RallyNorth.net

Fishermen, Clippers hockey rematch lives up to the hype

Monday, March, 03 By Matt Langone
Sports editor

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."

To call what transpired at Rockett Arena in Salem "a battle" would be an understatement. The contest had all the makings of one of the finest hockey games played this winter in Eastern Mass.

For 39 minutes and 50 seconds, it couldn't have been more even. The score was knotted at 5 with the period-by-period scoring being 2-1-2 for both schools. Gloucester goalie Bradley Robertson and Clippers netminder Anthony Federico had made 26 and 27 saves, respectively. The teams traded goals and huge crowd-pleasing hits as seemingly every person on the ice, including officials, were knocked off their skates at various times.

The only problem was one team had to lose.

Unfortunately for Gloucester fans, who packed the stands in Rockett Arena and have made a reputation as being among the most loyal on the North Shore, it was the beloved Fishermen who had the unsettling feeling of a 6-5 defeat when the final buzzer sounded. Needless to say, the early exit will continue to be a tough pill to swallow for the 2006 state champs.

In this special contest, it took an equally special game-winning goal to seal the deal and Newburyport junior Kevin Holmes delivered the goods.

With 9.2 seconds remaining, the forward was able to deflect in mid-air a waste-high rocket pass from Collin Cusack and beautifully put it past Roberston. Holmes made it look as though he had converted goals like that 100 times before, but after admitted even he was surprised.

"Watching that shot go in was unexplainable," said Holmes, who was the star of stars with three goals and an assist. "The whole game was back and forth. It's always a big battle against Gloucester."

As Holmes' goal hit the back of the net, Gloucester players fell to the ice in disbelief, probably knowing that this was indeed how the game was destined to end.

Making matters worse for the NEC champs was the fact that they had held leads of 4-3 and 5-4 over the Clippers during the third period, but couldn't hold either advantage. But again, it wasn't so much what the Fishermen did wrong as much as it was simply great hockey.

After senior forward Marc Buotte gave Gloucester the 4-3 lead six minutes into the third period, Newburyport responded with a blasted slapshot from sophomore defenseman Kyle McElroy. The puck was struck so hard from the slot that Roberston may have never seen it whiz by him and into the net.

Then when it appeared that the Fishermen would have the last laugh when Brett Biondo scored with less than five minutes left, Newburyport's Derek McCoy answered with a score less than a minute later to even the game at 5-5.

"Our guys never quit and I have to give them all the credit in the world," said Yameen. "This was just a fantastic hockey game and I give a lot of credit to Gloucester. They are a great team and very well-coached."

During the regular season, Newburyport defeated the Fishermen 4-2 on its home ice. However, it was thought by many that if Gloucester could see the Clippers on a bigger rink such as Rockett Arena, the team speed of the Fishermen would prove to be the great equalizer to Newburyport's much-talked about physicality.

But Yameen didn't think there was any truth to those rumors. "Everyone talks about our physicality but we're a good skating team," Yameen said. "We can skate with anyone. Put us on the big rink and we'll be fine."

Meanwhile, in the Gloucester locker room spirits were obviously not as high as the Fishermen were knocked out of the postseason three round short of their goal. However, this is an early elimination that the Fishermen shouldn't be ashamed of.

Additional stories:

• Hat-trick Holmes the hero with miraculous game-winner