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Game Summary :
Game Story :
PEABODY -- It was a game nobody deserved to lose. So it was only fitting that the Cape Ann League hockey all-stars staged a last ditch rally to earn a 3-3 tie with their Northeastern Conference counterparts last night before a large crowd at the McVann-O'Keefe Rink. The NEC seemed to have things well in hand with a 3-1 lead late in the third period, but that quickly changed when Masconomet's Tony Jackson set up Newburyport's John Regan to close the gap to 3-2 with 3:29 remaining. Jackson carried the puck up right wing and passed to a wide open Regan, who beat Lynn English goalie Brian Greeley with a high shot. Jackson made a strong bid to tie it up seconds later when he blasted a slapshot, but Greeley turned it aside. "I knew he (Regan) was moving toward the net cutting into the middle, so I just slipped the puck to him. I hoped he'd be able to do something with it," said Jackson, a junior wing. "This was an exciting game, and it was a good experience for me my first time here. It was great we were able to keep the pressure on right to the end. It seemed like we were taking on the entire Danvers and Winthrop teams because they both had five guys out there at a time." Come Friday, Regan and Jackson will be on opposite sides of the ice when their teams meet in the opening round of the Division 2 tourney. "It was very weird because we were talking to the Newburyport kids in the locker room (as teammates last night)," said Jackson. "But by Friday, we'll be looking to knock them off and get a shot at (top-seeded) Wilmington in the quarterfinals." The tying goal came with just 22 seconds to play after the CAL pulled goalie Ryan Long of Triton for an extra skater. Wilmington's Mike Whitney jammed home a loose puck in the crease after Greeley had made the initial save on Brian Cawley's (Lynnfield) shot. Fellow Pioneer Adam McKeever also assisted on the play. "The biggest thing is the kids had fun and nobody got hurt," said Lynnfield coach Vin Mirasolo. "The NEC is a fantastic conference, but we did a good job staying with them. I think even the fans had fun watching this game, and that's what it's all about. "I thought all three goalies played well for us (Kevin Dodier of Amesbury, the league co-MVP, Devin Anno of Lynnfield, and Long). "This is a tough game for goalies because every team does different things on defense and there were some blown coverages, which is to be expected. That Danvers unit is so impressive. They're big, physical and very talented." The Cape Ann League struck first when Pentucket's Pat Petrino scored 3:27 into the game. The Northeastern Conference answered with three second period goals and completely dominated play. Lynnfield's Devin Anno made several fine saves to keep his team from falling behind by a bigger margin. "We started out with the NEC All-League team, but they just weren't clicking," said Saugus coach Jimmy Quinlan. "I asked the kids if they'd like to go back to playing with their regular teammates, and they wanted to do that. It worked out very well, and although the Danvers and Saugus units didn't put one in they certainly had plenty of opportunities. That Winthrop line looked very good, along with (Lynn English's) Matt Rafuse." Rafuse was set up by Jake Fidler of Winthrop to put the NEC on the board at the 4:18 mark of the middle period. Then Bobby Kneeland (Winthrop) was sent in alone by Rafuse at 8:47 to make it 2-1. A power play goal by the Winthrop connection of Fidler (who got the goal), Andrew Brugman and Connor O'Brien at 12:59 increased the lead to two heading into the final frame. "We totally dominated the middle period, and we could have had an even bigger lead if not for their goaltender (Anno)," said Quinlan. "I thought the Triton kid made some great saves in the last period. We made a couple of mistakes, and Cape Ann came right back to tie it. "I think people saw tonight there's a lot of talent in both the Northeastern
Conference and Cape Ann League. There were so many outstanding individuals
on the ice tonight. A lot of these kids will be playing against each other
in the tourney. This was a nice break, but now it's back to work to get
ready (for the tournament)."
Here's a look at your NorthEastern Confrence All-Stars
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