A 6 goal offensive explosion combined with a "becoming routine" shut down defensive unit and excellent goaltending combined to lead Hanover past Manchester Central 6-2 on day 2 of the Bauer Xmas tourney. With the win, the Marauders earned a spot in Tuesday's final four, heading in to Monday's matchup with Bedford.
An early goal by Central out of a goal mouth scrum put the Little Green up 1-0, was quickly negated by a Goff goal, with assists to Smith and Zinman. A couple of solid rings off the pipes by Goff and Acker and a lot of sustained offensive zone pressure eventually led to the game winner with 4 minutes to go in the first when Stadheim collected a rebound of an Acker shot and slipped it past the Central goalie. Will Smith put the Marauders up two just 50 seconds before the break with a knee hockey trick shot from the right circle that somehow squirted past the goalie and into the back of the net, with an assist credited to Acker on the tally.
The start of the 2nd period brought more of the same. Stadheim got his second of the night just 22 seconds after the intermission, with assists from Lehman and Acker. Less than 3 minutes later, Baker took a shot from the point with the Marauders on the man advantage that found its way into the back of the net. The officials credited the goal to Stadheim, who was stationed in front of the net and may have redirected it, but several nearby observers felt it went straight in and the goal belongs to Baker. In either event, Lehman earned another assist, and the game was effectively out of reach. Just over a minute later, Smith netted his second of the day, an unassisted beauty described as a "goal scorer's goal" by one astute fan at that end of the rink.
The third period brought running time in an effort by rink management to get the day's schedule back on track. And, more importantly, the coaching staff took the opportunity to roll 4 lines, earning some valuable experience for some and much needed rest for others. Somewhere along the way, Central added a meaningless 2nd goal to bring the final tally to 6-2.
A quick shower and out of the locker room came the young Marauders, headed for the Monarchs game and an overnight in the big city, with a three game winning streak and a growing confidence in themselves and their teammates. Ahead is a date with Bedford on Monday at 4:00 with a trip to Tuesday's finals on the line.
Monday's game will be live streamed at no charge, thanks to Michael Currier of Castle Hill Sports.
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