Panthers hockey team off to undefeated start
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Marlborough - Off ensive stars get all the notoriety in high school hockey, but it's good defense and solid goaltending that separate the contenders from the pretenders. The Marlborough High hockey team serves as a case study.

The Panthers have jumped out to a 7-0 record so far this season with a high-octane offense that has seen at least a dozen diff erent players light the lamp, led by the likes of Jon Casey, Jimmy Delaney, R.J. Byrne, Jared Johnson, Cody Evangelous and Greg Silverman.

But it's been the play of defensemen Wes Russell, Kyle Lind and Al Butler, along with goaltender Tim Pacific, that Marlborough coach John Butler points to as the reason his team has yet to be beaten or tied.

"They put in a lot of ice time, they log a lot of hours, and they're going to do that all year," John Butler said. "It's our strength, and we're going to take full advantage of it."

The Panthers have shut out one opponent, Wachusett, and limited four others to just one goal and a fifth to just two goals.

"That defense is almost impenetrable," Wachusett coach Matt Lane said. "They have three defensemen that are top notch and probably the best in Central Mass. We just couldn't get it by them."

Wachusett's 4-0 loss to Marlborough came in the final of the Boroughs Cup tournament, after which Russell, Lind and Al Butler were all named to the All-Tournament team, Russell taking home the Most Valuable Player award as well.

"We outwork teams, keep the puck in their zone," Russell said. "We try to keep the pressure on all the time, start to finish. We know as the game goes along the role of the defensemen gets more and more and more important. Our goal is to be consistent for the whole game, but to elevate our level of play so it's better at the end than it was in the beginning."

Al Butler, the coach's youngest son and third to play for his father, who has been at Marlborough for 22 years, said the Panthers have just tried to continue a level of play on defense that began last season when they compiled a 17-5 record and advanced to the semifinal round of the Central Mass. Division 3 Tournament.

"Kyle has probably skated the most shifts of anyone here; he's been skating on varsity since he was in eighth grade," Al Butler said. "But Wes and I have been skating since freshman year. Together we all try to set a tone. I think the forwards see us working hard, battling for the puck in the corner, diving on the ice to stop shots, and it carries over. It makes them work harder to get the puck on net, to finish off plays around the goal."

While defense has carried the day for the Panthers, the team has shown a scoring touch, with eight goals against Marian, nine against Leominster and six against Algonquin.

Johnson had three goals in the victory over Leominster, while Russell and Matt Farnsworth netted two each. Against Algonquin, Delaney potted a pair of goals. Casey had two in the Panthers' win over Wachusett and Silverman had a pair of goals in the season-opening win over Westborough.