Hat purchases will have to wait for another day . . .

Continuing on the Bill Murray in Groundhog Day theme - first it was trips to Salem IceCenter, and now it's games postponed due to weather . . . No school in Exeter today due to Blizzard Juno, so make that two games in a row postponed due to weather.  As an offering to the weather gods, please allow me to present Juno in her classic Roman form:

Or, if you prefer, in her more modern Hollywood form:

Wouldn't a hat like this be great on a day like today?

Well, you're in luck!  Stephanie Briggs will have some for sale at the game tomorrow night, and at future home games while supplies last.  Find her at the game, or you can email her and arrange delivery some other way if you won't make the game.  Cost is $20 ($15 for players) - get one now before they're all gone!

Jan 17@ Londonderry

Back down to the Salem IceCenter we went for the third time in 6 weeks, like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.

From the keyboard of @ Chaimberg:

The Hanover Marauders gave up the winning goal with under a minute to play, losing to Londonderry by a slim two to one margin on Saturday night at the Salem Icenter.  Hanover had the upper hand in terms of puck possession and time in the offensive zone, but Londonderry had the majority of quality shots on goal.  

With fifty seconds left in the middle period the Marauders coughed up the puck to a Lancer forechecker waiting in the slot, and his one timer gave Londonderry the lead.  Jonathan Goff sniped a shot over the goalie's glove early in the third to knot the score, after taking a breakout pass from Eric McCoy and skating in two on two.  Hanover controlled the play for the rest of the period, firing plenty of shots towards the Londonderry net.  Luke Ratliff did have to come up big on a few occasions as a few turnovers and errant passes gave the Lancers some golden opportunities.  With regulation time winding down and Hanover attacking, Londonderry stole the puck in the neutral zone and came down on a two on one, with Benjamin Chaimberg the lone defenseman.  Ratliff made the initial save, but a third Lancer picked up the loose puck behind the net and flipped a backhand that ricocheted off the back of Ratliff's shoulder and over the goal line.   It was a long ride home for the fans, but an even longer evening for the boys who came back to Hanover for a late night practice.

Anybody looking for photos, check out Paul Stinson's blog:

http://hanoverhockeyphotos.phanfare.com/

Marauders are back in action on Weds, looking to avenge a tough loss vs Concord from a few weeks ago, and get the season back on the right track.  11 games still left in the regular season - plenty of time to make a move.  

Jan 10 @ Bishop Brady

Thanks again to @Chaimberg for the game report:

Hanover shuffled up their lineup prior to the match against Bishop Brady, and the new trios combined with strong defense and goaltending for a 6-0 victory at Everett Ice Arena in Concord.  Gus Lyons led the attack with a pair of goals, with other scores coming from Jonathan Goff, Gavin Ratliff, Peter O'Leary and Kordell Lindsay.  Ben Acker earned three assists, and Jin Kim contributed a pair of helpers.

The Marauders got on the board during their first power play opportunity, with Kim and Acker driving to the net before passing back to Goff in the slot for a one timer.  Hanover connected again with Acker and Kim leading the charge towards the Brady goal, and Acker sending a blind backhand from behind the net to a wide open Lyons.  Ratliff added to the total in the first minute of the second period, knocking in the rebound of an Acker shot from the circle. Hanover upped the lead to 4-0 when O'Leary's wrister from the face off dot went over the tender's shoulder, with some strong work by linemates Lindsay and Jake Acker to keep Brady pinned in their zone.  The Marauders finally chased the Bishop Brady netminder on a fine play by Eric McCoy to keep the puck from squirting out, followed by a dipsy doodle and a sweet backhand pass to Lyons for a snipe.  

Hanover continued to dominate in the third, with Lindsay making a nice move to the net, and sending the game to running time.  The defense of Kim, Ben Chaimberg, McCoy, Patrick Logan, Parker Thurston and Austen Thum were solid throughout the match, and young Ratliff came up big when it was needed.

Hanover have the week off before facing Londonderry (3-2) on Saturday.

Jan 7 @ St Thomas

From the mighty pen of The MilkMan:

St. Thomas capitalized on the few opportunities that were presented to them as they squeaked by Hanover 4-3 in a match played at the Dover Ice Den.  Peter O'Leary led the Marauders with a goal and an assist.  Jonathan Goff and Jake Acker had the other goals, and Gus Lyons, Gavin Ratliff and Benjamin Chaimberg earned assists.

The Saints had the only tally in a first period dominated by Hanover, beating our defender on a one on one and ending with a clear shot from between the circles.  St. Thomas doubled their lead early into the second, as their forward split the Hanover defenders and used a deke move to beat Luke Ratliff.  O'Leary got the Marauders into the match when he picked up a terrific cross ice pass from Lyons, streaked down the right side, and sniped a shot into the top corner.  St. Thomas quickly regained their two goal advantage as a Hanover defender fell at the offensive blue line, leading to a breakaway.  Eric McCoy made a valiant effort to chase down the Saint player, but was unable to prevent him from putting on a nice move.  Hanover ended the second and started the third with a five on three man advantage, but could not convert.  Goff cut the lead to 3-2 when he banged home a shot from the slot, after a strong effort by Ratliff to control the puck in the St. Thomas zone.  The Saints converted once again after a scramble on the boards, but Hanover quickly made it a one goal game.  O'Leary got behind the St. Thomas defender with his patented toe drag, and fed Acker in the slot for the score with half a period left to play.  Hanover could not get the equalizer fell to St. Thomas despite a 43-15 shot advantage.

A podcast of the St. Thomas game can be found at mixlr.com/chaimberg.  Click on SHOWREEL for a listing.

Next up - another trip down 89 and another chance to get on the right side of the ledger - Sat @ 5:30 vs Bishop Brady.  Brady came home from Alvirne with a 2-0 win last night - their first of the season.  

Jan 5 vs Concord

Hanover gave up two third period goals in a loss to Concord on Monday night.  Kordell Lindsay had the lone marker for the Marauders, who are off to a disappointing 0-4 record in Division I play.  The boys are averaging just one goal per game this season, and despite many opportunities the top offensive line has been held without a point.

The Capitals dominated puck possession in the early going, using a strong forecheck to force turnovers and bad passes.  The Marauders got their legs late in the period, but failed to convert on their best chances when Seth Stadheim fanned on a Jin Kim's pass from behind the goal line, and Jonathan Goff was unable to get off a good shot after driving hard to the net.

The second period was filled with action, and Hanover connected first, with Will Smith feeding Lindsay in the slot for a quick one-timer. Unfortunately, Concord returned the favour thirteen seconds later on a nearly identical play.  Concord then got into penalty trouble, giving Hanover four consecutive minutes with a man up.  The second power play unit had the best chances, with Goff controlling the puck down low, and Benjamin Chaimberg feeding Alan Baker for several bullets from the point.  Concord had a man advantage of their own, but a terrific save by Mike Stinson on a breakaway kept the score tied one apiece.

The Capitals took the lead early into the final period when, coming off a man advantage, a long rebound was backhanded from the high slot over Stinson's shoulder.  Hanover looked as though they had tied the score during a subsequent power play, but the goal was waived off when the official signaled he had already blown the play dead.  With under five and half minutes to go, Peter O'Leary was upended as he tried to get into the clear, and Hanover another chance to even the match.  However, Concord was able to clear their zone and convert on a shorthanded odd man rush.  

Busy week continues, with a trip to Dover tomorrow to take on St Thomas -  6:30 at the Dover Ice Arena.

Jan 3 vs Bedford

From the Milk Man (Follow him @ Chaimberg):

The Hanover Marauder boys rebounded from an early two goal deficit to tie the Bedford Bulldogs, but a pair of unfortunate plays and an empty net goal led to a 5-2 loss.  Kordell Lindsay (power play) and Jonathan Goff scored for Hanover, who gave up a power play and a shorthanded goal.

Bedford opened the scoring with a power play goal in the waining seconds of the first period on the rebound of a point shot.  The Bulldogs doubled their lead in the first minute of the second period, converting on a well executed two on one break.  Kordell Lindsay got one back on Hanover's first power play opportunity of the match. tipping in an Alan Baker point shot, with an assist to Benjamin Chaimberg.  Hanover struggled on their next power play chance, yielding a breakaway opportunity for Bedford that required Luke Ratliff to make a good save.  With Bedford still up by a goal, Hanover got into serious penalty trouble as two Marauders were sent to the box on the same play, but the boys did an excellent job of keeping the Bulldogs to the perimeter and limiting their shots.  Ben Acker looked like he had the tying goal, but after breaking in alone and eluding the Bedford goalie, he slid the puck off the far post.

  

Hanover entered the final period down a goal, but certainly buoyed by their defense on the two-man disadvantage.  Less than a minute in, Goff got the tying goal on a sharp angle shot from the left corner.  "I saw the goalie cheating towards the middle", said Goff, "and I thought a saw a space between his arm and the post". Hanover upped their attack and drew a penalty after a nice shift from Lindsay, Peter O'Leary and Will Smith.  On the ensuing power play, after the Bulldogs sent the puck the length of the ice, a Bedford player was able to steal it and wrap the puck around the side of the net for a score.  Bedford would capitalize on another miscue when the puck lay at the lip of the crease for what seemed like an eternity as goalie and defender expected the other to handle it.  Eventually the puck was batted free and the Bulldogs shot it into the open side. An empty net goal completed the scoring.

The boys get right back on the horse Monday night at home vs Concord - late start at 7:40.  Concord is 2-1 in the league, coming off a 5-1 loss to Nashua North their last time out.