By DAN ZIMMERMAN
SAUGUS – At the outset of the current hockey season, there were questions raised about what North Reading would be able to accomplish, taking into account the youth and inexperience of this team. Last week, the Hornets silenced the doubters, proving they can skate with anyone.
Midweek, North Reading traveled to Haverhill to face longtime nemesis Amesbury and came away with a convincing 3-1 win. A trio of freshmen combined early in the game, with Matthew Mericantante finding the back of the net for the first of his career. Christian Lava and Brendan Gazda were awarded assists on the go-ahead goal. In the middle frame, the Hornets co-scoring leader Thomas Gazda fired home the eventual game-winner, from Maxwell Forristall. Brendan Gazda added insurance, from Lava, midway through the third. Amesbury snapped the game-long shutout with a late goal.
“That was a terrific game – I would say our best effort yet,” said North Reading Coach Brian McAuliffe, who is currently 4-3 on the season. “I thought we had Amesbury’s number. We had a solid week of practice leading up to the game and came out flying, totally focused.”
While McAuliffe emphasized that the important win over Amesbury was a team effort, he gave the nod to a pair of players who made their presence known.
“Max Forristall, on defense, played a ton of minutes and was just dominant,” said the coach, “and Brendan Rooney stepped up his physical game, doing a lot of the work behind the scenes.”
Coupled with the defeat of Cambridge Ringe and Latin during the consolation round of the holiday First Responders Tournament, the win over Amesbury marked the first time this season the Hornets had won back-to-back games. They were seeking a third when Triton paid a visit to Kasabuski on Saturday night. If not for a pair of questionable tripping penalties in late action, they likely would have succeeded.
With the Hornets clinging to a 3-2 lead deep in the third period, Nolan DeGregorio was sent to the box for what could only be described as a textbook hip check. James Nelson soon followed, whistled for a borderline tripping infraction. Triton scored a pair during the penalty sequence, which included a 1:09 5-on-3, capturing a one-goal lead. The Vikings added one in the waning minutes for a 5-3 final.
McAuliffe, despite the frustrating turn of events, was diplomatic.
“We went toe-to-toe with an older, bigger, and faster team and hung right with them,” he said. “A couple of calls, several bad bounces, and there were certainly a few things that didn’t go our way. But I really liked the effort I saw tonight.”
North Reading goal scorers in the loss were Lava from Thomas Gazda, Brendan Gazda from Lava, and Thomas Gazda from DeGregorio. Currently, Thomas Gazda (8 goals, 2 assists) and Lava (4 goals, 6 assists) share the Hornet scoring lead.
Between the pipes, freshman netminder Charlie Cooper was exceptionally sharp, turning aside 39 Triton shots. He deserved a better fate.
“Charlie put it all out there tonight – every night,” said McAuliffe. “He has been playing out of his mind.”
In Cape Ann Baker standings, North Reading and Rockport are currently deadlocked at the top of the league, each with a pair of wins and 4-points.
“I said to the guys that if we can replicate that effort in every game, we’re going to be successful,” said McAuliffe.
North Reading will next travel to face the 2-5 Pentucket Panthers at Veteran’s Memorial on Saturday at 4 p.m.