Rockport's 3-3 tie with Shawsheen on Saturday at the Dorothy Talbot Rink meant a whole lot more then just a point in the standings for the Vikings, it meant validation.
The Vikings (11-3-1) have been chasing Shawsheen for the last four years closing the gap little by little with each season. It looks like this year they have the team to compete with the Rams, and they did just that on Saturday.
"(The tie) was a huge statement for us," Vikings coach Derek Papalegis said after the draw. "We proved that we can compete with the best in the Division. We want to make some noise in the tournament this season, just qualifying isn't enough."
Papalegis' squad is also built to make some postseason noise, as you will find very few weaknesses on the Rockport squad.
They have a bona fide top line of Conor Douglass, Mike Tupper and Jake O'Maley. But more importantly they have two more lines that can also put the puck in the net as Josh Guertin, Beau Gauthier, Mike Foster, Alex Amoroso and Tucker Reedy have shifted between the second and third lines all season. When Rockport is getting production from all three lines, they are extremely tough to stop and the good news is the second and third lines have been consistent all season.
"That's what separates this team from past years, our line depth," Papalegis said. "I can roll three lines and pretty much play them equally because there is no drop off in production. The last two seasons our first line scored all of our points, this year it's more spread out which is a good thing."
Rockport also has a strong defensive unit led by Jon Ferrante, Kyle Edmonds, Kyle Nelson and Alex Rollins and a battle tested and experienced goaltender in Colby Foster, who put the Division on notice Saturday with his 43 save performance against Shawsheen.
You want intangibles? The Vikings have those too. They may be young with just one senior on the team but they are experienced as all but three regulars have state tournament experience.
Most importantly, Rockport is clutch. The third period is clearly its best period which is key going forward. Against Shawsheen Rockport came back from a 3-0 deficit. Against Pentucket the Vikings trailed 1-0 heading into the third and won 3-1. In a game against Northeast last month the Vikings put up five third period goals to come from behind in the win.
Rockport has been in the big game before, and over the last few seasons they have learned what it takes to win the big games.
"Our M.O. has been strong third periods this season which is great," Papalegis said. "We still put forth the 45 minute efforts but we seem to pick up our play in crunch time. This team does not like to lose and it shows in their play because they have made plays when they need to."
Interesting stretch run
At 5-6-5 the Gloucester hockey team's state tournament aspirations are still up in the air as they still need five points in three games. But that does not mean the final four games of the season will not pack drama.
Gloucester is in a furious race to the finish with four key games coming up.
The Fishermen may be inconsistent at times but they have consistently played their best hockey against the best in the NEC, and that's exactly who they play over the final four games starting tonight when Peabody visits the Talbot Rink (6:00 p.m.) with Beverly (Saturday), Winthrop (February 15) and Danvers (February 18) to follow.
Whether the Fishermen qualify or not, there is no way the final four games won't make for exciting hockey. Gloucester showed what it can do last Saturday against Saugus in a 5-5, look for more of the same effort over the final four games, which means we are going to be in for some intense and closely contested hockey games over the next week and a half.
Glimpse into the future
I know it's tough to look to next season when we are in the midst of a great regular season, but there are two potential milestones to look forward to.
Colby Foster currently has 32 career wins with three regular season games to go. By next season Foster, who has been starting in goal since his Freshman year and has got the Vikings to the tournament each season, needs 13 more wins to tie Bill Budrow's record of 45 wins from 1985-89. Remember this year's Rockport squad has just one senior.
With 80 career points, junior captain Douglass will most likely reach the 100 point mark at some point next season as well. Douglass has 23 points on this season.
Here's a look at the top career scorers on Cape Ann amongst active players: 1. Conor Douglass, Rock. 80, 2. Johnny Interrante, Glo. 61, 3. Mike Tupper, Rock. 55, 4. Mike Russo, Glo. 45, 5. Ben Favazza, Glo. 42.
Did You Know?
Gloucester junior forward Cam DeCoste is the fourth DeCoste brother to play for the Gloucester High School hockey team joining brothers Dean (2002), Derek (2006), a member of the 2006 Division 2 State Championship team, and Nick (2009).
Not so similar
Gloucester forward Mike Russo has been on a scoring tear this season with 31 points, amongst the best in the NEC North. Ironically Mike Russo's playing style is nothing like his brother Paul's, who was a standout defenseman from 2005-09, he was a multiple time NEC All Star but not one to take up a ton of room on the scoresheet..
They do have one thing in common, however, they are both impact players.
