- Newburyport's Cooper Hines checks St Mary's Cam Kennedy off the puck during their game in the final of the 16th annual Newburyport Bank Classic Tournament. Jim Vaiknoras/Staff photographer
Discussion February 26, 2011
Win-win championship affair
St. Mary's takes title; Clippers better prepared for road ahead
NEWBURYPORT — These are the games that Newburyport (12-4-4) lives to play for, championship game against the best competition out there.
The fact that St. Mary's (14-5-3) will be a likely Super 8 participant is just an added bonus for the Clippers — who have taken on all comers in recent years, including the Spartans last year, Malden Catholic the year before that, Central Catholic in back-to-back years before that, and Franklin each of the last four years. It's just better preparation for the Division 2 state tournament.
Last night in the championship game of the 16th Annual Newburyport Bank Classic Tournament's toughest bracket — the Bresnahan Division — the Spartans were just a little too deep and a little too speedy for Newburyport, exacting revenge for last year's Clippers' shootout championship, 5-1.
After the Clippers had several great opportunities in the first five minutes of the first period, including a near-goal by David Cusack from his knees in front of goal and then a shot from Nathan Hickman that whistled just wide left after a great two-line feed that had in on the break, St. Mary's took control of the game.
Tallying two late goals in the first period — a beautiful bit of skating by Chris Surette to find open ice to snap off a quick wrister for the first, then a great bit of individual determination by Julian Yourawski, beating his defender by firing a shot and following for the rebound goal — the Spartans weren't content and buried the first two of the second period, as well, to go up, 4-0.
Newburyport would get its lone goal of the game when Sean Dillon made a brilliant diving tip pass to knock the puck ahead up ice for Cusack to latch onto before he made two nice dekes and just barely tucked the puck home with an assist also going to Cooper Hines on the play late in the second, 4-1. But St. Mary's had the final answer and the final goal on a power play less than two minutes into the third to seal the victory.
"I'm very happy with our effort. I think we played hard. We skated hard for three periods, and I think if we skate hard for three periods, we're a good team," Clipper coach Paul Yameen said. "That team is a very good team, and I don't think it was a 5-1 game. I think we had a couple of opportunities there early we didn't capitalize on, and against a team like that, you've got to capitalize, and we didn't. I hate to lose, but if you lose to a team like that, you definitely can take some positives out of it.
"Again, win or lose against a team like that, it's good preparation for the tournament," Yameen added. "I think if we bring the same mental attitude, toughness, and skate like that, we'll be fine next week, but we've got to do it. It's about being consistent with it."
Yameen was also very praiseworthy of his seniors, who have picked up their play in the absence of senior captain Billy Boudreau's knee injury that looks to have ended his season.
"I think our seniors stepped up," Yameen said. "A kid like David Cusak and Greg Schofield and Sean Dillon, they're three seniors that don't get much ink, so to speak. Other guys on this team get all that, but they're great. I can't say enough about them.
"If you told me that we were going to lose Billy Boudreau five games in and we were going to go 11-2-3 in our league, which I think is one of the toughest leagues around, I'd say we were Cape Ann League champions, but that didn't happen," said the coach. "But those seniors were a big part of that. Those three guys, along with Gaven LaValley, I've got to tip my hat to them, and I just hope we can win a few more for them in the state tournament."
Coming off one of their best games of the year, when the Spartans crushed Lincoln-Sudbury in the first game of the tournament, 11-1, St. Mary's coach Mark Lee said playing Newburyport is always a great test.
"Every year we play Newburyport, it's a battle," Lee said. "I don't care who it is, I don't know what it is. Some years, they're up, we're down, vice versa. No matter what, Newburyport-St. Mary's is always a good high school hockey game.
"This was designed perfectly for us, especially playing Newburyport in a championship-type game," said Lee, who added that the key was playing four lines, which he believed wore down Newburyport halfway through the game. "They gave us an awful lot of work today, and we're lucky enough to win the tournament, but the game itself is preparing for the tournament. I think for both programs, it was a win-win situation."
And now that Wilmington is leaving the CAL, Newburyport has two open non-league to fill each year. According to Yameen, St. Mary's appears to be the obvious choice for a potential home-and-home series starting next year.
"I just talked to coach Lee about doing a home and home next year, and he's all for it," Yameen said. "We might change up the bracket here in the Bank Tournament next year to get them home and home because we have two non-league games with Wilmington leaving that we have to add. I think that's a no-brainer for us."
