Stoneham, MA – In a rare 11 AM Presidents’ Day matchup we popped down to Stoneham Arena to see two local rivals duke it out: the Danvers Falcons (D3) and the Wakefield Warriors (D2). Each team entered with 9 wins on the season with Danvers at 9-6-3 and Wakefield at 9-9-0: who would get their 10th win today? We let it all unfold in front of us on the ice.
In the first period this game was back and forth from the drop of the puck as each team traded chances and there was a lot of space to operate in each zone. Each squad started to piece together better looks as we got deeper into the period and the first to break the ice was Danvers. Just over five minutes in, junior forward Trevor McNeill zoomed in off the right wing and centered one for sophomore Caleb White who buried it up top to make it 1-0 Falcons. But Wakefield would not be denied and just 14 seconds later they responded as junior Bobby DeFeo carried into the zone and drove the net, wiring one under the bar to tie it at 1. The remainder of the period would be a bit more defensive in nature as sticks were active and physicality started to creep up. On we went to the second…
In the second period, the pace picked up a bit as both sides were fully engaged and the pregame breakfast burritos started to kick in. This period featured more active sticks and fewer looks around the house but plenty of open ice along the boards. While neither team was able to score in the second 15, there were dueling breakaways where each team had golden chances. With about five minutes to go sophomore defender Brady Plaza blew past the defense and cruised in for a breakaway which resulted in a great save by senior netminder Jonathan Guida of Wakefield. Just seconds later, a lead pass hit senior captain Joey O’Brien in stride and he made a nice move but the puck just slipped wide of the left post on the backhand. That meant we were headed to the decisive third tied at 1-1.
In the third period, the first half of the frame flew by without much consequence. Both teams were playing it carefully to ensure no mistakes led to obvious scoring chances. As the pace intensified, so did the scoring chances and nine minutes in Wakefield took the lead. It appeared to be an innocent dump in for a line change by senior defender Mike Parent, but the puck took a wacky bounce off the goalie’s glove and trickled into the net near the right post: 2-1 Warriors. Roughly three minutes later Wakefield would pad their lead off a nice backhanded pass in the slot by senior forward Ryan Rossini to a waiting freshman forward Nate Brissette who deposited it bar and in to make it 3-1. Turns out that Danvers would not go away quietly, a minute and a half later senior forward Aidan Lanphere teed up fellow senior Jimmy Thibodeau in the slot to make it a one goal game once again. Danvers pulled their goalie looking for the equalizer but came up just short: final score, a 3-2 victory for Wakefield.
Three Stars:
- F Bobby DeFeo, Wakefield
- F Joey O’Brien, Wakefield
- D Brady Plaza, Danvers