Photo by Charlie Breitrose Watertown senior James Erickson scored a hat trick in the Raiders victory over St. Paul Diocesan. Here he celebrates scoring a hat trick against Dracut/Tynsboro in the Round of 16 State Tournament game in 2023.
Two Raiders netted hat tricks to propel Watertown to a 7-4 State Tournament victory over St. Paul Diocesan on Wednesday afternoon.
Junior Shane Desmond and senior James Erickson each recorded hat tricks in MIAA Div. 3 first round win for the 19th seeded Raiders (8-11-2) over the 14th seed at Worcester Ice Center.
The Raiders jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, but by the end of the second St. Paul had tied the game at 2. Watertown scored the first two goals in the third and pulled away in a high scoring final period.
The victory sets up a rematch of last year’s State Semifinal. The Raiders will face third-seeded Scituate (16-5-2) in the Sweet 16. The Sailors needed overtime to beat Melrose, 2-1, on Wednesday evening. The date, time and location of the next game has not been announced.
The Belmont/Watertown girls hockey team will be in tournament action against Billerica on Thursday, Feb. 29 at John A. Ryan Arena in Watertown at 7 p.m.