Unbeaten Wilmington shuts down high flying Peabody

PEABODY – It’s rare that the regular season provides a glimpse into what could lie ahead in the postseason. But on Wednesday at McVann-O’Keefe Rink, that’s exactly what happened as two of the favorites in Division 2 North met up in front of a packed house.Undefeated Wilmington showed exactly why it was perfect coming into the game, putting the shackles on the explosive Tanners and rolling to a 19th straight win with a 5-1 decision.”They are just so aggressive in going after the puck,” Peabody coach Mark Leonard said. “That’s why they’re 19-0 now and are such a good team.”The Wildcats used their speed and quickness to clog shooting lanes and block over a dozen shots from Peabody (15-3-2), and when shots did get through, Zach Rosa was there to stone 30 of the 31 shots he did face.”We play very good team defense,” Wilmington coach Steve Scanlon said. “I thought we got a little undisciplined in the second and gave them too many chances. It’s a good thing Zach was solid back there or it could have been a different game.”Wilmington also put the Tanners on their heels early, striking for two goals in the first 2:14 of the first period.Liam Gately got the Wildcats going just 39 seconds in when he fired a Jared Ravagni centering pass by Derek Savage. Less than two minutes later, freshman Cam Owens took an Ed Barrasso pass, beat a defenseman and tucked a shot past Savage for a 2-0 lead.”You can’t spot a team like them two goals,” Leonard said. “It’s 2:14 into the game and you’re already fighting uphill.”The Tanners clawed right back as Wilmington turned the puck over in its end, resulting in a Mike Chiappini rebound goal that cut the lead to 2-1.After that, though, Rosa put on a goaltending clinic. He stopped 12 shots in the first and then 14 more in the second when the Tanners were cranking up the pressure.”It was almost like we stopped skating and put it in neutral when we got up two,” Scanlon said.Late in the period, though, Wilmington caught a break as Barrasso’s shot was stopped by Savage but was inadvertently knocked in by a Peabody defender to make it 3-1.A huge save by Rosa on a point-blank chance by Eric Costa in the final moments of the second preserved the two-goal lead and started to swing the momentum back to the Wildcats.Rosa would make another huge save midway through the third, denying Andrew Bucci point-blank at the left post to keep it 3-1. Ravagni would ice the game in the final minute with an empty net goal.”I thought that we played excellent and never quit,” Leonard said. “You just can’t give a team like that two goals early and expect to come back.”