After press time: North Reading defeats Pentucket 8-4 (Feb 14)
Feb 17 vs. Triton (to be posted)
Feb 19 vs. Nantucket, 2-1 WIN (Jeff Hayes Tournament)
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
DANVERS — Throughout the season, the North Reading ice hockey team has proven resilient, bouncing back from losses with subsequent wins. But as the Hornets hit the home stretch of the regular season and prepare for the playoffs, untimely defeats have been mounting.
In the last 10 days, North Reading has suffered a trio of consecutive losses, dropping a 3-2 decision to Newburyport, a 7-2 rout delivered by Amesbury, and most recently, a 3-1 setback at the hands of Essex Tech.
To add to the Hornet’s woes, top-scorer Tommy Gazda was last seen wearing a sling. He has been sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, sustained during the clash with Amesbury. In the midst of a scoring drought, the club is ill-prepared to lose a player of his caliber.
“He’ll be missed,” said North Reading Coach Brian McAuliffe. “Not having your leading center – your leading scorer, is obviously going to be a problem. Hopefully, we’ll have him back in time for the Cape Cod tournament or the State tournament.”
Under the circumstances, the shorthanded Hornets played admirably during last Saturday’s matinee at the Essex Sports Center, limiting the potent Hawks offense to just three goals. Charlie Cooper backstopped the effort, facing 36-shots, while the defense labored to limit opportunities.
“That team is ranked third in Division 3 so we knew coming in, it was going to be a challenge,” said McAuliffe, who is currently 7-7 overall, 4-1 in the CAL Baker League, and 12th in the MIAA D4 Power Rankings. “I thought our guys gave a great effort and played their hearts out. As the late Jimy Williams often said, we had some “Buzzard’s Luck” out there today. But I was happy with the performance.”
Essex Tech struck four minutes into the game on a fluke goal. Skating hard through center, Logan Casey head manned a pass to linemate Anthony Bisenti, who gained the line and fired, striking the post. The puck ricochet landed back on the stick of Bisenti who would not be denied on the second chance, one-timing a go-ahead goal.
The Hawks, effectively transitioning through the neutral zone, doubled their lead midway through the second frame on a goal from Casey.
“They have an aggressive forecheck, a number of strong skaters, and they pinned us pretty good,” said McAuliffe. “But I thought, all in all, we were able to skate the puck out, especially in the second and third period.”
One of the better North Reading scoring chances featured a two-on-one break with Christian Lava, on the left wing, sending a cross-ice feed to speedster Brendan Gazda in the high slot. Standing in their path, however, was topnotch goalie Garrett White, who McAuliffe described as “the best we’ve faced so far.”
Late in the second, Essex Tech committed back-to-back penalties resulting in a 54-second 5-on-3 opportunity. To the chagrin of the coaching staff, the Hornets were unable to contain the puck and mustered only a pair of shots.
As the power play came to an end, Essex Tech cashed in as North Reading tried to get organized. With 3:58 left in the second, Dominic Tiberii added to the Hornets’ uphill climb, making it 3-0 off a feed from Casey, who figured in all three Hawk’s goals.
Small victory, perhaps, but North Reading sidestepped what would have been the first shutout this season when Tyler Morello buried his third of the year. The senior forward gathered the puck, circled his own net, and raced along the right wing. Cutting to the front of the net, Morello unleashed a hard, rising wrister which handcuffed White. The goal, with 4:35 remaining, was unassisted.
“Tyler has been trying to get in a groove this season so seeing him score like that was a great sign,” said McAuliffe. “I think that will be the spark he needs to get to his scoring potential.”
McAuliffe traded Cooper for an extra attacker with 1:52 left and while the Hornets held the zone, shots were limited.
“Down the final stretch, we have a league game with Pentucket followed by Triton,” the coach outlined. “And then we make the trip for a couple on the Cape which we’ll use to get tuned up for the State Tournament.”
North Reading hosted Pentucket (4-12-1) Wednesday night (results in after press time), will travel to face Triton (9-8) on Saturday evening, and then pack their bags for Bourne and the annual two-game Jeff Hayes Tournament, featuring possible opponents Auburn, Nantucket and Sandwich.