RallyNorth.net

Fri, Dec 28, 2007 08:00 PM @ Gloucester

Team	Final
Martha's Vineyard	1
Gloucester	4

Fishermen defend home ice, win inaugural tourney

Monday, December, 31 By Nick Curcuru
Correspondent

The Gloucester boys hockey team came into last Friday night's game against Martha's Vineyard with two goals in mind.

The first was to defend their home ice against a tough Vineyarders team.

The second was to take home the crown in the inaugural Cape Ann Savings Bank Holiday Tournament.

The Fishermen were able to accomplish both of their goals thanks to a pair of scores from senior captain Andrew Fulford and senior Jeremy Fanning in their 4-1 win over the Vineyarders at Dorothy Talbot Rink. Gloucester (5-0-1) will next face Salem on the road on Wednesday (6 p.m.).

"It's great to come out with a win and protect our home ice," Fulford said. "We don't like to see teams come into our rink and come out with two points."

Tied at 1 going into the third, the Fishermen put the game away with three goals. Fulford got the game-winner when he was able to put a shot past Martha's Vineyard netminder Alex Minnehan. Fanning would add an insurance goal less than two minutes later with the Fishermen playing short-handed. The senior center was able to take advantage of a Vineyarder turnover in front of the net.

Fulford would put the game away with four minutes to go when he put home his second of the night.

Gloucester would also open the scoring in the first on Fanning's power-play goal. Martha's Vineyard captain Joel Rebello would tie it late in the first.

Fishermen head coach Don Lowe was pleased with the Fishermen's performance, calling it "the best game they played all season against the best team (they) played all season."

"Everybody played well tonight," Lowe said. "We showed a lot of hustle and grit in all aspects of the game in both of our tournament games."

The Vineyarders were plagued by penalties, and at one point late in the third period had four players in the penalty box at once. The amount of penalties did not sit well with Vineyarders head coach Matt Mincone.

"It's tough to win when you spend that much time in the penalty box," Mincone said. "I just wish the officiating was more consistent. Some of the penalties they called in the third were not penalties earlier in the game, and we are not normally a penalty team. We never play 20 minutes of a game short-handed. But that's not to take anything away from Gloucester. They beat us in the third and they just kept coming at us. They have a very good team."

Gloucester's Brett Biondo was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, and junior defenseman Paul Russo was named to the All-Tournament team. Lowe lauded both Russo and Biondo for their play, as well as defenseman Nick DeCoste and goaltender Bradley Robertson.

"Bradley played a great tournament," Lowe said. "He could have easily been named tournament Most Valuable Player." Overall the Fishermen are very happy to post an unbeaten record, and they feel that the team is starting to hit its stride and is performing above expectations.

"We are really starting to come together and our younger players are starting to come into their own," Fulford said. "We still have room for improvement, but I don't think anybody would have thought we would be 5-0-1 after six games. It feels great."