2011 - 2012 - Game Reports

December 22, 2011

Falcons earn statement win by knocking off Saugus
By Phil Stacey Sports editor

Chalk this up as a win for all those hard hat, lunch pail, grind-it-out hockey players out there.
 
Playing the style they'll need to be successful this winter, the Danvers High hockey team brushed off an early two-goal deficit and got two goals and two assists from captain J.D. Hodgkins to power the Blue-and-White to a satisfying 5-4 victory over Saugus last night at the Richard H. Rockett Arena.
 
Doing nothing fancier than simply making smart plays with the puck, good tape-to-tape passes and sacrificing their bodies to block shots and clog passing lanes, the Falcons were rewarded with a win over the team many feel has more talent than any other in the Northeastern Conference.
 
"There were a lot of motivational speeches from both the captains and the coaches in that locker room before the game," said the 18-year-old Hodgkins, a first line winger who is second on the team in scoring with six points through three contests. "It was all about us playing more physical, more intense."
 
Coming off of a flat 6-2 loss to Beverly last weekend, the Falcons (2-1) were eager to get back to playing the systems that help them achieve success. Consider that mission accomplished as the Falcons not only did the things they set out to do, but also negated Saugus' superior team speed and, quite simply, outworked the visiting team.
 
Hodgkins' linemate and fellow captain, junior center Joe Strangie, also had a big night with four assists. The third member of the Falcons' top unit, A.J. Couto, more than held his own with a goal and two assists. His tally, coming with 13 seconds left in the first period in which he split two defensemen to win puck possession before roofing a backhand, cut the Saugus lead to 2-1 and seemed to get the Falcons rolling from that point forward.

That first line focused on a strong forechecking game, with one player going in to knock his man off the puck, another going in to help, and the third man — usually Hodgkins — stationed high in the offensive zone and ready to pounce if the Falcons gained possession. It led to both of his goals, first cleaning up a Strangie rebound out front and then taking a pretty pass from his pivot man for a one-timer in the slot.
 
Third liner Jay Calcagno, a sophomore forward, and senior defenseman Peter Marshall also scored for Danvers, with Marshall's coming from the point and through a screen out front with 9:08 to play for the game-winning strike.
 
"We knew Danvers was going to come out hard and work, work, work. That's their tradition, same as ours," said Saugus (1-1-1) head coach Jeff Natalucci. "It's what their program is built on; it's what our program is built on. They showed it tonight; we didn't.

"We're not good enough to just show up in this league and win; it's a battle every night."
 
Senior Seth Kamens came up big when he had two, shaking off two early goals from Saugus speedster Saige Tait to finish with 25 saves. Freshman Guy Capillo had the other two scores for the Sachems, both on the power play.
 
"Our guys battled through adversity and maintained their composure, exactly the type of things we were focused on coming into this one," said Danvers head coach Kevin Brown. "It's a credit to our defense that we were about to bring the puck clearly out of our zone for much of the night, and making several good passes before shooting on their guy (goalie Nick Hegarty) was big, too."
 
Junior winger Rob Buchanan, injured and out last game, made his return to the Danvers lineup and helped slow down Saugus defensively while freshman defenseman Mike Disciullo continues to shine, at point diving to block a shot head-first during a second period Saugus power play.