In a fast-paced,
edge-of-your-seat thriller, the defending Division 1 state champion Bedford
Bulldogs clinched the Manchester High School Christmas Holiday Tournament title
with a 4-2 win over the Hanover Marauders.
It was the third straight tournament title for Bedford and the first
loss on the season for Hanover which drops to 6-1.
However, despite
the two-goal difference in score, the game was close and it was only a late
empty-netter when Hanover was crashing the goal with numerous late opportunities
that won the game for Bedford. This was
hockey at its best – Friday night, tournament final, big crowd, veteran
coaching, and two rival teams going shot-for-shot for 45 minutes.
Bedford came
into the season as one of the true favorites in Division 1. Despite an early loss to Concord in league
play, they are a senior-heavy, experienced, championship level team. Conversely, the Marauders, who lost 11
seniors last year, had some questions coming into this year with so many gaps
to fill. However, after rocketing out to
6-0 on the season, there was no longer any doubt that Hanover was a force and
that this final would be a thriller.
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| All tournament goalie Harris LaRock |
From the start
though, it looked as though it might be over quickly. Only 3:31 in, Hanover found themselves down
2-0 on goals from Joey Sanclemente and Jack Sylvain. The fast, physical Bedford forwards,
especially on Sanclemete’s goal, were having their way in the neutral zone and
outhustling the Hanover defense to the net resulting in good open looks and chances. However, Hanover battled and as their
confidence and physicality improved, so did their game chances. It is said that the third goal is the most important
in hockey, and everyone in the jammed JFK arena – from players to coaches to
fans – knew the next goal would be critical.
Junior Hanover
winger Joey Goff perhaps knew this more than everyone and at 13:40 left in the first,
with the rest of the game critically in the balance, he took a Hans Williams feed
at the left post and beat senior Bedford goalie Connor Laurendeau (25 saves). Heading into the locker room after period 1,
we now had a Bedford-Hanover thriller on our hands.
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| All tournament forward David Lehmann |
The second
period was exactly what everyone expected – end-to-end hockey, physical play on
both sides that was by far the heaviest of the season for the Marauders, and
numerous chances on each side, the most notable on a man-up for Hanover which had
Laurendeau standing on his head to deny multiple good in-deep chances . What wasn’t expected was a Bedford player’s
assault of junior winger Charlie Plottner at mid-ice with a page taken right
out of Vince McMahon’s WWE playbook. In
wrestling someone is determined to be pinned at a 3-count, but the rules are apparently
different in hockey as not only was no penalty called, but Plottner was down
for a good 5-6 seconds.
With the game’s momentum swinging back and forth
throughout the period, it was Bedford who struck first when senior Kyle Greer who
stole the puck in the neutral zone, went in 1-1 from the left side, and just barely snuck it by Harris LaRock for
a 3-1 advantage at 9:55. However, less than
a minute later, Owen Stadheim snuck in from the left circle and his impossible-angle
wrist shot beat Laurendeau high. Now it was game-on again, and as the horn
sounded to end the second, expectations for a championship third period were
high.
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| All tournament defenseman Braxton McNulty |
The crowd was
not disappointed in the third. It was
LaRock (26 saves) for Hanover who
initially kept the Marauders in the game, especially with a glove save on a
short-side rocket from the circle. With
the Marauders rolling lines to keep their top scorers on the ice, exhaustion was
apparent and midway through the third period the game opened up as players from
both teams felt the effect of four games in as many nights. Finally, a Dick Dodds time-out with 3:20 left
gave the team a breather, and one half-expected some of the Marauders, especially
the run-hard defense, to lay down on the ice for a 60-second power nap. One final push with LaRock pulled with a minute
left gave Hanover one last good chance, but a late empty netter put the game
out of reach and the Bulldogs had their championship.
30 days ago, as
tryouts began for the 2017-18 team, most would have been hard-pressed to predict
that the 6-0 Marauders would take it to the limit with Bedford in the Christmas
tournament championship game. In the
season preview, coach Dodds emphasized that in order for the season to be
successful, the players would have to learn their new roles. Well, it seems mission accomplished. Harris LaRock, who never had a varsity start
until three weeks ago, has developed into a complete force in backstopping the
team. Senior captain David Lehmann is
tearing up the point sheet and leading his linemates Elias Zinman and Owen
Stadheim to do the same. The Plottner –
Williams- Goff line has found its scoring touch with this year’s tournament
being a coming out party for that group of juniors. Toño Correa, Rowan Wilson, Cameron Woods
and Peter Warhold are contributing solid minutes. And senior captain Braxton McNulty has
stabilized the defense, with Sam Seelig, Duncan Bailey, Sy Oberting, and Matty
Gardner all improving into an impressive unit.
Very deservedly,
LaRock, Lehmann and McNulty captured all-tournament honors as the Marauders
depart the Queen City with a 3-1 tournament record and all of the confidence
that comes from exceeding pre-season expectations. As they departed back on a snowy Route I-89,
perhaps in the back of their mind they know where the state semi-finals will be
held in March – JFK arena.
The Marauders take
on Nashua North this Wednesday at 6:30 at Campion. Nashua North comes into the contest at 0-3 on
the year.
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