RallyNorth.net

Sun, Mar 02, 2008 04:00 PM @ Neutral Location

Team	1	2	3	Final
Division 2 North - Quarterfinals
Lynnfield	0	1	0	1
Peabody	1	2	1	4

Peabody rolls into Division 2 North semifinals after big win over Lynnfield

Sunday, March, 02 By Matt Williams
Staff writer

STONEHAM | Peabody High hockey co-captain James Noftle didn't say much after Lynnfield's Mike Connolly knocked him into the crossbar of an empty net with 46 seconds left in last night's Division 2 North quarterfinal.

After all, what was a little shove compared to the thrill of watching teammate Matty Rodgers' 80-foot shot slide into an empty net, icing a 4-1 victory that sends the Tanners to a place they've never been before | the Division 2 North semifinals?

"I just told (Connolly) the game was over. It was finally over," said an elated Noftle, who scored two goals, including his 100th career point, to catapult Peabody (17-5) into a Wednesday night semifinal with top-seeded Wilmington at Salem State's Rockett Arena.

Last night's triumph at Stoneham Ice Arena marks the first time that a Peabody hockey team has won two playoff games in the same season.

"It was a lot of emotion, hard work and sacrifice. We played unbelievable. What more can you say? I'm speechless," said Peabody coach Mark Leonard, who has finally guided his club to the North's Final Four.

The fourth-seeded Tanners eclipsed Lynnfield (14-4-5) with a combination of timely scoring, solid goaltending and a relentless commitment in their own end. Every skater | from the first line to the last man off the bench | displayed uncanny willingness to block shots and do the dirty work to shutdown the Pioneers' high-octane offense.

"I guess we never had a team that was willing to work hard enough to win this (type of) game," said Noftle.

Peabody High senior goaltender Jonathan Camara saved his best game for his biggest challenge. He stopped 24 shots, including a pair of breakaways on one of the state's most prolific scorers, Lynnfield's Ryan Smith (24 goals, 64 points).

Smith skated in alone midway through the second period. The Pioneer captain tried to go short side before peeling off the net with his stick raised high in the air, thinking he'd erased what was then a 2-1 Tanner lead. But Camara held the post and made one of several beautiful stops to deny him.

"I knew it was him," Camara said with a grin. "He's one of the best around and you know you have to stop him. I just tried my best and managed to do it. It's definitely a great feeling to prove him wrong (by making the save)."

Clinging to a 3-1 lead, Camara and the Peabody 'D' were at their best in the third period. The ffith-seeded Pioneers possessed the puck for most of the frame, but Grade-A scoring chances were few and far between.

"We were blocking shots and getting great goaltending | that's what it's all about," said Leonard.

Noftle started Peabody's second period off with a bang when he notched the 100th point of his career on a highlight-reel goal off the opening faceoff. The tally put the Tanners ahead 2-0, a lead they would never relinquish.

"Especially to have (the 100th) be a game changing goal like that, it couldn't have been any better," said Noftle, whose career totals are 51 goals and 50 assists.

Lynnfield got their only tally of the night a mere 11 seconds later when Rob Pedicini's shot found its way through traffic between Camara's legs.

Tanner center Elijah Cohen kept the demons at bay with what might've been the play of the night at 4:30. He raced up ice and turned around at the Lynnfield blue line, dishing to Rodgers, who threw a backhand at the net. Noftle was there to tip the shot past Pioneer goalie Craig Cataldo (14 saves) and deliver the all important two-goal lead.

Leonard was especially happy for his senior class. The group willed Peabody to a come-from-behind first round win over North Andover last Thursday night and had an indelible impact last night.

"We looked death in the eye the other night, and maybe that helped," said Leonard. "We had nothing to lose. The mindset was that no Peabody team has ever won two games in the state tournament and they wanted to be the first to do it."

Still, after suffering second round defeats in six of the last seven seasons, could the Tanner boss believe that his boys had finally broken through?

"I can, because I know these kids," Leonard said. "I've known most of them since sixth grade when they played junior high hockey, and they're a special team. They're really special."