Freshman Anderson Kilbourne might be the final piece Duxbury High boys hockey needs
PLYMOUTH — In order to make a championship run, there’s key moments throughout the season a team needs to capitalize on.
Duxbury High freshman Anderson Kilbourne, a forward on the boys hockey team, helped his team do just that Wednesday night with a goal and assist.
“Anderson’s getting hot,” said Duxbury coach Mike Flaherty. “He’s gotten three goals in the last two games. He’s really finding his groove right now. If we can get him going to the level he’s at and keep him there, we’re going to be tough to play against.”
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After seeing a 2-0 lead evaporate, the Dragons (10-4-2) answered with two goals to pull away for a 4-2 win over Plymouth South. That was just the third loss of the season for the Panthers (11-3-1).
Kilbourne started the scoring with 8:44 remaining in the first period.
“Brendan Bonner had it, he gave it up to David Pittenger who’s our wing, who bumped it to me,” said Kilbourne describing the goal. “I took it from our blue line to the circles and sort of ripped a shot from the side that happened to go in.”
“Toe drag release? Kid has a cannon. He scores all the time, one of the best on the team,” said Duxbury senior captain Aiden Harrington of the lone freshman on the roster.
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Harrington scored the second goal himself off an assist by fellow senior Connor O’Connell in the first period.
“He’s probably one of the best players on the ice at any given time,” said Kilbourne of Harrington. “He’s such a great guy to play with.”
But the lead was short lived after goals from Plymouth South’s Logan Souza and James Lopes evened things up 2-2 with 12:11 to go in the second period.
But Kilbourne showed up once again, showing poise when he assisted Brady Walsh on a score in the third period to to give Duxbury the lead, 3-2. Junior Chris Gillis put in the dagger with 2:27 left in the third period.
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Last season, Duxbury dropped a heartbreaker in double-overtime to Tewskbury (eventual state champion) in the Division 2 state semifinals. In the latest MIAA tournament power ratings, the Dragons had a healthy lead for the No. 1 in Div. 2.
The Dragons have their returning seniors, but a scorer like Kilbourne adds to their depth. It’s also great to have highly skilled senior captains with playoff experience. That’s something Kilbourne has been using to his advantage this season.
“Of course Aiden Harrington is a great mentor for me,” said Killbourne. “Brendan Bonner is great to me, Sam Mazanec of course and then Wyatt Glass who’s hurt, but is great. All the captains are great to me.”
Mazanec played a huge role in last year's state tournament run. He rose to the occasion against the Panthers in the third period.
“Sammy’s one of the best around,” said Flaherty. “We’re in a tough tough league in the Patriot League with really good goaltenders and he’s at the top of the league."
“He almost single-handedly carried us last year in the state tournament,” Flaherty continued.
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With a signature win and putting a stop to the Panthers seven-game unbeaten streak. The Dragons now look to start their own win streak heading towards the playoffs.
“Last year we went to the tournament on a losing streak,” said Harrington. “This year our goal is to go in on a winning streak and feel good about ourselves. We've got a new team, we’re ready to go.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Duxbury High boys hockey defeats Plymouth South
