BEVERLY — Sometimes, the more sticks that touch the puck make it all the more likely that it winds up in the back of the net.
The Danvers High boys hockey team used quick passes and the full breadth of the offensive zone to put an early barrage on the Peabody/Saugus/Swampscott co-op on Thursday night. The end result was a 6-1 triumph at Bourque Arena during which the Falcon offense came alive as the team scored its most goals since the calendar turned over to 2026.
“We’ve been working on some new concepts in order to find ways to create more offense,” said Danvers head coach Bill Sheehan. “Kudos to the kids because they listened, they executed and from top to bottom they all played very well.”
A spurt of three goals in a 4:10 stretch midway through the first period put Danvers (7-7-2) in the driver’s seat. Most impressive about the stretch was that seven different Falcon skaters recorded a point on those three goals, showcasing the sort of depth that the Blue-and-White hope can carry them through the month of February.
Anthony Sheehan opened the scoring (with his first of the year) followed by goals from Gaven Cooper and Cooper Dunham, who each earned assists on those first few goals. Also grabbing helpers during that onslaught were Owen Swanton (2), Jake Langlais and defenseman and captain Drew Godfried.
“We’re trying to learn quick transitions, get the puck down low, move it and have multiple guys touching it,” said Bill Sheehan. “We had some good reads that got that quick transition going, and we always preach that if you have a quick shot you should use it.”
Peabody/Saugus/Swampscott (now 5-8-1) found itself down 4-0 early in the second period when Colby Medeiros buried a rebound for the Falcons. The Tanners came alive a bit after that, playing their best hockey of the night for the rest of the middle stanza.
Just 71 seconds after the Medeiros goals, PSS’ John Morello scored off a nifty pass from Jake Kelley. The Tanners drew two power plays in the frame, but couldn’t convert and saw Brandon Barrone ding the crossbar with a shot that could’ve turned the game around for the visitors.
Instead, Danvers survived Peabody’s best push of the night and added to its lead in the third period. Swanton made it a three point night when he sent a low shot into the corner of the cage early, and Reardon Zaccaria scored his first goal when tucked it in at the near post with a pretty skillful move.
“Reardon’s been playing well and he’s starting to put it all together,” Sheehan said. “Our penalty kills was great and our goaltender (Evan Morey) was excellent, so this was a great team win.”
The Tanners finished the night 0-for-4 on the power play, something they’ll certainly look to improve on as they chase the points needed to qualify for the Division 2 playoffs. Goaltender Dom Pappalardo played well and made 19 saves for head coach Donnie Shaw’s club.
Godfried had his usual steady game defensively for the Falcons, who did a good job of limiting PSS’ chances in transition and taking away both time and space from some of the visitors’ more dangerous skaters.
“The message is that this is the time of year when you want to be playing your best hockey,” said Sheehan, whose Falcons are 6-2-2 in league play and have points in four of their last five contests.
Danvers 6, Peabody/Saugus/Swampscott 1
at Bourque Arena, Beverly
Peabody/Saugus/Swampscott 0 1 0 |1
Danvers 3 1 2 | 6
Scoring summary First period: D, Anthony Sheehan (Cooper Dunham, Owen Swanton), 7:00; D, Gaven Cooper (Swanton), 9:16; D, Dunham (Drew Godfried, Jake Langlais), ppg, 11:10.
Second period: D, Colby Medeiros (Dunham, Hunter Dedominici), 3:47; PSS, John Morello (Jake Kelley), 4:59.
Third period: D, Swanton (Sheehan, Cooper), :30; D, Reardon Zaccaria (un), 6:21.
Saves: PSS, Dom Pappalardo 19; D, Evan Morey 15.
Records: PSS, 5-8-1; D, 7-7-2