2/25/06
Exeter Tops Andover
Andover, Mass. -- A goal by senior defenseman Kevin Crane midway through the second period led Exeter to a 3-0 victory over Andover in the traditional season finale between the two archrivals today.
Exeter added two empty netters in the final minute of play, by Chris Downer and Phil Negus, to seal the win.
Exeter's game-winnng goal came when Michael Doherty got the puck to linemate Nick Downer who, from behind the goal line, spotted Crane inching down from the right point. Downer put the puck on Crane's stick and the Princeton recruit ripped it over the left shoulder of Andover goaltender Matt Ward at the 10:54 mark of the second period.
If the game, played in front of a jam-packed and loud arena, was tense before the goal, it was even more so afterward, as both goaltenders were up to everything thrown their way, with Ward facing more -- and tougher shots -- though that's not to take anything away from Exeter's Jonathan Lee, who was flawless today, earning the shutout.
The big difference was Exeter's team play, which was excellent.
Andover made a statement right off the opening faceoff with some heavy hitting, but that would be the only aspect of the game in which they would hold an edge today, for the hitting didn't translate into much in the way of scoring opportunities. While Andover was able to use their speed to get the puck through the neutral zone and into the Exeter end, things fizzled when they got there as Exeter kept them to the perimeter and made it difficult for their hosts to string together passes or maintain any kind of sustained pressure.
Exeter, on the other hand, was able to take hits, make plays, hold the puck in the Andover end, and get it to the front of the net, particularly during their power play opportunities.
Exeter outshot Andover 38-24.
Despite that, it was still a very tense 1-0 game played with a lot of emotion. Both teams lost on Wednesday to teams they should have beaten, which took them out of playoff contention. If felt like both teams were playing for the season today, that this was their playoff game.
After the game, Exeter coach Dana Barbin said, "There was a burning desire to win this game and it starts with my three captains (Crane and the Downer twins). It was a great team performance. They played smart, strong hockey. I'm real proud. What a way to end the season. For Exeter -- and Andover -- nothing is sweeter than beating your rival."
For Andover, a senior-laden team, their five-game winning streak vs. Exeter came to an end.
"Losing the last game to Exeter," said Andover head coach Dean Boylan, "is very difficult. The locker room is very quiet now."
"Our kids played hard," Boylan added. "Exeter played hard -- and well. They earned it."
Other Games:
-- At Gill, Mass., Tabor Academy's Mike Jangro scored the game winner with 37 seconds left to give the Seawolves a 4-3 victory over NMH. The goal was Jangro's second of the day. Junior Robbie Kunka had 36 saves on 39 shots for Tabor, who finished their season with a 10-game winning streak.
-- At Middletown, RI, Middlesex topped host St. George's, 4-1, behind senior goaltender Joe Hanson, who kicked out 43 of 44 shots.
-- At Millbrook, NY, in an Empire Cup semifinal, host Millbrook blanked Portledge 9-0. Eric Satim (2g,3a), Nick Williams (2g,1a), Patrick Moore (1g,2a), and Scott Arnold (1g,2a) led the way offensively. Adam Zippin posted an 18-save shutout.
-- At Harvard's Bright Hockey Center, Thayer topped St. Sebastian's, 5-4. No further details available.
-- At Ashburnham, Mass., eight different players scored goals as Cushing Academy bopped Holderness, 8-2. Richard Bachman stopped 30 of 32 shots for the win.
-- At Portsmouth, RI, a Rob Turner overtime goal lifted Portsmouth Abbey to a 4-3 win over North Yarmouth Academy. The goal was Turner's second of the day.
-- At Milton, Mass., Nobles needed third period goals from Mark Fayne and Mike Murray (his second of the day) to erase a 4-2 deficit and gain a 4-4 tie with host Milton. Defenseman Mike Matczak had a pair of goals for Milton. Ian Stearns kicked out 39 of 43 shots in the Milton net.
-- At South Kent, Conn., Mike Vaskivuo scored an OT goal to lift South Kent to a 4-3 win over Winchendon. The goal was Vaskivuo's second of the game. South Kent outshot Winchendon, 49-44.
-- At New Milford, Conn., Salisbury beat Canterbury, 10-0. The big point producers were Will Ortiz (3g), Mark Arcobello (1g,2a), Kevin Quick (1g,2a), Ryan Grimshaw (3a), Ben Ketchum (1g,1a), John Cavanagh (1g,1a), Garett Ince (1g,1a), and Jeremiah Cunningham (2a). Salisbury outshot Canterbury, 42-33. Ross MacKinnon and Anthony Borelli split the shutout for Salisbury.
-- The Worcester Academy at Berwick game was cancelled because of snow.
-- At Kent, Conn., Choate got goals from three different scoers and Rob Wilechansky stopped 27 of 28 shots in a 3-1 win over host Kent.
-- At Saxton's River, Vt., Vermont Academy got a short-handed goal, an even-strength goal, and an empty-net goal in a 3-1 win over Brunswick.
-- At Concord, NH, junior goaltender Justin Gates came up big, kicking out 39 of 41 shots in Lawrence Academy's 4-2 win over St. Paul's. Steven Whitney (1g,1a), Jason Schneider (1g,1a), Brett Moore (2a), and John Simpson (2a) led the way offensively for Lawrence.
-- At Southborough, Mass., Ben Thurston (1g,2a) and Harrison Biggs (3a) figured in all three goals as St. Mark's blanked Groton 3-0.
-- At Belmont, Mass., junior defenseman Kevin McNamara scored a pair of third period goals to turn a 3-3 tie with BB&N into a 5-3 win. McNamara also had an assist in the game to give him three points on the day. Matt McCollem (1g,3a), Mark Dube (1g,1a), and Colin Moore (2a) were other big contributors to Belmont Hill's win. Jeff Fanning scored all three of BB&N's goals.
-- At Meriden, NH, Ben Severance kicked out 25 of 26 shots to lead Kimball Union to a 2-1 win over Tilton.
-- At Deerfield, Mass., Westminster edged Deerfield 3-1 behind goals from Jayson Saraceno, David Earl, and Ben Smith (empty-netter). Junior Bill Wiedersein stopped 22 of 23 shots to pick up the win in the Westminster net. Deerfield finished the season with nine losses in their final ten games.
-- At Millbrook, NY, in the Empire Cup championship game, host Millbrook topped Trinity-Pawling, 8-3. Mike Arnold (3g,1a), Eric Satim (1g,2a), and Ryan Smith (2g) led the way for Millbrook.
2/28/06 Update
The schedule for tomorrow has been updated below, along with the times and brackets for this weekend.
2/27/06
Calling All Blackberries, Treos, Razors – and Plain Old Cell Phones
For this year’s quarterfinals, we’re going to do what we did last season, and post updates at the end of every period of every game, both Div. I and Div. II, both boys and girls.
We’re looking for volunteers to phone in scores at the end of each period and, if possible, include goal scorers, shots on goal, etc. This worked really well last year and, in pretty close to real time, we were able to bring updates to people across the country and around the world.
If you’re willing to help out, please email cwarner@ushr.com and let us know which game you will be attending.
With your help, we can pull this project off again. It should be fun.
2/26/06 Updated
Wednesday's Quarterfinal Matchups
Div. I
#1 Berkshire vs. #8 Westminster -- 3:00 at Berkshire
#2 Pomfret vs. #7 Loomis -- 3:15 at Pomfret
#3 Nobles vs. #6 Andover -- 3:30 at Nobles
#4 Lawrence vs. #5 Choate -- 6:00 at Lawrence
Div. II
#1 Brewster vs. #8 Brooks -- 4:00 at Brewster
#2 Greenwich vs. #7 Kents Hill -- 3:30 at Dexter
#3 Rivers vs. #6 St. George's -- 4:00 at Rivers
#4 Hebron vs. #5 Kingswood -- 4:15 at Exeter
Sat. March 4 -- Semifinals
at Southfield School; Brookline, Mass.
Div. II
10:00 am -- 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
12:00 pm -- 3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner
Div. I
2:00 pm -- 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
4:00 pm -- 3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner
Sun. March 5 -- Finals
at Southfield School; Brookline, Mass.
10:30 am -- Div. II Championship Game
12:30 pm - Div. I Title Game
The Regular Season Winds Down
A week from now, the regular season will be over and we'll know the playoff pairings. Going into the final week, it looks like there are nine teams with a strong chance to make the playoffs in Div. I. They are, in alphabetical order, Andover, Berkshire, Choate, Hotchkiss, Lawrence, Loomis, Nobles, Pomfret, and Taft. Likely to fall a little short are Westminster and Cushing. In Div. II, the eight look to be Brewster, Brooks, GDA, Greenwich Academy, Groton, Gunnery, Hebron, and Kents Hill. Having good years in Div. II, but probably not good enough to make the postseason are Kingswood-Oxford, Middlesex, Proctor, and Rivers. The latter progam is in its second year.
The final week of the regular season looks like this:
Mon. Feb. 20, 2006:
N.E. Falcons @ Pomfret, 8:00
Tue. Feb. 21, 2006:
Kingswood-Oxford @ Taft, 4:30
Vermont Academy @ KUA, 4:30
Wed. Feb. 22, 2006:
Berkshire @ Taft, 2:30
Deerfield @ Williston-Northampton, 2:30
Brooks @ St. Mark's, 3:00
New Hampton @ KUA, 3:00
Middlesex @ BB&N, 3:15
Tabor @ Cushing, 3:15
Exeter @ Hebron, 3:30
Choate @ Hotchkiss, 3:30
Thayer @ Groton, 3:30
Millbrook @ Rye CD, 3:30
NMH @ Loomis-Chaffee, 4:00
St. Paul’s vs. St. George’s, 4:00 (at Groton School)
Berwick @ Pingree, 4:00
Greenwich @ Westminster, 4:30
Andover @ Holderness, 4:30
Milton @ Pomfret, 4:30
Kent's Hill @ Proctor, 4:30
Rivers @ Lawrence, 5:15
Canterbury @ Portsmouth Abbey, 5:00
Noble & Greenough @ Governor Dummer, 5:30
New England Coyotes @ Kent, 6:00
Thurs. Feb. 23, 2006:
Thayer @ St. Mark’s, 5:00
Fri. Feb. 24, 2006:
Southfield @ Rivers, 3:00
Thayer @ Tabor, 4:45
East Coast Wizards @ Pomfret, 7:00
Kingswood-Oxford @ Kents Hill, 8:00
Sat. Feb. 25, 2006:
Kingswood-Oxford @ Hebron, 1:00
Lebanon High School @ Proctor, 1:30
NMH @ Tabor, 1:30
Rivers @ Tilton, 2:00
Noble & Greenough @ Milton, 2:00
Exeter @ Andover, 2:00
Taft @ Hotchkiss, 2:30
Loomis-Chaffee @ Deerfield, 3:00
Portsmouth Abbey @ Greenwich Academy, 3:00
Groton @ St. Mark's, 3:45
KUA @ Williston, 3:45
Brooks @ Governor Dummer, 4:00
New Hampton @ Kent’s Hill, 4:00
St. Paul's @ Lawrence, 4:00
BB&N @ Thayer, 4:15
Conn. Northern Lights @ Canterbury, 4:45
Holderness @ Brewster, 5:00
Cushing @ Choate, 6:00
Westminster @ Kent, 6:30
This Week's Games
Mon. Feb. 13, 2006:
Kent @ Taft, 5:00
Brooks @ Noble & Greenough, 5:00
Wed. Feb. 15, 2006:
Thayer @ Kingswood-Oxford, 2:00
Taft @ Westminster, 2:30
Canterbury @ Millbrook, 2:30
Kent @ Hotchkiss, 2:30
Holderness @ Vermont Academy, 2:30
KUA @ Tilton, 2:30
NMH @ Williston, 2:30
Pomfret @ St. Mark's, 2:45
Cushing @ Deerfield, 2:45
Groton @ Brooks, 3:00
Exeter @ New Hampton, 3:00
Middlesex @ Lawrence, 3:30
Pingree @ Dana Hall, 3:45
St. Paul's @ BB&N, 4:00
Brunswick @ Winsor, 4:00
Kent’s Hill @ Brewster, 4:00
Choate @ Berkshire, 4:00
Andover @ Noble & Greenough, 4:30
Greenwich @ Gunnery, 4:30
Hebron @ Proctor, 4:30
St. George's @ Milton, 5:00
Loomis @ Springfield Pics, 5:00
Rivers @ GDA, 5:45
Thurs. Feb. 16, 2006:
Choate @ Kingswood-Oxford, 5:00
Fri. Feb. 17, 2006:
Holderness @ New Hampton, 2:00
Greenwich vs. Brewster, 4:15 (@ Rye CD)
Brooks @ Middlesex, 5:00
Milton @ Andover, 5:00
Tabor @ St. Mark's, 5:30
Berwick @ Newton CD, 5:00
Southfield @ Winsor, 5:15
Concord High School @ Proctor, 6:30
Sat. Feb. 18, 2006:
Hanover HS @ Holderness, 1:15
BB&N @ St. Mark's, 1:30
Brewster @ Gunnery, 1:30
Northfield Mt. Hermon @ Exeter, 1:30
Lawrence @ Governor Dummer, 2:00
Thayer @ Kent’s Hill, 2:00
Cushing @ Pomfret, 2:15
Kent @ Kingswood-Oxford, 2:30
Tilton @ Vermont Academy, 2:45
Hotchkiss @ Deerfield, 3:30
St. Paul's @ Noble & Greenough, 3:30
Choate @ Taft, 4:00
Williston @ Loomis, 4:00
Proctor @ Pingree, 4:30
Tabor @ New Hampton, 4:30
Mon. Feb. 20, 2006:
N.E. Falcons @ Pomfret, 8:00
Tue. Feb. 21, 2006:
Kingswood-Oxford @ Taft, 4:30
Vermont Academy @ KUA, 4:30
2/8/06
Chessare, Gallagher Lead St. Mark's
Milton, Mass. -- Freshman forward Caroline Chessare scored the game winner and junior goaltender Megan Gallager kicked out 20 shots to lead St. Mark's to a 3-1 win over Milton Academy here today.
On the winning goal, which came at the 9:10 mark of the third period, senior Rachel Lindmark drove to the net and Chessare knocked home the rebound, giving St. Mark's a 2-1 lead.
Freshman Casey Pickett added an empty-netter with 14 seconds left for the final 3-1 margin of victory.
Early on, it looked like St. Mark's might win this one handily, as they dominated the first period, but were unable to score on Milton junior goalie Amanda Rothschild, who kept the Mustangs in the game.
Between periods, Milton woke up and came out for the second with some jam, getting a couple of good scoring opportunities early.
However, it was St. Mark's who scored first, as Lindmark knocked home a pass from the corner that seemed to deflect off a skate or stick before eluding Rothschild at the 10:12 mark. Shannon Coffey and Merly Poulin were awarded assists on the goal.
At the buzzer, Poulin was given a major and a game DQ for a hit from behind, giving Milton a four-minute power play to start the third.
Milton was unable to generate much offense, as St. Mark's killed the penalty aggressively.
However, 34 seconds after killing off the penalty, St. Mark's was whistled for another penalty. And on this one, Milton cashed in, tying the game up at 1-1 when Meredith Frechette-Moulter knocked home the rebound Hillary McNamara shot at the 5:15 mark.
Less than four minutes later St. Mark's would strike for the winning goal.
Afterward, St. Mark's head coach Marissa Halligan said, "We played really well shorthanded and capitalized on our chances. Megan played really well between the pipes."
Down the hall, Milton head coach Wendy Holden said she felt her team recovered well from a poor first period.
"By the third period, it really looked like a game. I would have liked to have seen the whole game like that. It also would have been nice to take advantage of the (four minute) power play."
2/6/06
This Week's Games
Wed. Feb. 08, 2006:
Exeter @ Kimball Union, 1:30
Kent @ Canterbury, 2:00
Millbrook @ Gunnery, 2:30
Cushing @ Lawrence, 3:00
Williston @ Choate, 3:00
Dana Hall @ Thayer, 3:10
Proctor @ Berwick, 3:15
Berkshire @ Pomfret, 3:30
St. George's @ BB&N, 3:30
Noble & Greenough @ Groton, 3:30
Wyoming Seminary @ Hill, 4:00
Hotchkiss @ Loomis, 4:00
Winsor @ Pingree, 4:00
St. Paul’s @ Middlesex, 4:00
Brewster @ Rivers, 4:10
Deerfield @ Westminster, 4:30
Holderness @ Brooks, 4:30
Tabor @ Andover, 4:30
NMH @ Kingswood-Oxford, 4:30
St. Mark's @ Milton, 5:15
Taft @ Greenwich, 5:15
Kents Hill @ New Hampton, 6:00
Fri. Feb. 10, 2006:
Thayer @ St. Mark's, 3:30
Pingree @ Newton CD, 3:45
Nichols @ Cushing, 4:00
NYA @ Hebron, 4:45
Governor Dummer @ Exeter, 4:45
Rivers @ Winsor, 5:15
Andover @ Brewster, 5:30
BB&N @ Noble & Greenough, 6:00
Lawrenceville @ Greenwich, 6:30
Sat. Feb. 11, 2006:
Nichols @ Noble & Greenough, 12:00
Greenwich @ Northfield Mt. Hermon, 1:00
Proctor @ Holderness, 1:30
Berwick @ KUA, 1:30
Lawrence @ Thayer, 1:45
St. Mark's @ Rivers, 2:00
Tabor @ Pomfret, 2:15
Deerfield @ Berkshire, 2:15
Choate @ Loomis, 2:30
GDA @ St. Paul’s, 2:30
Kingswood-Oxford @ Gunnery, 2:30
Hotchkiss @ Taft, 2:30
Middlesex @ Milton, 2:30
Brooks @ St. George's, 2:45
Hebron @ Brewster, 3:30
Lawrenceville @ Canterbury, 4:00
New Hampton @ Vermont Academy, 4:00
Exeter @ Kent's Hill, 4:30
Shady Side Academy @ Princeton DS, 5:15
Millbrook @ Kent, 7:30
Sun. Feb. 12, 2006:
Hill @ Canterbury, 11:00 am
Mon. Feb. 13, 2006:
Kents Hill @ Hebron, 4:00
Kent @ Taft, 5:00
Brooks @ Noble & Greenough, 5:00
This Week's Games
Wed. Feb. 1, 2006:
Hotchkiss @ Berkshire, 2:00
Westminster @ Pomfret, 2:30
Proctor @ Vermont Academy, 2:30
Andover @ Exeter, 2:45
Taft @ Williston-Northampton, 3:00
Brewster @ Cushing, 3:00
Thayer @ Brooks, 3:00
Loomis @ Gunnery, 3:00
St. Paul’s @ St. Mark's, 3:15
Millbrook @ Kingswood-Oxford, 3:30
Noble & Greenough @ St. George's, 4:00
Berwick @ Tilton, 4:00
New Hampton @ Southfield, 4:00
Kents Hill vs. KUA (@ Exeter), 4:15
Springfield Pics @ Deerfield, 4:30
Portsmouth Abbey @ Pingree, 4:30
NMH @ Choate, 4:30
Greenwich @ Kent, 4:30
Lawrence @ Milton, 4:30
Wyoming Seminary @ Lawrenceville, 4:30
Governor Dummer @ BB&N, 4:45
Holderness @ Hebron, 4:45
Groton @ Middlesex, 5:30
Conn. Stars @ Canterbury, 6:00
Fri. Feb. 3, 2006:
Berkshire @ Cushing, 2:00
Dana Hall @ Berwick, 4:00
NAHA @ Exeter, 4:30
Hebron @ Middlesex, 4:30
BB&N @ Pingree, 5:00
Lawrence @ Tabor, 6:30
Dover U-16 @ Proctor, 6:30
Sat. Feb. 4, 2006:
Greenwich vs. Southfield, 10:30 am (@ Middlebury College)
Rivers @ Milton, 12:00
Brooks @ Noble & Greenough, 2:00
Kimball Union @ Proctor, 2:00
Thayer @ Exeter, 2:00
Vermont Academy @ NMH, 2:30
Lawrenceville @ Hill School, 4:00
Kents Hill @ Holderness, 4:00
Winsor @ Berwick, 5:30
New Hampton @ Tilton, 6:00
Springfield Pics @ Tabor, 6:00
NCCC @ Northwood, 7:00
