(Walpole, MA) -- A weekend to forget. That’s what folks around Iorio Arena are calling last’s weekend’s losses by both the Walpole Express Jr. A and B teams. The A team lost to the Hartford Wolf Pack 5-2 on Saturday, Nov. 1 and 1-0 on Sunday, Nov. 2. The B team split the weekend with a 6-3 win against the Northern Cyclones on Saturday and a 4-3 loss on Sunday, the team’s first of the season.

“I don’t think we delivered 60 solid minutes of hockey in either of our games, so the losses weren’t that surprising,” said A Team Head Coach Mark Kumpel. “We’ll chalk this up to a learning experience and we’ll be better prepared next time.”

Jr. A Wrap-Up
In the first period, Matt Nowicki scored on the power play from Lou Malvasi, and Steve Charest scored a shorthanded goal to give the Express a 2-1 lead. But, the team was unable to build on that momentum as the game progressed. In the second and third periods, Hartford benefited from repeated three-man-advantage situations, while their goaltender Randy Wolcott made an impressive 48 saves on 50 shots. Express netminder Rich Stine made 34 saves of his own.

Sunday’s game was dominated by goaltending. Again, it was Wolcott for the Wolf Pack making 40 saves to preserve the shutout. Express goalie Travis Owens played extremely well, holding the Wolf Pack to one goal while making 31 saves.

"I have to give credit to their goaltender,” Kumpel said. “He made a huge difference in both games while we just couldn't finish. Coming up next weekend we face a much-improved Laconia team so we need to get some work done this week in practice to assure a better outcome for our guys"

Jr. B Wrap-Up
Saturday’s 6-3 win against the Northern Cyclones was back and forth through the first two periods. The Cyclones jumped out to an early lead only a minute into the game, but the Express answered in the second with goals from Jason Methot and Shaun Gould. In the third period, after the Cyclones tied the score at two, the Express opened things up scoring four unanswered goals -- one by Jon Sheehan and three by Georgiy Gurianov. Zach Andrews made 17 saves on 20 shots.

Things didn’t go quite as well on Sunday. The Cyclones took advantage of an early power play opportunity and opened a 3-0 lead midway through the second period. That lead would prove to be too much for the Express to overcome despite a strong comeback on goals by Kevin Hanlon and Will Harrop. The Cyclones added a fourth goal with nine minutes to play. Shaun Gould made it 4-3 just over two minutes later but the Cyclones would hold on for the win.

"It was a good weekend of hockey for us. I thought that after returning from a weekend off, we did a good job on Saturday and took it to them offensively especially in the third period,” said B Team Head Coach Tony Dalessio. “On Sunday, though, they battled us hard and took advantage of any openings we gave them. Goalie Brant Lucier definitely made the difference for them. With these games behind us, we have to get back on the horse in Hartford this weekend."

Upcoming Games
The A team will travel to Laconia, NH to face the Laconia Leafs. The B will travel to Hartford for a two game match-up with the Wolf Pack on Saturday and Sunday.