Sun. 3/7/10
* Championship Sunday *
Avon Tops NMH, 4-1; Wins Eighth Title
Salem, NH -- The all-senior line of Quinn Smith, Michael Pereira, and KJ Tiefenwerth figured in all four goals and senior goaltender Josh Dionne kicked out 36 shots to lead Avon Old Farms to a 4-1 win over Northfield-Mt. Hermon in the 2010 New England Prep Championship Game here today.
The win gave Avon Old Farms and their head coach, John Gardner, a record eighth title. No other school has more than two titles.
This was a compelling matchup, as the two teams -- Avon was seeded seventh, and NMH eighth -- were, to put it euphemistically, not exactly looking like championship teams in the early weeks of the season. They certainly were at the end, though.
The key to the game came early in the second period when the Winged Beavers, down 1-0, drove home a pair of power play goals a mere 37 seconds apart, the first from Smith, a Boston College recruit, and the second from Pereira, who'll be heading to UMass in the fall.
Just 54 seconds into the third period, Smith notched a short-handed goal, and the writing was on the wall. Tiefenwerth finished things off with an insurance goal late in the third.
Both goaltenders, NMH senior Branden Komm and Avon's Dionne, were excellent in this game -- and they had to be, as both teams have highly-skilled forwards who can score in bunches.
Another key to the game was Avon's success in shutting down NMH's vaunted five-forward power play units.
Avon likes to come out and blitz teams early, using the intimidating factor of speed, puck movement, and an enormous -- and loud -- student fan section to put opponents back on their heels, and often in a deep hole, before they know what hit them.
Today, however, Avon, while holding the edge in play over the course of the first period, came out cautiously, closely watching NMH's dangerous forwards while waiting for chance to pounce. They got their best opportunity when, with 2:40 remaining in the period, Smith snapped a shot from the right side, but it glanced off the post to Komm's left.
The Winged Beavers got another chance when NMH's Brian Plungis was called for a slash with 1:58 left in the period. But Avon's power play never had a chance to set up. Instead, NMH won the faceoff in their end and senior Nick Gordon brought the puck up through center ice on a 2-on-1. It looked like Avon's point men were perhaps looking for the Hoggers to dump it in and, as they gave them more room than they should have, Gordon just kept coming. Meanwhile, Garrett McMullen swung in behind him, enabling Gordon to leave a nice drop pass and then cut to the far post where McMullen hit him with a perfect pass. 1-0, Hoggers and the 'Avon Army' was silenced, at least temporarily.
To add to Avon's trouble, defensemen Pat McGregor was called for a trip when his team was on the power play late in the period. Twelve seconds later, Avon d-man Colin Sullivan was called for boarding, enabling NMH to send out their power play unit for a power play that bridged the first and second, and included a stretch of 5-on-3 play for the Hoggers. Avon weathered the storm.
Avon got their chance to go on the power play at 3:50 of the second, when the Hoggers' Wes Beck was called for a cross-check. And they wasted no time, as Quinn Smith knocked home the rebound of a Kyle Quick point shot at 3:59, just nine seconds into the power play. They set up, fired, and pounced on the rebound. It was suddenly a 1-1 game. Then, 26 seconds later, NMH's Austin Cangelosi was called for holding. Again, Avon struck quickly, this time 20 seconds into the power play, Mike Pereira burying one five-hole at 4:36. Tiefenwerth got an assist on the goal.With the 2-1 lead and the Avon supporters creating a din, the Winged Beavers kept the pressure on, forcing Komm to continuously come up with big saves to keep his team in the game.
Dionne, who will be attending Duke on a lacrosse scholarship, came up with some big saves, too, including a couple during an NMH power play in the middle of the period, when Josh Woody was alone in the slot with the puck on his stick.
With two seconds left in the second period, Avon's Mark Naclerio was called for a penalty, giving NMH 1:58 of power play time to start the third. However, 54 seconds into the third Avon struck for their own shorty. The play started when Pereira, realizing that NMH had two forwards back on D, beat Austin Cangelosi wide and fed a beautiful backhanded pass to Smith in the slot. Smith beat Komm upstairs for the 3-1 Avon lead.
From that point forward, Avon did a textbook job of keeping NMH's opportunities to the perimeter.
With 7:52 left, Avon had a goal waived off when it was ruled the net was off the mooring.
Avon put a capper on the win with a great passing sequence between Teifenwerth, Smith, Pereira, and defenseman Pat MacGregor. Tiefenwerth finished it off at the 13:50 mark.
And that was it. Avon held the fort, and earned their eighth title. The day ended with Avon's fans swarming the ice in glee.
Afterward, Avon head coach John Gardner, title #8 in his back pocket, was in a good mood as well. "How proud am I of these kids?" he asked. "We came back from the dead this year. We were buried and dead the first week after the Christmas Classic. We tied Taft in a game we should have won. Then we lost to Hotchkiss in overtime after blowing another two-goal lead. That Monday, we had a fatherly -- or grandfatherly -- talk and discussed how we would come back and just take the rest of the season game by game. Two days later, we beat Kent. How we came from where we were to here is incredible to me. I attribute it totally to great senior leadership -- guys like KJ (Tiefenwerth) and Quinnie (Smith) and Josh Dionne completely turned the season around. Dionne was immense today."
"I have the benefit of the most experienced coaching staff in prep hockey in Brian Doyle and Billy Maniscalco and John Dunham. They kept me focused. I almost broke up our second line three weeks ago, but Billy said, 'Don't break 'em up. They'll score.' And they did. Against Gunnery and Nobles they were our best line. Today, though, our seniors were just great."
"I have great respect for the job the NMH coaches did with their team. I thought in the middle of the first period, Komm came up very big for them. He held the fort. They had that 5-on-3 and we just weathered the storm. They didn't get here by smoke and mirrors. They are a very good team."
Gardner was asked about the eighth title and what it meant to him personally. "My job is just to help the team. Maybe they believe me. I try to be an honest person. I obviously still have the passion, and I try to enjoy the journey. Eight titles is great and it feeds my ego, but every year is different -- and interesting."
NMH coach Tom Pratt was happy with his team's effort and season. "Everyone worries about the Avon storm and we more than held our own in the first period. Komm gave us the confidence to get going. I didn't feel we were intimidated or in awe. We came to play. We took some penalties and Avon has some guys who know how to score. We are a little thin defensively. McMullen was dinged up a bit in the third. We had a lot of back-to-back shifts. Our bench got thin there."
Pratt was asked what he said to his players after the game. "I said, 'If a prep poll was taken back in November, do you know how many votes you guys would have had? Zero!' This season was really a confluence of events that started in Lawrenceville (i.e., the two games played without a goaltender). That was a catalyst. We were galvanized by that and we found an identity at the Cushing tournament when we beat Pomfret, Lawrence, and Cushing in succession. We found a formula that clicked for us there. As a group, this team was very resilient. The road wins at places like Taft and Choate were big. We beat good teams. And then sneaking in as the #8 and beating Kent on the road... this group was so excited. There was no hesitancy whatsoever. And Komm just got on a huge roll this past month. You need good goaltending in February and March and he just exuded confidence. He was out at the top of the crease, absorbing shots, and he's so positionally sound. He was key to the formula, just a big part of the equation."
-- Criscuolo's Five Points Lead Choate Past Berkshire
Junior Kyle Criscuolo (3g,2a) had a five-point afternoon to lead Choate to an 8-4 win over Berkshire in the large school championship. Dan Linell (1g,2a), Dan Schuler (1g,2a), and Alex Hagen (2g) also had big games for the Wild Boars.
The game was a tight 3-2 game after two periods, but Criscuolo went on a tear in the third, figuring in four of Choate's five goals to turn the game into a rout.
When the game got to 6-3 at the 10:02 mark, Berkshire head coach pulled his goalie, Mitch Gillam, for the extra attacker. Then, with 6:51 left, Choate took a penalty, giving Berkshire a 6-on-4. Choate took a second penalty, now giving Berkshire a 6-on-3. And Berkshire cashed in as Keith Veronesi buried one from the slot at the 12:07 mark.
Berkshire would get no closer. Linell buried an empty netter with 3:31 left to make it 7-4, and, with the goalie back in and Choate now on the power play after Mike Sinsigalli was called for a cross check with 2:34 left, Schuler made it 8-4 with 1:22 left, an assist going to - who else? -- Criscuolo.
Early on this was a close game.
Choate broke out on top on a Kyle Criscuolo rebound goal at the 12:00 mark, with an assist going to Ben Foster. The Wild Boars extended their lead to 2-0 when Alex Hagen scored from a scrum, Danny Linell assisting, at 12:56.
Berkshire cut the lead to 2-1 when Kyle Lockwood, manning on the point on the power play, blasted one top shelf at 16:33. Assists went to Jake Goldberg and Trevor Mingoia.
In the second, Choate extended their lead to 3-1 when Hagen scored off the rush, assists going to Linell and Foster at 7:37.
Berkshire again cut the Choate lead to one goal when Mike Sinsigalli put home the rebound of a Corey Wiznowski shot from the top of the right faceoff circle at 10:25.
-- LaFosse Goal Gives KUA Small School Title in 2nd OT
An unassisted power play goal by junior Peter LaFosse 58 seconds into the second overtime period lifted Kimball Union to a 3-2 win over Dexter and gave the Wildcats the 2010 small school championship.
On the game-winning goal, the puck emerged from a scrum out to the left faceoff circle where LaFosse slapped it back on net. The puck hit the blade of Dexter defenseman Jared Wiedemann's stick and up under the crossbar. Dexter junior goaltender Kevin Green, who was terrific today, had no chance.
This was a good, entertaining game between two very good teams. To those skeptical of Dexter due to their regular season schedule, they showed they can go toe-to-toe with strong programs. Dexter, brought along nicely by Dan Donato and his staff, is a young team with skill, and will go into next season as a force to be reckoned with. As for Kimball Union, coach Ryan Miller and his staff have done a terrific job bringing the program back to prominence. The players on both teams came to play today. No one appeared to be acting like this was some kind of consolation game.
KUA got on the board first, going up 1-0 on the power play when defenseman Dan Cornell's shot from the point made its way through traffic, beating Sean Green at 7:38 of the first. Dexter got it back when Patrick Curtis's shot from outside the faceoff circle beat KUA goaltender Martin Oullette with 10 seconds left in the period.
The second period was scoreless.
In the third, KUA went up 2-1 when Ali Hakim, just before cutting to the bench on a line change, moved the puck to sophomore Dennis Kravchenko, who carried it into the zone 1-on-1 and took a high shot from 15 feet out out that broke off the glove of Green, falling behind him into the net at the 6:10 mark.
Dexter tied it up a little over a minute later, at 7:24, when Mike Sullivan, at the left point, fired one that would have gone wide, but deflected off a KUA player and into the net. Cam Darcy and John Magliozzi picked up assists on the play.
As the first OT period began, Dexter was down a player, as Patrick Curtis appeared to have separated his shoulder while checking KUA's Ryan Cole late in the third. The OT started out a little tentatively but picked up steam as it went along. Both teams had good scoring opportunities but Kimball Union had the edge in play in that they had more stretches of sustained pressure than Dexter. However, Dexter blocked a lot of shots, but when they got through, Dexter goaltender Kevin Green, who is playing with a lot of confidence, came up with some key saves, particularly in the latter stages. With 34 seconds left in the extra frame, Kravchenko broke in alone, was slashed by Joseph DiPietro, but got a shot off that Green came up big on. The penalty was called, giving KUA 1:26 of power play to start the second overtime period.
They would only need 58 seconds of it.
Sun. 3/7/10
Girls Championship Sunday
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II:
Governor's 5, Southfield 4 (OT) --
Kate Leary, from Alex Carpenter, nets game-winner.
Carpenter named tournament MVP
Div. I:
Westminster 3, Lawrence 1 (final)
Paige Decker named tournament MVP.
Sat. 3/6/10
Girls Prep Semifinals
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II:
Governor's 10, Brooks 1 (final -- 6 g,3a for Alex Carpenter)
Southfield 5, Rivers 3 (final)
Div. I:
Westminster 2, Choate 1
Lawrence 2, Nobles 1
Sunday Championship Games:
Div. II -- 11:00 am -- Governor's vs. Southfield
Div. I -- 1:00 pm -- Westminster vs. Lawrence
Fri. 3/5/10
Championship Weekend is Here
Semifinals: Sat. March 6th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II - Governor's vs. Brooks, 11:00 am
Div. II - Southfield vs. Rivers, 1:00 pm
Div. I - Choate vs. Westminster, 3:00 pm
Div. I - Nobles vs. Lawrence, 5:00 pm
Finals: Sun. March 7th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II - Championship Game, 11:00 am
Div. I - Championship Game, 1:00 pm
We are hoping to receive some quality photos from today's quarterfinals and this weekend's semis and finals.. If you have something you like, please send, along with a caption, to information@ushr.com. Thanks! -- USHR
Wed. 3/3/10
Quarterfinals ScoreboardDiv. I
#8 Pomfret @ #1 Choate -- Choate 3, Pomfret 2
#7 Lawrence @ #2 Brewster - Lawrence 5, Brewster 2
#6 Berkshire @ #3 Nobles -- Nobles 2, Berkshire 0
#5 Williston @ #4 Westminster -- Westminster 3, Williston 0
Div. II
#8 NYA @ #1 Governor's -- Governor's 6, NYA 0
#7 Gunnery @ #2 Rivers -- Rivers 5, Gunnery 0
#6 Millbrook @ #3 Southfield (@ Williston) -- Southfield 9, Millbrook 2
#5 Canterbury @ #4 Brooks -- Brooks 4, Canterbury 3
Semifinals: Sat. March 6th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II -- Governor's vs. Brooks, 11:00 am
Div. II -- Southfield vs. Rivers, 1:00 pm
Div. I -- Choate vs. Westminster, 3:00 pm
Div. I -- Nobles vs. Lawrence, 5:00 pm
Finals: Sun. March 7th at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II -- Championship Game, 11:00 am
Div. I -- Championship Game, 1:00 pm
Wed. 3/3/10
2009-10 Girls All-Star Teams
Div. I
G -- Meghann Treacy, Jr., Williston/Lake Peekskill, NY
D -- Kiana Nauheim, Sr., Brewster/Fairbanks, Alaska
D -- Amanda Boulier, Jr., Westminster/Watertown, Conn.
D -- Delia McNally, Jr., Berkshire, Glen Head, NY
F -- Sam Zeiss, Jr, Choate/Stamford, Conn.
F -- Sarah MacDonnell, Jr., Brewster/Quisprimsis, NB, Canada
F -- Ali Vakos, Sr., Berkshire/Hamden, Conn.
F -- Haley Frade, Jr., Tabor, Marion, Mass.
Div. I Player of the Year:
Louise Warren, Senior Forward
Brewster Academy/Pembroke, Ont., Canada
Div. II:
G - Brianne Wheeler, Sr., KUA/Brussels, Ont., Canada
D - Ashley Salerno, Sr., NYA/Brunswick, Maine
D - Natasha Klinoff, Jr., Southfield/Concord, Mass.
F - Eliza Hompe, Sr., Greenwich/New Canaan, Conn.
F - Jen Hand, Sr., KUA/Westford, Mass.
F - Nicole Haskins, Sr., Southfield/Quincy, Mass.
Div. II Player of the Year:
Courtney Dumont, Senior Forward
North Yarmouth Academy/Augusta, Maine
-- The above teams were selected by the girls prep coaches.
-- The above teams do not include the Founders' League or ISL, which select their own all-star teams.
Mon. 3/1/10
Girls Prep Tournament Schedule
Wed. March 3 -- quarterfinals
Div. I
#8 Pomfret @ #1 Choate, 2:45 pm
#7 Lawrence @ #2 Brewster, 3:30 pm
#6 Berkshire @ #3 Nobles, 3:15 pm
#5 Williston @ #4 Westminster, 3:30 pm
Div. II
#8 NYA @ #1 Governor's, 4:00 pm
#7 Gunnery @ #2 Rivers, 4:30 pm
#6 Millbrook @ #3 Southfield, 3:30 pm (@ Williston)
#5 Canterbury @ #4 Brooks, 4:00 pm
Sat. March 6 -- semifinals
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 11:00 am
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner, 1:00 pm
Div. I
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner, 3:00 pm
3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner, 5:00 pm
Sun. March 7 -- finals
-- at the Berkshire School; Sheffield, Mass.
Div. II Championship Game, 11:00 am
Div. I Championship Game, 1:00 pm
Mon. 3/1/10
Girls Final Standings
Div. I:
1. Choate
2. Brewster
3. Nobles
4. Westminster
5. Williston-Northampton
6. Berkshire
7. Lawrence
8. Pomfret
9. Hotchkiss
10. Tabor
11. Loomis-Chaffee
Div. II:
1. Governor's
2. Rivers
3. Southfield
4. Brooks
5. Canterbury
6. Millbrook
7. Gunnery
8. NYA
9. Proctor
10. KUA
11. Tilton
12. Thayer
13. Kingswood-Oxford
14. Hebron
15. Middlesex
Detailed Girls Div. I and II Final Standings
