At the drawing board
By Dan Zimmerman/Sports Correspondent
Wicked Local Walpole
Walpole - The first win of the season continued to elude the Walpole High boys hockey team Saturday after the Rebels relinquished a lead for the second straight game in a 1-1 tie with Natick.
Facing the Red and Blue at Chase Arena, the Rebels clung to 1-0 advantage heading into the third period only to yield the tying goal. In the season opener last Wednesday, Walpole squandered a lead to Braintree, skating off in frustration with a 3-3 tie.
“We need to learn how to protect leads and the puck,” said Walpole coach Jamie O’Leary. “In the first two games we had too many unforced turnovers in the neutral zone. If we minimize our mistakes, we can prevent teams from gaining momentum on us.”
Walpole sat at 0-0-2 headed into yesterday’s scheduled home contest with Newton North, identical to Natick, which knotted Weymouth 4-4 in its opener.
“I’ve been coaching for two years and never had a tie,” said Natick coach Karl Infanger. “Now I have two in two games. I’m a little disappointed tonight, particularly because there were a number of chances in the third period I thought we should have put away.”
Walpole junior netminder Ryan Erwin kept Natick at bay, turning aside 30 shots, including nearly half of those bids during a particularly busy second period. Erwin will share time in goal with senior Matt Nannicelli and junior Ray Mortali.
“We are going to give all three a chance to play and showcase their skills,” said O’Leary of his goaltenders. “They all work very hard and will each get starts until one emerges as a clear No. 1.”
The Rebels were tentative and somewhat flatfooted in their own zone at the outset against Natick until junior forward John White spurred his teammates with a goal midway through the period. Sophomore Sean Donnelly lofted a soft bid from the slot that was gloved down by Red and Blue goalie Derek Kwok, but the puck squirted loose and White, who was loitering on the doorstep, golfed it into an open net.
O’Leary anticipates second line junior White will contribute substantially to the Rebel cause, particularly when regular linemate Tommy McNamara rejoins the team.
“Johnny White is going to be an outstanding player in the league this year,” said O’Leary. “Tommy is hurt right now but once he gets back, I expect he and Billy Moore will ensure pucks get to the right people.”
The junior trio of Matt Bender, Alex Carde, and Chris Abbott man the Walpole first line. The third group features sophomore Tommy MacDonald, junior Matt Johnson and Danny Hamilton, the lone freshman on the roster.
MacDonald and Johnson pitched in with two of the three goals against Braintree in the opener, with Carde netting third.
Fourth line duties will be handled by Donnelly, junior Tyler Brown and senior Ben Martin.
Defensively, Walpole will rely on the quintet of juniors Tyler Bailey, John MacDonald, Gary Devincentis, Derek Reinert, and Tommy Farrow, along with sophomore Patrick Baker and senior Russell Ollis.
The capable defensive contingent, while subjected to a 2-to-1 shot margin by Natick, kept most bids from tough angles or the perimeter. There was little they could have done to stop Natick’s Derek Butler, who backhanded the equalizer top shelf with 12:31 left in the game.
“That’s the style of hockey we play,” said O’Leary. “We’ll allow a lot of shots from the outside but keep them out of the middle. That one goal they scored, they got inside our defense. Otherwise, Ryan Erwin did a great job of tying up rebounds while the defense cleared the front of the net.”
O’Leary stressed a pair of factors that he felt would contribute to Rebel success this winter.
“We are a very strong skating team which will help us dictate the pace of the games,” he said. “We also play good team defense and our goaltending speaks for itself. I’m confident we can minimize good scoring chances by our opponents.”
The coach was also proud to report his charges recently participated in a number of team building activities including volunteering at Norwood’s Abundant Table, a food pantry, and took part in a 24-hour skate-a-thon to benefit the American Cancer Society.
“These young men consistently do the right things both on and off the ice,” said O’Leary. “The leadership and character exhibited by these student-athletes is humbling and I look forward to coaching them over the season ahead.”
Article by Walpole Times
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