RallyNorth.net

Memory of loss last winter sparks Central to statement victory over Andover

Wednesday, January, 25 By David Willis
Staff writer

SALEM, N.H. — Central Catholic goalie Matt Pasquale was ready with the politically correct answer following his Raiders’ win over Andover, that it was just another game.

But when pressed a bit about the rivalry, the smile began to crack through.

“It was a little bit special,” said an excited Pasquale. “We were definitely motivated for this game and we are excited to get a good win over Andover.”

Central Catholic jumped ahead by two goals in the first four minutes of the game, and Pasquale made it stand up with an outstanding night in net as the Raiders beat archrival Andover High 4-1 at the Salem Icenter.
The teams entered the night as the top two teams in the Eagle-Tribune’s Fab 5. Central (7-2-3) is also ranked No. 7 in the state-wide Masshshockey.com rankings, while Andover (10-3-0) is No. 12.

“It feels great to come together and get a big win like this,” said senior Jonathan Caux, who scored the night’s final goal. “We have been preparing for this one for a while. We wanted it badly and we went out and got it. It means a lot.”
The victory improved Central Catholic’s record over Andover to 12-3-4 since the start of the 2008 season, and 8-1-1 in the last 10 meets. It also avenged a dramatic 1-0 Golden Warrior victory last winter.
“That loss really stuck with is,” said Caux. “We really wanted this one. We were focused and good a good victory.”
Central Catholic wasted no time taking control of the contest.
Just 3:23 into play, forward Evan Digiovanni took the puck into the zone, drew the goalie to the left and fired a cross ice pass to Matt O’Rourke, who buried it into the open corner of the net.
It took just 1:05 for the Raiders to extend the lead to 2-0 on a Will Winship goal, his fourth of the season.
“It certainly didn’t hurt to go up so early,” said first-year Central head coach Kim Brandvold. “It’s always good to play ahead. I think Andover came in, like a lot of teams do in an away rink, and were playing not to lose. It’s hard to get anything from that, and we took advantage.”
Andover did cut the lead in half midway through the first on a Michael Biddle goal. But that was all that Pasquale would allow.
The sophomore second-year Raider starting goalie turned in 26 saves, many in impressive fashion. His best stretch was in the second, turning away a barrage of Andover shots, including a dazzling glove save.
“He made some excellent saves,” said Brandvold. “He was especially good in the second period when they jammed our zone and got a lot of shots on. He’s a good goalie and we expect him to make good stops.”
Pasquale also made a highlight-reel stop coming aggressively out of the net to stop the puck. It was sweet revenge after he made 38 save in a losing effort against Andover last winter.
“We were talking about that game in the locker room,” said Pasquale. “It motivated us. We were angry losing that game. A win like this makes everything feel like it’s coming together.”
And Pasquale’s teammates expect nothing less from their netminder.
“Sqals is unbelievable every game,” said Caux. “He just makes huge saves.”
Noah Jankowski, the son of former Central Catholic coach Mike Jankowski, added Central’s third goal, throwing a deke on a defender and firing a shot home in the second period.
Caux then closed out the scoring with a third-period tally, beating a pair of defenders to a loose puck and sliding it into the goal.
“We gave them too many opportunities,” said Andover coach Chris Kuchar. “Giving up three partial breakaways is something we haven’t done in years here. It was uncharacteristic of our team. But we have to remember that we are 10-3-0 and that’s not something to overlook.”
Central and Andover will meet again on Feb. 11 (5:40 p.m.) at the Valley Forum in Lawrence for Andover senior night.
Before that, the Raiders will have a tough stretch including a trip to Hingham, the No. 2-ranked team in the state, on Monday then a visit to perrenial superpower Malden Catholic on Thursday.
“We will have to continue to elevate our game,” said Brandvold. “But I feel like we have shown that we can play with anyone in the state.”