Methuen, MA– MassNZ traveled out to Methuen High School to watch the Methuen Rangers host the Dracut-Tyngsboro Middies in the Round of 32 for the Massachusetts State Tournament. The arena was packed with anxious, passionate fans ready to see their respective schools battle for a chance to play in the Round of 16.
In the first period, the Rangers looked to establish a track meet. Sophomore forward Will MacLaren showed off his wheels early in the period creating a few chances for the Rangers, but the Middies didn’t shy away. Dracut-Tyngsboro battled back and held the Rangers in their defensive zone for several minutes, but couldn’t solve junior goaltender Owen O’Brien. Following the pressure from the Middies, both teams struggled to maintain solid puck control resulting in numerous icings and offsides calls. With a significant amount of the period chewed away by the lack of puck possession, junior forward Quinn Ronan decided to take the bull by the horns. With about three minutes remaining in the first frame, Ronan picked the puck up in his defensive zone and burned down the wing, beating the defense and picking the far corner right under the crossbar. Thanks to Ronan’s effort, Methuen took a 1-0 lead into the second period.
In the second period, Dracut-Tyngsboro came out flying which put Methuen on their heels. After some sustained pressure, senior forward Paul Looney tossed a puck high on net and the puck bounced right onto fellow senior forward Mikey Desmarais’ stick. Desmarais made no mistake going five-hole to tie the game at 1-1. After the goal from the Middies, the refs got a nice arm workout with many more icings throughout the middle of the second period. With under five minutes to go in the second, a Rangers cycle got the puck to sophomore forward MacLaren behind the net where he found Ronan in the slot. With a goal already in the game, Ronan made no mistake finding the top left corner, putting Methuen back up by one. Soon after, DT junior forward Drew DuRoss caught a pass in the neutral zone from senior forward Colin Underwood sending DuRoss on a breakaway. Much like Desmarais’ goal early in the period, DuRoss tucked five-hole to get the game back to even going into the third.
In the third period, both teams came out hard, looking to get the go-ahead goal. The hard and physical effort turned into a power play for the Rangers with about 11 minutes to play. Despite being shorthanded, the Middies created some solid offensive chances, but ultimately neither side could find the back of the net. With six minutes left in regulation, senior forward Dominic Romano skated through the neutral zone, and kicked it out wide to Ronan, flying into the zone with speed. Looking for the lead, Ronan fired one five-hole for his third of the game, putting the Rangers up 3-2. The physical play continued and the nervousness of the packed crowd set in, which reached a fever pitch as Methuen took a penalty with just over two minutes remaining. On the power play, the Middies pulled their goalie for the six-on-four advantage, but despite solid chances they couldn’t solve junior goaltender Owen O’Brien. With a last-second clear by the Rangers, the first-round matchup concluded with the Methuen Rangers topping the Dracut-Tyngsboro Middies 3-2. Methuen advances to face Marblehead on the road in the Sweet 16.
Three Stars:
- F Quinn Ronan, Methuen
- F Drew DuRoss, Dracut-Tyngsboro
- G Owen O’Brien, Methuen
