Andover shuts out Chelmsford 4-0

Lawrence, MA – We stopped by the Lawrence Valley Forum tonight to check out a Merrimack Valley special between the visiting Chelmsford Lions and the hometown Andover Golden Warriors. While both teams come in with sub-.500 records they were both battling from the drop of the puck in this one.

The first period was a tough one for both teams as the puck was bouncing all over the place and neither team was able to really get into a rhythm. Later in the frame things started to open up a bit and Chelmsford generated a chance at the netfront that was shut down by JJ Quill the sophomore Andover netminder. With only three minutes left on the clock Chelmsford took a cross-checking penalty which led to the first goal. Senior Andover forward Evan Arpin fired a pass across the crease from the dot and it landed on the tape of junior Anthony Previte who deposited it into a yawning cage: 1-0 Golden Warriors which is how the first ended.

In the middle frame, Andover cranked up the intensity as Evan Arpin broke into the zone off the opening faceoff, beat his defender and stuffed home a puck short side that trickled home to double the lead: 2-0 Golden Warriors. While that was the lone goal scored in the period you could tell that both teams were much more comfortable in their respective styles. Andover showed a nice breakout ability that caused trouble matching their speed at the blue line and Chelmsford was looking to stuff everything home at the net mouth: three yards and a pile of dust. Ultimately, both teams had good opportunities in that frame but only one found the twine.

In the final stanza, Andover put this thing away with back-to-back goals 23 seconds apart. Six minutes in, junior forward Steve Ingram flicked a pass up ice to a streaking sophomore Nick Saunders who fired it up high to make it 3-0. On the next shift, Andover again carried it into the zone where a netfront feed by Tyler Durling landed on the stick of Previte who buried his second of the night: 4-0 was the final.

Three Stars:

  1. G JJ Quill, Andover SO
  2. F Anthony Previte, Andover 2 G
  3. F Evan Arpin, Andover G, A

NZ Notes:

This game may have started off slow but it finished with a flourish. Once each team found its stride the pace of play really took off. Ultimately, these teams both battled for their chances and despite the contrasting styles the shot totals were fairly even. There was a lot of good A-framing behind the net and some good anticipation to steal pucks in the neutral zone. Andover is tough to play against because they just keep attacking and their aggressive forecheck makes you get rid of the puck before you’re ready which creates turnovers. Chelmsford, on the other hand, is one of the taller teams we’ve scouted this year in any Division. Their game is predicated on letting that size and length work to their advantage in one-on-one strength battles. As that young core matures, they are going to be very tough to handle.

For Andover, Previte was tough to defend all game because of his great pace of play and ability to give that little extra in order to win races, snap up pucks and get to scoring areas. Arpin was the firestarter when the game was in a bit of a sleepy first: he attacked the zone with speed and aggression and it forced everyone to match his intensity. Once he created the play that broke the seal? Both teams responded and off we went. Junior defenseman Tommy Tavenner was quiet in the sense that he didn’t make many mistakes and he used his slick skating ability to avoid getting himself in trouble. He is a bit undersized, but he may be the best skater on the team. Also, not a bad stay-at-home game by senior defender Jackson Gress who came up with a couple of nice clears when the pressure was on in his own zone.

For Chelmsford there was a lot of raw athleticism thanks to a big sophomore class (literally and figuratively). The Three Amigos line of sophomore Sean Stackpole, junior Christian Gastonguay and sophomore Riley Moulton has lots of upside and could be a force as they continue to mature and namely, get stronger. Moulton was able to win battles around the net by leaning on his stick, Gastonguay was good in the slot with a quick turn and shoot motion and Stackpole used his frame in order to carve out his own space before the pass came. We also liked what we saw from another athletic big forward in junior Ben Pitts who might have been the best skater on the team and looks to be around 6’2. Also impressive was junior defender Mike Regan who has quick hands and nifty stickwork, plus an aggressive style of play and a thick frame to bump bodies.