BOSTON — Lightning struck more than twice for No. 5 Dover-Sherborn/Weston.
Junior forward Hunter Hourihan (Dover, Mass.) gave the Raiders a 2-1 lead with 47.7 seconds left in the second period. Just 16.1 seconds later freshman Christos Rogaris (Weston, Mass.) made it 3-1.
Then, senior forward Max Niit's (Dover, Mass.) second of the game extended the lead to 4-1 just 2:14 into the third period. Just 15 seconds later, sophomore forward Max Patenaude (Dover, Mass.) made it a four-goal cushion.
From there, Dover-Sherborn/Weston went to work defensively and on the forecheck to close out the 5-1 win over No. 6 Hanover and earn the program's first-ever title.
The Hawks took a 1-0 lead with 5:05 left in the first when junior Cam Scott flew into the offensive zone, pick-pocketed the defender in the slot and fired a wrist shot over Goldstein's glove.
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Niit tied it for the Raiders 1:59 into the second with his first of the game. Rogaris dropped the puck to Brayden McKenna (Dover, Mass.), who had two assists. McKenna found Niit in the slot for a one-timer and a goal.
With time winding down in the frame, Hourihan pounced on a loose puck to the right of the net. He whipped a turn-around shot that hit the defender's stick, but fluttered over goalie Thomas Perkins and in to make it 2-1.
Seconds later, Andrew Cahill's (Weston, Mass.) wrist shot from the left point hit the right post, but the rebound bounced right to Rogaris, who made no mistake from the slot.
McKenna and Niit's connection paid off on the latter's second of the game in the third. The former dropped it off to Niit at the goal line. He cut toward the front of the net and buried a quick shot inside the left post.
Patenaude provided more insurance when senior forward Matthias Sarnbald (Weston, Mass.) sauced the puck to him in the slot, and he rifled a wrister inside the right post.
Let's dive into some takeaways from the game.
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1. Dover-Sherborn/Weston pulled away late, but they wouldn't have been in that position without the play of senior goalie Andrew Goldstein (Weston, Mass.) early on. Goldstein made nine saves in a busy first period. He made a big toe-save lunging to his left early before coming up with the left pad again, denying Hanover's Cam Melone from the slot. Goldstein also denied a shorthanded breakaway for the Hawks in the first. In the second, he denied Cole Hendrickson twice from the slot, getting his stick on the first shot. It was labeled for the top-left corner.
2. That was everything you could have asked for in a championship game from the Raiders. They scored timely goals, and they ramped up the pressure after every goal they scored, taking away any chance Hanover would have had at an answer. They overwhelmed the Hawks and capitalized on their mistakes. The Raiders put on a clinic in closing out games late, as Hanover couldn't generate anything.
3. McKenna and Niit led the charge for Dover-Sherborn/Weston, just as they have all season. McKenna's creativity and playmaking was on display all game. He picked up his 34th and 35th points of the season. Niit, meanwhile, came through with his 11th and 12th goals of the season. It was a signature performance in the senior's final game of high school hockey.
4. Major credit to Rogaris, a freshman, stepping up under the brightest lights and on the biggest stage. He was in the right place at the right time to bury Cahill's rebound in the second. He kept it simple and took what Hanover gave him, making the simple play to drop it off to McKenna on Niit's goal.
