Squirts: Gateway Gladiator Squirts started the playoffs off on the wrong skate on Sunday against the Walpole Express, but will be back and ready next weekend for Game 2 of the playoffs. Late in the first period, Thomas Clavell skated through Walpole’s lines strong and shot the puck right past the goalie’s blocker, with an assist from Matthew Paling that helped get Gateway on the board. In the second, Ty David Ribeiro netted two goals, one unassisted and another assisted by Paling. In the third period, Gateway started the period behind by two goals, knowing that they needed to step up their game and find the back of the net. With defensive teamwork, Paling was able to score two unassisted goals that helped to tie the game 5-5 with only a few minutes left to go, but Walpole was able to score one more goal, which gave them the 6-5 playoff win.
Pee Wees: The Gateway Pee Wees got off to a tough start for its first playoff game of the season. The short-handed Gladiator team faced the Walpole Express Red team and lost by a score of 2-1. The Gladiators played tough and had a number of shots on net, but they just couldn’t get the tying goal past Walpole’s goalie. Ben Demoranville got Gateway on the board and Ryker King made a number of great saves resulting in a low scoring game that didn’t end in their favor.