FOXBORO – TJ Henderson is listed as a defenseman on the East Coast Militia U18’s roster, but it was his offense that drew attention on Saturday at the Foxboro Sports Center. The East Coast blue liner was credited with four goals as part of a five-point effort in a 9-3 win over the Daytona Racers in the team’s 2014 Midget Classic opener.
The goals came at a torrid pace from the onset, the two sides combining to score three in the game’s first 1:30, the Militia taking a 2-1 lead on goals by Roger Klotz and Henderson. The score did not remain close for long, however, as Henderson’s first at 1:29 started a run of four unanswered by the Militia, opening a 5-1 lead as Henderson completed his hat trick and Mike Timperio contributed the first of his two in the game. Each side added another before the half came to a close, East Coast going to the break with a 6-2 lead.
The offense slowed a bit in the second half, but not by much. Henderson was right back at it early, netting his fourth just 46-seconds in. Sayer Harrison then upped the Militia advantage to 8-2 at the 5:00 mark. As the first half ended with the two sides trading goals after an East Coast rally, so did the second. The Militia and Racers each added a final goal in the latter stages of the second to bring the score to its 9-3 final.
In total, Henderson’s five points (4G, 1A) led all scorers in the contest, while a pair of East Coast teammates each contributed four in the win. Timperio finished with two goals and two assists to his credit, and Jeremy Piche finished with a game-high four assists.
A trio of Racers had multi-point nights. Kevin Sedovsky and Mark Hamption were each credited with a pair of assists, while Jordan Morales went for a goal and an assist.
