Jan 23, Hanover 3 - Nashua North/Souhegan 1

Orthrus - the legendary two headed dog of Greek mythology was responsible for guarding his master's cattle in the land of Erytheia.

Loud/Ratliff - the Marauders two headed goal-tending tandem, responsible for guarding the Hanover net and keeping the Marauders in games until their mates can find a way to score enough goals to win.  Last night was Loud's turn, as he turned away 19 of the 20 shots he faced and backstopped Hanover to a 3-1 win over the Nashua North-Souhegan SaberTitans.  In the 10 games Hanover has played this year against teams not named Bedford, the goaltending duo has allowed a paltry 17 goals.  With the win, Hanover improves to 4-3-1 in the NHIAA and currently sits in 7th place in the league standings.

The first period was for the most part a muddle of neutral zone play, with neither team gaining any traction.  Hanover struck first with a short handed goal when Stadheim picked off a N-S pass at the blue line and skated in alone, neatly deked the goalie and slid the puck into the back of the net.  Unfortunately, the boost was short lived, as the N-S powerplay continued and a loose puck in the slot was converted into a well placed snipe that beat Loud glove side less than a minute later.

The second period turned into a special teams battle, as both teams took penalties and had extended periods with the man advantage.  The heroes of the period for Hanover were Stadheim, Acker, and Smith, who combined to kill two complete minutes of a N-S 5 on 3 advantage, helped along the way by several big stops from Loud.

The Marauders had several good bids of their own in the 2nd, and finally broke through with just 12 seconds to play.  Stadheim netted the eventual game winner, his second of the game, when he picked up a rebound of a Beaver shot and slid it past the goalie.  Acker was credited with the second assist on the play.

The third period was more of the same - a tight, physical battle, with N-S probing for the equalizer, and Hanover searching for the 3rd goal to give them some breathing room.  Neither team broke through, until Smith finally put the game out of reach with an empty-net goal with less than a minute to play. Acker earned his second point of the night with an assist on the Smith goal.

Next up for Hanover is an early dismissal road trip to Exeter for an afternoon tilt on Weds.  Exeter currently sits just a half game ahead of the Marauders, and have a win over Bedford on their resume, so it promises to be quite a matchup.