NEWBURYPORT — Newburyport had a solid start to the MIAA State Tournament.

Sophomore Luke MacIsaac registered a hat trick as the 11th-seeded Clippers rolled past No. 22 Gloucester 6-0 in the opening round of the Div. 2 boys hockey tournament at Graf Rink.

Henry Waddell, Brandon Arel and Will Forrest added a goal each in the onslaught.

“Luke (MacIsaac) has been doing this for us all year. He’s only a sophomore and he’s only getting better,” said Newburyport coach Paul Yameen.

Added MacIsaac: “I think me and my line have been connecting and playing really well. We’re all young but we’re passing and moving the puck well and it feels good to move on.”

The scoring got kicked off when Waddell slammed in a rebound on the crease past Gloucester goalie Trey Marrone to give the Clippers a 1-0 advantage five minutes into the contest. Just 93 seconds later, MacIsaac caught a long and beautiful saucer pass from junior wing Jagger Gudaitis and backhanded it over the right shoulder of Marrone.

Six minutes into the middle period, it was MacIssac finding a loose puck in front of the Gloucester net and burying it to extend the lead to 3-0. After a long offensive zone possession, Arel found himself in the right spot to tip in an insurance goal in the middle of a scrum. To put the nail in the coffin, MacIsaac clinched the hat trick when he shot a rocket from the right hash mark to make it 5-0 right before the end of the second.

The third period saw running time. Both teams netted a goal in the frame with captain Will Forrest scoring for Newburyport and Cam Amero responding for Gloucester.

“Every time we play Gloucester, it’s always exciting and a great environment. Shoutout to them on a great season but it feels good to be moving on,” Yameen said.