H.S. Hockey: D-R/Seekonk Falls in Season-Opener

ATTLEBORO - The bad news for the DR/Seekonk hockey team is the opening-night defeat at the hands of Middleboro, 3-0.

The good news is coach Tom Fecteau knows exactly what DR/Seekonk has to do to succeed going forward.

“We need to take less penalties,” Fecteau said after DR/Seekonk committed eight penalties in the season-opener. “The biggest effect on this game was us taking bad penalties and too many penalties. We battle and battle, get some momentum, then take a penalty.”

Middleboro’s Hunter Dandreta scored powerplay goals in the first and second periods, and although DR/Seekonk outshot Middleboro in the third frame, the Sachems got another score from Josh Murphy to seal the victory.

The teams played pretty evenly in the first period, and DR/Seekonk looked to battle back in the second with several solid scoring chances. Seekonk freshman Liam Fecteau, Dighton-Rehoboth senior captain Malachi Letourneau and D-R junior Wyatt Nastar all had good chances but were thwarted by Middleboro goalie Colin Nevitt. Between scoring chances, DR/Seekonk spent most of the period killing penalties as the team racked up four in the second frame.

“We had plenty of chances,” coach Fecteau said. “We hit the post three times and their goalie made a couple of big saves in key moments, especially in the second period.”

DR/Seekonk (1-0) will look to get in the win column on Monday against Attleboro at 4 p.m.

“If we stay out of the penalty box, we’ll be fine,” Fecteau said.

REPORTERTODAY.COM MVP: Goalie Paul Jarvis made several solid saves and kept DR/Seekonk in the game throughout. He was especially effective with his glove while facing a barrage of shots from the Sachems. “I thought he played fine,” Fecteau said. “The first two goals, the first one he didn’t see because of the scrum in front of the net, and the second there was a guy sitting there wide open all alone on the powerplay. The other goal, again, no one picked up the open guy.” Jarvis comes to DR/Seekonk as a home-schooled Seekonk student who has plenty of experience in club hockey.

BUILDING BLOCKS FOR THE SEASON: Coach Fecteau was encouraged by how the team played during five-on-five ice time. “On even strength, we competed hard,” he said. “The third period, we carried the puck in their zone much more, we just didn’t have anything to show for it on the scoreboard. … We didn’t quit and worked hard the whole night.”

MIDDLEBORO COACH SCOTT DREVITCH: “They’re a pretty good team. They moved the puck pretty well, had good structure and good position. They had plenty of chances.”

SKATING AROUND: Several underclassmen saw significant ice time on Saturday. Letourneau, Seekonk sophomore Devin Dailey and D-R junior Michael Agresti skated often with the defensive pairing of Seekonk senior Adam Nastari and Nastar. Among the others seeing ice time on Saturday were Liam Fecteau, D-R freshman Noah Bastis, D-R sophomore Andre Ashton, Seekonk senior captain Charles Lehourites, D-R sophomore Evan Pereira, Seekonk freshman Ethan Goudreau, Seekonk sophomore Devin Grant and D-R freshman Colten Nastar. “It’s only a matter of time,” coach Fecteau said. “Quite frankly, we’re pretty young so it’s always difficult having young players carry your team. You want them to have input offensively, but when it’s an uphill battle, we need to have some older players step up and show them the way to go.”

ICE SHARDS: The game was held at New England Sports Village in Attleboro, the rink DR/Seekonk has called home for a few seasons now. “They’ve been great,” coach Fecteau said of the folks at the facility. “We practice here and play our home games here, and it’s been great.” … Having players from two schools brings fans from two schools as students, parents and fans from both schools packed the upper stands and around the lower rink during the game. … Dandreta had a hand in all of Middleboro’s scores with two goals of his own and getting an assist on Murphy’s third-period tally. “We did some things we’ve been practicing. We adjusted a few things the last two days and the kids responded,” Drevitch said. “It always feels good to win the first one. … Fecteau is assisted on the coaching staff by Paul Ricci, John Lyden, Chris Lambert and Jake Robitaille. … After Monday’s game against Attleboro, DR/Seekonk will have four straight against South Coast Conference opponents: Wareham on Dec. 21, Bourne on Dec. 28, Old Rochester on Jan. 2, and Somerset Berkley on Jan. 4.