(Walpole, MA) -- The Walpole Express Jr. A and B teams returned to practice on Friday following an extended holiday break to prepare for stiff competition against division rival Northern Cyclones in a two-game weekend series on the road in Hudson, N.H.

“It was a good weekend for both Express teams,” said Coach Tony Dalessio. “The games were exciting and well-played. The Cyclones have a lot of ways to beat their opponents, including on the A team two first-lines and one of the best goaltenders in the league. Our guys were up for the challenge and their play was encouraging, especially coming back from the break.”

Saturday, Jan. 3
The B team put on a stunning offensive display en route to an 11-2 win. The Cyclones actually lead just 1:12 into the game but it didn’t take long for the Express to respond with three before the period ended. Georgiy Gurianov tied the game just minutes later and Jide Idowu put the Express up for good with a shot from the point. Don Coyle added his first of two goals before the period was up.

The Express opened things up in the second scoring five times as Matt Bletzer, JP Kascsak, Gurianov, Will Harrop and Joobin Mozaffarimehr all lit the lamp. The team added three more in the third off the sticks of Jason Methot, JJ Carroll and Coyle. In addition, Jordan John and Jordan Fragoza each had two assists and Zach Andrews made 16 saves for the win in net.

Following the B game, the Express A team took the ice for a fierce battle against the Cyclones’ top team. The Express got off to a fast start scoring two goals in the first period from Matt Harrington and Cody Armstrong, with a shorthanded strike. Though the Cyclones cut that lead in half midway through the second period on the power play, Dan Rainer again opened the two-goal lead for Walpole with a power play tally of his own to finish the second up 3-1.

The Express held that lead for much of the third period until the Cyclones power play cut Walpole’s lead to 3-2. The Cyclones pulled their goalie to tie up the game with just14 seconds remaining in regulation to send the game into OT. Matt Harrington ended things quickly less than a minute into OT by catching a behind-the-net feed from Charles LaChance (two assists) and beating the Cyclones goalie far side for the win. Express netminder Rich Stine delivered a stellar performance, making 22 saves.

Sunday, Jan 4
The next day the teams met again, though the outcomes were different. Unfortunately for the Express B team, the Cyclones welcomed back their starting goalie, Brant Lucier. Though the Express peppered Lucier with 53 shots the team was able to sneak just three past him – good enough for a 3-2 OT win but nothing like the 11-2 victory of the previous day. Jordan John put the Express up 1-0 in the first. The Cyclones tied it up with a goal in the second and the teams went into the third locked at 1-1. JP Kascsak put Walpole up 2-1 midway through the period, but the Cyclones scored with just about four minutes to play in regulation. In OT, the Express took advantage of a power play when John Sheehan redirected a shot off a Cyclones defenseman for the win. Joe Gladnick made 22 saves in net for Walpole.

“The difference between the games was like day and night,” Dalessio said. “I think we caught the Cyclones on an off day Saturday and obviously took advantage of them while they played without their starting goalie. When he returned on Sunday, he kept the Cyclones in the game as we put a lot of shots on net. Overall, I liked how we played but we still need to improve in certain areas.”

The A game on Sunday was almost a mirror image of the game on Saturday. However, this time the Cyclones struck first. After one period they had a one-goal lead. The Express responded in the second as Dan Rainer scored his second goal of the weekend, and minutes later Matt Harrington scored on the power play giving Walpole the 2-1 advantage. In the third, the Cyclones again answered by tying the game at two. Heading into the final minutes, Ryan Kelly redirected an Adam Korol slapshot on the power play to give Walpole the lead. With less than a minute to play and the goalie pulled the Cyclones found the back of the net to send things to OT. After five minutes of OT without a goal, the teams went through eight shooters. Eventually, the Cyclone’s Kevin Venous slipped one past Express goalie Travis Owens (40 saves) to give them the shootout win.

Upcoming Games
The Express A team will play two non-league games this weekend at Castleton State in Vermont against Quebec’s St. Lawrence Lions. The B team has the upcoming weekend off to prepare for a road trip the following weekend to Hackensack, N.J. for games against the North Jersey Avalanche and Washington Little Capitals.