After press time: North Reading falls to Amesbury 7-2 (Feb 7)
North Reading falls to Essex Tech 3-1 (Feb 10)
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
SAUGUS — In recent weeks, the North Reading ice hockey team has impressed, forging dramatic come-from-behind wins in the late stages of games with Northeast and Rockport. But it’s actually a defeat that more accurately exhibited the tenacity of the Hornets.
Last Wednesday night, North Reading nearly stunned perennial powerhouse Newburyport in a late season matchup but fell just shy as the Clippers buried a winning goal with just 36 seconds remaining in overtime. Tied 2-2 in the extra frame and skating 4-on-4, the Hornets were handed a power play opportunity. But as time ran out, an opportunistic Newburyport, which had been penalized four times to North Reading’s clean slate, capitalized shorthanded to claim a 3-2 win.
With six contests remaining in the regular season, North Reading is 7-5 overall and owns an undefeated 4-0 mark in the Cape Ann Baker League, two ahead of Rockport in the win column. The Hornets also continued their steady climb in the MIAA Power Rankings, reaching No. 14 of the 51 Division 4 clubs. This rank will most assuredly improve further after the results of the Newburyport meeting are compiled.
“It was tough to take this loss but you have to look at the bright side,” said North Reading Coach Brian McAuliffe. “We just played Newburyport, a team that lost to Canton in overtime and Canton is one of the best teams in the state. This is the type of opponent, win or lose, that will definitely give us a boost in the Power Rankings.”
Newburyport, currently at 10-3-1 overall, struck first as Will Palermino beat netminder Charlie Cooper just 1:02 into the game. Many of the North Reading faithful, circling Kasabuski Rink in support, braced for further impact following the early goal. The Clippers, known to score early and often, had amassed 17-goals in their previous three outings.
“That wasn’t the case in our minds,” said McAuliffe, when the word “blowout” was mentioned. “We had a good third period against Rockport and felt we could keep that trend going.”
McAuliffe was definitely on to something. The second period belonged to the Hornets. At 13:55, Christian Lava lugged the puck over the blue line and sent a soft wristshot along the ice surface. Newburyport goalie Joe Aresco, kneeling in the crease, deployed his left pad but not far enough. Assists on the game-tying goal were awarded to freshmen Brendan Gazda and James Nelson.
Six minutes later, the Hornets moved in front, 2-1, on Lava’s second of the night. Skating on the man advantage, Lava pounced on the follow-up off Nolan DeGregorio’s bid from the point. Max Forristall also picked up a helper on the go-ahead tally, midway through the second.
“Christian is one of the more self-motivated and determined players on this team,” said McAuliffe of the talented freshman who is currently tied with Tom Gazda for the Hornet scoring lead (8 goals, 10 assists). “He’s becoming a force out there.”
Newburyport pulled even late in the second period on a Tristan Joyce goal, leading to a scoreless, nailbiter of a third.
During the ensuing overtime stanza, Newburyport’s Kane Brennan committed a flagrant hooking infraction, resulting in a 4-on-3 for the Hornets. During regulation, the Clippers deployed a neutral zone trap which was difficult to penetrate with any authority. But suddenly, shorthanded with the game at stake, they turned aggressive. An unfortunate bounce sent Luke McIsaac in alone and he would not be denied.
“We made a couple of mistakes which you can’t do against a team like Newburyport,” said McAuliffe. “But I thought we put a great product on the ice tonight with three strong periods. We went toe-to-toe with a hockey heavyweight and hung in there to the end.”
North Reading faced 7-5 Amesbury on Wednesday night (results in after press time) and will next visit 7-6-1 Essex Tech on Saturday at noon.