’s scoring chances were clean looks for the Melrose goaltender, and he gave up very few rebounds on the afternoon. That said, Egan had an excellent game. The junior skated hard and fast all afternoon, and did everything he could to lead by example. He was clearly Watertown/Wayland’s number one star. The second line consisted of Liam Tourville, Jake Fijux and Micheal Philibin. They too were a hard-working threesome, and truly, if they are guilty of anything it’s being a few inches too small and a few pounds too light against a decent-sized Melrose lineup. That’s not the kind of disadvantage you point the finger at and say “hey, you got to do better.” The threesome worked their tails off and stood their own all afternoon. The third line of Ryder Barenholtz, Logan Desrosiers and Maguire Cruz didn’t see as much ice time as the first two lines, but also did some good things while out on the ice.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boys Hockey Battles Stoneham to the End

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Watertown/Wayland gave up two goals 39 seconds apart early in the first period Saturday afternoon against the visiting Stoneham Spartans, and that early deficit turned out to be too hard a mountain to climb as Watertown/Wayland fell to 1-8 on the season (0-6 in the league) in a 5-2 loss at the JAR. Both teams came into the game wanting and needing a Middlesex League win, as Stoneham entered the game 1-5 in league play. Two shifts in, it looked like both teams came ready to play, as skating was fast and determination strong. But, in a blink of an eye Watertown broke down in their own end, forcing Watertown/Wayland goalie Findlay MacDonald to face unstoppable challenges at 2:01 and 2:40 to give Stoneham a 2-0 lead. Watertown/Wayland was given two power play opportunities down 2-zip, but they couldn’t cash in. Three minutes after the second power play, Watertown gave Stoneham their first of the afternoon and they did cash in 43 seconds into the power play to make it 3-0 after one period of play.  

Team sports provides such wonderful opportunities to young athletes to experience so many great things.  Every experience is made better by winning, of course, but not everyone is meant to — win, that is. Watertown/Wayland has a record that says they are a bad team at 1-8. From my vantage point, that’s not the case. But, the truth in sports is not always fair. Watertown/Wayland has good players, they play hard, and they never give up. The problem is they are young, somewhat undersized and still developing their skills. 

All that is a way of saying there is very little room for error, and quite often it requires extraordinary feats to compete. Saturday, for example, MacDonald in net had an excellent game by any standards. He made any number of saves where he had to stand on his head, and if he hadn’t the game would not have been close.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boston Gold Kings Return to the Ice from Holiday Break in Style

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Power Play Senior Hockey action returned to the John A. Ryan Arena on the first Saturday night after the New Year, pitting the hometown Boston Gold Kings (BGK) versus the Holyoke Papermen. The Gold Kings started the night in second place, and by the end of the night they were still there thanks to an offense that clicked early and often, and a sterling performance from goaltender Mike Cowell. Final score of this one was BGK 7 and Holyoke 2. To say that the BGK’s dominated from start to finish is probably a little bit of hyperbole, but they scored 53 seconds in and again 6 minutes later to take a 2-0 lead, and they never looked back.  Goals were courtesy of a Brandon Garneau breakaway and a G.J. Grinnell backhander off a pretty feed from Matt Baldino. Holyoke mustered 10 shots in the period, but didn’t consistently threaten. They scored their only goal of the night (until a garbage-time goal with a minute left in the game) when a BGK breakdown allowed Papermen forward Sean Egan to finish a play that teammate J.D. Anderson started, with Cowell left out to dry. So, 2-1 after one period, but it didn’t feel that close. The Gold Kings made sure the score reflected their control of the game in the second period, with a three-goal flurry in the span of 7 minutes. J.T. Freedman, Dave Mackenzie and a power play goal by Matt Baldino accounted for the scoring. Defenseman Mackenzie was especially active at both ends, all night long, and was one of the stars of the game with two goals and an assist. Late in the period, and with a 5-1 lead, the Gold Kings committed back to back penalties and provided the Papermen with a 5-on-3 opportunity and a chance to get back in the game.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Boston Gold Kings Explode for 8 Goals, Break a Two-Game Losing Streak

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The Boston Gold Kings(BGK), essentially the Watertown Gold Kings and one of five teams in the Power Play Senior Hockey League (PPSHL) Northeast Division, returned home to the John A. Ryan Arena Saturday night to take on the Salem Sasquatch. The Gold Kings had lost the past two weeks on the road, but remained in second place after 7 games. This was the second time these two teams were meeting this season — the Sasquatch won the first game 5-4 at home back on Nov. 8. Tonight was a different story, as the Gold Kings defeated Salem 8-4. Things didn’t start out well, as BGK was assessed a bench minor before the game even began — they submitted their lineup card after the time required to do so — and Salem took advantage scoring a power play goal only 77 seconds into the game. But BGK recovered and controlled play throughout most of the period. That translated into three goals, two on the power play courtesy of Matt Baldino and Brandon Garneau. Forty-three-year-old defensemen Jon Lounsbury scored the other goal; 3-1 BGK after one period. Evan Morelli was in net for the Gold Kings, and Keegan McGlaughlin for the Sasquatch.

Sports

Watertown Boys Hockey Seeks Another Tourney Bid, Season Begins at Belmont on Satuday

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The Watertown hockey team seeks another trip to the State Tournament in 2025-26. Here the Raiders celebrate a 4-3 double overtime victory over Pembroke in the MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The Watertown boys hockey team faces off with Belmont on Saturday in the first regular season game of the year. The Raiders look to return to the State Tournament and make a run as they have in recent years.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Gold Kings Win Overtime Thriller at Ryan Arena on Military Appreciation Night

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The Boston Gold Kings won an overtime thriller Saturday night at John A. Ryan Arena, 6-5 over the Norfolk Mallards. 

But, before the game details take over this column, lets catch up on who the Boston Gold Kings are and the league they play in. For those still learning about the league and the team, the following (re)introduction: the Power Play Senior Hockey League (PPSHL), is comprised of teams in a close range demographic throughout central New England. This is a Full contact Pro Style hockey league where players will get to continue their hockey journey without the feeling of settling for men’s league hockey. Teams play on the weekend only, occasionally Saturday & Sunday, but typically one day or the other. Teams are individually owned and operated by owners, not by the PPSHL. Current teams

Boston Gold Kings

Holyoke Paper Men

Hudson Valley Reapers

Norfolk Mallards

Salem Sasquatch

The Gold Kings are essentially Watertown’s team, despite being “Boston.” Since their inception, the Gold Kings have played their games (as well as practiced) at John A. Ryan Arena and have been a presence at local events such as Faire on the Square. They also work hard at being a positive citizen in the community, and on Saturday night, in game five of the still early ’25-26 season, the Gold Kings stuck to their model by honoring the Military in pre-game festivities. 

Included in their efforts was: the presentation of the Color Guard courtesy of the Shutt Detachment Marine Corps League & VFW Post 1105, a ceremonial puck drop by Lincoln Rocca, young son of parents and proud veterans of the U.S. Army, Tony & Kendra Rocca, and the introduction of four hockey players on the ice Saturday night who have served, three with the U.S. Army and one with the National Guard. The Gold Kings also ran an auction and raffle, with proceeds going to Operation American Soldier. This was a wonderful show of support and appreciation by the Gold Kings, and kudos to them! On to the hockey game!