On the thirteenth of December, Concord Carlisle faced off against Lincoln Sudbury at New England Sports centre in Marlborough, Massachusetts for a series of three intense hockey matches. Despite strong efforts from both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams, they didn’t take home a win, while the boys’ Junior Varsity team had a successful 1-0 victory.
Kicking off the series, the Junior Varsity boys skated into action delivering an intense game of nerve-racking saves and exciting breakaways. Defenseman number 14, Braden Hamilton, a freshman of CCHS, praised the team, saying, “the offensive line did a great job” and if they could have done anything better it would be “…positioning, but physical contact was great.” Coach Block added that the team is looking good, just “X’s and O’s” that need to be worked on. This victory wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the goalies. Freshman goalie, Christian Sproule, was able to stop two pucks in the span of twenty seconds. Coach Block, who has been coaching here at CCHS on and off for nine years, praised him saying that “that’s all the goalies right there, I can’t take much credit for that. Both of our goalies on Saturday were probably the main reason we won.”
The Varsity girls took to the ice next for an equally riveting matchup. LS strikes first with netting a quick goal early into the first period of the Varsity girls’ match. The second period started with Lincoln Sudbury finishing a penalty, which was then followed by both sides trading goals and minor penalties. The final period was a desperate and chaotic fifteen minutes, with both teams trying to claim their title. LS extended their lead by two goals. CC launched a furious attack and scored twice in the span of three minutes. The final play of a game was a failed wrap around Michigan, which put the puck unguarded in front of the CC net and turned into a wrist shot that ended the game with a 5-3 Lincoln-Sudbury victory, allowing them to clinch the title of the 14th annual Warriors 4 Warriors Varsity girls’ champions. After a discussion with Coach Jahnle, who has been coaching at CCHS for six years, she shared how communication and respect are essential to hockey: “communication is the most important thing in a game. If no one is communicating, then there is no flow to the game. Being aggressive is also VERY important. We can’t give our opponents time and space to make plays. We need to be attacking them right away, causing them to turn the puck over or throw it away.”
The final game of the night between the two boys’ Varsity teams had the stands the loudest they had been all night. Instead of pumping up fans by putting numbers on the board, an intense collision early in the first period had people shouting on both sides of the glass. This near glove-dropping fight ended up with a CCHS player in the box. They made up for it by sliding a puck into the goal. LS was quick to respond with two goals, one of which was accidentally pushed in by CCHS’ own goalie. Despite this goal, our goalie truly put up a fight, blocking 34 shots. CCHS ties it up, sending us into the second period ready for action. The beginning of second period is an equal battle where tensions rise, teams bouncing penalty for penalty and the CCHS student section enjoy themselves with riling up the number scene for LS. The second period ends, with LS leading the match 4-2, and CCHS on SOG (shots on goal) 27-9. The first ten minutes of the final period are a quiet before the storm, at four minutes, CCHS pulls the goalie who is quickly put back in after LS puts the puck into the net. LS then scores again two more times before the game ends in a draining 7-2 LS victory, with LS leading SOG 34-16.
The Warriors 4 Warriors series is more than just about the rivalries, though. Before the puck drop of the Varsity boys’ game, a speech was given in honor of Scott Blodgett. Scott was a beloved member of Lincoln-Sudbury high school. He was known for his involvement in hockey and lacrosse. Outside of high school, he served in the US army where ,he led his troops with his head held high. He was a leader you could trust in, no matter the issue. Sadly, he passed away in 2011 from Epstein-Barr Virus, which led to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. After his passing, the Scott Blodgett Memorial Fund was established to raise money for causes that he believed in. Money raised from the Warriors 4 Warriors games goes to youth sports and education all throughout the Sudbury area. This year is the fourteenth annual game held in his honor. No matter where you came from to watch the game, or if you played on the ice, or coached behind the bench, everyone there agreed that “we skate for Scott”.
