Elite 8 bound: Somerset Berkley hockey upsets Essex North Shore to advance in tourney
DANVERS — It was history in the making for the Somerset Berkley ice hockey team on Sunday.
The 12th seed Raiders pulled off the upset and advance to the Round of 8 for the first time since the 2003 season after blanking Essex North Shore, 6-0, in the Division 3 Sweet 16 contest at Essex Sports Center in Danvers.
SBR (17-2-2) will face West Springfield at Loring Arena in Framingham on Thursday, beginning at 5 p.m.
"The boys played hard," SBR head coach Kevin Snyder said. "They play for each other, they play for the coaching staff and play for the school."
More: Somerset Berkley goalie rides the emotion of family support in Division 3 playoff game
Jack Rothwell scored the eventual game winner for the Raiders in the first period on a feed from Nate Melo to give SBR the early lead, 1-0. Adyn Marcos scored on an assist from Kien Stafford and Mason Sullivan found the back of the net from Gabe Gonsalves to increase the Raiders lead to 3-0 after two periods.
Stafford added an unassisted goal early in the third period while Gabe Gonsalves and Brayden Pimentel (unassisted) also added goals in the period. Sullivan and Cam McKenna each had assists in the later goals.
Senior goalie Brandon Silva was brilliant in net, making 34 saves for the shutout.
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Berkley advances to Elite 8 for the first time since 2003
