Thursday, March 15, 2007 Older Editions

Between the pipes: Abreu saved season with 7 shutouts

By Rick Harrison

He is the last line of defense -- and so far Andover High senior goaltender Dan Abreu has been unflappable and nearly flawless between the pipes.

And he just has to do it one more time -- this Sunday afternoon at TD Banknorth Garden in the Golden Warriors' first-ever state final against Hanover.

Abreu's stats this winter have been unprecedented as he methodically went about erasing the first word from the label "unsung hero."

Hero for sure. Unsung no more.

The seven shutouts -- including three in a row from Feb. 3-10 -- are believed to be team records. Abreu posted four straight shutouts at one stretch, which is also believed to be an individual AHS mark.

Since transferring back to AHS from Malden Catholic last year, Abreu has recorded 11 solo and one shared shutout.

Through the first 25 games in this championship campaign, the locals (19-5-1) have allowed only 35 goals for a stingy 1.40 goals-against average.

AHS has yielded only 14 goals in its last 16 games (0.88 ave.).

Abreu, looking to PG at prep school next year with an eye on Winchendon School and Proctor Academy, is no fluke or flash in the pan.

"Goalies are a different breed to begin with," said AHS head coach Mario Martiniello, who was thrilled to see Abreu return to Andover from Division 1 Catholic Conference school Malden Catholic two years ago."Danny's very athletic and he's always had the ability.

"Sometimes when you switch schools things don't work out quite the way you thought they would," offered Martiniello, without elaborating further on Abreu's brief stint at MC.

"I've know Danny since he was 12 and he's worked very hard to get to this point. For the last two years, every Tuesday and Thursday during the off-season and throughout the summer, he's gone to goalie camps and worked with one of the top goalie coaches in the country."

The man behind this goalie is Brian Daccord, who co-founded the Tewksbury-based Superskills Hockey with Martiniello.

Daccord, who played and later coached at Merrimack College before spending eight years playing in Europe (Switzerland), has also coached several Hockey East netminders (including UNH and BC) and for two years served as a goalie consultant for the Boston Bruins.

"Brian is able to hone in on the little things goaltenders do that make a big difference," explained Martiniello. "He teaches the nuances of the position -- and there is a lot of off-ice training as well to work on quickness, reflexes and overall cinditioning.

"Our kids have a lot of confidence in Danny and they let him know that. A certain amount of any goalie's success is mental -- and on the rare occasion he does allow a 'soft' goal he knows his teammates won't get down on him.

"They know he'll turn around two minutes later and make a stop that will save their bacon."

Come Sunday afternoon Dan Abreu, whose AHS hockey legacy has already been established, will get the chance to frustrate one more opponent in the biggest game of all played on the biggest stage of all.