Published January 28, 2021
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
SAUGUS — Losing the first two games of this COVID-19 abbreviated season, even by a margin of 8-0 combined, was by no means an indication of the potential of the North Reading hockey team.
This was illustrated by the remarkable turnaround engineered by the Hornets over their next three games, starting with a dramatic OT win over Hamilton-Wenham two weeks ago. The trend continued with significant wins over the next two opponents to improve to 3-2 overall as the condensed hockey season reached its midpoint.
“We were aware from the outset that our team didn’t possess a lot of big game experience,” said North Reading coach Brian McAuliffe. “But we’re improving exponentially with each passing game and learning from the mistakes that we were previously making.”
North Reading embarked on the comeback trail with a visit from Hamilton-Wenham on Jan. 16. To that juncture, the Kasabuski home ice had been unkind to the Hornets, where they sustained back-to-back defeats. In the season-opener, Triton dealt them a 3-0 blanking and soon after, archrival Lynnfield exploited the shorthanded Hornets, 5-0.
Facing Hamilton-Wenham on Jan. 16, the Hornets recorded a number of 2021 firsts – first goal of the season, from senior tri-captain Nick Pasquale to snap a prolonged scoring drought, goalie Sam Elliott’s first win in net, and the first Hornet win of the campaign. It certainly wasn’t an easy task, however. Hamilton-Wenham proved a formidable opponent and each time North Reading pulled ahead, the Generals answered. Sophomore Matt Young put the Hornets in front, 2-1. But with 48 seconds left in the game, Hamilton-Wenham cashed in with a clutch power play goal to tie it.
Under typical conditions, the game would have remained knotted, but because there will be no playoffs this year and the accumulation of points is meaningless toward that end, the league rules allow for overtime to settle ties, in a format similar to that used in tournaments.
“We outshot Hamilton-Wenham 45-14 but their goalie just stood on his head,” said McAuliffe. “Junior tri-captain Matt Ryan delivered in the overtime segment, skating coast-to-coast and won the game with a beautiful shot.”
With a win now to their credit and growing momentum, the Hornets next took out a struggling Rockport club, 4-0. Goal scorers were Jonathan Patch, Sean Brown, Michael Dee, and Frank Brachanow, all seniors. McAuliffe followed through with his pledge to alternate goaltenders and went with freshman Martin Pierce, who turned aside 20 shots in the shutout effort and like his counterpart Elliott, notched his first career varsity win.
“Alternating our two goalies seems to be the recipe for this season,” said McAuliffe. “They’re both very capable and it was great to see them each earn their first wins.”
North Reading climbed over the .500 mark, improving to 3-2 overall with a decisive 6-2 win over Pentucket on Jan. 20. The Hornets effectively neutralized the Sachems’ all-time leading scorer, Richie Hardy, and outshot their 3-1 opponent by a wide 50-10 margin. Elliott returned to record his second win which was backed-up with balanced offensive production. North Reading goal scorers were senior Ryan Fabrizio, Brachanow, Pasquale, junior Andrew Daley, and a pair from senior tri-captain Sal Schille.
“I was very proud of the effort in the Pentucket game,” said McAuliffe. “We knew it was going to be a challenge but we got help from every line, stayed out of the penalty box, and scored two goals in each period.”
North Reading has five remaining, including rematches with Rockport, Triton, and Lynnfield, along with a pair with Newburyport. After the close of regular business in mid-February, the Hornets will partake in a mini-tournament within the Cape Ann League.
“In the first two games, we made a number of costly mistakes,” said McAuliffe. “We’re no longer making those mistakes which is a testament to the character of this team. The way we’re trending after the last three games, I have some high expectations for these kids. If we continue to play to our capabilities, this will be a fun team to watch.”
