The Triton hockey team ended their season on a high note, although they lost 8 to 3, with big wins against big teams, and hard-fought hockey the entire season. With high points like beating rival Newburyport 3 to 1, and making the tournament while on a huge win streak, the team’s season was considered a huge success.

The Viking hockey team exceeded expectations from the beginning of the season, proving they were one of the best in Division Two. They beat teams who towered above them in Masco and Newburyport, while quietly going on a nine game winning streak in the second half of the year.

At the beginning of the year, nobody expected the the Vikings to make it to the playoffs, let alone blowout teams in the first two rounds. The fans and the rest of the league thought the 2018-2019 season would be similar to the previous year, missing the playoffs and only grabbing a few wins.

         This ‘18-’19 team was lead in points by senior captain Sam Rennick, a four-year varsity player who reached the milestone of 100 points centering the green line(Lines were given different colored jerseys for practice). On his wings were junior Brad Killion, and sophomore James Tatro, all three of whom notched 30 or more points this year. The second line consisted of sophomores Ryan Lindholm, and Jack Forrest, centered by Cael Kohan. Despite Lindholm and Kohan being first year varsity players, the white line competed with the best of teams, consistently getting goals and making big plays on the ice.

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Tatro photo

A celebration erupts after Triton scores it's third goal.

The gray line consisted of seniors Tommy Girard and assistant captain TJ Regan, and junior Michael Beevers. The gray line prided themselves with their physical presence on the ice, often going out and trying to raise spirits with big hits, solid defensive plays, and dirty, hard-fought goals. The fourth line was the blue line, consisting of Senior Josh Price (before a season ending injury), Junior Jack Niska, and Sophomores Aidan Lowry and Ben Rennick. The blue line battled with constant line changes, and never really stayed together, eventually being split up to put Ben Rennick on the white line, and Jack Niska on the gray line.

    The team’s defensive core was one of the better in the league, led by junior captain Tyler Godfrey, with sophomore Brady Lindholm pairing up with him. The next pair of defensemen was junior Connor Kohan and senior Matt Duncan. The final set of defensemen was the trio of senior Derek Maidi, sophomore Trevor Quigley, and freshman Cam Murray. The defense played a huge role in the team’s success, helping out the goalie by making big plays in the D-zone, as well as playing solid on the opposing teams blue line in order to keep the team on offense.

         Triton’s goalie core was the trio of seniors Ben Fougere, Justin Szymanski, and myself, Connor Beevers. Fougere played outstanding throughout the entire year, allowing only 37 goals while having about 390 saves. The goaltending was a big factor of the Vikes’ seven wins to close out the regular season, allowing a total of eight goals during that streak, while the team was able to put in a total of 35 goals for that same span.

         The team has many achievements to be proud of, and each shows how well they did. With two first team all-stars in Ben Fougere and Sam Rennick, as well as two second team all-stars in Tyler Godfrey and Brad Killion. Captain Tyler Godfrey was also honored at a Boston Bruins’ game after being voted by the coaches of the league for the Sportsmanship award.

         The Vikes can also boast about winning the Newburyport Bank Classic Tournament, cruising through Methuen in the first round 7-1, and stomping Lowell in the finals 7-1. In the Kasabuski Christmas Classic tournament the Vikes beat North Reading in the Consolation round 3-0 to earn third place. Along with their success in these tournaments Triton can also say that they beat rival Newburyport in their second matchup 3-1, a colossal win during their end-of-the-year hot streak.

         Triton was rolling coming into the State Tournament, leading them to a 5-1 win in the first round against North Andover, an important win for TJ Regan, who lives and grew up in that area. This win was huge for the school, as it was their first tournament win in over a decade. In the second round, Triton played the top seeded Masco team in a total David vs Goliath story, eventually overcoming their beasts who handed them a 3-1 loss and a 3-2 loss in the regular season by crushing Masco in the playoff matchup, 5-1. It was in this game that Triton’s hockey team showed they were able to play against the best in the league, and go above them, proving their worth as a team.

         Triton’s amazing year was a total underdog story. They were slept on at the beginning of the season, and used that as motivation to play their best hockey. Through their record, achievements, and progression, they were able to show the state that they weren’t to be taken lightly,  and show those who doubted them that they would not accept being told they weren’t good enough. The team hopes to continue this wonderful season and compete for the state finals again next season.