2011 - 2012 - Game Reports

December 15, 2011

Danvers hockey guts out season opening win over Winthrop 
By Phil Stacey Sports editor

SALEM — An artistic masterpiece, it was not.
 
A much needed two points in their season opener, it most certainly was.
 
"That's all that really matters, that we got the 'W,'" said Danvers High goaltender Seth Kamens, who stopped 18 shots as the Falcons dispatched visiting Winthrop, 3-2, last night at the Rockett Arena.
 
In knocking off the defending Northeastern Conference Large champions, Danvers got goals from all three of its forward lines, blocked double-digit shots over the final two periods and got some clutch work between the pipes from Kamens. That was especially true when he denied Winthrop sniper Chris LeBlanc, who was easily the game's best player last night, on three separate golden scoring opportunities.
 
But the win was admittedly a sloppy one for the Falcons, who seemed sluggish for much of the contest and were missing on passes and on-ice communication for long stretches. Credit some of that to opening night jitters, but head coach Kevin Brown clearly realizes his team has a lot of work to do.
 
"That's what's nice about having two nights of practice now before we play again Saturday (against Beverly). We'll take the positives that come with a win and work on correcting the negatives in practice," he said.
 
"Getting two points, that's the goal every night and we found a way to do it despite some of our errors. I give Winthrop credit; they outworked us early on and took us off the puck, things we like to do to other teams. But we picked it up as the game went on and ultimately got the win."
 
The game-winning goal from captain Joe Strangie with 9:15 to play. The junior center took a pass from linemate J.D. Hodgkins and was denied by Winthrop netminder Tom DiBenedetto at the right post on a spectacular pad stop, but he had the presence of mind to jam the rebound under the freshman for the go-ahead score.
 
Senior Paul D'Orlando added his first career goal as a Falcon in the second period, burying a rebound of Jay Calcagno's shot after the latter had broke in all alone on DiBenedetto. Sophomore Tyler Dustin also found the back of the net for the Falcons, scoring their first goal of the season a little less than nine minutes into the first period.
 
"We knew we had to pick it up after the first period," Kamens said of his team's play. "That was the worst period we've played this year; we had done a nice job in all of scrimmages prior to that. We weren't controlling the puck or playing smart with it, but we did better in the second period and into the third."
 
"There were some positives we can definitely point to, such as never trailing and making the most of the shots (16) we had," said Brown. "But there's also a lot for us to work on, like matching teams physically and being strong in the corners. We'll make adjustments and be ready for Beverly (Saturday)."