Sachems shut down Stoneham, 3-1

WOBURN – There was zero chance the Saugus High hockey team was going to take Stoneham lightly in last night’s Division 2 North Sectional first-round game. Coach Jeff Natalucci made sure his bunch was fully aware the 20th-ranked Spartans played a Division 1 schedule in the rugged Middlesex League.”We saw them the other night (against Watertown) and knew they worked hard. We told the kids that the number 20 next to Stoneham’s name meant nothing, that they played in a great league and that if we took them for granted, the season would be over tonight,” said Natalucci.The No. 4 Sachems (13-1-7) responded with a calm, composed and efficient effort that produced a 3-1 win at O’Brien Rink. Saugus will now take on No. 5 Bishop Fenwick (15-4-2) in a quarterfinal match-up Saturday at Salem State University (TBD).Click here for a photo gallery.Juniors Kurt Rodrigues and Drew Oxley factored in all three goals with a goal and two helpers each while junior keeper Nick Hegarty turned back 19 shots. The Saugus defense did its usual stellar job of policing the area in front of Hegarty, allowing the Spartans only a handful of good looks while the Sachems’ frenzied forecheck forced a bushel of turnovers and quality bids against Stoneham netminder Dan Lumb (28 saves).”The key was our forecheck. We knew they played only four defensemen so we forechecked very hard and I think that tired them out. Plus, we’ve had seven ties this year so we’re used to tight games. We basically have been playing tournament hockey all season,” Natalucci said.Bottled up early on, Saugus began to find creases in Stoneham’s defensive schemes as the first period progressed. The first strike occurred at 7:45 when Oxley carried along the left wing and had the puck poked away directly to a trailing Rodrigues, who found the hard-charging Steve Kay for a tap-in into the open right corner.Saugus held its ground – and generated better chances – during a four-minute major assessed Steve McKinney for hitting from behind at 9:39 of the period. The Sachems had four testing shots on Lumb, who had 13 saves in the first period alone.Saugus doubled its lead with 15.2 seconds left in the period. After Rodrigues checked the puck free in the neutral zone, Oxley scooped it up, blew past two Spartans at the blue line and dropped Lumb with a series of fakes before tucking a backhand between the goalie’s skate and left post, making it 2-0.Stoneham seized the initiative early in the second period with an aggressive forecheck and some heavy body work. However, the Sachems increased their lead to 3-0 at 6:59 when Nick Sweeney shoveled the puck up from the blue line to Oxley, whose pass through the slot found Rodrigues for a step around the diving Lumb and backhand finish while being leveled.Stoneham broke the shutout in the period’s final minute when Mike Kelly followed the rebound of his own shot to the rear wall and found an unmarked Dalton Cox for a quick finish from the low slot. The Sachems, though, would yield no more as the third period became one of defensive maintenance.”We were excited to play and we were ready. These kids weren’t here last year. This was an 11-loss team. I wasn’t here last year, so we were all ready to go. Still, I had the jitters right up until the final 30 seconds,” Natalucci said. “Now we get ready for Bishop Fenwick.”