Newburyport hockey coach Paul Yameen stood in front of a cheering locker room moments after his team won its second straight sectional title on Friday evening and reflected on his team's 3-2 victory over Peabody.
"We're the best-conditioned team in the state — bar none," Yameen said. "(Peabody) is supposed to be a third-period team. I don't think they had more legs than we did."
The Clippers' record over the last two seasons would speak to Yameen's confidence. The Division 2 North champion Clippers (18-4-2) will play for a state championship for the second straight season on Sunday (1:15 p.m.) when they meet Division 2 South champion Canton (18-3-2) at the TD Garden.
Breaking down the Clippers' two-year run, it would appear Yameen may be correct in his assertion that they are, in fact, the best-conditioned team in the state. The Clippers have played the most total games (50) and state-tournament games (9) of any Division 2 team over the last two seasons. They have posted the most state-tournament wins (9) and have tied for the most total wins (36) over the last two seasons, along with Wilmington and Canton. And they have the potential to become the first team since Saugus in 2004 to win back-to-back Division 2 state titles.
"How can you argue with what we've been doing?" Yameen said. "It's lifting, stretching, injury prevention ... I'm in the weight room five mornings a week and after school as well. It took time to sell the kids on this, but it's of the utmost importance to be as conditioned as we can be."
Over the last two post-seasons, the Clippers have come from behind to win a total of five games. Last year, they trailed Bishop-Fenwick, Tewksbury and Canton before posting victories. This season, they trailed Tewksbury and Peabody. They have also collected three one-goal victories and one overtime victory, including last year's state championship game against Canton.
"You can see the results," Yameen said. "I don't think there's been a team we've faced in quite a while that is more physical than us. In the third period of games, we always have our legs under us. In the past three or four years, we haven't had any injuries that stem from being out of shape. We're flexible and fit."
Upon accepting the position six years ago, Yameen sought out the expertise of Jason Beauparlant, a teacher at the Nock Middle School who is also a part-time trainer at UMass Lowell. Beauparlant implemented a year-round program for the hockey team, including a six-week summer clinic that specializes in plyometrics. He seeks the guidance of Boston University strength coach Mike Boyle to stay up to date on the latest fitness trends.
"Our whole program focuses or getting stronger, injury-free and maximizing performance on the ice," Beauparlant said. "It's about explosiveness. It's soft-tissue work, flexibility, mobility, power, strength and recovery. That's the entire program."
The Newburyport hockey players lift weights four days a week out of season and twice a week in season. Those who play other sports in addition to hockey continue the in-season program through their other sports seasons.
"It took a couple of years for these guys to buy in," Beauparlant said. "Paul enforced it and made it a part of the culture of what they do. Once they bought in, we started getting improved results in the weight room. That turned around to the ice before long."
Now, each spring, Yameen, a teacher at the high school, visits the Nock Middle School and introduces the training program to seventh- and eighth-graders. Yameen believes the early start to the conditioning program enables freshmen to contribute to the varsity team each winter. This year's team has five freshmen (Connor Wile, Tyler Janvrin, Nathan Hickman, Tyler Cusack and Alexander Buckley) on the varsity roster. That's an average-sized freshman class over the last three seasons.
"They're familiar with what we do when they come in," Yameen said. "If they get a year of conditioning under their belts, it certainly helps them just to be as fit and strong as possible. We don't have issues playing freshmen if they're ready to go. These kids can see what other freshmen have done in the past."
Beauparlant said that any scientific evidence that suggests athletes should wait until they are done growing before they start lifting weights is outdated.
"That's a myth," Beauparlant said. "Someone said 25-30 years ago that we should wait until growth plates are closed or after puberty. I'll start kids in seventh or eighth grade and teach proper techniques. I've never had a problem."
On the day of games, Beauparlant said no high school team puts more thought into its warm-up than the Clippers, who participate in drills to stimulate their soft tissue flexibility and nervous system before they even hit the ice for pregame warm-ups.
"When our guys hit the ice, they're flying," Beauparlant said. "They're never flat."
Yameen believes his squad's early-game physicality has worn out many tournament opponents. His team thrives late in games when other teams have grown wary of the contact.
"I certainly will not back away from a physical style of play," Yameen said. "I can tell you numerous times this year when late in games, other teams purposely let us get to pucks. They don't want to get hit anymore. Things always seem to look different late in games. We keep dishing out big body checks, and teams shy away late in games.
"We're not going to change our style," Yameen said. "If we incur penalties, we'll do our best to kill them. We've become pretty good at doing that. But I'm certainly not going to tell guys to back off."
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