2/16/05
Winged Beavers Chew Up Wild Boars
Avon, Conn. -- On Jan. 29, Avon Old Farms went down to Choate, and took a 2-0 lead into the third period only to give up three unanswered goals and lose, 3-2, one of only two losses the Winged Beavers have suffered this season.
Avon head coach John Gardner didn’t let his troops forget that fact today, and the Winged Beavers, playing hard from beginning to end, wound up avenging the earlier loss with an 8-0 pounding of the #8-ranked Wild Boars.
For Avon, John Mori (2g,1a), Ryan Mero (2g,1a), Chris Davis (1g,2a), Augie DiMarzo (1g,1a), and Trevor Bradley (1gt,1a) led the points parade and goaltender Jon Quick picked up the shutout.
Avon came out of the gate buzzing, and Choate helped them out in a big way, taking a handful of first period penalties, and watching as Avon’s potent power play cashed in on a couple of opportunities. Avon played with more discipline, staying out of the box until there were just 13 seconds left in the period. By then, it was 3-0 Avon, and the game was basically in the bag.
The Winged Beavers got on the board early -- at the 2:39 mark – when, on the powerplay, a Davis shot went wide of the net, but came off the backboards to Bradley, stationed at the far post. Bradley tucked the puck inside the post, on Choate goaltender Tristan Favro’s glove side, for the 1-0 lead.
With Choate’s Rence Coassin off for hooking, a Davis tip of a Brian Warner wrist shot from the left point put Avon up 2-0 at the 12:27 mark. Mori also picked up an assist on the play.
Avon got an even-strength goal with 39 seconds left in the period when Mero knocked home the rebound of a close-in shot by Bradley. Sean Backman also got an assist on the play.
In the second, Choate’s difficulties – aided in no small part by Avon’s speed and quickness – continued. At the 6:48 mark, after the Choate D failed to get the puck out of the zone, Avon’s Ken Trentowski fed DiMarzo, who snapped it past Favro, glove side, for a 4-0 lead.
Avon made it 5-0 when Mori stripped Choate’s Mike Migliaro in the neutral zone and broke in alone on Favro, finishing the play off with a strong backhander at the 8:04 mark.
At that point, Choate head coach Pat Dennehy called a time out. When play resumed, Choate picked it up, forechecking more successfully and getting a couple of scoring chances, though nothing Quick couldn’t handle.
Before long, though, Choate took another penalty, and Avon again came through on the power play, as Matt Smalley moved unmolested toward the net and was fed with a nice pass out from the corner by Davis. Mero picked up the second assist on the goal, which came at the 17:12 mark and made it a 6-0 game after two.
When Choate came out for the third, junior Andrew Miller took over from Favro in goal.
Miller had slightly better luck, keeping the Winged Beavers from adding to their lead for the first 12:38 of the period, until Avon defenseman Eric Quinlan headmanned it to Mori, who broke in all alone and buried it for a 7-0 lead.
With 3:39 left, after a Choate giveaway, Mero knocked home the rebound of a DiMarzo shot to make it 8-0.
This was an extremely decisive win by Avon, which dominated all aspects of the game, making Choate, a solid team, appear lost.
Afterward, Avon’s Gardner said that, “We got the jump on them, played hard, took advantage of turnovers, and put the puck in the net.”
“(Choate head coach) Pat Dennehy has done a great job with that team,” Gardner said. “I reminded our guys that they had beat us down there, so we prepared hard for them.”
Avon is now 19-2-0, #2 in this week’s USHR poll, and facing a visit Saturday from #1-ranked Salisbury in what is certainly the most-anticipated prep matchup of the regular season.
2/27/05
Playoff Matchups Announced
Div. I:
#8 Tabor vs #1 Nobles, 3:00 @ Nobles
#7 Cushing vs #2 Berkshire, 4:00 @ Berkshire
#6 Choate vs #3 Loomis, 4:00 @ Loomis
#5 Pomfret vs #4 Lawrence, 4:00 @ Lawrence
Div. II :
#8 Brewster vs #1 GDA
#7 Kingswood vs #2 Gunnery
#6 Middlesex vs #3 Kents Hill
#5 Greenwich vs #4 Brooks
We’ll add in the locations and times of the Div. II games as we learn of them.
Semi-Finals: Saturday, March 5, 2005
Dexter and Southfield Schools, Brookline, MA
Div. II:
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 10:00 am
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner, 12:00 pm
Div. I:
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 2:00 pm
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner, 4:00 pm
Finals: Sunday, March 6, 2005
Div. II Championship Game, 10:30 am
Div. I Championship Game, 12:30 pm
