The Boys’ Ice Hockey team defeated Chelmsford High School 1-0 in an intense game at Chelmsford Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 11, bringing their season record up to 5-3-1. The winning goal was scored by senior captain Matty Haggan in the last three minutes of the game.

From the start of the game, it was clear that it would be a tough match. After two tough losses, the team was determined to win. The puck spent a lot of time in Westford’s zone, but both teams had roughly 20 shots on goal. Each team got a penalty, one for tripping and the other for interference, resulting in power plays without scoring. 

Sophomore defenseman Ethan Koehr made a strong shot on goal but it was ultimately saved by Chelmsford. With less than two minutes left in the first period, a Chelmsford player suffered a severe shin injury and had to be taken off the ice. There were a couple of timeouts due to Westford’s goalpost moving, which slowed down the game.

In the second period, things heated up. Both teams played aggressively, determined to score the first goal. WA led a series of offensive attacks that left the puck in Chelmsford’s zone for the majority of the period. Notable players include sophomore Jack Donovan, who had a breakout in the neutral zone and made a strong shot on goal, and captain Ben Mulgrew, who made a strong shot from the corner. However, both shots were saved by Chelmsford’s goalie. 

Penalties happened one after another, totaling seven in the second period. Westford got a penalty for interference. Then one player from each team got penalties for roughing, but instead of power plays, two players were put back in the game, leaving the teams to play 5-on-5.

Shortly after, Westford received a power play due to a Chelmsford player elbowing. Chelmsford then received penalties for interference and roughing, leaving the game 5-on-3, but Westford was not able to score. Despite the many penalties in the second period, the score remained 0-0.

In the third period, Westford upped their offensive front, having about twice as many shots on goal as Chelmsford. Alternate captain and goalie Tyler Frazee made two saves in close proximity to the net with 6:39 left in the game. A few minutes later, Frazee skated outside of the crease, close to the blue line, to save a breakaway puck from Chelmsford.

It seemed as if WA and Chelmsford were going to end in a 0-0 tie, but with 2:18 left on the clock, Haggan scored the winning goal, assisted by senior captain David Maclure and Mulgrew. In Chelmsford’s zone, Mulgrew had won a faceoff and passed the puck to Maclure. Maclure skated along the faceoff circle and made a smooth pass to Haggan, who was right in front of the net and scored a beautiful goal. 

“It was a great feeling being able to score a goal like that in our rivalry game,” Haggan said. “Being a game against Chelmsford obviously, there is always a little bit more on the table like the pride between the two towns. It was really just a beautiful pass from Maclure and I was lucky to be in the right spot to finish.”

With one minute left in the game, Chelmsford pulled their goalie in a last attempt to tie the game.

Chelmsford called a timeout with 23 seconds left in the game. Chelmsford’s defense made a shot in front of the blue line which Frazee nicely saved with eight seconds left in the game, causing Westford to call a timeout immediately after, which slowed down the remaining 10 seconds. After the timeout, Chelmsford continued with aggressive offense but was unable to score a goal.

Overall, WA Boys’ Hockey Head Coach Bob Carpenter was impressed with WA’s performance throughout the game.

“We played very well all game and my guys were really intense. They hustled, they got the loose pucks, they won the 1-on-1 battles,” Carpenter said. “They did all the good things we have to win a game like that against such a good team.”