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The chances of the Gloucester High School boys hockey team repeating as Northeastern Conference champs next winter just got a little bit slimmer.

High-scoring junior forward Brett Biondo has decided to transfer to Division 1 power Malden Catholic for his senior year. Biondo's move had been rumored for a while, and the Fishermen's leading goal-scorer confirmed the decision yesterday.

So what exactly was it like to be a part of yesterday's Division 2 North quarterfinal boys hockey game between No. 3 Gloucester and sixth-seeded Newburyport?

"I had pins and needles man, pins and needles," said Newburyport head coach Paul Yameen. "I knew it was going to be a battle."

When the tournament pairings came out, the potential spectacle of a rematch between Newburyport and Gloucester in the second round had the makings of a classic.

After all, Newburyport entered the Division 2 North tournament with an eight-game winning streak, and Gloucester was the team with the recent state championship success (2006 state title).

Gloucester junior tri-captain Josh Salah could easily sum up what went wrong in the Fishermen's regular-season matchup with Newburyport.

"They beat us up," Salah said.

The Clippers used their size advantage and a smaller rink (Graf Rink in Newburyport) to neutralize Gloucester's speed en route to a 4-2 win on Feb. 2.

North Reading had to beat Lynnfield and tie Wilmington just to get into the state tournament.

The odds of that seemed slim and none, but the Hornets did it.

But beating third-seeded Gloucester in their Division 2 North first-round matchup would be even more improbable. Yet, it came down to one play.

Heart, desire and hunger.

According to Gloucester boys hockey coach Don Lowe, those are three key attributes that every team has to have going into the Division 2 state hockey tournament. The Gloucester hockey team hopes to bring those three qualities to this year's tourney along with one attribute that separates them from most of the field: Experience.

Throughout the season the Gloucester boys hockey team's Achilles heal has been their power play.

The power play unit has struggled with consistency and even let up a number of short-handed goals.

In last night's contest against Division 1 Dennis-Yarmouth, however, the power play was the difference in the game. The Fishermen were able to score four power-play goals and carried the play throughout the game in a 6-2 win at the Dorothy Talbot Rink in the regular season finale "Our power play has been inconsistent, but tonight we were able to put it together and get four goals," Gloucester captain Andrew Fulford said. "We still have a little work to do but (the power play) won't be a problem come tournament time."

At first glance, the Gloucester hockey team's 13-4-2 record looks outstanding.

Look a little closer and a Northeastern Conference championship and a tough schedule that includes wins over NEC powers Peabody and Danvers (twice), and out-of-conference wins over Martha's Vineyard and Arlington makes the Fishermen's performance look even better. What is most remarkable about the Fishermen's record is the fact that they have played just two games all season with a completely healthy roster.

It had been a frustrating season for Gloucester's Josh Salah.

The junior forward was touted as one of the top players in the Northeastern Conference and was slated to have a big year for the Fishermen. Salah, however, could not stay healthy, missing most of the season with a broken wrist and a cut on his leg.

SALEM | Just five seconds into their contest Saturday night, Danvers High hockey captain Steve Kontos drilled Gloucester defenseman Nick DeCoste so hard that he actually knocked the rearguard off his skates and into the visiting team's penalty box.