The Tigers’ season came to an end Feb. 28 when they lost to the Lunenburg/Ayer Shirley Blue Knights 4-2 in the first round of the Division 4 state tournament.
In their third matchup this season, the No. 19 seed Littleton/Bromfield/Parker team traveled to the familiar confines of Wallace Civic Center to play the 14th-seeded Blue Knights. The teams, having played the week before, when the Blue Knights won by a single goal, picked up where they left off, competing intensely from the start. Despite controlling play through most of the opening minutes, the Tigers gave up the first goal when the Blue Knights scored following a quick transition play. Undeterred, the Tigers kept up their relentless forechecking and were able to even the game when Harvard sophomore Liam Glew stole the puck from a Blue Knights player. He carried it back into the offensive zone, beating the goalie cleanly with a wrist shot from about 40 feet from the net. While the scoreboard showed a 1-1 tie, the Tigers outshot the Blue Knights 11 to 6 in the first period.
When the second period began, the Tigers continued their relentless offensive zone pressure, causing the Blue Knights to take a few penalties. The Tigers were able to capitalize on a power play, with Liam Glew scoring his second goal of the night with an assist from brother Conor. A minute later, the Blue Knights evened the score, taking advantage of a Tigers’ errant defensive zone pass that put goalie Charles Becker in a difficult situation.
Over the next 15 minutes of play, the Tigers maintained their advantage, spending more time in their offensive zone and outshooting the Blue Knights 2 to 1. Unfortunately, as is often the case in hockey, the Blue Knights were able to capitalize on a power play and take a 3-2 lead with nine minutes remaining in the third period. With time running out and the crowd growing more rambunctious, the Tigers were unable to score despite several good opportunities. The Blue Knights scored an empty-net goal and came away with a 4-2 victory to advance to the round of 16 in the state tournament.
With the season concluded, the Tigers will graduate nine players from the varsity roster, including co-captains Littleton’s Ryan Johnson and Harvard’s Evan Piekos, both four-year varsity players who have served as stalwarts on the blue line. While it ended earlier than they had hoped, the 2023-24 season saw the Tigers continue multiyear trends of success, including the third season in a row with an overall winning record and the fifth consecutive season qualifying for the state tournament.
Brian Piekos is a Littleton/Bromfield/Parker boys ice hockey parent.
