Wilmington Hockey Team Keeps Sailing Along

First the boys hockey team took the wind of Danvers’ sails. Then, the Wildcats sailed into the North Division 2 quarterfinals.

weathered choppy seas and a scoreless first period before scoring twice within about 30 seconds midway through the second frame to take a 2-0 advantage.

The Falcons fired right back with 11:48 to play in the final stanza when Brian O’Keefe sliced the deficit to 2-1 and gave Danvers signs of life. Brendan McDonough had an answer of his own, however, as the freshman scored 81 seconds after O’Keefe’s tally and the Wildcats never looked back en route to a 4-2 win.

“That goal took the wind out of their sails a little, so it’s a good one to get,” said Wilmington head coach Steve Scanlon. “Obviously the result is all that matters in the tournament. We’re going to have to play a lot better if we want to advance. As a one seed I would expect the kids to come in a little more ready to go. I thought we played down to their level a little bit.”

Massive senior defenseman Brian Hurley provided Wilmington with a 1-0 edge with 6:37 to play in the second period. The team captain settled the puck near the blue line and blasted it on net where it hit iron and settled into the back of the net.

Then, just 34 ticks later, Andy Owens cashed in on a scoring opportunity to extend the edge to 2-0, where it would remain until the second intermission.

“I thought our guys knew what to expect,” said Danvers head coach Kevin Brown. “The second period, I was proud of the way we played even though the scoreboard didn’t say it. Good opportunities and their goalie stepped up.”

O’Keefe’s goal was controversial, as the lamp in Woburn’s O’Brien Rink lit, but referees signaled no goal. After a conversation, however, the tally was allowed.

McDonough’s strike was a bizarre one. The forward’s shot on goal was initially saved by Seth Kamens. The puck bounced in the air, off the netminder’s helmet and rolled over the goal line.

“You want to score in the first five minutes and put some pressure on them, and I think we did,” said Brown. “Then we gave up that next one pretty quickly, so it kind of washed that way a little. It’s a tournament game. It’s an emotional game.”

After McDonough’s marker, sophomore standout Cam Owens added a goal of his own for Wilmington as he shook free into a breakaway and showed patience before pushing the puck home.

Jack Doyle added a goal with 4:21 left, for Danvers but Wildcat keeper Joseph Aucoin fought off heavy pressure the rest of the way to serve as the winning goalie for the contest.

“(Aucoin) was calm, cool and collected the entire night. He could have sued for non-support a few times,” said Scanlon. “It’s the not the number of saves he makes, it’s the ones he makes. They got two turnovers and turned them into breaks, and he stopped both of them. Those were huge plays.”

Hurley normally plays the role of enforcer and defensive expert for Wilmington, but against Danvers, his offense was the spark his team needed.

“He’s our leader. How he goes, we usually go,” said Scanlon. “I thought he played well tonight. He was physical, he knows when to do his thing. It was a nice shot and it really gave us a lift. The first goal of the tournament is always important.”

With the loss, Danvers ends the year at 10-7-5. The Falcons were the 16^th seed in the tournament and earned an overtime victory over Lynnfield in their preliminary round game.

“It’s not an easy time right after the game, but I’m very proud of our seniors,” said Brown. “It’s a tremendous senior class, and we kind of reflected on that (in the locker room). There are many life lessons to be learned throughout the season, and this is one of them.”

Wilmington now faces Masconomet in action slated for Saturday at 6 p.m.

The Wildcats hope to defeat Masco for the third time this season, something Scanlon knows will be a difficult task.

“I don’t think we played very well physically. Being a young team I thought we’d struggle in the first period, but it didn’t get much better after that,” said Scanlon. “I just didn’t think we skated well tonight. I think we dodged a bullet to tell you the truth.”