Marauders Stem Tide, Move on to Championship

Sophomore center Elias Zinman set up
the game's only goal at 9:42 of the first.

After two early afternoon games, Hanover had the nightcap of the annual Manchester Holiday Tournament as they traveled back to JFK to take on traditional rival Concord with an 8:00pm start. Fireworks are often on display when the Marauders meet the Crimson Tide, and tonight's game was no exception.

Despite the late start, neither team seemed lacking in energy, and the early action was fast and furious from the opening face off. Both Hanover's Gabe Loud and Concord's Griffin Gilbert kept their respective opposition off the scoreboard with several solid saves at both ends.

Hanover finally broke-through at 9:42 when Elias Zinman won a crucial face off in the Concord zone and fed immediately to defenseman Braxton McNulty, who took a step in from the blue line before launching a high wrist shot that beat Gilbert to the glove side. It was McNulty's second goal of the season, and the ninth by a Hanover defensemen, who have collectively accounted for 60 percent of the Marauders' goals.

It looked as if the 1-0 lead would be in jeopardy when Concord went on the power play at 11:17. The Tide man-up unit looked potent on their first opportunity, with swift-skating defenseman Matt Chorlian quarterbacking from the point, and all-state senior forward Alex Marceau always dangerous in front of the net. However, Loud made two big saves in the first minute, and the penalty-kill unit kept further chances to a minimum for the second minute to shut the door and the period ended with the 1-0 Hanover lead intact.

At 1:05 of the second, Concord junior forward Colin Kastle was sent to the bin for hooking, and Hanover got a chance to exercise its own man-up unit, but Gilbert pushed aside each attempt. Seconds after the teams returned to even-strength, defenseman Will Smith sent freshman forward Rowan Wilson in alone on Gilbert, but the Crimson netminder made a pad save on Wilson's deking backhand to keep the lead at one.

Hanover had another power play opportunity when Marceau was sent off for interference at 12:22. Hanover's man-up units displayed both Broad-Street-Bullies-esque grinding and Soviet-quality passing and peppered Gilbert with quality shots, but the junior goalie was the equal of everything the Marauders could throw at him. Throughout the second period, Hanover played some of its finest hockey to date this season, with forwards Jonny Goff and Jake Acker utilizing their speed to penetrate the Crimson zone, and Jensen Dodge and David Lehmann consistently winning loose pucks along the boards. Senior captain Patrick Logan delivered crunching hit after hit on the Crimson forwards, while fellow defensemen McNulty, Smith, and TJ Beaver all played stellar defense in keeping the quality shots on Loud to a minimum. Only the top-notch play of Gilbert kept the lead at merely a goal, and the period expired with the score stalled at 1-0 Hanover.

The two teams picked up right where they left off in the third, with Concord pressing ever harder for the equalizer, and Hanover pressing just as hard in return for the insurance goal. Neither had come by the ten-minute mark, and then Hanover was presented with its best opportunity of the evening when Crimson Tide senior defenseman Daniel LeBell was sent to the box with a five-minute major at 10:22 after a  leg-check on Jonny Goff, which left the Hanover captain writhing on the ice in pain. Hanover players and fans held their breath as Goff was helped off the ice, as this was the variety of knee-on-knee contact that ended the careers of such NHL stars as Cam Neely. Fortunately for the Marauders, Goff would return later in the period.

With 4:38 left to play – and major penalties not being released even after a goal – it looked as if Hanover could control play until the final whistle. However, Concord was unwilling to go quietly into that good night and mounted several man-down counterattacks into the Marauder zone. In the process of clearing a Crimson Tide attacker from the crease, Logan picked up a devastating cross-checking penalty at 14:15. With the face off in the Hanover end, Concord pulled Gilbert and what was a 5-on-4 Hanover advantage instantly flipped to a 5-on-4 Concord advantage. With both sides' fans on the edge of their seats, the Marauders fought off the furious Tide power play for the final 45 seconds. Loud made two big saves, and McNulty cemented his status as man of the match when he stepped in front of a wide-open Chorlain's slap shot and blocked it off his knee. Concord was unable to mount another shot as the final seconds ticked away, and Hanover hung on for the 1-0 win, their second shutout, and fourth win, in a row.

Loud notched 15 saves for his first shutout of the year, while Gilbert turned away 22 shots in the losing effort. With the win, the Marauders improved to 4-2 on the season, while the Crimson Tide drop to 2-3.

After a blizzard-generated rest day, Hanover will return to action against last year's tournament and state champions, the Bedford Bulldogs, in the championship game on Friday. Game time is 5:00pm.