It's interesting how quickly things can change in the hierarchy of River Rival hockey.
When Triton and Newburyport met for the first time this season Jan. 11 at the Graf Rink, the Vikings appeared to be primed to shovel dirt on the Clippers' season. Triton was 6-2-0 overall and 5-0-0 in the Cape Ann League entering the game. The Vikings appeared to be cruising to their first CAL title since 2006.
On the other hand, Newburyport was 2-4-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the CAL, a couple of bad losses away from seeing its state-tournament appearance streak end at seven seasons.
What transpired that night was a well-played, extremely physical 3-3 tie. What has transpired since has been a case of two teams moving in different directions.
The Vikings (9-4-1, 8-1-1) have lost their last two games, and before that, they struggled to victories over Pentucket, Medford and Amesbury. The Clippers (6-4-2, 6-3-1) have gone 4-0 since the Triton tie, a streak that includes wins over Amesbury, Gloucester, Lynnfield and Masconomet.
Suddenly, it seems that Newburyport is the team to beat in the River Rival Region, and Triton will struggle to earn a promising tournament seed. However, if we've learned anything from the last three weeks, things can change quickly during a high school hockey season.
The length of the high school hockey season plays the biggest role in the inconsistencies among local teams. The season starts in late November, and the first games are played in the first week of December. The winter season can stretch upward of four months, as the state-title games are played in March.
For a team like Newburyport that has advanced to the state championship game in two of the last three years, there may be more of a propensity to start slow and pace itself, well aware that it's a marathon, not a sprint.
On the other hand, Triton is new to the marathon. From 2008 to 2010, there was no postseason tournament for the Vikings. They never experienced the intensity of entering a game as the top team in the league standings.
So the mid-season malaise is no major cause for concern for the Vikings, who are new to the battle of attrition. In fact, last year's Vikings started hot, stumbled at mid-season, and had to earn three points over its final two games to clinch a tourney berth. Similarly, the 2008-2009 Clippers finished their regular season 1-2-1 in their final four games before running off five straight wins en route to a state championship.
It's a long season; things will look far different in March than they look today. The Clippers already proved this season no team should be counted out after a rough three-week stretch. While the Clippers may have had a hand in sending the Vikings into this slump, Triton can look to its Newburyport rival for proof it can snap out of it.
Too early for tourney seedings?
The Newburyport boys basketball team has been the biggest surprise of the winter season. The Clippers (11-3) graduated six of their top seven players from last year's team, which advanced to the Division 3 North final.
While the Clippers still have seven games remaining, they could find themselves in a better position for a tournament run at the end of this season compared to last year. As of today, the Clippers would be the fourth seed in the Division 3 North bracket. Last year's team went 13-7 and earned the fifth seed before making its tournament run. Danvers, Arlington Catholic and Whittier sit ahead of the Clippers.
On the girls' side, Pentucket (10-4) and Newburyport (10-4) will be looking to improve their Division 3 North tournament seedings in the stretch run. Bedford, St. Mary's, Ipswich and Swampscott are all vying for the top six seeds, along with Pentucket and Newburyport.
Super Bowl plans?
I have yet to receive an assignment from by bosses at The Daily News to cover the Patriots in the Super Bowl Sunday, so at this point, I have to assume I won't be going.
Since I won't be able to provide a first-hand account of the Super Bowl scene, I'm looking for local people who can. If you are planning to make the trip to Indianapolis from the Greater Newburyport area, please contact me at dguttenplan@newburyportnews.com or call 978-462-6666, ext. 3237.
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