LYNN — The Peabody-Saugus-Swampscott boys hockey team lost a thrilling 4-3 match against St. Bernard’s – Fitchburg on Thursday night in the opening round of the holiday tournament.
In a game with seven goals, there were plenty of highlights on show for Peabody-Saugus-Swampscott (PSS). PSS opened the scoring with 10:53 left in the first period when left winger Nick Muse deked past a defender before a back-handed shot ruffled the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Unfortunately for PSS, there was a common theme in that every time it scored, St. Bernard’s equalized shortly afterward.
With under two minutes left in the first period, the opposition tied the game at one.
In the second period, PSS got goals from Demetri Breton (2-1) and Muse (3-2) with St. Bernard’s shortly tying the game within minutes of PSS going ahead.
“It was back and forth, two teams that I thought were playing well the entire game. We went blow for blow and unfortunately, they got the last blow,” said PSS coach Jason Marshall.
This was the third time the two teams faced each other in the last year.
“There’s a bit of familiarity with this team as we played them twice last year. We played them in this tournament and we played them at their place in Fitchburg,” Marshall said. “We kind of knew what to expect, but I think both teams have taken strides from last year.”
St. Bernard’s scored the game-winning goal five minutes into the third period and didn’t look back, winning 4-3.
PSS played well as a team and there were a few guys who stood out to Marshall, despite the defeat.
“Ryan Frary was flying around the ice the entire game. He was setting the tone on the forecheck, fighting for every single puck. He’s a high-effort kid, but I thought he even found that next level today,” Marshall said. “Zach Hartnett had a solid game on defense tonight like he always does. Dom (Pappalardo) played phenomenally in the net. We kind of let him out to dry a couple of times but he’s always pretty dialed in.”
This season, Peabody-Saugus added Swampscott, and according to Marshall, the transition has been smooth.
“It’s actually pretty easy. All of these kids took to each other pretty well. They all see and have the same vision where we see the talent we have together and we’re trying to build that chemistry more and more,” Marshall said. “Everybody is buying in. It’s been great.”
