Saugus hockey back at home in NEC

After a single, challenging season in the Cape Ann League, the Saugus boys? hockey team is making its return to the Northeastern Conference.
?We started coming on strong later in the year which left our returning players and coaching staff with high hopes,” said Sachems coach Jeff Natalucci, whose team finished 6-12-2 after winning only two games the season before.
?I felt that the guys took some major strides as a team so we?re hoping the identity we had begun to develop carries over into our NEC homecoming.”
Natalucci knows that nothing will come easy.
The Sachems will set up shop in the NEC/Large division along with Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Winthrop and Beverly, the defending Division 2 state champions, who narrowly defeated Saugus, 1-0, in the jamboree at Salem State University on Sunday afternoon.
?Allowing a single goal to a team with Beverly?s track record is a reason for optimism,” said Natalucci, who praised his team?s execution of a newly implemented defensive system — on which he elected not to elaborate.
Much of the Sachems? success will, in fact, hinge on the ability of a young blue line corps to help keep pucks out of its own net.
Senior co-captain Christian Patterson, who is currently recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, will lead the unit, which includes a trio of sophomore blue-chips in Jimmy Alcott Jr., Alex Merlina and Brett Morey.
?We only lost one defenseman (John Morey) to graduation. So the majority of these guys gained valuable experience, playing regular shifts last season,” Natalucci said. “Their level of comfort on the ice is sure to take a step forward.”
But the Sachems are fairly inexperienced between the pipes where a tandem of freshmen netminders continue to make their cases for a start in the season opener against Marblehead Saturday at Salem State.
Nick Sanderson, with 13 saves, was sensational in the opening 25 minutes of the jamboree, just days after walking away unscathed from a serious car crash, along with his brother, junior co-captain Chris Sanderson and Alcott.
Christian Billingsly came on for the second period and did his part, despite yielding the game?s lone tally on a shot from the point.
?Both have looked strong thus far and continue to work extremely hard,” said Natalucci. “We have one more scrimmage (at Lynn on Wednesday) before the season starts up for real so we still have some time to make a decision.”
Saugus gets another crack at Beverly in its second game, at Salem State?s Rockett Arena.
?The NEC schedule is a battle night in and night out,” said Natalucci. “If we continue to work hard in practices show up each and every night, who knows what we?re capable of.”
Saugus won?t take to its home ice until Dec. 29 for the annual Kasabuski (Arena) Christmas Tournament, in which they?ll host Lynnfield in a semifinal before meeting either Danvers or Wakefield the following day.
Non-league matchups with Triton and Matignon will precede a late-season trip to the Newburyport Bank Hockey Classic.
With last season?s leading point-getter, Steve Kay, now in college, the Sachems will rely on a scoring-by-committee approach.
There is no set top line, but rather two interchangeable lines. Chris Sanderson will be the pivot between junior Pat Cross and sophomore Brendan Ronan, while junior co-captain Nik Straticos will be center sophomores Brendan Patterson and Mike Sarnacchiaro.
Natalucci is fully expecting strong contributions from the all-freshmen third line of center John Torres along with Ryan Groark and Ryan Granara.?We?ve mixed and matched the top two lines, which are full of experience,” said Natalucci. “John, Ryan and Mike have been impressive in both their play and work ethic. If we can get all three lines to contribute, we should be in good shape.”