Fraser, Saugus pull out thrilling win over Danvers

SAUGUS – The exciting finish to Saturday evening’s Saugus-Danvers game is a prime example as to why one should not head for the exits before the final buzzer.The Sachems knocked off Danvers, 4-3, as forward Matt Fraser netted his second score of the contest, the game winner, just nine seconds away from the finish at the Kasabuski Arena.Danvers had just deadlocked the score at 3-3 only moments before, when left winger Stephen Deroche beat Sachems goalie Nick Hegarty with a short wrist shot coming off a faceoff to the goalie’s right.Saugus coach Chris Connors immediately called a timeout after the score to try to stop the momentum that the Falcons had gained. An icing call enabled a faceoff to be held to the right of Danvers goalie Eddie Bates with 13.4 seconds remaining. Forward Joe Vecchione won it, with the puck being slid over to Fraser, who was standing to the left of Bates. He knocked the puck past the goalie, and the Sachems had the win.”That was an unselfish play by Joe,” said Connors. “We wanted to get the goalie going from post-to-post on the play, and Joe got the puck over to Matt, and Matt put it in the net. This is the fourth time this season that we’ve either been tied or behind a goal in the final period, and won.”The mood of the Falcons went from ecstatic to deflated in the short span.”Give Saugus credit for what they did,” said a dejected Kevin Brown, coach of the Falcons. “They fought and pushed, and came up with the late goal. It (the loss) is psychologically tough for the kids, especially that we had just tied the score.”The Sachems battled back all evening, as the Falcons (2-10) had taken a 2-1 lead early in the middle period on D.J. Yost’s second score of the night. Yet Saugus responded moments later when Vecchione, standing directly in front of the Danvers net, took a feed from teammate Anthony Cucuzza (positioned in back), tipping the puck behind Bates to tie the score.Vecchione had a golden opportunity midway through the stanza to push Saugus back ahead, taking a feed on a 2-on-1 as he skated in towards the net, yet hit the far post. Hegarty robbed Danvers defenseman Dylan Carr minutes later, gloving his slap shot to keep the score tied.With just over two minutes remaining in the stanza, the Sachems (5-4, 5-5-1) moved in front. Fraser and Cucuzza attacked the Danvers end. Bates was able to hold off their opportunities, but Fraser poked the puck past Bates to give the team a 3-2 edge.”We knew going into this game that it would be tough,” said Connors of the rivalry that the two squads have built up over the years. “There’s always been some great games played between us, and every time we play one another, it’s a battle.”The Sachems carried the early play right after the opening faceoff, but Bates stopped Fraser and Cucuzza from point-blank range. Hegarty also proved true to the task, halting first Yost (who had the original shot) and teammate Kyle Larson (on the follow-up) minutes into the period to keep the game scoreless.Saugus netted the game’s first goal coming on a transition play. Danvers winger Brian O’Keefe had his 15-foot slap stopped by Hegarty, with the puck bouncing away to the goalie’s right. The Sachems promptly skated down ice, and, only seconds after the goalie’s stop, took a 1-0 lead when winger Saige Tait stuffed the puck behind Bates.The Falcons evened the score less than 30 seconds later, when Yost lifted a short wrist shot over the right shoulder of Hegarty.”We knew coming in that we had to put pressure on them right away,” Connors said. “I felt that we played our best game of the year.”