NEWBURYPORT — Newburyport vs. Gloucester in the MIAA playoffs. For a spot in the state quarterfinals on the line. With over 1,000 fans packed shoulder-to-shoulder inside of the Graf Rink.
Could it get any better than that?
Wait, hold on a minute. What year is it again?
Truth be told, Saturday’s Division 2 Round of 16 game was a throwback to the great rivalry battles of decade’s past these two programs have produced on the ice. And with so much on the line — a spot in the “Elite 8,” two wins away from a state title appearance — the two delivered an elite performance, worthy of the moment, in front of 1,074 loud spectators.
“I think the crowd got their money’s worth,” said Newburyport coach Paul Yameen.
Indeed they did.
With just under nine minutes left in a deadlocked game, the puck found the stick of Will Palermino on a 2-on-1 break. The senior saucered a pass over to freshman Luke MacIsaac out of the corner of his eye, who ripped home what would end up being the game-winning goal. No. 5 Newburyport was able to hold on from there, and a Jack Sullivan empty-netter capped the team’s 4-2 victory over No. 12 Gloucester, sending the Clippers back to the Division 2 Quarterfinals for the second straight year.
“Their D-man stepped towards me and Luke was wide open,” said Palermino. “So I just put it to an area and he buried it. Easiest pass of my life!”
Unfortunately, somebody had to lose this one.
For 45 full minutes, both Newburyport (18-4-1) and Gloucester (11-9-2) went back and forth delivering hit after hit. The Fishermen won the head-to-head matchup earlier in the year, 5-2, so the Clippers were eager to dish out some playoff revenge and end a rival’s season.
“It was like the old days with Gloucester when they had the Salah boys,” said Yameen. “They’d come here and it’d be a packed house, and we’d go there and it’d be a packed house. It’s usually a tight game like this when we’re playing.”
And the action started early.
Just over two minutes in, Colby Arel didn’t get everything out of his shot, but still got enough to send the puck towards the net. And in a bit of fortune, the puck somehow slid under the leg of the Gloucester goalie, giving Newburyport an early 1-0 lead. It didn’t last too long, however, as after two straight Clipper penalties, the Fishermen converted on the 5-on-3 off a Colby Jewell rocket.
“I thought it was just an unbelievable high school hockey game” said Gloucester coach Derek Geary. “Our guy’s effort was incredible, we couldn’t be more proud of the effort they put forth. But credit to (Newburyport), they’re a really hard-working team.”
The Clippers would regain the lead before the end of the first period, with Palermino giving a great individual effort to muscle his way behind the defense, corral the puck and send it home top shelf. But as the physicality only increased in the second, the lone goal of the frame came from Chris Karvelas, who tied things up at 2-2 heading to the third.
For the game, Gloucester led in shots, 24-22.
“I said to them after the second period that we’ve been in close games all year against good teams,” said Yameen. “And (Gloucester’s) a good team, and we’re in a close game, so lets do what we do and go win this game. And we squeaked it out.”
Heading into the third at 2-2, who was going to get the next goal?
Newburyport set the tone early in the period with a bone-crushing hit from Kane Brennan, which provided a spark for the rest of the night. MacIsaac then converted a golden opportunity for the game-winner, and the Clippers put on their hard-hats to close it out. Defensemen Caden Eiserman, Will Forrest, Graham Luskin and Mason Childs stood tall in front of goalie Damien Lamb (22 saves) — who made some big stops late — and the likes of Tristan Joyce, Owen Kreuz and Jackson DeVivo were excellent in keeping possession and getting the puck deep in Gloucester’s zone.
As a result, Newburyport is back in the Division 2 Quarterfinals.
“We feel great,” said Palermino. “To be able to battle back, we have that bad taste in our mouths from last year, and we just want to go further.”
A date and time has not yet been announced, but Newburyport will have to travel to play No. 4 Woburn in the “Elite 8.”
“Woburn comes from a good league, so you know they’re going to be battle-tested,” said Yameen. “We’re going to have to play three periods and limit our turnovers.”
Newburyport 4, Gloucester 2
Gloucester (11-9-2): 1 1 0 — 2
Newburyport (18-4-1): 2 0 2 — 4
Division 2 Round of 16
Goals: N — Colby Arel, Will Palermino, Luke MacIsaac, Jack Sullivan; G — Colby Jewell, Chris Karvelas
Assists: N — Palermino 2, Arel, Caden Eiserman; G — James Sanfilippo, Colby Warren, Chris LoJacono
Saves: N — Damien Lamb 22; G — Nick Tarantino 19