Quick draw: Sizzling Saugus hockey stops Revere

SAUGUS – Every team seeks to find momentum in every game it suits up for, and as soon as one team finds it, another team loses it just as rapidly.The Saugus hockey squad did just that Saturday evening, breaking a 1-1 tie and scoring twice within 36 seconds to offset Revere, 3-1, at Kasabuski Arena.The Sachems (2-0-0, or forty percent of last year’s win total of five) went on the power play with just 33 seconds left to go in the middle stanza. They didn’t hesitate in taking advantage, as they scored the eventual game-winning goal only 12 seconds later. Defenseman Craig Cooper fired a wrist shot from the right side of the boards that beat goalie Nick DiMare for a 2-1 Saugus lead with only 21 seconds remaining in the period.Both teams switched sides for the third period, and Saugus maintained its intensity that spilled over from the period before. Forward Joe Vecchione knocked in a rebound of a Mike Scuzzarella shot past DiMare to widen the Sachems’ lead.”That goal late in the (second) period gave us the momentum when we came out for the third,” stated Saugus coach Chris Connors. “And the fact that it was on the power play was great, as we’ve had a lot of success on it this year. Last season, we couldn’t buy a goal (on the power play).”Revere coach Jim Palumbo saw what those two scores did to his club.”Those two goals were killers,” admitted Palumbo, who saw his team fall to 0-1-1. “That late goal especially, but that quick goal after the (third) period started hurt us. We didn’t have momentum for long in the game, and Saugus came out and were the aggressors, and made better passes.”The Patriots had several chances to get back into the contest, but were stonewalled by netminder Paul Essery. He foiled defenseman Chris Mastropietro no fewer than three times in the last five minutes with several point-blank stops, including one in which Mastropietro literally did a 180 in front of the Sachems net before firing, to hold Revere at bay.”I can’t say enough about him,” said Connors about the goalie, who blanked Marblehead on opening night. “I think he’s flown under the radar the past couple of years, and he plays like a big-time goalie. If it wasn’t for him, we might’ve been two or three goals down by the end of the (first) period.”It took both squads a while to find their way after the opening face-off, but it would be the Patriots that took early control. They had several chances, yet Essery turned them all aside. One he couldn’t, however, came off a face-off to his right. It was won by forward Jay Sasso, who passed the puck back to defenseman Shane Doyle at the point. Doyle found teammate Rich McLaughlin (standing at the left of the Saugus doorstep), who beat Essery to the short side midway through the period.Saugus came out in the second period looking for the equalizer, but was robbed by DiMare. He halted defenseman Anthony Cucuzza’s 20-foot slap early on, than thwarted forward Matt Fraser moments later.”We knew that going in we’d be facing a hot goalie, and he’s just too tough to beat,” Connors said of DiMare, who had backstopped Revere to a 2-2 deadlock against NEC powerhouse Gloucester earlier in the week.Moments after going on the power play, the Patriots looked to have doubled their lead midway into the stanza, yet the goal was taken away via an interference call. That deflated Revere, and Scuzzarella tied the game minutes later when he cranked a wrist shot past DiMare.”We really didn’t catch any breaks at all,” said Palumbo. “Saugus had the territorial edge, and we couldn’t finish up on our shots.”