Having strong shoulders is a good quality in a hockey player. That said, it’s even better when there’s a chip on them.
Essex Tech head coach Mark Leonard, a Peabody native, said his team has a chip on its shoulder due to the notion Essex Tech is “just a tech school.”
Well, with strong showings against Marblehead and Danvers among others, the Hawks have landed with a 14-0-1 record.
Leonard says “discipline” and “work ethic” are just a few reasons for the success.
“We’ve shown a lot of character and resilience,” Leonard said. “They’ve worked extremely hard this summer and fall.”
Essex Tech has scored 88 goals in 15 games, compared to just 25 allowed. Other highlights include an 11-goal explosion against Minuteman, and a 9-0 victory against Greater Lowell/Nashoba Tech.
Then there are the individuals. Brady Leonard (Peabody) and Logan Casey (Beverly) are each closing in on 40 points. Not only that, but they play on different lines.
“We can come at you with different lines,” Leonard said. “I feel like we’re a really deep team.”
Leonard said defenseman Armani Booth (Peabody) has been “playing unbelievable,” and forward Larry Graffeo (Lynnfield) is “a great kid [and] a great leader.” Leonard also described goalie Kyle Mahan (Danvers) as “tremendous” with four shutouts.
Jaydan Vargas (Peabody) has also impressed with 20 points, alongside Anthony Bisenti who’s tacked on 14.
“Obviously it’s been a pretty special season [and] it’s a great group of kids,” Leonard said.
When talking about the camaraderie between his players, Leonard says they’re as tight-knit as can be.
“They hang out together; they do things together,” Leonard said.
As for his coaching strategy, Leonard doesn’t like to overthink things, calling his style “really nothing special.”
“Play aggressively, play as a team, move the puck,” Leonard said. “Old fashioned.”
Something else, despite recognizing his own cliche, was that he wants his team to take things one game at a time.
“You can’t dwell on a game, or even a period,” Leonard said. “We can’t change anything that’s happened – let’s just have our best period here.”
He’s proud of the team’s 1-0 victory against Bedford in last season’s Division III tournament, but said his group isn’t satisfied after Essex Tech’s first-ever playoff win.
“These kids want to do even more, and so far they have,” Leonard said.
Indeed they have. Leonard said he’s been getting every skater’s best game as of late, and hopes to continue the momentum by playing Essex Tech hockey.
“We’ve got to worry about us,” Leonard said. “When we try to play like other teams, it kind of brings us down.”
Next on the schedule is Shawsheen on Saturday with puck-drop set for 12:10 p.m. at Essex Sports Center. Even with Shawsheen being 11-2, that won’t matter to the Hawks.
“We don’t want to be outworked by any team,” Leonard said.
