Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Gold Kings, Sasquatch Split First Two Playoff Games, Deciding Game 3 Will be Played in Watertown

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The Boston Gold Kings will face the Salem Sasquatch in a winner-take-all Game 3 of of the PPSHL semifinal series on March 28. (Courtesy of the Boston Gold Kings)

It’s playoff-time in the Power Play Senior Hockey League (PPSHL), and while the league is still young, it’s never too soon for rivalries to form. Last season the number one seed at regular season’s end was the Salem Sasquatch. And when the semi-final results were in, and Salem and the Boston Gold Kings had earned a trip to the Finals, Salem was the favorite. But the Gold Kings won Game 1 on the road and blitzed the Sasquatch in Game 2 on home ice to win the title. 

This year a new kid in town, the Hudson Valley Reapers, has steam-rolled the league with a 14-2 regular season record and they just swept the fourth-seed Holyoke Papermen to earn a trip to the Finals. In the meantime, the Gold Kings, seeded second, and Salem, seeded third, met this weekend in a best of three to earn the right to face Hudson Valley. The teams split the season series 2-2, with each winning once on the road. And so… We are heading to a Game 3 on Saturday night March 28 at 7:20 at the John A. Ryan Arena after Salem beat the Gold Kings Saturday night at the JAR in an overtime thriller, and the following afternoon the Gold Kings, with their backs against the wall, returned the favor with a 5-3 win at the ICenter in Salem, New Hampshire. GAME 1

Saturday night both goaltenders stood tall, Gold Kings goalie Mike Cowell and Salem goalie Keegan McLaughlin, and in the case of McLaughlin, he stood on his head as well, robbing the Gold Kings over and over and keeping the Sasquatch in the game. The Sasquatch scored first 5:08 into the game, off a Gold Kings turnover in their defensive zone. The Gold Kings are a good hockey team, probably better and deeper than last season, but the two biggest issues for them this season from the games I’ve seen have been own-zone play and taking too many penalties.  Both came into play on this night. 

That said, what turned out to be a back-and-forth affair with skating and forechecking and hitting and an intensity that you’d expect from a Game 1 in a best-of-three, the Gold Kins tied the game at 16:02 as defensive stud Ernie Isamatov, who was seemingly on the ice the entire game, sniped a wrister from the point that McGlaughlin might have been screened on. Two minutes, 38 seconds later first-line forward Cam Cordio, who assisted on the Isamatov’s goal, scored a pretty goal to give the Gold Knights the lead after one. Defenseman Shawn Savela sent a great pass from his own zone, off the boards, that Christian Baldino handled with flair. He attacked the zone, drew the defender, and fed Cordio who potted the go-ahead goal with a top-shelf wrister.

Around Town

Contractors Coordinating with East End Businesses Ahead of Sidewalk Replacements

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Kristopher Surette of Tighe & Bond shows the plans for the Mt. Auburn Street Project to members of the Coolidge Square business community. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Businesses in Coolidge Square will face some disruptions from the construction taking place over the spring, summer, and fall of 2026. Sidewalks will be ripped up and replaced as part of the Mt. Auburn Street Project.

Schools

New Watertown High School Nearly Done, Remains on Budget

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The new Watertown High School is approaching completion, with teachers expected to move in after school ends in June. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Wednesday afternoon, School Committee members, City Councilors and others got to see the new classrooms, theater, gym, and media center that will be enjoyed by Watertown High School students starting in September. The school is taking shape, with the walls and floor covering completed on the upper floors of the four-story structure, and a fresh coat of varnish still drying on the floor of the gymnasium at the new Watertown High School. A view of the gym floor at the new Watertown High School. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Construction should be completed in the next few months, said Christy Murphy of owner project management firm Vertex.

Sports

Boston Gold Kings Look to Defend Ryan Arena Ice in First Playoff Game vs. Salem

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The Boston Gold Kings will host the Salem Sasquatch in Game 1 of the PPSHL playoffs on March 21 at Ryan Arena. (Courtesy of the Boston Gold Kings)

The Boston Gold Kings bring their own form of March Madness to Watertown on Saturday night as the defending champs play Game 1 of the PPSHL playoffs. The series is a rematch of the 2025 PPSHL Finals, with the second seeded Gold Kings facing third seeded Salem Sasquatch. Both teams finished the regular season with 8-8 records, and they split the season meetings 2-2. The Gold Kings are led by Cam Cordio who has 15 goals and 9 assists, while Matt Baldino added 10 goals and Ernie Isamatov added 45 points.

Police/Fire

Memory of Fallen Watertown Firefighter Not Forgotten Nine Years After His Death

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Watertown Firefighters salute during the ceremony honoring Joe Toscano, the firefighter who died nine years ago while working a fire. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Nine years after losing one of its own, the Watertown Fire Department paid honored to Firefighter Joe Toscano just down the street from where he lost his life. The annual event held at the time of his passing brings together members of the WFD, Toscano’s family, and others who remember the tragic day. Toscano, a father of five and 21 year veteran of the Fire Department, died while fighting a fire in East Watertown on March 17, 2017. On Tuesday, dozens of firefighters lined up to salute at Toscano Square, on Bigelow Avenue, just down the street from the home on Merrifield Avenue where the fire occurred.

Business

Charles River Chamber Panel Looked at How Watertown Became a Life Science Hub

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A panel of speakers discussed the life science industry in Watertown at an event hosted by the Charles River Regional Chamber. From left, City Manager George Proakis, Boylston Properties President Mark Deschenes, CEO of Labshares Phillip Borden, and C4 Chief People Officer Kelly Schick. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Eleven years ago, 25 life science companies had facilities in Watertown. Today, more than four times that many companies are located in the City, making it one of Massachusetts’ life science hubs. On March 10, the Charles River Regional Chamber’s life science panel, “Watertown’s Life Science Future,” looked at how the City became one of the hottest centers for biotechs, and what’s next.

Schools

WHS Medical Assistant Students Practiced What They Learned in Class in the Real World

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A Watertown High School student conducts medical tests during a community health clinic run by the school’s Medical Assisting Program. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

City employees had the opportunity to get free checkups from some aspiring medical professionals during a clinic run by the Watertown High School Medical Assisting Program. The students learned to take vitals, take a blood test, and other procedures as part of the program that was added a few years ago, said teacher Melissa Burke. “So these are our students who have committed to doing full three years on top of their regular high school curriculum, doing medical assisting training,” Burke said, adding that after they have completing the course the students can take the exam for national medical assisting certification. Workers for the Watertown Public Schools, as well as the Police and Fire, Public departments received invitations to get a free checkup.

Entertainment

Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s 2026-27 Season Features 2 Shows in Watertown

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Actors’ Shakespeare Project will produce four shows in the 2026-27 season. Two shows — one of the Bard’s classics plus a vampire comedy at Halloween time — will go on stage at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown. See what the company has in store next season in the announcement from ASP, below. Flipping the script on the classics. In a recent team brainstorm on how to best describe what Actors’ Shakespeare Project does best, this phrase distilled it perfectly.