WEST ROXBURY – Though the Norfolk County Hawks (9-0-0) are beginning to edge away from the pack, things remain tight atop the Peewee Division, eight teams still in contention for the five-team Gold Cup playoffs. As teams begin jockeying for position with Championship Weekend just over the horizon, the Boston Brahmas (7-2-0) came through with an important two-points on Sunday as they defeated the visiting South Shore Sabercats (7-2-0), 6-1, joining them in second place in the division standings.
Boston came out storming, the better team for much of the first, but the South Shore defense, led by All-Star netminder Zephyr Jones, did not yield much to their host in terms of quality scoring chances. The only mark against them came in the form of a Brahmas’ power play goal, defenseman Brendan Clifford unleashing a shot from the point that beat Jones top shelf for a 1-0 advantage at 9:48 of the first.
South Shore showed more pop in the second, but the middle period played out much like the first as the Brahmas went on to double their advantage in the later half of the frame.
Coming down 2-on-2, Shane Dwan battled through and fended off the hampering Sabercats defense for a gritty goal to make it 2-0 Brahmas at 12:58.
Boston added one more at the onset of the third, Jack Vaughn with a low angle shot that caught Jones’ leg pad just right and banked in at 2:48. The game was slowly getting out of reach, but the Sabercats got the next goal – Caleb O’Brien scoring at 6:35 – to start chipping away at their deficit.
Unfortunately for the Sabercats, rather than jumpstart a rally, O’Brien’s goal sparked the Brahmas. Taking offense to having lost their shutout, the Boston offense stepped up with vengeance, doubling their side’s score in the game’s final 7:01.
Vaughan, Gavin Moynihan and Liam Faherty all scored in the second half of the third as the game feel away from the Sabercats and the Brahmas cemented their win, 6-1.
Five Brahmas ended the contest with multipoint games; Vaughan (2G), Dwan (1G, 1A), Jacob Gurdin (2A), Morris Schneider (2A) and Luke Stacey (2A).
Zach Badger and Nick Buccella split the goaltending duties in the Boston net.
