The Hanover Marauders, coming off their first league loss of the year the day before to Bedford, made a trip back to their home away from home JFK arena on Manchester’s east side for their third league game in as many days. Facing the Manchester Memorial Crusaders, the Marauders came in a little banged up having faced two tough top tier Division 1 foes in as many days. This game would be a test for Hanover, as starting center Owen Stadheim was out with an injury, forcing a shuffling of each of the three forward lines. The Crusaders came into the contest with a 1-6 record in league, with their lone win coming against city rival Manchester Central.
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| First goal of the year for Rowan Wilson |
Coach Dick Dodd’s starting five featured the steady defensive corps of Braxton McNulty and Sylas Oberting, with a new starting forward line of Hans Williams, Elias Zinman and Cameron Woods. From the outset and continuing throughout the game, Hanover dominated play with multiple scoring opportunities but just could not capitalize. Finally at 13:09, David Lehmann had enough of the close calls and as you want your captain to do, he gave the Marauders the only goal they would need. Lehmann took a Sylas Oberting shot from behind the net, skated out to the top of the circle, and cashed in with a quick wrist shot glove side. 1-0 Hanover and as the clock ticked away to end the period, one had the feeling that this would be only the beginning of a big offensive afternoon for the Upper Valley boys.
It didn’t take long for the deluge to start. At 2:20 into the second, Zinman won a face-off in the near offensive zone to Williams who passed on to Woods in the mid slot and his wrister made it 2-0. It was the second goal of the long weekend for Woods, whose game winner against Trinity stands at the most important of the year thus far for the Marauders. Hanover struck again for the second time in the period on their first power play opportunity at 11:38 when Lehmann found Matty Gardner who found Rowan Wilson in the high slot for a backhander to make it 3-0 and give Wilson his first point of the season. At the second intermission, Hanover was enjoying a 3-0 advantage by distributing the wealth around equally like it was Moscow in 1917.
The third period saw Hanover pour it on with three more goals to close with a 6-0 victory. At 4:33 a Gardner shot from the point deflected to Lehmann whose subsequent wrist shot made it 4-0. At 5:42 on a power play featuring exquisite puck movement from the Oberting, Zinman, Lehmann, Correa, Gardner quintet, Correa found Zinman whose smooth pass to the back door found the captain for his third goal of the night. A hatrick for Lehmann - the first on the season for a Hanover player. With the goal on the man-up Hanover was 2-2 on the power play. Finally, Charlie Plottner made the Crusaders pay for a neutral zone turnover by going in on a breakaway unassisted at 5:54 to complete the scoring.
Goalie Harris LaRock was again stellar in recording his second shutout of the season making 14 saves, with fine defensive efforts from the defensive five of McNulty, Oberting, Duncan Bailey, Sam Seelig, and Gardner.
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