Middle School 1 vied for their Foxboro League Championships Thursday night. The Vikings had played Mansfield in the last game of the playoff series, and they knew they had their work cut out for them. Mansfield seemed to set the tone early, when their goalie punched Vikings forward Quirino DoCanto in the face after a collision at the net. The refs did a good job of keeping the game in check though, and the Vikings kept themselves above the fracas.
After a scoreless first period, Mansfield was able to get the puck past starting goalie Teaghin Andre on a breakaway. Both teams were continuously shooting on net, and the Vikings tied up the score shortly after, when Vyper LaTulippe scored on a fast pass from Coleby Paling to Tyler Lovendale. Andre and his defense kept the net safe for the rest of his shift, blocking 17 shots in the first half of the game. Key to the defense were Paling, Caleb Riggle, Jackson St Don and Bryan Gallagher.
The 1-1 tie was broken when Mansfield took advantage of relief goalie Steven Strachan as he came in cold to start his shift. Strachan quickly recovered however, and stayed on his game, making 13 more saves through the third period. DoCanto helped the Vikings tie it up again as the third period started, getting his revenge on the goalie in the best way possible. Zack Lovendale had the assist. Mansfield pulled ahead again near the end of the third, scoring on a power play. It seemed all was lost until the Vikings pulled their goalie for a six-man attempt, and Lovendale scored with just 30 seconds left, assisted by Seth Tomasik and Paling. A 3-3 tie looked to send the game into overtime, but Mansfield managed to grab the puck and take it down the ice, scoring on a breakaway with just 15 seconds left. The Vikings took a time out, the goalie was pulled again, and the Vikings worked valiantly to tie it up, but it was not to be. Mansfield won, 4-3.