KINGSTON – Teddie Holte didn’t score a varsity goal last season. He made his latest count.
The sophomore winger sniped the game-clinching tally in overtime Tuesday, as Marshfield knocked off Patriot League rival Scituate in a thrilling boys hockey tilt, 4-3.
“It means a lot,” Holte said. “It’s a big statement game. We’ve had this game marked on our calendar for a few weeks now. Bet they did,too.”
Despite controlling the tempo early, Marshfield found itself trailing to start. Matt Monahan helped Scituate (1-1-0) get off the mat, as he tallied a goal to provide the Sailors a 1-0 edge with 7:42 to play in the opening period.
However, Marshfield (3-0-0) answered on the power play moments later. After drawing a penalty, the Rams capitalized only eight seconds into their man-advantage as sophomore Luke Giovanello tipped home a loose rebound for his first goal of the season, knotting the score at 1-all with 1:52 remaining in the first.
Later on with about four minutes to go in the second period, Matthew Keady followed suit. The junior center tallied his second goal of the winter with a tip off of a rebound himself, giving Marshfield a 2-1 lead.
Momentum carried into the third for the Rams. In fact, it looked like they might run away with things as senior defenseman Jonathan Sullivan netted his fourth career goal to push the lead to 3-1 with 13:27 remaining.
Yet, the Sailors had one final surge and rallied in quick succession.
One minute later, Shane Ryan buried a goal to cut things to 3-2. Then, with 11:11 left in regulation, Marty Monahan found twine. Suddenly, the crowd on hand at the Bog erupted in pandemonium as Scituate drew even at 3-all.
“We had to go back to what we were doing earlier,” said Marshfield coach Dan Connolly. “Just be willing to work, keep our feet moving. Being gritty, tough to play against, and don’t give them an inch.”
Mistakes proved costly for the Sailors. With 1:05 left, Scituate was assessed a tripping penalty. When the extra session began, the team was forced to skate a man-down.
As the final seconds bled off the man-advantage, Holte struck. When the puck skipped back to him, the sophomore gained some space during a breakaway bid. He proceeded to fire a shot into the cage, then celebrated as his fellow teammates stormed the ice.
“I saw one (defenseman) back,” said Holte. “He was pinching, so I chipped it off the wall. It was free from there. Saw the entire right side open. Just backhand, forward, game.”
