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North Andover hockey keeps rolling, surges past Haverhill

Saturday, January, 04 By David Willis
Staff writer

NORTH ANDOVER — In the moment, North Andover goalie Patrick Green couldn’t remember the last time he faced a penalty shot in game action.

When called upon Saturday, however, he was more than up to the task.

 “I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous,” said Green, a junior. “I knew he was going to go for a deke, so I faked a poke check, then he lost the puck. When I saw the puck free, I was so excited. I think I played it pretty well.”

Green’s one-on-one penalty shot stop was the exclamation point on the Scarlet Knights’ convincing 4-1 victory over Haverhill High on Saturday at the Brooks School.

“The boys were flying around, and we got a good win,” said defenseman Tim Berube. “Haverhill is a tough team, but we were dialed in. It was a hard-fought win, and we are feeling good.

The Scarlet Knights improved to 6-1-0 with the win, the fastest the team has reached six wins in more than a decade.

“This is a big win,” said Green. “We picked up two more huge league points. We have 12 points (in the standings) so far, and we need 24 to clinch a tournament spot. Every game matters. We want to show everyone who we are.”

North Andover grabbed the lead with 2:40 left in the first period, when Andrew Perry scored his fourth goal of the season.

The Scarlet Knight then put the game out of reach in the second period. Senior assistant captain Mike Harty tallied a pair of goals, with a Jimmy Boyle score sandwiched in between. It was Harty’s first two-goal game since last Jan. 13 against Concord-Carlisle.

“After the first period, we knew we wanted to put the game away early,” said Harty. “On the first goal, I was lucky the rebound bounced out to me. I just back-handed it in. On the second, my left wing Jack Roe made a nice pass to me out in front. I just put it in. Having that 4-0 cushion let us relax and play our game.”

The Scarlet Knights continued to apply pressure in the third, firing shot after shot on Haverhill goalie Zach Roughan, who turned in 28 often impressive saves. He twice stopped breakaways with pad saves.

North Andover also showed off its physicality, dishing out monster hits from start to finish.

“The defense played very well” said Berube. “We were playing quick, and we had some good hits. We have some big guys that like to throw their bodies around. We’re a physical team.”

Haverhill (2-3) did get on the board with 6:59 left on a Hunter LaRiviere goal. The Hillies then picked up the penalty shot, but Green shut down any thought of a rally.

“If that penalty shot goes in, it’s 4-2 and they’re right back in the game,” said Knights head coach Peter Marfione. “So that was a big save. (Green) is confident out there, he plays the puck well. He’s doing a lot of things really well. He improved a lot over the offseason and we are happy to have him.

“I think this was the best we have played as a team all season. We fore-checked well. The hard work paid off. I think it was a solid performance. If you want to be in this at the end, you have to get points against league teams. Haverhill is tough, but we got a good win.”