Max Niit, Andrew Goldstein send Dover-Sherborn/Weston boys hockey to Division 4 Final Four

STONEHAM - Andrew Goldstein has one job. The senior goalie is on the clock every single game, every single shot for the Dover-Sherborn/Weston boys hockey team.

No. 4 Sandwich tested the limits of his job description in the Division 4 state quarterfinals Wednesday. The No. 5 Raiders held a one-goal lead for the entirety of the third period. The Blue Knights earned a power play with 10 minutes, 55 seconds remaining. No dice. They pulled their goalie with 2:06 on the clock and flooded the zone. Nada.

Goldstein did his job, and the Raiders held firm and finished off a 2-1 win to reach the state semifinals. They'll face No. 1 Winthrop, who defeated No. 24 Ashland 7-0 on the same sheet of ice in the second game, at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Gallo Arena in Buzzard's Bay.

"I have the same job, and that's just to make saves," Goldstein said. "It was tiring, but I stuck to what I know, stuck to my job, focused in on what I had to do and got it done."

The Raiders (19-4) made his job easier by takin the lead with 7:08 left in the second period. They killed off the last of a Sandwich power play, and Max Niit released from the box. D-S/Weston caught the Blue Knights (19-5-1) in a change. Brayden McKenna surveyed the offensive zone as Niit crashed to the net. He popped Niit a pass over a Sandwich stick. Niit corralled the puck the slapped it toward the net. It bounced off the Sandwich goalies' glove and dribbled over the line for a game-winner.

"It was an amazing pass. I was supposed to go to the bench," Niit said. "I just was able to finish it."

D-S/Weston also started the scoring 6:29 into the first period. Sophomore Andrew Cahill found freshman Patrick benson in a mess in front of the net. He tapped it in with bodies hanging all over him then wheeled to the corner.

Sandwich's Jack Hughes knotted the game 1-1 just over four minutes later, taking advantage of an errant pass that gave him open ice.

Other than that, D-S/Weston killed two of Sandiwch's vaunted power plays, and Goldstein delivered when needed.

"I don't want to be on the penalty kill, ever, but we're fast. We play aggressive on the penalty kill, and we wait for mistakes," D-S/Weston coach Alex Marlow said. “(Goldstein) is everything for us. Not having to worry about that portion of the game is huge. His rebound control to keep the clock moving and wind down the game, his ability to take the right whistles when we need them, it's amazing. None bigger than the end with the big save."

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D-S/Weston finally broke through to the quarterfinals this season after two straight Sweet 16 trips. The Raiders reached their first Final Four since 2007 when Weston had its own program. Marlow played on that team, as well.

Despite the historic nature of their victory, the Raiders wanted no part of the Final Four trophy, leaving it on the Stoneham Arena ice in search of bigger game.

"You're a representation of your program, your coaches and your teammates, and you want to hold yourself in the right light and be respectful, but also some of my best friends are my high school teammates, and these are memories that you're going to cherish," Marlow said. "I wasn't ready to be done coaching them, and I wanted a couple more days. So we went out there and they did all the work, and we get a couple more days."

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Dover-Sherborn/Weston boys hockey beats Sandwich to reach Final Four