Senior Night Send off - Exeter 3 - Hanover 1

Another tough night for the Marauders. Some late breaking good news however - If the NHIAA standings are correct on their website, Salem's loss last night has assured Hanover a spot in the post season tourney.

Thanks again to Everett Logan for the game report:

It was Senior night for the Hanover Marauders, their last home game of the regular season and a chance to say thanks and goodbye to three skaters on the team: captain Eric McCoy, Matthew Miles, and Drew Tengdin. After a brief ceremony for the three and a stirring a cappella rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by the Soar Throats, the puck dropped and the Marauders looked to get back in the win column. 

Things started well for the Marauders with aggressive forechecking keeping Exeter hemmed in their zone for much of the early going. Jake Acker nearly broke the ice just a few minutes into the game with a blistering slapshot one-timer off a feed from Jonny Goff that clanged off the crossbar. However, Hanover did draw first blood minutes later when Seth Stadheim scored the first goal of the game at 7:05 of the first period. Playing dump-and-chase, Jensen Dodge beat the Exeter defender to the puck in the left corner shrugged off the ensuing check to send the puck behind the net where Stadheim gathered it. The sophomore center ducked an Exeter bodycheck and moved the puck into the right side of the slot on the doorstep of the crease. Holding the puck for a second to get Bryson Desjardins to commit, he then wristed a shot over the Exeter goalie’s shoulder for a 1-0 lead. 

The lead would prove short-lived, however, as Exeter found the equalizer at 3:54 of the first. The Eagles’ leading scorer Brandon Mello brought the puck along the left wing before cutting in toward the Hanover net at the face-off circle. Eluding a poke-check attempt, he shielded the puck with his body before tucking it in the net as he slid across the crease. 

The second period belonged to Exeter as they pulled away with two insurance goals from sophomore forward Ben Baldasaro: a pretty snapshot from the left face-off circle  that found the top of the net at 4:20, followed by a wrist shot from the right slot at 9:02. 

In terms of offensive pressure and puck possession, the third period belonged to Hanover, but they were unable to solve Desjardins, perhaps the league’s top goalie. Sometimes hockey games can be decided by a hot goaltender, as Desjardins showed earlier in the season when he made an astounding 58 saves to lead Exeter to an upset of then-undefeated Bedford. The senior captain showed more of his magic in the third as he made 11 of his 26 saves in the frame, many of them on high-quality shots that would have easily beaten most high-school goalies. In the end, a frustrated Hanover could only tip their collective caps to Desjardins who as equal to anything they could throw at him. 

Despite the 3-1 loss, Hanover played some of its most aggressive hockey of the year. Standheim, Dodge, Goff, and David Lehmann were fearless in their aggression on the forecheck and in chasing down loose pucks along the boards, while Acker and McCoy dominated the neutral zone and the Hanover breakout. The Hanover defense limited Exeter’s offense to less than 20 shots. 

After a rare Saturday off, Hanover looks to secure a playoff spot on the road against 14-1 Concord next Wednesday at the always tough confines of Everett Arena with a late school-night tilt beginning at 7:30.