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Sun. 12/6/15

Sunday at the Exeter Invitational

Exeter, NH -- If today were a summer day, it would be, to paraphrase Ernie Banks, a great day to play two.

Which is exactly what they did at the Exeter Invitational. USHR, leaving the cerulean sky for others to enjoy, settled into the concrete bunker at Phillips Exeter -- and saw a couple of games with unexpected twists and turns, squanders, and a pair of valiant comeback efforts that fell a goal short.

In the high noon opener, Gunnery edged Tabor, 4-3, in a game that became unexpectedly tight down the stretch.

It certainly didn't look like it would be a close game at the start, as Gunnery came out with guns blazing, scoring once in the first, twice in the early minutes of the second, and again in the third, to take a commanding 4-0 lead. But Tabor, which had settled down after Gunnery forward Daniel Haider had scored to make it 3-0 at the 2:35 mark of the second, took all of 54 seconds to answer Chad Varney's top shelf snapshot power play goal that made it 4-0 at 6:34 of the third. First, Max Sauve, sprung on a breakaway by Ed Hannon, scored to cut the lead to 4-1, then, just 1:36 later, Patrick Daly cut Gunnery's lead to two, then, two minutes after that, Vermont recruit Jay Cote banged home a rebound to make it a one-goal game at 11:06 mark.

But Gunnery, which had lost a wild 7-6 decision to Exeter in Day 1 action, barred the door after that, and snuck out with the 4-3 win. Gunnery outshot Tabor, 36-22.

"We were really good in the first two periods," Gunnery coach Craig Badger said. "But in the third we got away from our game a bit and tried to make too many rinky-dink passes. Also, our D got caught up-ice too much. But credit to Tabor. They never gave up. We gave them time and space in the third and they took advantage. There's no way we should have let Sauve in on an unobstructed breakaway -- he's going to score. But I'm still pleased with the way we played in the first two periods, when we attacked and used our speed."

Tabor coach Gerry Dineen said, "We had some chances early in the game but the Gunnery goalie (Zak Kinard) made a couple of big saves and the momentum shifted to them. But our guys didn't quit."

Gunnery Standouts:

Top players for Gunnery included 6'0" junior LC Gustaf Westlund, a smooth-skating Swede. Westlund, who is uncommitted, is a pure athlete who wasn't seen much on ice this fall because he was also starring for Gunnery's soccer team. He's a prospect for June's NHL Draft. 5'8" RC Cam Donaldson, a Cornell recruit, appears to have taken a huge step this year. Last year, we felt he was dangerous some of the time; this year, he's dangerous most -- or even all -- of the time. He got Gunnery on the board early with a great wrist shot while cutting left to right about five feet from the crease. Senior Evan Johnson, Donaldson's linemate and a Williams recruit, was a constant factor today as well. 5'9" wing Daniel Haider, a late '97, has been consistently noticeable in both games we've seen him in this season -- very good speed. 5'7" junior RC Albert Washco, a '99, has a nifty stick -- very elusive. On the blue line, seniors Josh Gagne and Connor Dahlman each played strong games.

Tabor Standouts:

For Tabor, 5'7" sophomore RW Max Sauve was our top forward. His speed and quickness allow him to gain separation very quickly. Sauve's linemates -- 6'2" late '97 junior Ed Hannon and and 5'10" late '96 senior Nick Godin -- were both very effective. Ditto for 5'6" junior Jay Cote, a '99 from Quebec who scored the aforementiond late rebound goal that cut Gunnery's lead to one. For our money, Tabor's top defenseman today was 5'11" senior Brett Dineen, a Middlebury recruit.

Tabor played all weekend without Brown recruit Ben Taylor -- a sprained MCL suffered Monday against Loomis will keep him out of action for several weeks.

***
Game #2: Kent 4, Exeter 3 (OT)

Exeter put themselves in an early hole, spotting Kent an early 3-0 lead before pulling starting goalie Nick Moore and replacing him with Joey Lazzaro, who had given up six goals in a 7-6 win over Gunnery on Saturday. Lazzaro was better this time around, and held the fort as his teammates rallied with one goal late in the first, two in the second, and then a fourth in the third, when senior LD Trevor Cosgrove's shot from the point on a 4x3 power play sent the game to overtime. 

Once in OT, however, the lights went out fast on Exeter, as defenseman Greg Krisberg, pinching, drove home a rebound of a Satchel Clendenin shot just 44 seconds in.

All four teams this weekend went 1-1.

Kent coach Dale Reinhardt, who reports that Krisberg's OT winner was his third in two years, said, "He's everything to us." Reinhardt also pointed out that his team took 10 penalties to Exeter's seven, and that all of Exeter's goals came on the powerplay. "We had the same six or seven guys out there killing penalty after penalty. We knew coming in that we'd have to stay out of the box."

After the second period, when Exeter had cut the lead to 4-3, Reinhardt said he just reminded his guys "to take a deep breath and realize they were on the road, and they still had the lead."

Kent Standouts:

Kent's top defenseman today -- no surprise -- was Krisberg. The 5'10" senior, a '97, produces a lot of offense from the back end for his team, and we feel that eventually he'll be scooped up by a D-I school. Top forward was 6'1" senior Satchel Clendenin, a powerful skater with acceleration who figured in three of his team's goals, notching a pair in the first, and then assisting on the game winner in OT. Both of his goals came on the opening period, and neither was a cheapie. On the first Krisberg spotted him in front and Clendenin put it under the crossbar. Clendenin's second goal was a shorthanded tally that came about when he picked up a blocked shot and raced the length of the ice. We wrote about the Kent players six days ago at the Berkshire Jamboree, and the guys we wrote about then were also the guys we liked today. Rather than repeat ourselves, we'll just add one player that we didn't write about Monday. That would be senior forward Teddy Simson, who scored the goal that put his team up 3-0. Simson worked extremely hard -- and effectively -- in all three zones today.

Exeter coach Dana Barbin said, "We got down 3-0 early, but when we put Lazzaro in, he played well. We have a good club and we need him to play solid hockey. I was really pleased with the way we fought back."

Exeter Standouts:

This was also our second time seeing Exeter, as we saw them a couple of days before Thanksgiving. We felt senior forward Ben Solin was excellent that day and, facing a stronger team, he was even better today -- just lethal on the power play. Solin started the comeback by assisting on Exeter's first goal and then scoring the second, a beauty in which he cut hard across the top of the faceoff circle while firing one top shelf. Kent goalie Peter Negron had no chance. Solin loves to shoot it, and probably took a dozen or more shots. The former Connecticut Div. II High School Player of the Year does not shoot it just to simply get it on net. He has an idea, and is gunning for the corners. When he misses the net, it's not by much. Suffice to say, a ton of offense flows through him. So far this season, Solin is the top uncommitted player we've seen. However, we don't think he'll remain uncommitted for long. Harvard was on hand watching him today. And if the Crimson don't take him, someone else certainly will.

We felt, once again, that Colgate recruit Trevor Cosgrove was the top d-man for Exeter. He's been at the school four years and just keeps getting better. We felt 6'0" late '97 LD Peter Christie had a really strong game. Nothing flashy, just very steady.

We wrote about Solin, Cosgrove, Christie, Devin Moore, and others before Thanksgiving. One player we didn't mention was PG Ryan Petti, a 5'll" right shot wing who played for Tewskbury (Mass.) High School last year. Petti , a '97, played a smart, determined game, and notched a power play goal in the first period. We'll see how he progresses over the season, but he looks like he could be a solid D-III prospect.


A Fun Game We'll Never Forget

Over the weekend, Holy Cross honored the '05-06 team that stunned #1-seed University of Minnesota 4-3 (OT) in the West Regional semifinals in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

It was the first time the two teams had ever met, and for Holy Cross, coached by Holy Cross grad Paul Pearl, it was a "home game" as the 11,000 plus Fighting Sioux fans that packed the Ralph Englestad Arena loudly threw their support to the Crusaders.

The goal that put Holy Cross up 1-0 was scored by current Kent coach Dale Reinhardt, then a sophomore who had come directly to Holy Cross from Delbarton. The goalie that day was Tony Quesada, a senior who had played for current Choate coach Pat Dennehy at Holderness before arriving at Holy Cross. The OT goal was scored by Tyler McGregor, an Ontario native and senior captain. Current BB&N coach Terrence Butt, a Holy Cross grad and Pearl's assistant coach, helped recruit those players.

The game was on ESPNU, and it's fair to say that it was pretty big news in New England -- not as big as the Miracle on Ice, but the same idea, just on a smaller scale. Like the Miracle on Ice, not many who saw it will ever forget it. It's well remembered in Minnesota, too, of course.

Sun. 12/20/15

Sun. Dec. 20th Tournament Results

35th Annual Harrington Invitational -- Playoffs
At Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.
7th Place Game -- Milton 2, Pomfret 1 
5th Place Game -- St. Mark's 2, BB&N 1   
3rd Place Game -- Lawrence 4, Westminster 3 (SO)
Championship Game -- Nobles 4, Williston 3 (OT) -- Junior Becca Gilmore scores with 9 seconds left in OT.

Sat. 12/19/15

Sat. Dec. 19th Holiday Tournament Results
35th Annual Harrington Invitational (Day 2 of 3)
At Milton Academy; Milton, Mass.
Westminster 2, Milton 0
Williston 8, BB&N 0
St. Mark’s 3, Pomfret 2 (OT)
Nobles 4, Lawrence 2
Williston vs. Milton, 4:30 pm
BB&N vs. Westminster, 6:30 pm

Watkins Tournament (Day 3 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
Fisher 4 vs. Iorio 4, 8:00 am
Fisher 3 vs. Iorio 3, 10:00 am
Fisher 2 vs. Iorio 2, 12:00 pm
Fisher 1 vs. Iorio 1, 2:00 pm – Championship Game

14th Annual Howard Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
At St. George’s School; Middletown, RI
Greenwich Academy 1, Hebron 0
St. George’s 3, Hill School 0

Deerfield Holiday Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
At Deerfield Academy; Deerfield, Mass.
Rothesay Netherwood 2, Nichols 0
Stanstead 8, Deerfield 0
Rice 2, Vermont Academy 2
Deerfield 1, Rothesay Netherwood 1
Vermont Academy vs. Nichols, 3:00 pm
Stanstead vs. Rice, 4:45 pm

Southfield Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At Dexter Southfield School; Brookline, Mass.
Rivers 7, Kingswood-Oxford 1
Groton 3, KUA 2
Gunnery 2, Middlesex 1
Southfield 7, Kingswood-Oxford 0
Groton vs. Middlesex, 2:30 pm
KUA vs. Rivers, 4:30 pm
Southfield 2, Gunnery 0

St. Paul's School Holiday Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At St. Paul's School; Concord, NH
Holderness 6, Kents Hill 0
Proctor 2, Governor's 0
Championship -- St. Paul's 4, NMH 1   

Portsmouth Abbey Tournament (Day 2 of 2)
At Portsmouth Abbey School; Portsmouth, RI
Canterbury 9, Tilton 1
Portsmouth Abbey 6, North Yarmouth Academy 0
Portsmouth Abbey vs. Tilton, 1:00 pm
North Yarmouth Academy vs. Canterbury, 3:00 pm

Fri. 12/18/15

Fri. Dec. 18th Tournament Results

33rd Annual Patsy K. Odden Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
At the Taft School; Watertown, Conn.
Taft 2, Tabor 1
Andover 2, Loomis 1 (OT)
Lawrenceville 2, Hotchkiss 0  
Kent 5, Choate 2  
Third Place Game: Loomis 2, Kent 0  1:30 pm (Mays Rink)
Championship Game: Andover 3, Lawrenceville 1 (OT)

Watkins Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
Culver 2, Brewster 1  
New Hampton 6, Cushing 0  
Worcester Academy 4, Northwood 1  
Berkshire 6, Winchendon 0   
New Hampton 3, Brewster 1  
Cushing vs. Culver, 5:10 pm
Northwood vs. Berkshire, 7:00 pm
Winchendon vs. Worcester Academy, 8:50 pm

14th Annual Howard Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
At St. George’s School; Middletown, RI
St. George’s 2, Greenwich Academy 0  
Hebron Academy 3, Hill School 1   
St. George’s 1, Hebron Academy 0 
Hill School 2, Greenwich Academy 1 (OT)   

Deerfield Holiday Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
At Deerfield Academy; Deerfield, Mass.
Rice 2, Deerfield 2   
Rothesay Netherwood 2, Vermont Academy 0  
Nichols 3, Stanstead 1   
Rothesay Netherwood 7, Rice 2  
Nichols 4, Deerfield 0   
Stanstead 10, Vermont Academy 0    

35th Annual Harrington Invitational (Day 1 of 3)
At Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.
Nobles 5, St. Mark’s 0   
Lawrence 4, Pomfret 1  
Williston 2, Westminster 1  
BB&N 1, Milton 0   
Nobles 4, Pomfret 0   
St. Mark’s 1, Lawrence 1   

Southfield Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At Dexter Southfield School; Brookline, Mass.
KUA 3, Southfield 2    
Groton 3, Kingswood-Oxford 1 
Rivers 2, Gunnery 1   
Southfield 3, Middlesex 0    

St. Paul's School Holiday Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At St. Paul's School; Concord, NH
St. Paul's 3, Holderness 0  
NMH 3, Kent's Hill 0   
Proctor 3, Holderness 0    
Governor's 7, Kent's Hill 3   
NMH 7, Governor's 3     
St. Paul's 7, Proctor 1    

Portsmouth Abbey Tournament (Day 1 of 2)
At Portsmouth Abbey School; Portsmouth, RI
Canterbury 3, Portsmouth Abbey 0    
Tilton 7, North Yarmouth Academy 0

Thurs. 12/17/15

Thurs. Dec. 17th Tournament Results

 Watkins Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass. 
Brewster 3, Cushing 1
Worcester Academy 2, Berkshire 1
New Hampton 3, Culver 0
Northwood 2, Winchendon 0

33rd Annual Patsy K. Odden Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
At the Taft School; Watertown, Conn.
Loomis 3, Taft 2
Tabor 2, Andover 1 (SO)
Lawrenceville 2, Kent 1
Choate 2, Hotchkiss 0
Andover 2, Taft 1 (SO)
Loomis 2, Tabor 1
Lawrenceville 4, Choate 0
Kent 1, Hotchkiss 0

Mon. 12/14/15-updated 12/17

Girls’ Prep Composite, Week of Dec. 14, 2015

Mon. Dec. 14
North Yarmouth Academy @ Pingree, 5:00 pm
NEWHL Pre-Prep @ St. Paul's, 5:30 pm (S)

Tues. Dec. 15
Tilton @ Brewster Academy, 4:30 pm
Beaver Country Day @ Newton CD, 4:30 pm
NEWHL Pre-Prep @ Andover, 5:00 pm (S)

Wed. Dec. 16
Darien HS @ Greenwich, 3:00 pm
Pomfret @ Choate, 3:15 pm
Hill School @ Portledge, 3:15 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Proctor, 4:00 pm
Deerfield @ St. Paul's, 4:15 pm
Pingree @ Winsor, 4:15 pm
Berwick @ Brooks, 5:00 pm
Lawrence Academy @ Exeter, 5:30 pm


Thurs. Dec. 17

Watkins Tournament (Day 1 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass. 
Cushing vs. Brewster, 2:30 pm
Berkshire vs. Worcester Academy, 4:20 pm
New Hampton vs. Culver, 6:10 pm
Northwood vs. Winchendon, 8:00 pm

33rd Annual Patsy K. Odden Invitational (Day 1 of 2)
At the Taft School; Watertown, Conn.
Taft vs. Loomis, 8:00 am (Odden Arena)
Andover vs. Tabor, 8:30 am (Mays Rink)
Kent vs. Lawrenceville, 9:45 am (Odden Arena)
Choate vs. Hotchkiss, 10:15 am (Mays Rink)
(Lunch Break!)
Taft vs. Andover, 1:45 pm (Odden Arena)
Tabor vs. Loomis, 2:15 pm (Mays Rink)
Lawrenceville vs. Choate, 3:30 pm (Odden Arena)
Hotchkiss vs. Kent, 4:00 pm (Mays Rink)


Fri. Dec. 18

33rd Annual Patsy K. Odden Invitational (Day 2 of 2)
At the Taft School; Watertown, Conn.
Taft vs. Tabor, 8:00 am (Odden Arena)
Loomis vs. Andover, 8:30 am (Mays Rink)
Lawrenceville vs. Hotchkiss, 9:45 am (Odden Arena)
Kent vs. Choate, 10:15 am (Mays Rink)
(Lunch!)
Third Place Game, 1:30 pm (Mays Rink)
Championship Game, 1:30 pm (Odden Arena)

Watkins Tournament (Day 2 of 3)
At Cushing Academy; Ashburnham, Mass.
Culver vs. Brewster, 8:00 am
Cushing vs. New Hampton, 9:50 am
Worcester Academy vs. Northwood, 11:40 am
Winchendon vs. Berkshire, 1:30 pm
Brewster vs. New Hampton, 3:20 pm
Cushing vs. Culver, 5:10 pm
Northwood vs. Berkshire, 7:00 pm
Winchendon vs. Worcester Academy, 8:50 pm

Sun. 12/13/15

Please Help Out the Allen Family This Christmas

Southfield School is hosting its annual Christmas tournament this coming weekend, and Southfield Athletic Director -- and former head varsity hockey coach -- Amy Cokinos has asked us to pass along the following to USHR readers. Her words, which follow, will be included in the tournament program, so this is for those of you who can't make it to Brookline, but want to help out the family of Ed Allen, who died tragically in an auto accident Saturday Dec. 5th in Millbrook, NY.

"As we take to the ice this weekend, our thoughts and prayers are with the Allen family and the Millbrook community. We are all deeply saddened at the recent loss of Athletic Director, coach, and teacher Ed Allen. Ed was a devoted husband, father, friend, coach, mentor, and colleague. His drive and passion made us all better players and coaches. Ed's presence will be missed but his love for the game and his players will remain with all of us.

"A trust has been established to benefit and support the Allen family. You can donate through the giving form located on the Millbrook School website or by check. Checks should be made out to "Reed Smith LLP, as Escrowee" and should include "Allen Family Trust" in the memo line. Please send checks to Millbrook School, Attn: Development Office, 131 Millbrook School Road, Millbrook, NY 12545.

"On a personal note, I enjoyed coaching against Ed. His teams were always well prepared, hard-working, and a great challenge for the Southfield teams. He was always advocating for his girls, whether it was to get them recognized as a league all-star, create a tougher schedule, or get them into college. I will always remember that his team ended my last season as coach. We were undefeated the entire year and I knew going into the game that it would be tough to beat his team again, and we were unable to. I believe his team made it to the championship game that year.

"I hope that you can find a way to help let the hockey community know of his passing and the opportunity to help his two daughters and wife.

There is more information available on the Millbrook School website."

Thank you,

Amy

Mon. 12/7/15

Girls' Prep Composite Schedule, Week of Dec. 7, 2015

Mon. Dec. 7
Groton @ Worcester Academy, 4:15 pm
Hotchkiss @ Berkshire, 4:45 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Tabor, 5:30 pm
East Catholic HS @ Kingswood-Oxford, 5:30 pm (S)

Tues. Dec. 8
St. Mary's HS @ Exeter, 4:30 pm (S)
Big Dogs @ Lawrence Academy, 6:30 pm (S)

Wed. Dec. 9
Kent @ Westminster, 2:30 pm
Gunnery @ Millbrook, 2:30 pm
Brewster Academy @ Holderness, 3:00 pm
Deerfield @ Loomis-Chaffee, 3:00 pm
Choate @ Greenwich, 3:00 pm
Exeter @ Milton, 3:00 pm
St. Paul's @ Groton, 3:15 pm
St. George's @ Thayer, 3:15 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Cushing, 3:30 pm
BB&N @ Brooks, 3:30 pm
Pingree @ Newton CD, 3:30 pm
Lawrenceville @ Hill School, 3:30 pm
Winchendon @ Andover, 3:45 pm
Kingswood-Oxford @ Vermont Academy, 4:00 pm
Middlesex @ Proctor, 4:00 pm
Hebron @ New Hampton, 4:30 pm
Taft @ Berkshire, 4:30 pm
Portledge @ Canterbury, 4:30 pm
Berwick @ Tilton, 4:45 pm
Northfield - Mt. Hermon @ Kimball Union, 5:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Noble & Greenough, 5:15 pm
Worcester Academy @ Southfield, 5:30 pm
North Yarmouth Academy @ Kents Hill, 6:00 pm
N.E. Falcons @ Pomfret, 6:30 pm (S)

Fri. Dec. 11
Kents Hill @ Governor's, 4:15 pm
Newton CD @ Groton, 4:15 pm
Andover @ Southfield, 4:45 pm
Westminster @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Rivers @ Middlesex, 5:00 pm
Thayer @ Portsmouth Abbey, 5:00 pm
Hebron @ Brewster Academy, 5:30 pm
St. Paul's @ New Hampton, 6:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Deerfield, 6:00 pm
Kimball Union @ Proctor, 6:15 pm
Tabor @ Lawrence Academy, 6:30 pm

Sat. Dec. 12
Brewster Academy @ BB&N, 12:00 pm
Hebron @ Southfield, 1:00 pm
Gilmour Academy @ Hill School, 2:00 pm -- at Altoona, PA
Cushing @ Exeter, 2:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Westminster, 3:00 pm
Kent @ Gunnery, 3:00 pm
St. George's @ Lawrence Academy, 3:00 pm
Proctor @ New Hampton, 3:00 pm
Rivers @ St. Paul's, 3:00 pm
Deerfield @ Kingswood-Oxford, 3:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Winchendon, 3:30 pm
Holderness @ Vermont Academy, 3:30 pm
Tilton @ Kimball Union, 3:30 pm
Canterbury @ Groton, 3:30 pm -- at Williston-Northampton
Choate @ Noble & Greenough, 4:00 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Pomfret, 4:00 pm
Pingree @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Brooks @ Milton, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Greenwich, 4:00 pm -- at Rye Country Day

Northfield - Mt. Hermon @ Andover, 4:30 pm
Berkshire @ Tabor, 5:30 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Beaver Country Day , 5:45 pm
Thayer @ Worcester Academy, 6:30 pm

Mon. Dec. 14
North Yarmouth Academy @ Pingree, 5:00 pm
NEWHL Pre-Prep @ St. Paul's, 5:30 pm (S)