and added an assist to steer Dracut/Tyngsboro to a commanding 5-0 shutout win over Amesbury on Monday night The victory allowed the Middies to stretch their winning streak to an impressive seven games elevating their record to 13-2-2 for the season a good win for us,” said Middies head coach Jeff DuRoss Dracut/Tyngsboro exuded an aggressive energy They wasted no time establishing dominance Charlie Wilkie found the back of the net with the help of Tommy Jackson and Drew DuRoss controlling play in the Middies’ zone but they could not find a way to convert their chances despite their efforts the Middies aimed to double their advantage yet Amesbury goalie Vincenzo Foster intervened with a crucial save to keep the score at 1-0 showcasing their skills in each other’s zones for the initial five minutes netting his second goal of the night at the 4:15 mark Positioned strategically in the right corner he skillfully maneuvered the puck past defenders with assists from captain Matt Lesniak and Ben Haubner Amesbury nearly turned the tide during a promising two-on-one break as Bodie Marcotte the connection failed to materialize in time allowing Dracut/Tyngsboro to maintain its 2-0 lead The first penalty of the game came at 9:28 of the period granting Amesbury a power play opportunity The power play for Amesbury quickly became more challenging shifting to a five-on-three as the Middies continued to stifle the Red Hawks’ attempts “It was really a turning point in the game in my mind you never want to be down five-on-three with guys that can put the puck in the net,” said coach DuRoss We had the opportunity to get the puck player Amesbury earned another power play opportunity but was again unable to capitalize Marcotte attempted to break through the Middies’ solid defense but his shot ricocheted off D/T goalie Connor Cole’s mask Lesniak charged to the forefront once again scoring twice in rapid succession—just 33 seconds apart—to complete his hat trick and push the Middies’ lead to a commanding 5-0 After the game Lesniak talked about the Middies’ solid performance I found the back on the net twice on the penalty kill we’re just getting a lot of balanced scoring right now over the last seven games The first couple of lines are really coming together a little bit of everything right now,” said coach DuRoss about the winning streak the team is currently on Dracut/Tyngsboro will remain at the Tsongas Arena gearing up to take on Rockport at 8:00 p.m P: (978) 682-2425E: info@playhnib.com defending MIAA Division 3 state champion Marblehead advanced to the quarterfinal round the Headers got the eventual game-winning goal from E.J and the insurance marker by Hayden Gallo with 3:18 to play to secure the win and move on our best second period I’d say,” said Marblehead coach Mark Marfione they don’t really rattle and they know that Marblehead had the better of the play in the early going but Middies goaltender Connor Cole made a handful of saves to keep the game scoreless The first power play for Marblehead proved effective when their captain pounced on a loose puck on the left side of the net and slammed it home with assists credited to Kyle Hart and London McDonald at the 11:09 mark The Headers received their second power play of the game early the second period Andrew DePhillips had a close call that could have doubled the lead to 2-0 with a swift move on the right side of the net but D/T defenseman Ben Haubner managed to clear the puck away from the goal line D/T then got its first power play of the game beating goalie Leo Burdge to tie the game at 1-1 Charles Wilkie was credited with the assist at the 6:59 mark with Hayden Gallo and Monaco assisting at the 9:40 mark Dracut/Tyngsboro had a five-on-three advantage and the Middies quickly got the equalizer Matthew Lesniak scored on a bullet from just inside the blue line assisted by Beau Blakley and Brenden Modeski at the 11:37 mark Lesniak then appeared to score again for D/T  with 46 seconds left in the second period leaving the score tied at 2-2 going into the final 15 minutes Dracut/Tyngsboro was assessed a five-minute major at the end of the second period giving the Headers a golden opportunity at the start of the third period “We have a five-minute power play going inside at 2-2 so we’re in a great spot,” said coach Marfione A minute and two seconds into the third period the game shifted to a four-on-four situation when the Headers were called for a penalty Marblehead then had another minute and 34 seconds of power play time but the Middies were able to kill it off and keep the game tied Wyman scored to give Marblehead a 3-2 advantage—marking the third time they had taken the lead in the game—with Noah Feingold credited for the assist at the 5:49 mark “So our coaches just reiterate that no matter what happens we stay at just a steady level,” said Wyman and Burdge continued to deny every shot taken Gallo added an insurance goal as he converted a shot near the net allowing Marblehead to extend its lead to 4-2 which will be either Wednesday or Thursday that Marblehead will face top-seeded Nauset in a rematch of last year’s MIAA Division 3 state title Case High School and Tygnsboro are playing for the Massachusetts high school softball state championship on Sunday The Cardinals and the Tigers will play at noon at UMass Amherst in the MIAA Division 4 state final The Cardinals are vying for their sixth state title and are looking to go back-to-back for the first time since 1996 This is Case's third consecutive trip to the state championship Stick here for updates throughout the game Tyngsboro 0Fontes doubles with two outs but left stranded at second Alvarez gives up her first hit but strikeouts Jill Pare to end the fifth Madilyn Botelho hits a shot up the middle for a single but is stranded at first scoring Alvarez who walked to lead off inning Carly DiMento runs down a deep drive to center by Pereira to save a pair of runs She adds another strikeout and she's up to five Case's Ella Preston gets an infield hit but is stranded at first Alvarez strikes out two and gets a grounder to third Kiley Hogan allows a hit but fans two batters in the inning to end the first More: A 20-minute delay for a rulebook check did not stop Case softball from advancing to finals The Cardinals will be looking for their sixth state title in school history first back-to-back titles since the 1995-96 seasons It's the third straight final appearance for Case This is Tyngsborough second trip the state finals and first since they came away with the program's first state title after beating Dighton-Rehoboth in 2021 ROAD TO THE STATE FINALFollowing an 18-1 record in the regular season 4 state champion Cardinals won their first three playoff games against No 8 Hampshire Regional (11-3) in record fashion 4 Advanced Math & Science in the state semifinals The same group of freshman who played for the state championship team in 2021 is back for their final year including ending the regular season on a nine-game winning streak 10 South Hadley (4-1) and third seed Pittsfield (8-4) in the state semifinal Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com