Manchester Tourney - Day 4 vs Trinity

Another game report from @ Chaimberg:

Jonathan Goff's goal with just over a minute to play was the game 
winner, as Hanover defeated the Trinity Pioneers 3-2 in the consolation 
game of the Manchester Holiday Tournament. Jake Acker and Gavin Ratliff 
also tallied, and younger brother Luke Ratliff was solid in the 
Marauder net.
Trinity opened the scoring at 9:47 of the first period.  Hanover had 
difficulty breaking out of their end, and a shot from the point 
resulted in a scramble in front of the Marauder net, with the puck 
eventually batted into the goal. A minute and a half later, Jake tied 
the score off a one-timer from the slot.  Gavin controlled the play as 
he circled behind the Trinity net, cycling with Gus Lyons, before the 
puck was fed to Jake.
One minute into the middle period Gavin scored an unassisted goal to 
give Hanover the lead, intercepting a Pioneer pass up the middle, 
skating into the slot, and throwing a backhander on net.  The shot 
handcuffed the Trinity netminder, and slowly trickled over the goal 
line.  Trinity looked to have the equalizer a few minutes later, but 
Luke made a remarkable save on what appeared to be a clear shot at an 
empty goal.  Shortly thereafter, a seemly harmless shot from outside 
the blue line caught Luke' shoulder and nearly rolled into the net.  
Hanover got into penalty trouble late in the period, when a too many 
men on the ice infraction resulted in a five on three advantage for the 
final minute.
With less than four minutes left in the match, and each team a man 
down, Trinity got the equalizer.  The Pioneers failed to convert on 
their ensuing power play, and it looked as thought the game might need 
to be  decided by a shoot out. But Jonathon's heroics, following up his 
own shot and poking the rebound through the Trinity goalie's pads broke 
the deadlock.  The Pioneers pulled their goalie for an extra attacker 
but were unable to get a good shot on goal.
All in all, a very enjoyable weekend that saw the Marauders improve 
during the tournament. We are all looking forward to how the team will 
fare in their rematch with Bedford on Saturday.

And, contrary to published reports, (Today's Valley News writeup, may require an online subscription) your loyal blogger didn't lace up his skates and sneak out on to the ice.  If he had, you'd all know where the term "bender" comes from!

And, in case you missed it, Memorial topped Bedford 3-1 to earn the tourney crown.  

Thanks to all who made the weekend possible - especially Coaches Dodds, Cashman, and Dodds who devoted a large chunk of their holiday weekend to making it a special event for the boys.

A well earned day off today, than back to the grind in preparation for Saturday's rematch vs Bedford.

Manchester Tourney - Day 3

Another report from @Chaimberg.  If you don't follow him on Twitter, you should!

It was another warm, springlike day, as the Marauders travelled the few blocks from their overnight hotel to JFK arena.  The excitement was palpable in anticipation of the match between undefeated Hanover and Bedford.

The entire Marauder squad was dressed for action, and Loud was selected to play in his first varsity game. 

No one in the large crowd was disappointed by a terrific first period which featured back and forth action and few stoppages.  Bedford, the larger and more physical team, controlled the play deep in the Hanover zone, cycling the puck behind the goal, pinching at the points, and using their size to try to intimidate their opponents.  Hanover on the other hand, demonstrated their superior speed and passing, enabling them to deftly transition into the offensive zone. While the Bulldogs had the better of the odd man rushes, the Marauders led in time of possession.  With less than a minute left the first, Kim gathered in a loose puck and let go a hard wrist shot from the circle to give Hanover the lead. 

The Marauders kept their foot on the accelerator, but the Bulldogs tied the score five minutes into the second when they were able to knock in a rebound of a point shot.  The teams traded power plays, and it was apparent that Hanover needed to stay out of the penalty box to win this match.  Unfortunately, Bedford capitalized on their next man advantage, when a shot from the point was deflected into the goal.  Most in the partisan crowd thought the goal would be disallowed for a high stick, but this was not the case, and the period ended with Bedford in front two to one.

The Bulldogs got an insurance goal early in the third, as they pounded away at the puck in the crease.  Bedford connected on another power play opportunity with another deflection, this time off the leg of a forward parked in the slot.  Hanover had a few chances to pull back into the game, but Goff's one-timer from the slot was smothered by the Bedford netminder, and B. Acker was hauled down on a breakaway.

Special teams were the difference in this game; Bedford went two for four on their power play, while Hanover was scoreless in three opportunities.  Hanover plays Trinity in their final match.

One more trip down 89 and one more game to go, tonight vs long time rival Trinity.  At the preseason meeting, Coach Dodds was lamenting the change in the D1 schedule that had us no longer playing a regular season home and home with Trinity - well Coach, looks like you got them twice this season any way.  Funny how life has its own way of working things out for you!

Manchester Tourney - Day 2

The day started with a nice win over perennial power Manchester Central, ensuring that there would be a 4th game on Monday.  Thanks to the Milk Man (follow him @Chaimberg) for the writeup:

Hanover received goals from six different players, including a pair from Kim and Stadheim en route to a 8 to 2 victory over Manchester Central.  Short-handed specialist G Ratliff broke the ice  with the Marauders down a man, skating in alone, deking the goalie and slipping the puck into the net.  Kim closed out the first period by knocking in a rebound after McCoy's shot from the point was blocked.
Hanover increased their lead when Stadheim's shot from a sharp angle slipped between the Central tender and the post. The Marauders upped the margin to four goals with a power play tally as B Acker's went top shelf from in close.  Kim collected his second of the contest, swatting in the loose puck after B Acker's shot was blocked, but fell into the crease.  Before the end of the second, Central got onto the scoresheet when Hanover had difficultly clearing the zone and a player was left open in front.
Gus upped the lead to six-one with a power play goal.  Unfortunately, I missed the play trying to coordinate transport of my valise from Etna.  Nevertheless, the Marauder's kept attacking, and Stadheim added another short handed goal, once again scoring from the side of the goal.  One of the few Hanover miscues, a blue line pinch that went awry, led to a perfectly executed Manchester two on one for a second goal.  J Acker, invigorated from his intermission banana, closed out the scoring by putting the puck into a net vacated by the Central goalie after a wild scramble.
Hanover takes on 2-0 Bedford at noon, the winner heading to the championship match.

Following the game, a Monarchs game, and then this:

Not the trophy the boys hope to get a picture with at Verizon in early March, but pretty cool.

Then, back to the hotel for the night.  By all reports,a good night of fun, team building, bonding.  Then, Sun AM - back to the rink to take on Bedford.

And,  few pics from day 1 vs Goffstown, courtesy of Friend of the program and guest photographer Bob Dewhirst.  Thanks for sharing Bob

Hanover vs Goffstown pics

Friday vs Goffstown

The Milk Man delivers, once again:

For in-game updates, follow The Milk Man on Twitter @Chaimberg

The Hanover boys defeated the Goffstown Grizzlies by a score of two to nothing, winning their first round robin game in the Manchester Holiday Tournament.  Stadheim and Chaimberg tallied, and L. Ratliff recorded the shutout in the Marauder net.  

Hanover mishandled the play off the opening dump, but L. Ratliff was able to vacuum in the puck and prevent a disastrous start to the match.  Goffstown had another opportunity to take the lead, but their shot from the left circle rang off the far post.  Hanover's first chance for a score came on a hard shot from the point by Thum that handcuffed the Goffstown netminder, but he managed to envelope the loose puck.  After an exchange of penalties, the Grizzlies were unable to capitalize on two glorious opportunities in which the Marauder net was wide open.  On the ensuing play, Stadheim knocked in a rebound at the lip of the crease, after Kim and B. Acker diligently controlled the puck behind the opposing net, and Hanover took the one to nil lead into the dressing room.

The second period action was marred by a series of penalties that led to a never-ending series of power plays, penalty kills and four on fours.  Despite the extra attackers and additional room on the ice, the best scoring chance went to G. Ratliff when his shot on a shorthanded breakaway was smothered by the Grizzly goalie.

The Marauders added an insurance goal a minute and half into the final period to secure the victory.  Chaimberg intercepted a Goffstown clearing pass, weaved through a pair of defenders, and slotted a wrist shot low to the stick side of the Grizzly southpaw goaltender.  The remainder of the game mirrored the second period, with penalty upon penalty creating odd man advantages for each team.  Despite the manpower edge, neither team was able to connect

Back down Rt 89 this AM and on the ice today at noon for another matinee matchup vs perennial D1  power - Manchester Central. Central took a beating in the late game last night, 10-3 loss at the hands of Bedford.  

Tourney game results, schedule, standings, etc can be found at the tourney website:

Manchester Christmas Tourney website

Salem Game recap

From our dedicated Reporter Chaimberg:

Eighteen seconds into their match against the Blue Devils, the Marauders found themselves a goal down.  Salem chipped the puck into Hanover’s zone, gained control behind the net, and fed a wide open forward in front of the goal for a one-timer.  Before the first score was announced over the PA system, Salem would have their second tally.  Hanover mishandled their breakout, and the Blue Devils quickly moved the puck back towards the slot, where a backhander beat L. Ratliff up high.  Two minutes – two goals.  Salem added a third score on a shot from the right circle, and despite a Hanover timeout, added one more goal less than two minutes later after another neutral zone turnover.  The Blue Devils capitalized on every miscue by the Marauders, who went into the dressing room down by four.

The teams collected a pair of coincidental roughing minors (Logan and G. Ratliff) to start the second period, but Salem was not slowed down by the increase in physical play.  Stinson, replacing L. Ratliff in goal, was unable to stop a shot from the circle, and was beat again when Salem executed a beautiful three on three rush.  Hanover was down by six and there was still more than half a game to play.  Coach Dodds seized the opportunity to mix up the lines to try to fire up the boys.  Kim and Lindsay were paired on a forward line, while Chaimberg moved back to a defensive role.  Whether Salem took their foot of the gas, or the line changes worked, the rest of the match was definitely more evenly played.  Thurston stepped up with some solid body checks, Smith, McCoy and B. Acker led the offensive charge, and Lyons rang a shot of the crossbar in the waning moments of the middle stanza. 

In the third, after five plus scoreless periods, Hanover finally got onto the goal sheet.  J. Acker lugged the puck up the left side, used a toe drag to beat his defender and fired a hard wrist shot that went under the goalie’s left arm.  Salem added a power play goal on a screened shot from the point to close out the scoring.

Dec 22 @ Salem

Some times the best thing about hockey season is that it is pretty long - there are lots of games, and the next one comes up pretty soon.  The hockey season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Hang your stockings by the chimney with care, in hopes that some goals soon will be there.

Paul Stinson's photo blog

Opening Night

From the ink-stained hands of hard-working correspondent and Tweeter extraordinaire Mark Chaimberg:

Hanover Marauders opened the 2014-15 season at home with a 3-0 loss to Manchester Memorial.  Despite outshooting their opponents by a large 24-16 margin, the lack of goal scoring continues to plague the boys.  The Marauders generated a paltry 60 goals in 23 games last season, and they need to improve on that if they are going to find success this year.

The Marauders came out strong from the opening whistle, using their speed and tenacious forechecking to bottle up Memorial, forcing them to ice the puck.  Four minutes into the match Memorial was whistled for too many men on the ice, and Hanover displayed a well-organized power play.  The Marauders closed the period with another odd man advantage, but failed to capitalize.

In the middle stanza, Hanover’s quick breakout and neutral zone speed led to several odd man rushes.  A textbook two-on-one was foiled when the Memorial defender tipped Chaimberg’s pass to Smith, and G. Ratliff was unable to get off a good shot as he was chased down on a partial breakaway.  Memorial opened the scoring midway into the second when Stadheim was hauled down after getting behind a Manchester defender.  Memorial quickly reversed direction, and a shot from the top of the circle beat goalie L. Ratliff high to the glove side.  Lyons had the best chance to tie the score, but was forced to his backhand after almost getting a clear break.  The Marauders ended the period a man down.

Hanover continued to press in the third.  They successfully killed off a penalty and were once again on the attack when a Memorial forward stole the puck from a Marauder defender, crossed through the high slot and let go a low wrister to the far corner to double the lead.  A Hanover power play with three minutes to go, followed by an extra attacker for the final minute failed to register a goal.  Manchester put one into the empty net in the dying seconds, to complete the scoring. 

Check Paul Stinson's web site for pics:  http://hanoverhockeyphotos.phanfare.com/2014

They should be posted shortly.

Click here for Stinson's photos

Also, a nice article and pics in 12/18 Valley News:

Valley News Article

(Might need an online subscription to see the VN story, or just go get a paper the old fashioned way)

And, one last thanks to Mascoma Savings Bank for sponsoring the game.  Now, on to Salem . . .

Google Calendar

The Team Google calendar can be synced to your personal Outlook, iPhone or Google Calendar.

The iCal link is:

https://www.google.com/calendar/ical/rjsqvvepde1p9bjbdcserktcfk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

The XML link is:

https://www.google.com/calendar/feeds/rjsqvvepde1p9bjbdcserktcfk%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic

Or you can just check back to this page and click the link on the right which will bring it up in a new browser window.

Parent assignments/Team Dinner schedule

In case you missed the parent meeting, below is a link to the Parent game assignments and Team Dinner Schedule.  If you need to make a change, please work out a swap with another family on your own, and then let Stephanie or Amanda know so they can keep the master list up to date.   The link will also be on the home page of the blog on the right all season.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1k3XST8XUaKIxdG7t6Lg24xYzRCT_j551LL5xSPpRzpQ/edit?usp=sharing

TONIGHT WEDS DEC 10 7 pm 

Parent Athlete Meeting 

LOCATION: 

15 Brigham Hill Rd Norwich VT 

Katie and Terry McDonnell's home of  Ben and Jake Acker's mom and stepfather. 

We realize a few of the players will be coming late after a JV scrimmage, and also understand some of you may have conflicts you cannot reschedule. IF at all possible please have one parent come. Coaches will go over the program and expectations. 

Please bring your checkbooks :) This is the chance for new players to get team jackets and bags. There has also been an order placed for team gear and we will be collecting for that as well. While we realize it is a big time and financial commitment it is one that has many benefits. Please consider making a donation tonight to be recognized in the program.  

Players and parents meeting - Tuesday, 7PM

Parent/player meeting at 7 on Tues in the Cafeteria - lots of important info to go over.  See you all there.

Congratulations to the new members of the team!

Congratulations to all the new members of the team, now the real fun begins.  A link to this year's roster is posted in the "Pages" section on the right of the home page.

Turing the page on Movember . . .

Pretty chilly, but successful, fundraiser and personal care items collection drive for The Haven on Saturday.  Thanks to Dan and Whit's for letting the boys use their front sidewalk, and to all who contributed baked goods and/or donations items.

Now it's time to turn the calendar page on MoVember . .  on to hockey season.  Good luck to all the boys at tryouts.

Community Service and Fundraiser - This Saturday!

The proverbial two birds will be killed with one stone this Saturday.  Boy's Hockey will be set up outside Dan & Whit's from 10-2.  In honor of Movember, Men's Health Month, they will be collecting donations of men's hygiene products  (shaving cream, shampoo, toothbrushes, etc) to donate to The Haven.  And, they will be selling baked goods to any and all comers, in exchange for donations to the program.

So . . .  we need volunteers to man the table in front of D & W - talk to one of the captains about that.  And, we need donations of baked goods.  What better way to spend Black Friday than whipping up some muffins, or chocolate chip cookies, or whatever your specialty is?  Seems way better to me than standing in line at Best Buy or Wal-Mart, doesn't it?  Bring your baked goods donations on down to Dan and Whit's on Sat AM, or deliver them to one of the captain's houses on Friday if you can't make in on Saturday.  Who knows - maybe we can even get a prize our of the prize closet for whoever makes the yummiest treats!

Gobble gobble, hope to see you all Saturday.

Daily Schedule - Practices and games

Daily schedule of practices and games here.  AM practices start at 5:45.  Link will also be over in the column to the right all season.

 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XOR6l5CZjgE50An6xyjfbJJS8JFYqpxq5qaBcYhbvGg/pub

Welcome to Hanover Boys Hockey 2014-15

Coming soon . . .  a collection of all things related to Hanover boys hockey