3/3/04
Wednesday's Prep Quarterfinals:
Div. I
#2E Andover 4, #3E Thayer 1
#3W Taft 3, #2W Salisbury 2
#1W Avon 5, #4W Pomfret 4 (2 OT)
#4E Tabor 8, #1E Cushing 7
Div. II
#4 South Kent 6, #5 Brewster 2
#1 Proctor 6, #8 Kent's Hill 2
#3 St. George's 6, #6 Brooks 1
#2 Pingree 5, #7 Brunswick 3
Here are the matchups for the semis on Saturday March 6 at the Icenter in Salem, NH. The finals will take place on Sun. March 7, also at Salem. Here are the schedules for those days.
Sat. March 6 (Icenter; Salem, NH)
11:00 am -- DII Semi: Proctor vs. South Kent
1:15 pm -- DII Semi: Pingree vs. St. George’s
3:30 pm -- DI Semi: Tabor vs. Taft
6:00 pm -- DI Semi: Avon vs. Andover
Sun. March 7 (Icenter; Salem, NH)
10:30 am -- East-West Senior Game (rosters to be announced later in the week)
12:30 pm -- DII Final
3:00 pm -- DI Final
Driving Directions to the Icenter: From Boston, Take Route 93 North. Right after crossing the Mass/New Hampshire border, take Exit 1 (Rockingham Park Boulevard). After exiting, you will see a sign for Mall Road, which will take you up on an overpass. When you come to a traffic light, take a right. This is Mall Road (you will see the race track on your right). Very shortly thereafter, it comes to a T, take a left there (Rt. 38 South), go straight through two sets of lights, and you'll see the Icenter about a half-mile down on your right.
3/3/04
New England Prep Quarterfinals:
Schneider, Foley Lead Andover Past Thayer
Andover, Mass. --Goaltender Cory Schneider kicked out 29 shots and senior center Mike Foley notched a hat trick as host Andover defeated Thayer Academy, 4-1, here today.
The game was essentially a 2-1 game as Andover’s final two goals were both empty netters.
The story of the game, as has been the case so often with Andover this season, was Schneider. Once again, his team was outshot, this time 30-20, and once again they emerged victorious.
Now, they’re going up Route 93 to Salem, NH to face Avon Old Farms Saturday in the prep semis.
For the first half of today’s first period, little offense was being generated by either team, but, at about the ten minute mark, Thayer started swarming the Andover end, outworking, outhitting, and outskating their opponent, and forechecking hard.
Thayer freshman wing Max Gratchev had a couple of good shots, but couldn’t solve Schneider.
Early in the second period, Schneider made a nice save on a shot in tight by Thayer’s Greg Collins. At the other end, Andover was still having a hard time generating any offense as Thayer was putting the body on them every time they touched the puck.
At the game’s midpoint, it appeared that Thayer was going to be the team to break through and get the day's first goal.
But they didn’t. Instead, Andover junior RW Steve Rolocek carried the puck with speed into the Thayer end, cut around a defender, and slid a nice pass to Foley who buried it to put Andover up 1-0 with 3:22 remaining in the period.
Andover, after Schneider made a big pad save with seconds left in the period,took a 1-0 lead into the second intermission.
In the third period, Thayer again came out hard and tied the game up at the 1:43 mark when defenseman Ryan Joyce fired one from the point. It didn’t appear that Schneider saw it, as several Thayer players camped on the edge of the crease were screening him.
Losing the lead appeared to be a wake-up call for Andover, as they lifted their game a notch, playing their best hockey in the third period. Less than four minutes after Thayer tied it up, Foley scored a bad angle goal from below the left faceoff dot at the 5:06 mark. Artie Mittnacht and Hunter Thunell picked up assists.
Thayer fought back, taking it to the net hard, eschewing finesse in favor of generating traffic in front and hoping for some second-chance shots. The problem was, Schneider wasn't allowing much in the way of rebounds.
Thayer kept trying to get that tying goal, but couldn’t. Finally, Tigers coach Larry Rooney pulled goaltender Dan Beauregard in favor of the extra attacker, but with 44 seconds left Foley scored to complete his hat trick and then Rolocek added one with 17 seconds left.
Schneider stoned Thayer’s Matt Harrington on a breakaway with three seconds left.
After the game, Andover coach Dean Boylan said "Cory played well -- he's some kind of goaltender -- but the kids did a good job getting the puck out of the zone. We tried to cut down on quality shots."
"Thayer," he added, "played very, very well, In the first period, they were coming at us in waves."
Andover will meet Avon, a 5-4 double OT winner over Pomfret today, in a 6:00 pm Saturday semifinal.
Other Games.
-- In the day’s big upset, Tabor, the #4 seed in the east, went up to Cushing, the #1 seed, and went home with an 8-7 win and their ticket punched to Salem, NH, where they will play Taft, a 3-2 winner over Salisbury this afternoon, at 3:30 on Saturday.
The offensive hero for Tabor was Peter Lenes, who had five points (3g,2a) and his linemates Chris Potts (2g,2a) and Matt Cook (3a). The Brian Kolb-Dan Maturi-Steve Silva line was also very good.
Junior goaltender Stephen Ritter allowed seven goals, but he also faced a lot of shots and was excellent in the third period.
Defensively, Cushing struggled. A neutral observer commented that the Penguins looked out of sync and flustered by Tabor, who played better as a team. In addition, at least two goals came off Cushing turnovers. Tabor also had success going high on Cushing goaltender Keith Longo.
While Tabor went into the game as a pronounced underdog, they have actually been playing very well the past six weeks, going 10-1 since losing at KUA on Jan. 17. The one loss since then was to Cushing, 4-2, a couple of weeks ago. In February, Tabor also had a week in which they posted consecutive wins against Holderness, Thayer, and Andover. Today's win was an upset, for sure, but Tabor is no pushover that happened to get lucky.
Tabor had good fan support at the game, as two buses went up from the shores of Buzzards Bay. It was a doubleheader day as the Tabor girls hockey team was also playing Cushing, though the Penguins came out on top in that one.
-- Avon Old Farms, the #1 West seed, got a scare from #4 seed Pomfret, though the Winged Beavers eventually prevailed 5-4 in double overtime.
Pomfret actually had a 4-3 lead going into the third period, but tied it up on a John Mori wraparound at the 3:28 mark. The game held there through the remainder of the third, through an 18-minute OT, and on into the second OT – a stretch of 36 minutes – before Avon got the game winner when Sean Backman broke down the left side, drew the D toward him, and sent a tape-to-tape pass to Mori about 10 feet from the crease. On a bang-bang play, Mori knocked it home 5-hole on Pomfret goalie Trevor Pieri, who had 41 saves for the day.
Avon will meet Andover in the 6:00 pm game on Saturday.
-- For the story of the Salisbury-Taft quarterfinal, see below.
-- C.W.
3/4/04
Third Period Comeback Propels Taft
Salisbury, Conn. --The Taft hockey team is not happy that they are losing their coach, Mike Maher, so Wednesday afternoon they made sure he’d stay for at least one more game by upsetting Salisbury, 3-2, in the quarterfinal round of the New England Prep School Tournament.
Maher, of course, is leaving Taft at the end of the school year to become headmaster at the Berkshire School.
Senior Forward Matt Smith uncorked a blinding wrist shot with just over two minutes left in the game to score the winning goal.Smith came in on the left side, hesitated at the top of the circle, and put the puck over Salisbury goalie Jeff Mack's left shoulder.
Mack apparently never saw the shot, which was too bad, because the Salisbury goalie was the star of the game, keeping his team in front of Taft for all but the last twelve minutes of the game when Taft reached back and tied the game 5:32 into the third period, then scored the game winner with 2:11 remaining.
"I told the guys just before the start of the third period that practice Thursday would be at 3 p.m.," Maher said after the game, bolstering his team's confidence that they could come up with a comeback win."It was just a gritty performance.They believed they could come back after the second period.They also gave me the opportunity to coach another game."
It was a fast-paced game. Salisbury got on the scoreboard first just over a minute into the game when freshman Chris Atkinson fed his brother Mike Atkinson a nifty pass from behind the goal. Mike took the pass just outside the crease and poked the puck pass Taft goalie Alex Kremer.
That 1-0 lead held up for the rest of the first period as Salisbury goalie Mack turned back shot after shot by Taft -- several of them from point blank range in front of the net. Taft outshot Salisbury 17-6 in the opening period.
In the second period, Salisbury began to take control of the game. Their cause was helped when they scored a fluke goal against Kremer, who tried to scoop the puck up at the side of his net with his catching glove. Instead he flipped the puck behind him into the open crease,and was not seemingly aware of where the puck was.Junior Andy Estes jumped on the puck in the empty crease and pushed it into the goal at 8:41 of the period, to give Salisbury a 2-0 lead.
Salisbury dominated the second period (they were to outshoot Taft 16-8), but Taft was finally able to get on the scoreboard with 4:29 left in the period when Taft had a power play after Jeremiah Cunningham was sent off for delay of game for dislodging the net. Senior Todd Johnson, who was camped in front of the goal, deflected a pass between Mack's legs.
With a 2-1 lead, Salisbury came out in the third period more cautiously, and for the first half of the period Taft seemed to follow suit.The game ranged up and down the ice, but neither team was unable to mount any serious scoring efforts, until Taft sophomore Luke Popko took the puck in towards the Salisbury goal from the right side. Popko bored in on Mack and was able to put the puck through the five hole.
That set the stage forSmith's last minute winning goal.
But the game wasn't totally over. It appeared that Salisbury forward Jerry Pollastrone tied up the game with seconds left in regulation but the referee waved it off, claiming he'd lost sight of the puck.
For the game, Taft out shot Salisbury 31-28.
The Salisbury arena here was packed with fans from both Salisbury and Taft;the mood of the crowd swayed back and forth with the tempo of the game. In the end, it was the Taft fans who got to make a long, happy ride home.
-- T.M.
3/7/04
Nobles Wins Second Div. I Title in Three Years
Brookline, Mass. -- For the second time in three years, Nobles won the Div. I title here this afternoon, topping Cushing 4-2. A Sarah Parsons goal with 4:17 remaining in the first period broke a 1-1 tie. Goals by Helen Resor and Leanna Coskren stretched it to 4-1 before Cushing's Erika Lawler scored with 28 seconds remaining.
Earlier, Julie Flynn scored to put Nobles up 1-0. Lindsay Wilde answered for Cushing, tying the game at one.
Parsons (1g,2a) would figure in three of Nobles' four goals. Helen Resor and Julie Flynn each had two point afternoons.
3/7/04
Osgood Goal Lifts Brooks to Div. II Title
In Div. II, Brooks topped Greenwich Academy, 3-2, fighting pack from a 2-1 deficit midway through the second period.
Brooks led 1-0 after a first period goal by Celia Medeiros, but Greenwich's Steph Holmes scored a pair of goals three minutes apart in the second period to put Greenwich up 2-1 going into the second intermission.
Brooks came up with all the scoring in the thrid, as Annie Michalek tied the game at 22-2 with 2:25 on the clock, then Liz Osgood got the game-winner with 1:18 left.
Katie Nickerson had a pair of assists for Brooks.
3/6/04
Saturday’s Semifinals
Brookline, Mass. -- In Div. II, Greenwich Academy got goals from three different scorers in a 3-0 blanking of Brewster…. Cherie Hendrickson notched all three Brooks goals in a 3-2 win over the Gunnery. Amand Comeau scored both Gunnery goals…. In Div. I play, Nobles topped Berkshire, 4-3. For Nobles, Pam McDevitt scored two goals, Helen Resor had a goal and an assist, Sarah Parsons had two assists, and Helen Resor had a goal and an assist. For Berkshire, Becky Zavisza had a goal and an assist, Katie Morrison had two assists, and Kacey Bellamy and Nicki Wiart each had a goal…. Cushing got goals from Meghan Duggan and Hayley Moore in a 2-0 win over Pomfret.
Sunday’s Schedule – games at the Dexter and Southfield Schools
10:30 am -- DII Championship Game: Brooks vs. Greenwich
12:30 pm – DI Championship Game:Nobles vs. Cushing
Directions to Dexter and Soutfield Schools: www.dexter.org/map.html
3/3/04
Wednesday's Quarterfinals
Div. I
#1 Nobles 6, #8 Taft 0
#2 Pomfret 5, #7 Hotchkiss 0
#3 Cushing 2, #6 Tabor 1
#4 Berkshire 4, #5 Choate 1
Div. II
#1 Brewster 3, #8 Hebron 0
#2 Brooks 4, #7 Kingswood-Oxford 0
#6 Gunnery 5, #3 Holderness 4 (3 OT)
#5 Greenwich Academy 7, #4 Gov. Dummer 5
On Sat. March 6, Wednesday’s winners will convene for the semis at the Dexter and Southfield School rinks (they’re about 20 feet apart) in Brookline, Mass. The finals will be Sun. March 7 at the same site. Here are the schedules for those days.
Sat. March 6 (at the Dexter and Southfield Schools)
10:00 am – DII semi: Brewster vs.Greenwich Academy
12:00 pm -- DII semi: Gunnery vs. Brooks
2:00 pm -- DI semi: Nobles vs. Berkshire
4:00 pm – DI semi: Cushing vs. Pomfret
Sun. March 7 (at the Dexter and Southfield Schools)
10:30 am -- DII Championship Game
12:30 pm – DI Championship Game
Directions to Dexter and Soutfield Schools: www.dexter.org/map.html
3/1/04
Prep Playoff Matchups
Here are the seeds for the New England Girls Prep Tournament, which gets underway with quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Div. I
1. Nobles
2. Pomfret
3. Cushing
4. Berkshire
5. Choate
6. Tabor
7. Hotchkiss
8. Taft
Div. II
1. Brewster
2. Brooks
3. Holderness
4. Governor Dummer
5. Greenwich
6. Gunnery
7. Kingswood-Oxford
8. Hebron
Schedule for Wed. March 3 Quarterfinals:
Div. I
#1 Nobles vs. #8 Taft, 2:30 pm @ Pomfret
#2 Pomfret vs. #7 Hotchkiss, 2:30 pm @ Loomis
#3 Cushing vs. #6 Tabor, 3:00 pm @ Cushing
#4 Berkshire vs. #5 Choate, 4:00 pm @ Berkshire
Div. II
#1 Brewster vs. #8 Hebron, 3:30 pm @ Brewster
#2 Brooks vs. #7 Kingswood, 4:00 pm @ Brooks
#3 Holderness vs. #6 Gunnery, 3:30 pm @ Groton
#4 Gov. Dummer vs. #5 Greenwich, 4:30 pm @ Loomis
On Sat. March 6, Wednesday’s winners will convene for the semis at the Dexter and Southfield School rinks (they’re about 20 feet apart) in Brookline, Mass. The finals will be Sun. March 7 at the same site. Here are the schedules for those days.
Sat. March 6 (at the Dexter and Southfield Schools)
10:00 am – DII semi: Brewster/Hebron winner vs. GDA/Greenwich winner
12:00 pm -- DII semi: Holderness/Gunnery winner vs. Brooks/Kingswood winner
2:00 pm -- DI semi: Nobles/Taft winner vs. Berkshire/Choate winner
4:00 pm – DI semi: Cushing/Tabor winner vs. Pomfret/Hotchkiss winner
Sun. March 7 (at the Dexter and Southfield Schools)
10:30 am -- DII Championship Game
12:30 pm – DI Championship Game
