Nashua North Notebook: SaberTitans hockey eager to get back to work

Editor’s Note: This is a new weekly feature that will be posted every Friday through the end of the school year. North coaches can submit info to nhhighschoolsports@gmail.com. 

NASHUA – There was plenty of time for the Nashua North-Souhegan boys hockey team to think about its previous game.

The SaberTitans had made a furious third-period comeback against Bow, rallying from a three-goal deficit before falling 6-5 on Jan. 3.

For more than a week, North-Souhegan players and coaches thought about that game and the corrections they’d make going into Wednesday’s contest against South-Pelham.

The SaberTitans came out flying from the start, scoring twice in the first 10 minutes of the game and then holding on for a 4-1 win over the Kings at Conway Arena.

Chase McBride had a hat trick for North-Souhegan (2-2) and Jake Landry had a goal and two assists while Zack Veilleux was solid in net.

“This is a game we were talking about,” North-Souhegan coach Chris Zarlenga said. “Where it’s 2-0, you give up a goal, and 2-1 is a whole new game. You have to put them away early and we saw that. They start to get desperate and then just keep the hammer on.”

A good amount of that hammering was done by the SaberTitans’ top line of McBride, Landry and Callen Cullity, who also had an assist on Landry’s goal.

“It takes a lot of communication and hard work,” Landry said of his linemates. “We’ve been playing together since last year. We’ve built up chemistry and we know where each other is. We just play hockey.”

It comes together quickly, too, as none of them play together outside of the high school season, according to McBride.

“We don’t even play travel or anything together,” he said. “We play for each other and we trust each other completely. I’ll hear (Landry) coming down the ice and I’ll throw it to the middle because I know he’ll get it. He’s a talented player. I’d like to say I’m decently talented, and when we work together, it’s perfect.”

While McBride’s first two goals came from a scramble in front of the South-Pelham net, the third showed some of that chemistry.

Landry brought the puck down the ice to the left of Kings goalie Riley Pelletier, getting just enough on the puck to bounce it off Pelletier’s pads. It rebounded right to McBride, who was racing down the other side, and he buried it into an open net.

“They do everything we ask,” Zarlenga said. “This is a team that goes to battle for us every day. There’s no complaints with what we do and that’s all you can ask for. They make each other better.”

Up next: The Titans go on the road for the next two, starting at 4:40 p.m. Saturday against Londonderry, followed by a 4:10 game Wednesday at Manchester.

Wrestling

North finishes 11th

The Titans competed at the Paul Bellavance Hall of Fame Tournament last Saturday at South, finished 11th overall with 88 points. Salem was first with 265.5

Owen Gagnon placed at 106, pinning Salem’s John Blocksidge in the third-place match. Trevor Rivard finished fourth at 138, Steven Rosario was also fourth at 165, and Gavin Page came in sixth at 126.

North also dropped a dual meet to Windham, 51-21, on Wednesday. Gagnon (106), Rivard (144), Ruben DeJesus (175) and Chris Vasquez (190) each had wins for the Titans.

Up next: North will compete at a quad meet at Souhegan on Saturday, along with Merrimack and Milford. The Titans will then head to Pinkerton for a dual meet on Jan. 17.

Track

North girls finish third

The Titans recorded 48 points to take third in a meet last Saturday at the University of New Hampshire. Pinkerton was first with 79 points.

Lauren White helped lead the way, winning the 1,000-meter run in 3 minutes, 10.23 seconds while also placing fourth in the 1,500 (5:06.6). Christina Juris also won the 600 with a time of 1:47.86.

Jhanelle Thomas finished third in the 300 (43.4) while Annika Hayden finished fifth in the 3,000 (11:44.98) and Sonya Witkoskie was  sixth in the 1,500 (5:12.29)

Tiana Brown came in sixth in the 55 (7.91) and Sarah Frye was fifth in the long jump (15-0.5) and sixth in the 55 hurdles (9.79).

Juris, Brown, Thomas and Allison Frye won the 1,600-meter relay, finishing in 4:21.13) and also came in sixth in the 640-meter relay (1:32.94).

North boys run to fourth

The Titans finished in fourth place with 37 points in last Saturday’s meet at the University of New Hampshire. Nashua South and Pinkerton tied for first with 78 points.

Darius Smith led North by finishing first in the shot put with a throw of 49-feet, 1-inch. Gavin Suchecki tied for third in the high jump (5-8) and was fourth in the 300 (39.21)

Aaron Farrington finished third in the 600 (1:36.35) while Ryan Mamos was fourth in the 600 (1:37.08).

Mamos, Farrington, Nolan Sullivan and Mason Dandeneau finished second in the 1,600-meter relay (3:57.51)

Up next: The Titans will be competing Saturday in the East Coast Invitational in Providence.

Boys Basketball

Titans come close vs. Bedford

North came back from a double-digit deficit in the second half, but it wasn’t enough in an 81-76 loss to Bedford last Friday.

Parth Miglani turned in quite a night for the Titans, scoring 36 points. Its the first time this year the senior has scored more than 21, and through six games, he’s averaging 19 points per game to lead North (4-2).

Up next: The Titans had their game Tuesday against Keene postponed, so they’ll return to the court for the first time in a week when they head to Goffstown for a 6:30 p.m. start on Friday.

Gymnastics

Titans pair compete

North’s two gymnasts, sophomores Lynnlee Davis and Riley Suchecki, competed in a meet on Dec. 30 along with gymnasts from South, Salem and Goffstown.

Davis performed on the balance beam for the Titans while Suchecki, in her first varsity competition, was on the vault, beam and floor.

Up next: The Titans will participate in a meet hosted by Pelham at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21 at A2 Gym & Cheer.

Upcoming Schedule

• Girls Basketball: The Titans suffered a 53-13 loss at the hands of Bedford last Friday and had their game against Keene postponed on Tuesday. North returns to action at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Goffstown before traveling to Exeter on Jan. 16.
• Alpine Skiing: The Titans return to action on Jan. 15 against Nashua South at Pat’s Peak, and then will compete in a meet on Jan. 18, also at Pat’s Peak.
• Swimming: The meet the Titans were schedule to participate in on Jan. 7 was rescheduled to Saturday at UNH.
• Unified Basketball: The Titans play back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday, going to Londonderry before hosting South, respectively.