Begins Pellerin coaching era with a 7-0 loss to Lexington
By JIM SOUTHMAYD
SAUGUS — The John Pellerin coaching era got off to a rough start. In fact it was one that the Warriors and the new coaching staff would like to forget.
The Wakefield Memorial High boys’ hockey team was blanked by Lexington, 7-0, last night in the season opener at the Kasabuski Arena.
Pellerin himself wasn’t in attendance due to the death of his father. The Warriors and Minutemen players had a moment of silence before the start of the game. Once the puck was dropped, Wakefield was unable to win one for their new coach.
The Warriors hung tough with the Minutemen for a period but Lexington came out and dominated the second lighting the lamp twice. In the third, the floodgates opened as the Minutemen scored four more goals to turn the game into a one-sided contest.
“It’s a long season. This is just one game,” said Assistant Coach Chris Giantassio, who was filling in as head coach on the bench last night. “We have a lot of returners. I don’t want to say we got outplayed in the second period but we didn’t do what we needed to do.”
Lexington had the advantage in shots, 23-15, with a commanding advantage in the second period when the Minutemen had an 11-2 edge.
Wakefield and Lexington played pretty evenly in the first period but the Minutemen went to the locker room with a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors had the only power play of the frame when senior defenseman Cullen Bryant was sent to the penalty box for holding at 8:26. But it was Lexington that tallied the goal while shorthanded.
A turnover resulted in junior forward Justin Arnold skating in alone on junior goalie Ben Yandell. Arnold went top shelf from the right post to give the visitors a 1-0 lead after one.
The Minutemen dominated the second period and added two more goals, one of which was their second shorthanded goal of the night.
Bryant was sent to the sin bin for tripping at 5:29. At the tail end of the power play, Lexington scored a shorthanded goal as senior forward Max Giesen knocked in a puck at the left post at 6:59.
Lexington extended its lead to 3-0 at 12:14 of the second. Senior forward Ricky Carballo got a puck at the blue line and broke in alone to beat Yandell. Arnold and senior defenseman Brendan Shaw earned the assists on the goal as Lexington by that score at the second intermission.
Wakefield junior defenseman Dylan Melanson, a captain, was sent to the penalty box for high-sticking at 14:27 of the second period and Lexington cashed in with a power play goal at 55 seconds of the third period.
Arnold scored with backhanded shot to the right corner of the net. Bryant assisted on the goal.
The fifth Lexington goal was scored off the face-off in the left circle in the Warrior zone after a penalty was assessed to Logan Dunn, a junior defenseman, for roughing and a misconduct penalty was assessed to Shaw. Senior Tom McLaughlin scored the goal with senior Matt Gill getting the assist.
Junior forward Jack Jenness sent a shot on net that trickled over the line at 8:58. Junior forward Ryan Cooke and Bryant got the assists.
The final goal was scored at 13:35 with Carballo finding the back of the net.
Wakefield’s next game is against Reading on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Kasabuski Arena. Pellerin will be on the bench for that Middlesex League crossover game.
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At Kasabuski Arena, Saugus
Lexington………..1 2 4 — 7
WAKEFIELD…….0 0 0 — 0
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First Period — Lex, Arnold (Carballo) 9:03 (sh). Penalties — Bryant (holding) 8:20.
Second Period — Lex, Giesen (un.) 6:59. Lex, Carballo (Arnold, Shaw) 12:14. Penalties — Wak, Dunn (tripping) 3:23; Lex, Bryant (tripping) 5:29; Lex, Geisen (unsportsmanlike conduct) 6:59; Lex, Arnold (cross-checking) 9:15; Wak, Funicella (holding) 10:08; Wak, Dy.Melanson (high-sticking) 14:27.
Third Period — Lex, Arnold (Bryant) :55 (pp). Lex, McLaughlin (Gill) 2:50. Lex, Jenness (Cooke, Bryant) 8:58. Lex, Carballo (Bryant) 13:35. Penalties — Lex, Bryant (interference) 1:54; Wak, Dunn (roughing) 2:45; Lex, Shaw (misconduct) 2:45; Lex, McGonagle (roughing) 5:52; Lex, Arnold (knee) 8:39; Wak, Dy.Melanson (tripping) 8:48; Wak, Marino (roughing) 10:41; Lex, Bryant (knee) 10:41.
Shots on Goal — Lexington 3-11-9 — 23. Wakefield 7-2-6 — 15.
Power Plays — Lexington 1 for 5. Wakefield 0 for 6.
Goalies — Lex, Douglass (15 shots-15 saves). Wak, Yandell (23-16).