Newton South’s James Payton has been playing hockey in Newton since he was 5 years old. During the many, many hours that he has spent on skates since then, he has formed great friendships with players from all parts of the city.

But on Saturday, when Newton South took on Newton North for cross-town bragging rights, Payton was wearing the Lions’ white, while some of his friends were wearing the Tigers’ black. And he was not going to let friendship get in the way of some hard-nosed hockey.

“We get so competitive with each other,” he said. “A crosstown rivalry is not something that a lot of schools have, so we really have fun with it. And obviously we’re still going to be friends at the end of the day, so when we are on the ice, we are trying to set each other on our butts.”

Players and fans from both schools mingled before the game. But there was no love lost on the ice once the puck dropped. The big hits started early and continued throughout a physical game that saw a total of ten penalties between the sides.

“Newton North versus Newton South is always a big game,” said Tigers senior defenseman Brody King. “Coming into the game, people are always looking to hit.”

When the final horn sounded, it was North that emerged victorious, scoring four unanswered goals to claim citywide bragging rights with a 4-2 win. South struck first when junior captain Zack Firkusny sent a puck past North goaltender Djaden Terwal in the opening frame. In the second period, Firkusny set up teammate Harry Danila-Schmidt for a goal that doubled the Lions’s lead.

North needed a spark. They got it when senior forward Raymond Arthur backhanded a shot through South goalie David Banar to get the Tigers on the board. Only a minute after the Tigers had stopped celebrating Arthur’s goal, they were cheering again as Christian Cerone netted the equalizer. Arthur described his goal as the turning point of the game.

“We were down 2-0,” he said. “So putting in that first goal against a rival team, we just caught the momentum and we kept on going.” In the third period, sophomore forward Jonah Goupil put the Tigers ahead for good.

“This means a lot,” he said. “It’s a rivalry game. There’s always so much more on the line than other games. Kids are always trying to go out and play harder and prove themselves. It’s a battle for the city, so it’s fun to go out there for bragging rights.”

At the conclusion of the game, players from both teams lined up for the ceremonial handshake line. Then they stayed on the ice to talk with their crosstown rivals.

Competitors had become friends again. North and South players hugged, joked and took photos with each other. South’s Payton described the game as “an absolute blast.”

“I’ve been playing with a lot of these guys for over a decade,” he said. “I love all the guys on that roster. It was really good to compete against them and bring it to the next level. I know we lost but it was a really fun game and I loved every moment of it.”

Check out these photos from the game.

Jack Boehmer (26) skates with the puck. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A referee steps between Newton South’s Zach Firkusny (11) and Newton North’s Chase Umina (18) to protect the peace. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Raymond Arthur (21) celebrates his goal in the second period with Cam Norton (17) and Gus Morris (28). (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Newton North’s Wyatt Young (20) delivers the hit on Newton South’s Josh Hong (12). (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Young fans display signs celebrating the seniors on Newton South’s hockey team. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Newton South’s Josh Hong (12) digs the puck out of the corner as fans watch the action. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

The Newton South Lions take the ice after an intermission. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon