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Sun. 3/6/16

Championship Sunday: Gunnery Wears the Crown

NEPSAC Championship Games
Sun. March 6, 2016
At St. Anselm College; Manchester, NH

Stuart/Corkery Tournament (AKA Elite 8):
Gunnery 3, Milton 2

Goffstown, NH -- In a tense, highly-competitive title game between two teams with more similarities than differences, Gunnery won its first Div. I title with a 3-2 win over Milton Academy here Sunday.

Gunnery, which won Div. II titles in ’87, ’89 and ’90, had been close before, most recently two years ago at Yale when, trailing 2-0 with less than six minutes remaining, they mounted a late third-period comeback to tie the game and send it to OT, where Evan Smith and Derek Barach combined on a goal that gave Salisbury the title. Three players from that team were on his year’s team: goaltender Trevin Kozlowski, defenseman Connor Dahlman, and forward Chad Varney.

The coach that year was Chris Baudo, who took over a moribund Gunnery program in 2003 and brought it to prominence, with five Elite 8 appearances in his final six years. His long-time assistants were Pete Whitney, who took the head coaching position at Post University last summer, and Craig Badger, who took over the reins from Baudo – and now, in his first year, has won a championship.

Sunday’s title game, between #5-6 seeds, might have flipped the natural order of things for those expecting Avon, Salisbury, or KUA to be on hand. But make no mistake. These teams had to knock off some heavyweights to get here. Milton has zero Div. I commits. Gunnery has several – goaltender Trevin Kozlowski (Army), and forwards Cam Donaldson (Cornell) and Jordan Robert (Clarkson). Swedish forward Gustaf Westlund, also a top soccer player, will certainly join that group, and could well be an NHL draft pick in June. But Gunnery is a lot like Milton in that they are both well-coached and feature quality forwards who keep their feet moving, play both ways, value puck possession, and are strong in transition. They don’t tee it up mindlessly, preferring to work it down low. Each team has excellent goaltenders. It all adds up to a win for the fans.

In the first period, Gunnery was the stronger team 5x5, and generated several good scoring chances that Milton goalie Ethan Domokos was able to handle. Milton had two power plays, however. But Gunnery goaltender Trevin Kozlowski stood tall, and the teams went to the first intermission tied at 0-0.

In the second, 3:40 in, Trevor Turnbull scored a rebound goal, with assists going to Andrew Dumaresque and Spencer Fox to put Milton up 1-0.

Gunnery got it back less than two minutes later when Gustaf Westlund split the Milton D with an eye-popping move and dished a nifty backhand pass to Cam Donaldson, who buried it.

With the game at 1-1 Milton’s Spencer Fox had a great turnaround chance midway through the second, but no dice.

The key goal of the game came with 1:42 left in the second, when Gunnery’s Daniel Haider carried the puck into the zone wide while linemate Evan Johnson drove hard down the slot. Somehow, Haider got the puck to Johnson and, on a bang-bang play, the puck was suddenly behind Domokos.

Gunnery carried that momentum into the second intermission, and back out onto the ice for the third period. They were all over Milton in the opening minutes.

At the 3:22 mark, Haider, who, along with his linemates, was a force throughout the postseason, scored a rebound goal off a Chad Varney shot to put Gunnery up 3-1.

Suddenly, Milton had a hill to climb. To their credit, they kept pressing. At the 7:17 mark of the third, Dumaresque, who was impressive in the playoffs, along with his linemates, cut Gunnery’s lead to 3-2, with Turnbull and Fox assisting.

Milton kept pressing, pulled their goaltender with a minute left, and had a couple of good chances in the final seconds. A little puck luck and the outcome of this one could have been different.

For the game, Gunnery outshot Milton 33-22.

After the game, Gunnery, enjoying the moment, didn’t seem to be in any hurry to vacate the ice at St. A’s. Coach Craig Badger, out there with his players, said, “Milton was very good. They play a very good system. They have enough talent so when they create turnovers, they can take over. Their D pushes out rebounds. They run that faceoff play with number 17 (Turnbull) that they got us with.”

“Two of our goals were off turnovers,” Badger added. “We try to force turnovers. We go hard at them, and then it’s up to us to take advantage.”

“It was just a good back-and-forth game – fast, intense, physical.

“I want to give credit to our guys. We started the season slow and just wanted to get better every game. We didn’t have a good Avon Tournament. After that, every game for us was a playoff game. So today we didn’t really approach things any differently than every other game we’ve played over the past two months. Our guys are coachable, they are character guys, and there’s great leadership. We just wanted to get better every game.

“We didn’t know much about Milton coming in. What I was surprised by was their hunger and relentlessness on pucks in the offensive zone. They throw pucks on net and swarm, using quickness and hunger. They pack it in tight in the d-zone, so you can’t tee it up.

“In the playoffs, Kozlowski avenged both his losses this season. He’s the real deal. He looks like a pro. Last year, he made a lot of big, athletic saves. This year, he didn’t have to move as much. He was strong, mature, and confident. And always in control. He could be a pro.”

Badger redirected the interview to his predecessor, who is still a dean at Gunnery but is also splitting time and was home in Rochester, NY with his family on Sunday. “All the credit goes to Chris Baudo and Pete Whitney,” Badger said. “I had nowhere to go but down!”

“Two years ago at Yale we had an underdog, out-of-the-blue mentality. This year was a little different. When we went into the playoffs, we knew we could play against Salisbury and Avon. We went into every game believing we were the better team.”

Milton head coach Paul Cannata was happy with what he saw from his team throughout the post-season.

“Yesterday at Kimball Union, we came up with a big goal at the end of the second period. Today, Gunnery did it to us. One kid went wide, the other went for the post. They got that one to drop. That meant we were chasing it in the third. We gave ourselves a chance at the end but we were chasing it.”

“There’s no shame in this,” Cannata added. “A lot of things have to happen to be playing on the final weekend. On this, I walk on the sunny side of the street. Am I a little disappointed now? Sure, but 24 months ago we were finishing a tough year (7-17-1 two years after winning a prep title in 2011). Today, we’re playing in the last game of the season. There are kids from that team two years ago on this team. They know that the program they are leaving is in better shape than the program they entered.”

“One other thing,” Cannata added. “You don’t get to this game without a good goalie. Ethan Domokos never changed his day-to-day approach this season. He was excellent.”

***

Martin/Earl Tournament (Large School):

Thayer 6, Westminster 3 -- Thayer never trailed today as they rolled to a 6-3 win over Westminster and headed home with the school's first hockey championship since winning back-to-back championships in 1986 and '87 with a team led by current Thayer head coach Tony Amonte.

"It was important that we got out to a quick start," Amonte said. "(Westminster) is a bigger, older, physically stronger team. The boys seemeed to be jumping. They wanted to take advantage of the day."

Thayer didn't get on the board until a Casey Carreau goal, off a nice pass from soph Aidan McDonough, with 6:41 left in the first. A couple of minutes later, Robert Carmody followed that up with a rebound goal to make it 2-0. Westy's JP Schuhlen followed that up with a reound goal of his own just 40 seconds later to cut Thayer's lead to 2-1 by the end of the period.

Thayer would get four of the next five goals and salt this one away. Westminster was flat and never got into the game.

Carreau (2g), Kyle Peterson (3a), Aidan McDonough (1g,1a), and Ty Amonte (2a) led the Thayer attack. Carmody, Christian Hayes, and Ryan Farrley also notched goals for the Tigers.

"Our team has been resilient all year," Amonte said. "That's due to leadership in older players. The first line carried them a lot of the season. They have been a key all year. Today we got secondary scoring as well."

"We peaked at the right time," Amonte added. "We've been in playoff mode for 2-3 weeks now."

"We knew coming into the last two weeks -- we had big games, like Tabor and Milton -- twice. We gained a lot of confidence in those games. We knew it was our time to make hay."

"(Casey) Carreau played incredible for us this year. Ty (Amonte) did all the little things, helping get the puck to Casey. It was a dream season for our seniors."

"It's been a fun year. It's bittersweet seeing your son play his final season. But very happy to be able to finish it off this way."

***
Piatelli/Simmons Tournament (Small School):

St. Mark's 3, Rivers 2 (OT)  -- An Ethan Kimball goal nine seconds into overtime lifted St. Mark's to a 3-2 win over Rivers in the Small School Championship game here today. The winning goal came off the draw, won by senior Zach Tsekos. Kimball, a junior wing from Holden, Mass., flew down the left side and fired a wrister that beat Rivers sophomore goaltender Aidan Porter short side -- and brought St. Mark's its second consecutive Small School title. 

St. Mark's coach Carl Corazzini said he'd told his guys before OT to move it up quickly, and use speed wide. Which is exactly what happened.

"It was a great shot. (Kimball) has been tremendous for us. He has over 20 goals, a really strong work ethic, and blazing speed. He's an excellent D-I prospect."

For the most part, the game was a defensive struggle. Rivers got on the board first, when junior Brendan Hamblet picked up a turnover in the slot and firedd it past St. Mark's senior goalie Ryan Ferland at 14:59 of the first.  

Just 42 seconds later St. Mark's got it back when a point shot from Josh Loveridge was stipped home by Zach Tsekos.

There was no scoring in the second, and deep into the third.

Rivers went up 2-1 with 3:26 left in the third. Freshman D Tony Andreozzi fired a shot from the point that beat a screened Ferland. It had the feel of a game-winner. But just 1:13 later a low bomb from the left point by junior d-man Michael Nantais tied it up for the Lions at 2-2, sending the game into OT, where Kimball wasted no time.

 Sun. 3/6/16
Championship Sunday & Prep All-Star Teams

Sunday, March 6, 2016 -- Championship Games
At the Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.

Div. I Championship Game:
Nobles 4, Loomis 0

Period 1
Nobles -- Charlotte Brown (Becca Gilmore, Casey O’Brien) 3:51
Nobles -- Gilmore (Caitrin Longeran, Katie Tresca) 13:44

Period 2
No scoring

Period 3
Nobles -- O’Brien (Lily Farden, Gilmore) 6:44
Nobles -- Bridget McCarthy (Longeran, Steph Nomicos) 13:00

Tournament MVP:
Becca Gilmour, Nobles

***

Div. II Championship Game:
St. George's 3, Brooks 2

Period 1
St. George's -- Erika Martin (Madi Aumann, Victoria O’Heir) 4:34
St. George's -- Alyse Borelli (Hannah Dreschsel, O’Heir) 14:07

Period 2
St. George’s -- Hayley Doneghey (Madi Aumann, Madison Tregenza) 3:21
Brooks -- Julia Nearis (Caroline O’Keefe) 8:22
Brooks -- Caroline Cutter (Tess Martin, Emma English) 12:31

Period 3
No scoring

Tournament MVP:
Beth Larcom, St. George’s


***

2015-16 New England Prep Girls All-Star Teams
D-I Player of the Year:
Caitrin Lonergan, Sr. F, Noble & Greenough

D-I First Team:
Forwards: Becca Gilmore '17 (Noble & Greenough), Caitrin Lonergan '16 (Noble & Greenough), Delaney Belinskas '16 (Williston)
Defense: Cayla Barnes '17 (New Hampton), Rachel Rockwell '16 (Williston)
Goalie: Morgan Fisher '16 (Williston)

D-I Second Team:
Forwards: Charlotte Welch '18 (Andover), Meaghan Rickard '16 (Williston), Kelly Browne '18 (Tabor)
Defense: Taylor Matherson '17 (Tabor), Paige Capistran '16 (Loomis)
Goalie: Lindsay Reed '18 (Hotchkiss)

D-II Player of the Year:
Beth Larcom, Sr. G, St. George's

D-II First Team:
Forward: Julia Nearis '18 (Brooks), Maddi Blauth '16 (Canterbury), Olivia Soares '16 (St. George's)
Defense: Alice Pingeon '16 (Rivers), Taylor Methven '16 (Proctor)
Goalie: Beth Larcom '16 (St. George's)

D-II Second Team:
Forward: Samantha Estes '16 (Rivers), Alexis Fagan '17 (Proctor), Jen Manning '16 (Worcester)
Defense: Maura White '16 (Canterbury), Kiana Melvin '16 (Hebron)
Goalie: Clara Pingeon '16 (Rivers)

Sat. 3/5/16

 
Girls Prep Semifinals

Here are the semifinal results from Saturday, March 5th, and the schedule for Sunday's championship games.

Saturday, March 5, 2016 -- Semifinals

Div. I
1. Nobles 2. Williston 3. Loomis 4. Kent 5. Andover 6. New Hampton 7. Milton 8. St. Paul's.

@ Nobles 2, Kent 1  
Loomis 5 @ Williston 2 

Div. II
1. Brooks 2. St. George's 3. Worcester 4. Rivers 5. Proctor 6. Canterbury 7. Gunnery 8. Southfield.

@ Brooks 3, Proctor 2
@ St. George's 2, Worcester 1 (OT)

Sunday, March 6, 2016 -- Championship Games
At the Noble & Greenough School; Dedham, Mass.

Div. II Championship Game:
Brooks vs. St. George's, 12:30 pm

Div. I Championship Game:
Nobles vs. Loomis, 3:00 pm

Wed. 3/2/16- Updated Thurs. 3/3 at 8:45 pm.

2016 Girls Prep Quarterfinals -- and Weekend Schedule

Here are the quarterfinal results from Wednesday March 2nd -- and the weekend schedule. We'll be filling in the game times as they become available.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016 -- Quarterfinals -- at Campus Sites

Div. I
1. Nobles 2. Williston 3. Loomis 4. Kent 5. Andover 6. New Hampton 7. Milton 8. St. Paul's.

@ Nobles 6, St. Paul's 0  
@ Williston 3, Milton 1  
@ Loomis 1, New Hampton 0
@ Kent 3, Andover 1

Div. II
1. Brooks 2. St. George's 3. Worcester 4. Rivers 5. Proctor 6. Canterbury 7. Gunnery 8. Southfield.
 
@ Brooks 2, Southfield 1 (OT)   
@ St. George's 2, Gunnery 1 (3-OT) 
@ Worcester 4, Canterbury 3 (2-OT)   
Proctor 2 @ Rivers 1    

Saturday, March 5, 2016 -- Semifinals

Div. I
#4 Kent @ #1 Nobles, 2:00 pm 
#3 Loomis @ #2 Williston, 2:45 pm

Div. II
#5 Proctor @ #1 Brooks, 3:00 pm
#3 Worcester @ #2 St. George's, 4:00 pm

Sunday, March 6, 2016 -- Championship Games -- at Noble & Greenough School
Div. II -- 12:30 pm
Div. I -- 3:00 pm