By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Cutting down on goals allowed isn’t the sole responsibility of the goaltender. It’s also the job of the five players who accompany the netminder onto the ice, and it’s a critical component to success.

Trinity senior forward Dane Polombo (right) keeps Matt Marquis, a Memorial junior, against the glass in the second period of the city school matchup on Feb. 9. The Crusaders scored four unanswered third period goals to cruise to a 7-1 win. (Marc Thaler Photo)

Trinity head coach David Ryan of Hooksett said he wants to see the Pioneers’ defensive approach improve for the remainder of the 2004- 05 Division I high school hockey season.

“Team defense continues to be our greatest challenge as we allow almost 40 shots per game,” said Ryan, whose team dropped to 6-6-1 after a 7-1 loss to Manchester Memorial on Feb. 9, at St. Anselm College’s Sullivan Arena. “We have an excellent goaltender in senior Shane Devaney, whose saves are predominantly from shots taken outside the slot area. So we are protecting the slot well.”

The Pioneers, however, aren’t winning the physical battles in two key areas, according to the coach.

First, THS is being outworked after the opposition fires a shot. Second, the squad is getting beat behind its net – a spot from which teams have been able to set up scores.

“We protect the rush well, we don’t allow odd-man rushes, and we transition much better out of our zone,” Ryan said. “I would say it comes down to the physical size and toughness of our players and our reputation as the smallest team in Division I.”

On offense, the coach said he thinks his group is one of the stronger teams in the state. The players have the ability to skate well when they’re all on the same page, Ryan added.

Still, THS has at times this season found it difficult to consistently execute its game plan, something Ryan attributes to the team’s collective youth.

“We have 10 players – seven freshmen and three sophomores – in their first year of varsity hockey, and eight other underclassmen,” Ryan said. “Our four seniors are two defensemen, a forward and a goalie, so our inconsistency on offense can be related to our inexperience at playing a team system at this level of competition.”

Ryan said most players entering high school hockey from the youth level are hooked on handling the puck too much instead of incorporating teammates into the flow of the offense.

“Breaking them of that habit is very difficult,” he said.

The key is to get his team playing a disciplined brand of hockey for a full 45 minutes of action, Ryan said. But that’s a challenge as well because young teams hear the word “discipline” and think “punishment,” Ryan added.

Trinity’s players are in the process of learning that “discipline” means “commitment.”

The 2004-05 Trinity roster includes the Neighborhood-area contingent of Allenstown’s Ben Blanchette; Bedford’s Josh Boissoneau, Jack Callahan, Nick Chenette, Cameron Foote, Cameron Ritzenthaler, Josh Seifert and Matt Usenia; Dunbarton’s Andrew Giovagnoli; Goffstown’s Joe Kinduris; and New Boston’s David Siemiesz.

Fellow Pioneers include Steve Audet, Brendan Bickford, Devaney, Stephen Ficaro, Thomas Goss, Jesse Hester, Sean Hutchins, Kevin O’Shaughnessy, Trevor Peltak, Dane Polombo, Sean Polombo and Sean Twomey.

“Overall, I think we are a competitive program that will only get better with experience,” Ryan said. “I believe our players will approach the remaining games more seriously after being embarrassed by Memorial. The coaches and parents know how well this team can play when they set about doing it as a team. It is just a matter of getting them to play that way all the time.”