Photo by Denebola Staff
By Justin Alpert
Sports Reporter
The Newton South boys hockey team defeated Hamilton-Wenham by a score of 7-0 on Wednesday night, the dominant shutout advancing them to the second round of the state playoffs.
As is the common case for the Lions, senior captain Andrew Pratt was the primary catalyst for the team’s success, netting a stunning five goals on the night, the other two scores coming from junior Johnny Baker and sophomore Aram Tashjian.
South went into the game looking to push the puck and set a fast-paced tempo for the game.
“We used a simple game and used our speed and puck movement to outwork them. We just got the puck low, cycled it a lot, and found the open man,” Pratt said.
Freshmen starting goaltender Lucas Maregni also played well all game earning a shutout in the victory.
“It gives me a lot of confidence to not let in a goal in any game, not just a playoff game. Also considering the fact that this team hasn’t made it past the first playoff round in five years and I had a shutout in my first playoff game as a Newton South hockey player,” Maregni said.
Maregni anticipates another strong team performance in the next round.
“Hopefully we can come out strong and hard this Sunday in our home rink, shut out or not,” he said.
Sunday’s game against St. Joseph Prep Marian will begin at 5 pm at Watertown’s John A Ryan Arena where the Lions will look to build on the beginning of their playoff run.
