STONEHAM — Throughout the season, Tewksbury's top players received most of the attention. However, at Stoneham Arena on Saturday, it was the Redmen's lesser-known players who made a crucial impact.
Peter Civitarese, a third-line forward, scored his first ever goal to equalize against Woburn. Then Jason Lavoie, a second-liner, scored with 6:13 remaining, securing Tewksbury's lead. Tyler Bourgea, a first-liner, finished the night with four points and scored the final goal in an empty net, securing a 6-4 victory and a spot in the Division 2 final at TD Garden next Sunday.
Tewksbury coach Derek Doherty expressed his satisfaction: "Our goal all year was to make it back to the Garden, and now we've achieved that. The team remained composed even when we were trailing 4-3."
The high-flying Redmen (21-3-0) faced tough resistance from the Tanners (15-6-1) as Woburn twice came from behind and took the lead early in the third period with Finn Murphy's goal from the right circle.
A little over four minutes later, Civitarese surprised everyone in the packed rink, including his coach, by scoring the equalizer with a shot over Logan Roderick's glove after receiving a pass from Jason Shreenan.
Coach Doherty praised Civitarese: "PJ is the most hardworking player on this team, and it was fantastic to see him score that goal."
A few minutes later, Tyler Barnes set up a goal for Lavoie, securing a 5-4 lead.
Woburn struggled to respond as Tewksbury kept them under pressure in their own end for over four minutes.
Woburn pulled off Roderick for an additional skater with less than a minute remaining, but Bourgea intercepted the puck at the Tewksbury line and scored from the neutral zone with :33.2 left, securing the win.
Doherty expressed his satisfaction: "This was a great team effort. Woburn is a formidable team, and we knew they would be a challenge for us."
The teams exchanged goals in a 2-2 first period. Later, Jeremy Insogna gave Tewksbury a 3-2 lead in the second. Dillon Scalesse of Woburn later tied the game, setting up an intense third period.
