The Two Jacks

Everyone knows there are certain expectations that come with being a freshman.  You can expect to get the worst locker. You can expect your 8^th grade girlfriend to dump you for the older guy with the car.  You can expect your mom to still want you to kiss her goodbye when she drops you off at school in the morning in front of your friends.  Lots of expectations.

But what is not expected is for you to make the varsity hockey team, especially one as senior heavy as the 2019-20 edition of Dick Dodds's Hanover Marauders.  And if you make it, you’re not supposed to contribute much, let alone get any playing time.  And if you do play, you’re not supposed to be the best player on the ice in your first varsity game and score the team’s first goal of the season or bail your team out from a tough tie with the game winner with under a minute left.

But if tonight’s game against the 1-0- Bow Falcons is any indication, freshmen Jack Stadheim and Jack Gardner, the two Jacks, have come this year to defy expectations.  Throw in stellar performances from sophomore defenseman Spencer Lawe and senior forward Brendan Brigham, and you’ve got the Marauders 1-0 on the season with a closer-than-expected 2-1 victory at Everett tonight.

This is an improved Bow team from a year ago, and with a large Concord-based crowd on hand, the first period showed the rust on Hanover, with this being their first game of the season after a Tuesday snow cancellation.  While the Marauders came close several times, especially from senior Patrick Daley and sophomore Augie Oberting, the locals could not find the back of the net.  In fact Bow had the best chance from the mid slot at 6:40 but sophomore stud goalie Ben Plottner slapped that attempt away easily and Lawe was a beast moving from the defensive to the offensive zone, and the period ended in a 0-0 tie with Hanover outshooting the Falcons 11-4.

The second period belonged to Stadheim, as his double dangler rush (never saw Seth or Owen do that!) finishing with a backhander in close was just barely turned away at 4:49.  But you knew it was coming, as on Hanover's only man-up of the game the freshman kept pushing and pushing until at 7:41, Cam Woods’s pass from behind the net met the oncoming freshman in the mid slot whose wrister put Hanover on top 1-0.  Second assist to Daley.  The locals would finish the period up in shots 22-11 but clinging to the 1-0 lead heading into the third.

And might I digress for one second from the game.  I don’t know if there is something they teach the people in charge of the music at Everett, but they consistently have the best of any arena. And it doesn’t even matter what home team is in charge.  Spectacular.  Great variety, all the hockey favorites and nothing written after 1987 – perfect.

But Bow came out of the locker room hoping to avenge last year’s 5-1 loss to the Marauders, and at 4:47 Jake Mielcarz picked up an errant clear at the blue line and walked in alone on Plottner to make it 1-1.  Each team then battled back and forth throughout the period, with a post for Bow and a crossbar for Hanover keeping the tie intact.  As the clock clicked under a minute, Hanover pressed again down low in the offensive zone and it was Brigham, as he had done all night, winning an all-out hustle battle behind the net and loosening the puck so that it came out to Gardner poaching at the left circle.  The freshman stepped up for the one-timer slapshot from about the Hopkinton town line and rifled it off the Bow goalie’s blocker at 14:10 into the back of the net for the game winner.  Yes Mrs. Gardner, having to redo the sheetrock in the basement because of all of the errant puck shooting practice was worth it.

With a dangerous last fifty seconds to play it was Plottner who saved the day with a key save on Mielcarz from the point and with the horn, the boys start their march to March 1-0 on the season.  Killing 3 penalties, rolling the lines and the aggressive play from the newcomers all keyed the victory.  Plottner had 18 saves with the locals outshooting the Falcons 39-19.

However, the 1-0 Marauders won’t get much rest, as in about 17 hours, Manchester Central comes to town for a mid-Sunday tilt at Thompson.  So welcome to the big show two Jacks, enjoy first place Marauders, and Bow I hope you won’t have too many nightmares about #3 tonight.  Always good to pull out of Everett with a win.

See you at the rink…