Coming out of the weekend with two solid games that resulted in ties, the Walpole Boys Hockey team hoped to capture their first victory of the year on Wednesday, December 21, when the Newton North Tigers came to Iorio Arena.  A back and forth battle ensued until late in the second period when Walpole seemed to break away with a three goal lead.  Newton North answered in the third period though and dashed Walpole’s hopes of their first win.

Newton North drew first blood in the second period, but Walpole answered quickly a score of their own.  The Rebels looked to be firing on all cylinders as they put another puck in the back of the net.  With about four minutes left in the period, Walpole caught a break when a Newton North forward received a five minute major penalty for hitting Walpole junior forward Chris Abbott from behind.  The power play for the Rebels was like clockwork.  In the last few minutes of the second period, the Rebels added on two more goals that gave them a 4-1 lead going into the second intermission.

Everything was going Walpole’s way, until the third period started and the Rebels seemed to be complacent and let Newton North come back into the game.  In the course of three minutes in the middle of the third period, a player on a Newton North had a hat trick that tied the game up at 4-4.  This tie disappointed players and fans alike because the Rebels play in the first two periods was stellar and they were rewarded with a 4-1 lead; however, a lackluster third period enabled the Tigers of Newton North to tie the game.  The Rebels look to improve their record when they face Winthrop on December 26 in the annual Rebels Winter Classic.