Punching Their Dance Card

Playing their first home game of the season, in front of some of the recent royalty of Hanover Hockey back in town from college with names like McNulty, LaRock and Acker, the Marauders took to the ice against an 0-1 Bow Falcons team making their debut season in Division 1.  Two hours later, Hanover had avoided the pre-Holiday Dance trap game and secured a 6-1 victory to elevate them to 2-0 on the season.

     The MVP of this game had to be Bow senior goalie Nathan Carrier, who from the opening whistle was under significant duress, especially given that the Falcons were down three skaters who had been injured during their opening game loss to Nashua South.  For the first 13 minutes of the period, Carrier faced down innumerable Hanover chances, most notably generated from the Charlie Plottner-Joey Goff-Hans Williams line that continually came flying in close only to be turned away in every possible way by Carrier.  Carrier was helped by two shots off of the post by Hanover, but rarely did the puck leave Bow’s defensive zone, being kept in by the swarming forecheckers like Casey Graham, Rowan Wilson, Spencer Lawe, and Carter Auch.  Finally, it was Matty Gardner’s wrister from the point, on an assist from linemate Sy Oberting, who put Hanover up front at 13:00 minutes to finish the period with Hanover up 1-0.

      The second period was a lot like the first, with a very strong Hanover forecheck led by senior Will Laycock and junior Brendan Brigham frustrating the Falcons into numerous defensive zone turnovers.  However, it was not until midway through the second that the Marauders were able to beat Carrier again, with Oberting slipping a lateral pass at the point to Gardner who found Toño Correa flying through the mid slot.  His well-directed blast found the net glove side to make it 2-0 at 5:55.  As the Marauders seemingly sensed Bow’s vulnerability and the HD inched closer to reality, the junior line of Cameron Woods-Patrick Daley- Correa continued to keep on the pressure.  This frustrated the Falcons into committing a tripping penalty that gave Hanover it second power play opportunity of the season.  With shades of Stadheim-Zinman-Lehmann all over again, in came the Woods-Correa-Curtis Rice-Oberting-Gardner unit and 21 seconds later, Oberting’s rip from the point found Gardner screening in front whose poke to a crashing Woods made it 3-0 at 13:57.  Just to keep it interesting, Bow came flying in on goalie Ben Plottner at 14:59, who up to this point had been using his stick as a prop to keep him awake, for a dribbler by Devin Perry that just crossed the goal line as time expired.

      Heading into the third period, it seemed like the Marauders were more concerned with who would get to use the showers first postgame and get to the dance the earliest rather than continue the clean, tough play that had been featured in the first two periods. Uncharacteristically,  they were called for five penalties in the final frame, including one prolonged stretch of 5-on-3 when three Marauders were simultaneously in the box.  It was Oberting, however, who wasn’t taking any chances on his dance card not being punched this day who put the Marauders ahead  4-1 at 3:33 with a high slot wrister with assists going to Daley and Rice for his fourth point of the night.  13 seconds later it was Rice breaking into the offensive zone and finding a streaking Plottner coming down the slot like a freight train to punch in the nifty feed to make it 5-1.  Finally Woods completed his two goal day with a nice poke in front on assists from Daley and Brigham.

      Plottner finished with 11 saves on 12 shots, helped by a defense of Duncan Bailey, Will Fichman, Rice, Gardner, and Oberting. Carrier had 49 for saves the Falcons.

     It is hard to imagine a more dramatic transformation than what was witnessed in the Campion lobby after the game as the Hanover juniors and seniors emerged from the locker room.  What was 15 minutes earlier a smelly mass of adolescent testosterone drenched in sweat, came player after player sauntering down behind the benches looking like they had just been hired to model for Vineyard Vines (all except child model Charlie Plottner, who may still be under contractual obligation with LL Bean and cannot wear the competition).  Parents gushed with pride, younger siblings laughed and Marauder sophomores and freshman got into the family minivan to begin another Saturday night of Netflix and/or Fortnight. 

      Dick Dodds's 2-0 Marauders will have the day off tomorrow and then begin a brutal stretch of games that sees them play some of the toughest teams in NHIAA hockey.  After a game agaisnst Nashua South on Wednesday, Hanover plays in succession BG, Concord, Bedford, and Trinity.  Enjoy the dance, enjoy the Netflix reruns – next week it gets interesting.