Published in the January 26, 2021 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
STONEHAM — As it turns out, defense doesn’t just win championships. It also happens to snap eight-year losing streaks.
The Wakefield High boys’ hockey team can measure success and improvement in a multitude of ways. They did it last year with an 11-6-3 record, their most regular season wins in over a decade, even more than Wakefield’s 2011 Div. 1 North championship team (10-6-4).
But the Warriors accomplished something last Wednesday at the Stoneham Arena that they haven’t done since those golden years of hockey success: beating Burlington. The Red Devils have been a state powerhouse for quite some time under legendary head coach Bob Conceison and they’ve had Wakefield’s number every year, usually twice a season since 2013 – the last time Wakefield beat them. Snapping a streak like that, should be the definition of progress.
Wakefield’s second-year head coach Mike Geary was aware of the significance of Wednesday night’s victory, and certainly happy for his players who made it happen. But the most important part Geary, as in any victory over a strong team, is that his program continues to get better.
“We have been improving as a group,” said Geary. “We have gotten great leadership and play from our three senior captains (Oliver Miller, Matthew Moniz and Brendan Vacca) and both goalies are playing well (Jacob Barrett and Jon Guida).”
The steady Barrett tallied 22 saves in the win and the Warriors got great defensive play from forwards and defensemen alike, especially from their top four D group of juniors Evan Simoneau, Matt Burns and Michael Parent and sophomore Joe Colliton. The Red Devils outshot the Warriors 23-17.
Of course, you can’t alter the history books without putting a few Gino’s in the box score. For that, Wakefield can thank goal scorers Moniz, Vacca and Simoneau.
All three goals were the result of hustle and hard work, something that Wakefield needed during the biggest moment of the game, a five-minute major penalty kill with 14:11 left and the Warriors holding onto a 2-1 lead. Led by the work from Simoneau, Colliton, Burns and Parent along with forwards Miller, Moniz, Vacca, Cal Tryder, Joey O’Brien and Bobby DeFeo, Wakefield became more and more confident with each puck clear; and after allowing just one shot attempt by Burlington, Wakefield returned to even strength with a roar from the bench and a belief that this was their night.
Simoneau’s insurance tally came from an off angle on the right wing and trickled in with 6:52 to play. Junior Ryan Rossini and Colliton assisted on the goal.
As the physicality and intensity reached an apex late in the final period, the Warriors were forced to deal with a 6-on-3 Burlington advantage for over a minute but Simoneau, Moniz and Colliton used their last bit of adrenaline to cover the ice, not allowing a single shot before the Warriors eventually closed it out.
The late special teams work was especially impressive considering Burlington started the scoring with a power play goal from Jack Jay.
In past years, that may have been a sign that the script was already written, but Moniz changed the story on a game-tying goal with 7:26 left in the first with assists to Tryder and Miller. The play started with a Tryder shot block in the defensive zone. Miller got to it and chipped it up the right side boards back to Tryder who played a backhand pass across the blue line to Moniz. A top-shelf wrister popped the bottle of Butlington’s netminder.
Wakefield’s second – and as it turns out – game-winning goal, came with 15 seconds left in the first. Parent skated the puck out of the Wakefield zone and pressure from Andrew Almquist in the left corner forced a bad pass to the front of the net where Vacca was waiting. His initial shot was stopped but the captain stuck with it and buried the second chance for a massive change of momentum.
The goals certainly provided confidence, but it was the team-wide commitment to defense that kept Wakefield on top in the second and final period.
“I’m happy the players are buying into a defense first approach,” said Geary who was especially impressed by the two-way play of juniors Simoneau and O’Brien on Wednesday night.
As it turns out, it was the type of defense that can provide one of the biggest wins in years.
The Warriors improved to 2-3-1 with the win while Burlington fell to 2-2.
Wakefield dropped a 3-1 contest to reigning Super 8 champion Arlington on Jan. 18.
The Warriors’ first win of the season came on Jan. 15 when they beat Watertown 2-1. Wakefield outshot the Raiders 22-18 as Barrett earned his first win of the season in net. O’Brien and Matt Elwell scored the goals for Wakefield.
Wakefield and Burlington will have a rematch tomorrow, 4 p.m. at the Burlington Ice Palace.
