MIDDLETON — If it remains true that a two goal lead might be the most dangerous in hockey, then the best thing a team can do is extend it.
Essex Tech’s boys took that lesson to heart in front of an overflow crowd Thursday night. Rather than nursing the two goal lead in the third period of a rivalry bout with neighboring Danvers, the Hawks turned up the pressure and potted three late to skate away with a 5-0 victory.
The Falcons (1-2) had a few chances to slice the deficit in half, including a power play early in that third stanza. But the depth and heavy skating of Essex Tech (2-0) led to a flurry of late goals that put this one out of reach.
Senior Brian Delisio got it started when he scored with 6:21 to play. Just 29 seconds later, Ryan Wilson deposited his second of the night and Danvers couldn’t recover.
“The name of the game is winning races and winning battles. When you do that all over the ice, you’re going to have a pretty good chance to win games,” said Hawks first-year coach Ryan Sheehan, whose team seemed to wear Danvers down a bit with its speed and depth. “We have three lines that play with anybody in either league, the CAL and NEC, so that’s our strength.”
The middle period was the best one for Danvers, which got 21 saves from senior goalie Evan Morey. The Falcons couldn’t get one by Essex Tech netminder Moreau Teagan, though, and couldn’t carry any momentum into the third.
“We found our legs in the second, but in the third we were standing around too much, watching our teammates and waiting for someone else to do something,” said Falcons coach Bill Sheehan.
Delisio wound up with three points for the Hawks on a goal and two helpers. Wilson opened the scoring in the first when he swooped in at the back door and deposited a loose puck for a 1-0 lead. Only 51 seconds later, Cam Casey came down the wing and made a nifty move for a finish to double the lead.
Allowing goals less than a minute apart twice on the evening wasn’t the ideal showing for Danvers.
“There were mistakes,” said Bill Sheehan, “but they’re correctable mistakes.”
Casey and Braydon Connors also had multi-point showings for the Hawks and Moreau finished with 12 stops for the shutout. The Hawks drew big energy from the penalty kill in both the first and third periods, frequently winning loose pucks and breaking in on net even when shorthanded.
Liam Waterman and Casey were particularly effective in the defensive department for the Blue-and-Green.
“They’re our rocks back there. They move pucks well, alleviate a ton of pressure and they can both help our offensively,” said Ryan Sheehan.
“That’s a good win because Danvers is a good, disciplined team. They have some speed and their goalie was really good, especially. Our goalie made a couple of point-blankers early and that can change a game.”
Essex Tech 5, Danvers 0
At Essex Sports Center, Middleton
Danvers 0 0 0 0
Essex Tech 2 0 3 5
Scoring summary
First period: ET, Ryan Wilson (Braydon Connors, Brian Delisio), 9:33; ET, Cam Casey (Chase Ruberti, Sebastian Garcia), 10:24.
Second period: No scoring.
Third period: ET, Delisio (Wilson, Casey), 8:39 ; ET, Wilson (Connors, Delisio), 9:08; ET, Landon Lotoes (Joe Dresser), 11:52
Saves: D, Evan Morey, 21; ET, Moreau Teagan, 12.
Records: D, 1-2; ET, 2-0.