With a day off in between regular season games ending and tournament brackets being released beginning tomorrow, I figured i’d give you a little primer for the three Raider teams who will be beginning post season play next, girls hockey, boys hockey, and girls basketball.
We begin with girls hockey, who is looking for a 3rd straight trip to the TD Garden and the state finals under coach George Campbell. After having lost at the Garden the last two years this years team certainly had a chip on their shoulder and it showed in their play as they amassed a 15-2-2 regular season record, good for another Bay State Herget division title. Entering post-season play the Raiders are certainly one of the favorites in the D2 bracket and have shown they can get the job done on both ends of the ice, scoring 88 goals this season while only giving up 29. Can this team make it third times the charm remains to be seen but one things for certain, we are in for another fun tournament run with these girls.
Staying on the ice with the Raider boys hockey team under coach Paul Donato, who had some ups and downs this season but still qualified with a 10-9-1 overall record and definitely has the ability to surprise come tournament time in the always tough D1 South bracket. The team was led in goal this year by Andrew Johnston who amassed a 2.25 goals against average this year and certainly showed how much he had learned from predecessor Jack Maxwell and certainly is more than capable of keeping his team in any game. The boys scored 62 goals this season, good for second most in the Herget division and that goal scoring ability along with Johnston’s play in net is why this team despite their record is not a team to be taken likely once the tournament begins next week.
Finally we head over to the hardwood for the Raider girls basketball team who enjoyed one of their most successful seasons in recent memory under coach Glen Magpiong, as the team amassed an 18-2 record, winning the Herget division title. This team certainly relied on their defense this season and for good reason as this squad gave up a very impressive 32.9 points per game this season, including holding 2 time defending state champion Braintree to their lowest point total of the season (41). Their is no question this team is going to be hungry come tournament time and despite their section being one of the toughest in the state (D1 South) this teams abilities defensively along with that hunger and intensity make them a team that definitely has the potential to surprise a lot of people over these next couple of weeks.
