Hockey: Saugus blanks Gloucester in opener

Good teams usually find a way to get the job done when they aren’t at their best. And that was the case for the Saugus hockey team on Wednesday night in its opener at Kasabuski Arena against Gloucester.The Sachems took 10 penalties but still were able to grab a 4-0 win thanks to 28 saves from Nick Hegarty and a two-goal game from Saige Tait.”We took too many penalties and we have to clean that up,” Saugus coach Jeff Natalucci said. “But we found a way to get a win when we didn’t play our best. That says a lot.”The Sachems scored twice in a little under two minutes in the first period. Tait broke the ice at 6:02, assisted by Danny Groark, before Drew Oxley scored at 8:02 off assists from Guy Capillo and Kurt Rodrigues.Rodrigues upped the lead to 3-0 less than a minute into the second period, assisted by A.J. Guthro. Tait then closed the scoring with 25 seconds left in the third, set up by Capillo.”We’ve got a lot of work to do in getting ready to face (Winthrop) on Saturday,” Natalucci said.Swampscott 7, Salem 1At Rockett Arena in Salem, senior Gino Cresta had a hat trick and an assist as the Big Blue opened up with a convincing win.”We came out fast and aggressive in the first period,” said Swampscott coach Gino Faia.Cresta scored twice in the first period, once unassisted and once on a feed from Trevor Massey. The Big Blue racked up four goals in total in the first period, with Ryan Cresta and Chris Carmen potting pucks.Gino Cresta completed the hat trick in the second period, finishing on a pass from Rob Serino. In the third, Swampscott got scores from Chris Finlay and Corey Carmody.For Salem, Sam Petri scored the lone goal midway through the third period.Danvers 3, Winthrop 2At Rockett Arena in Salem, senior Joe Strangie’s goal with 9:00 left in the third was the difference as the Falcons knocked off the reigning NEC North champs.Tyler Dustin and Paul D’Orlando also had goals for the Falcons, who had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 erased on goals by Dan Eruzione.Lynnfield 1, Newburyport 0At McVann-O’Keefe Rink in Peabody, Dylan Costa’s second period goal, assisted by John Festa and Kris Houda, was the difference as Joe Bassi made 17 saves in his first career start.”Anytime you can beat a program that’s as good as Newburyport’s, it’s a great win,” Lynnfield coach Vin Mirasolo said. “The kids did a great, great job.”GIRLS HOCKEYWinthrop 4, Masco 1At Gloucester, the combined Winthrop/Lynn/Saugus Bulldogs scored three unanswered goals to even their record at 1-1. Ariana Dembro scored 2:44 into the first period to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead, but Masco came back to tie it early in the second period. Winthrop took control on goals by Chelsey Bartlett, Amanda Cordes and Julianna Kennedy.Winthrop coach Anthony Martucci said his team heavily outshot Masco, putting 68 shots on net, but junior goalie Alex Jones stopped just about everything that came her way. Gretchen Howard was in net for Winthrop.St. Mary’s 5, Reading 0At Burbank Arena, the Spartans (2-0) spread the scoring around with five different players putting the puck in the net. St. Mary’s had first-period goals by Gina Beth Manganiello and Gabby Crugnale for an early 2-0 lead. Kaleigh Finnigan and Brittani Lanzilli scored in the second period to make it 4-0 and Alison Butler provided the finishing touch with a third-period goal. Lauren Skinnion was in net for the win.St. Mary’s has Woburn and Hingham coming up next.