There was no stopping a healthy and determined Fishermen hockey team last night, who put on an electric show for over 1,000 fans in Dorothy Talbot Rink. With a rowdy crowd and fire under their skates, Gloucester stunned the Walpole Timberwolves in a 6-2 performance.
Gloucester was led by a hat trick from assistant captain Colby Jewell, with the other three goals coming from assistant captains Brett Cunningham and James Sanfilippo. Junior Colby Warren also netted one in for a goal. Assists came from Cade Cooper, Cade Francis, Charlie Terelak, Jewell, and Cunningham (2).
Gloucester was quick to get onto the scoreboard, with Cunningham shooting a bullet of a shot through the crack between the goalie and the goalpost. Within two minutes, Colby Warren collected the puck after Cooper’s shot rebounded off the goalie and slipped it in to have an early 2-0 lead. The Fishermen were swimming in Walpole’s zone, barely letting the puck travel towards their goal. The score was untouched for ten minutes before Jewell, taking a pass from Cunningham, shot his first one home on a power play goal.
Opening the second period, the Timberwolves suffered back to back goals from the Fishermen. After a scuffle in front of the net lead to Walpole’s goalie being out, James Sanfillipo slapped the puck into the open net for the lead to increase 4-0. Gloucester’s 5th goal came from Jewell, shooting the puck clean after recieving the straight-on pass from behind the net from Terelak. Despite a Timberwolf goal by Mike Bisceglia a few minutes later, that’s all the team could muster before the end of the period.
The Fishermen’s last goal of the night was scored within three minutes of the third, when Jewell slipped the puck in when the goalie lost sight of the puck. Walpole netted a goal in shortly after Jewell’s, but they could not reach within Gloucester’s astounding lead.
The Fishermen played one of the best games all season, performing as they did during their win streak at the beginning of the season. The offense was making plays, the defense was scooping the puck away from Walpole, and the team camaraderie was electric.
Players like Will Linn, Warren, and Cooper were all aggressive in the offensive zone, shooting on the goal multiple times. Terelak and assistant captain Chris Karvelas were also shining, maintaining the puck well in passing and bringing the puck around the net.
“It feels great to get a hat trick and take round 1,” Jewell detailed post-game. “But, there is a lot more coming in these next game. I couldn’t do it alone. Everyone on the team is working together and our hardest every time we see the ice. Everyone knows what is at stake.”
In Gloucester’s Sweet 16’s opponent bracket, Newburyport outlasted a strong Dartmouth team in a 2-1 battle. Newburyport, ranked 5th, is awaiting Gloucester’s arrival this Saturday at 1:30pm at Graf Rink in Newburyport.
