RallyNorth.net

An ever-growing Newburyport hockey fan base stood stoically for the better part of two hours last evening.

Clippers fans exchanged few words during their team's 4-0 loss to Tewksbury in the Division 2 North semifinal at Richard H. Rockett Rink. The capacity crowd, which seemed to favor Newburyport in numbers, struggled to put words to the Clippers' first lopsided loss of the season.

Nine in a row and no further.

After a remarkable run of play capped off by the win for the ages over Gloucester in the Division 2 North quarterfinal, Newburyport's season came to an end in the semifinal last night, 4-0, to a team that has not lost a Division 2 game all season in Tewksbury.

Deafening cheers spilled out of the Newburyport hockey team's locker room Sunday evening only minutes after the Clippers pulled off the upset of Gloucester in the Division 2 North quarterfinal at Richard H. Rockett Rink.

So what exactly was it like to be a part of yesterday's Division 2 North quarterfinal boys hockey game between No. 3 Gloucester and sixth-seeded Newburyport?

"I had pins and needles man, pins and needles," said Newburyport head coach Paul Yameen. "I knew it was going to be a battle."

When the tournament pairings came out, the potential spectacle of a rematch between Newburyport and Gloucester in the second round had the makings of a classic.

After all, Newburyport entered the Division 2 North tournament with an eight-game winning streak, and Gloucester was the team with the recent state championship success (2006 state title).

State tournament games are no place for freshmen.

At least until last evening.

The scorching Newburyport hockey team advanced to the Division 2 North quarterfinal with an opening-round 5-1 victory over Saugus at Stoneham Rink. Newburyport freshman Anthony Federico came within 8:20 of a shutout in his first career appearance in a state tournament game. Fellow freshman Gaven LaValley netted two goals | Newburyport's second and third of the game | in a span of 10:28.

February has been quite the month for the Newburyport hockey team.

Sitting at 6-6-1 after a Jan. 30 loss at Wilmington, the Clippers needed a strong finish to inspire any hope of making a run in the EMass. Division 2 North state tournament.

Something changed seven games ago when Newburyport beat a rolling Gloucester club. Now the Clippers may just be the team to beat heading into the Division 2 state tournament.

Last night at the 13th annual Newburyport Bank Hockey Tournament, the red-hot Clippers repeated as champs, toppling Pentucket, 4-2, to close out the regular season on a seven-game winning streak.

It's an old sports cliché New England Patriots fans were reminded of all too painfully earlier this month.

Beware of a team on a hot streak.

In case local sports fans forgot, the Newburyport hockey team provided a reminder Saturday evening with an 8-1 victory over Amesbury in the opening round of the 13th annual Newburyport Bank Classic.

As the game clock ticked off the final seconds of last night's Newburyport vs. Triton tilt, the scene hardly resembled what hockey fans have come to expect from the classic River Rival matchup.

Newburyport's forwards, as had been the case all night, continued to pepper a Triton net, which at that point was being guarded by the team's second-string goalie. The scoreboard read 9-0 Newburyport, and fans who had long-since recognized the inevitable outcome began heading for the exit.