Warriors Hockey Remain Unbeaten with A Tie

With a little more than five minutes remaining in the second period, the Foxborough Warriors hockey team was up 3-0 over the Southeastern Hawks. By the end of the period, the Hawks had the score tied up after a three goal surge put the Hawks back in the game.

“We as a team just had a bad second period and that’s what happens in hockey. You gotta play three strong periods,” Foxborough head coach Jim Genovese said.

The Warriors were brifely behind 4-3 before ending the game with a 4-4 tie.

Power plays were the driving factor in Foxborough’s offense as three of the four Warriors’ goals game from special teams. Mike Maguire got the Warriors on the board with a slap shot from the left to put the Warriors up 1-0 at 1:42 of the first period.

The Hawks had a chance to do something with a short two-man advantage with 6:25 left in the opening period but couldn’t get anything past the Warriors as Foxborough went into the intermission with an one goal advantage.

As the second period began, the Hawks continued to show the undiciplined play that was on display in the first period. A penalty for head contact on Southeastern led to the second power play for Foxborough and the second goal. Greg Stamatov scored off the rebound of an Aiden Campbell shot to increase the lead to two.

Nearly six minutes later Nick Dowling was the beneficiary of a blind-pass from Greg Stamatov as the Warriors took a 3-0 lead with 5:11 left in the period. The goal added to the success of the first line as the starters finished the game with a combined 3 goals and four assists. Individually, Stamatov contributed two of the goals and an assist.

“That line worked hard and he(Stamatov) worked hard,” Genovese said.

Not even a minute after the third Warrior goal did the momemtum begin to switch. A snipe from Caiden Thom got the Hawks back in the game at 10:55 of the second period. Another shot near the net from Thom only 16 seconds later made it a 3-2 game.

Even with the Warriors’ power play clicking, the Hawks still found a way to score a shorthanded goal when Adam Hayh got away from everyone for the tying goal. The goal finished off a scoring span of three goals over 2:15 of the second period and quickly put the game in jeopardy for Foxborough.

“We gotta learn just to put teams away and not anyone hang around,” Genovese said.

The Hawks would take the lead early in the third period but the old habits from earlier in the game began to catchup with Southeastern. A game misconduct penalty with 8:27 left in the game on Pat Kelly gave the Warriors a power play and left Southeastern without one of their starting defenders for the rest of the game.

Only 24 seconds later the game was once again tied as Stamatov got his second goal of the game off a rebound to tie the game at four each with a little over eight minute to play.

With 1:12 left to play, the Warriors were given the break they needed for a chance to win with a tripping call on Southeastern to give Foxborough a power play. An interference call with 29.9 seconds remaining gave the Warriors a two-man advantage. Even down two men, the Hawks held off the Warriors long enough to get the tie.

The tie gives Foxborough a 3-0-1 record going into league play. The early success by the Warrriors is something that has not been seen recently and is considered a success based on the team’s small size.

“We’re on a high, best start since I’ve been here,” Genevese said.

The Warriors will host the Stoughton Black Knights on Tuesday, Jan. 3.