WATERTOWN — A youthful influx of talent was needed for a Needham boys hockey team that saw plenty of upperclassmen graduate in the past few seasons.

A two-goal performance from freshman James Tobin and a two-point night from freshman Steven Kajunski helped the Rockets earn a 4-2 Bay State Conference victory over Newton North and improve to 3-2-2 on the season.

“You want depth in this league,” Rockets head coach Mike Hoban said. “If you don’t have depth, you’re going to have a hard time staying in games. Rolling one or two lines isn’t really achievable, especially doing a full game like that. When you have a full crew that can go in and contribute, that’s huge and exactly what you want.”

The Rockets had not played a game since Dec. 29, a 4-3 loss to Arlington Catholic. Hoban said his team entered a little rusty. Newton North, which has gotten off to a 4-3-1 start, looked ready to capitalize.

Needham’s Bennett Christie (19) and his teammate Colin O’Donnell (4) celebrate Christie’s goal during the second period of a boys ice hockey game against Newton North, Wednesday, in Watertown. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)

The Tigers came out flying, firing 13 shots on Rockets goaltender Carson Brownridge while limiting Needham to just three. This onslaught finally paid off with just over three minutes remaining in the opening frame after Colten Abcunas deflected a Rockets breakout pass and Ben Pachus found the loose puck and beat Brownridge below the glove to give Newton North a 1-0 lead.

“This is certainly a deeper team than we have had in previous seasons,” Newton North head coach Dan Doucette said. “We have some significant high-end skill and they played well. From top to bottom, we are deeper than we have been in years and we have a lot of guys with varsity experience.”

The Rockets looked like a different team to start the second period. They quickly advanced into the zone, generated significant pressure and finally found the back of the net when Joey Saratella fed Tobin in the slot, and he buried it to even the score.

Needham continued this momentum and took its first lead halfway through the period when Bennett Christie fired in a goal, with Kona Best and John McCarthy picking up the assists.

The Tigers picked up the pace after this and eventually evened the shots in the period to 13-13 while generating multiple high-danger chances. However, Brownridge staved off the threats and the Rockets entered the third with a one-goal lead.

“It was a great response by our guys, especially in the second period,” Hoban said. “They were able to get back on track and follow it with a good third period to finish it off.”

Needham’s James Tobin (24) and Newton North’s Alex Fayerberg trip each other up chasing the puck during the first period of a boys ice hockey game, Wednesday, in Watertown. (Mark Stockwell/Boston Herald)

The Rockets came out flying again in the third period, with Kajunski registering his first varsity goal early with an assist coming from Tyson O’Hare.

“It felt great,” Kajunski said of his first goal. “Those were my first two points. Just being out there, skating and playing competitive hockey feels great.”

A few minutes later, Tobin buried his second off a cross-crease pass from Kajunski to make it 4-1.

“He set me up pretty well,” Tobin said of his second goal. “We’re younger but we are working hard. Getting pucks deep and working hard.”

Abcunas found the back of the net for the Tigers with three seconds remaining to give the game its final score.

With Needham now 1-0 in 2026, Tobin said the team is building positive momentum.

“We got a great group of kids,” Tobin said. “We’re improving every game and we are working harder and harder every game.”