What a start to the New Year it was for the Peabody-Saugus-Swampscott (PSS) boys hockey team, defeating Everett, 7-1, at the James McVann-Louis O’Keefe Memorial Rink Wednesday evening.
PSS got off to a quick start, getting on the board less than four minutes into the first period when Ryan Frary won a puck battle before firing it past the goalie from the face-off dot (1-0).
“It’s always important to get that first goal. Getting the first goal can dictate the tempo of the entire game,” said PSS coach Jason Marshall. “Against any team, you want to get the first goal. You don’t want to be put on your heels right away. Luckily, we were able to get a jump on it pretty quickly.”
A few minutes later, Frary won the puck back again and found Nick Muse, who ripped one glove side and bar down (2-0).
When asked about forwards working hard on defense, Marshall said it’s “been fantastic.
“It’s something we’ve been harping on them with,” he said. “We got some really tough games coming up in-conference, so we’re trying to really focus in practice and in games on our defensive zone coverage and positioning.”
With 30 seconds remaining in the first, Muse found the back of the net again to make it 3-0.
And sometimes, one team is just faster to the puck. With all of the possession, PSS was lethal in scoring position. After goals from Brandon Barone and Tyson Higgins, PSS made it 5-0.
“It was a good game. We got the win back because we lost to them last year in a very competitive game. It was good to get a win back on them,” Marshall said. “I saw a lot of good out there. I was harping on my guys that we really need to focus on execution and everything. No one’s head dropped. It was a good night.”
In the third period, Everett finally broke through, but PSS added two more as Muse found his hat-trick and Barone his second.
When asked about the hot scoring (17 goals across two games), Marshall pointed to his players.
“We have a lot of guys who have a ton of skill. Over the first few games, the shots just weren’t falling. Now, they’re finally falling for us, which is phenomenal,” he said. “We’ve been able to work the puck around the offensive zone, extend our own possession, and we’re getting the looks that we’re looking for.”
