1/2/05 Updated
Falcons Top UCC, Win Tabor Tournament
Marion, Mass. -- The New England Junior Falcons, behind a pair of Tim Kunes goals, won the 2005 edition of the Joshua H. Weeks Tabor Invitational here today, holding off an opportunistic Upper Canada College squad by the score of 4-2.
The game began as many had hoped for, with fast, wide-open skating and plenty of hitting, as both teams fought early to establish territorial advantage. The two referees and one linesman let the boys play -- only one minor penalty was called in the first period -- and the game quickly became an old-fashioned street fight.
UCC broke through first and early as the Falcons over-stepped the forecheck, and got caught too deep into UCC territory. UCC forward James Giroday and line mates Sam Yorke and David Chubb moved the puck quickly up ice where Giroday made a nifty move in front of Falcons’ netminder Doug Raeder and roofed a wrist shot over the goalie’s shoulder.
Just six minutes later, with the hitting becoming heavier and more frequent, the Junior Falcons answered back as defenseman Kunes was the recipient of two quick passes from forwards Matt Draheim and Nick Snow and beat UCC goalie Zach Saunders. Kunes buried his shot from the slot and the score was tied at 1-1.
With less than two minutes remaining in the opening period, UCC's top line of Gilles Hickey, Colin Greening, and feisty Michael Belliveau put steady and yet unseen pressure on the Falcon's defensemen. Hickey began the play by outworking two Falcons defenders, getting the puck out of the corner, and feeding Greening who was stationed behind the net. Greening then one-timed a tape-to-tape pass to Belliveau who, positioned perfectly in front of the net, beat Raeder to recapture the lead. The first period ended with UCC leading 2-1.
As will happen in championship games played with spirit and grit, tempers began to surface as the second period got underway and both teams continued some fierce hitting. Playing 4-on-4, the Falcons evened the score when Kunes scored his second goal of the game, wristing an in-close shot over a sprawling Saunders. Saunders, it should be noted, had been standing on his head, making save after save, and keeping the score tight.
The Falcons scored the eventual game winner less than two minutes later as Nick Johnson was left alone in front of the UCC net, and Johnson pounded away at the puck, finally beating Saunders on his third rebound attempt.
The second period was a hard-hitting and penalty-filled affair that showed clearly that these two teams didn't like each other. The fans, however, loved what they were watching. The second period ended with the Falcons leading 3-2.
Upper Canada began the third period with a two-man advantage for almost a full two minutes, but the Falcons’ penalty killers, changed frequently by the Falcons’ coaches, kept UCC's powerplay completely off balance.
The only tally of the third period came five minutes in as Upper Canada, as they had shown all tournament, had difficulty getting the puck neatly out of their own zone. After losing the puck three times in their breakout on the same shift, the Falcons stole it again a fourth time, this time converting as Barry Almeida put the Falcons up 4-2, the final margin of victory.
Despite four power plays to end the game, including one with a two-man advantage for almost a fill minute, UCC was unable to rebound.
In the end, it was a combination of a fierce Falcon forecheck and a weak UCC breakout that cost UCC the chance to repeat as tournament champions.
7th Place Game:
St. Sebastian’s 4, Hill 1
SS: Coskren (2), Murphy, Fine.
H: Petrov.
Penalties: SS 4 minors, Hill 3 minors.
SOG: St. Sebastian's 46, Hill 18.
Goaltenders: Toomey (SS); Curl (H).
5th Place Game:
Holderness 5, GDA 2
Scoresheet unavailable
3rd Place Game:
Tabor 7, Milton 1
T: Cook (3); Potts (2), McGrath (2).
M: Hunnewell.
Penalties: Tabor 13, Milton 9
SOG: Tabor 34, Milton 26
Goaltenders: Ritter and Roy (T); Stearns (M)
Championship Game:
N.E. Jr. Falcons 4, Upper Canada College 2
NE: Kunes (2); Almeida (2)
Penalties: NE 11 minors/1 misc, UCC 8 minors
SOG: NE 36, UCC 16
Goaltenders: Raeder (NE); Saunders (UCC)
