Doing Their Job

      After going 0-2-1 in their last three games, albeit against very stiff competition, we heard rumors about some acting out behaviors to try and break the recent bad karma for the Hanover Marauders.  Burning all of the clothes worn to recent games, not bathing until there was another win, even boycotting any Jolly Green Giant vegetables were all acts that we heard were performed to help turn it around before tonight’s critical match-up with the Bishop Brady Green Giants.  Yes, Jenny Williams is your POC extraordinaire, and we have talked to her, and she is OK now and is back to bathing and eating peas.  We hope it helped Jenny and thanks for being so dedicated.

      So with the POCs and all of the other senior parents and players facing their last regular season game in a Marauder’s uniform, the 13-3-1 Marauder juggernaut (14-5-1 overall) headed to what can only be described as New Hampshire’s armpit, the always odiferous Tri-town arena, for a late Saturday night game that had a lot of playoff implications.  Grab a beer (or five) before the game, watch a Tier IV Mite parent implode in an expletive-laden diatribe against his 8 year-old in the lobby while waiting for our game to start, wonder who in their right mind would be smart enough to get into dental school and then decide to put their office here in this hellhole, and enjoy all that hockey night in Hooksett brings time and time again. 

      But plain and simple, the Upper Valley boys needed a win to avoid the chance of losing a home playoff game, with the bleak prospect of having to face a confident Trinity squad in (yikes) Sullivan Arena or a suddenly resurgent Exeter Blue Hawks team at the Rinks of Exeter – so scary I almost forgot my dangler.  Bishop Brady came in at 8-8 and in eighth place in NHIAA with some narrow losses (2-1 to Concord, 3-1 to Exeter) that heralded that this one was going to be tough.

      So the puck dropped in the pit of humanity on the North rink and for the first period, all of our hearts were probably in our chest.  This was a big game, and despite owning the possession, we could not put the puck in the net.  As the time drew on, the Green Giants became a bit more emboldened, and the Marauders a bit more tentative, and all of a sudden it was 0-0 at the first intermission and Hanover was facing now over 110 minutes since scoring their last goal.

      So into the second they came and the Giants took it to them for the first two minutes.  And then, in an act of unexplainable and undeserved forgiveness from the TriTown gods, Hanover was blessed as Hans Williams found Sy Oberting at the point and his rebound kicked around in front before #18 Will Laycock hammered it home and the curse was broken at 2:12.  But this was only a 1-0 lead and these Green Giants don’t have jolly in front of their names for a reason.  They just brought it and soon thereafter a Hanover hooking penalty had them facing a very scary penalty kill.  Now this won’t make any headlines, nor it will be written about in the Valley News tomorrow, but this penalty kill was the key to the game.  Brady was bringing it, the defense was under duress, and goalie Ben Plottner was taking shot after shot in front.  But stoning the Giants like they were Tessie Hutchinson, Hanover survived not only the 5-4, but subsequently a 1:20 minute 5-3.  With a newfound spring in their skate, Hanover went up first on a 5-4 of their own and then a 5-3 and with the power play looking like the ’85 Edmonton Oilers, Matty Gardner found Oberting at the left circle, whose cross ice pass found Casey Graham for a one-timer back door for a big freshman goal to make it 2-0 at 13:57.  Less than a minute later it was Curtis Rice stepping in at the neutral zone on a feed from Graham for a long range wrister with 12 second left to get that all important third goal making it 3-0 into the locker room.

      And then it became less tense and a whole lot more fun as Hanover crushed in the third.  First it was Toño Correa on a pass from Graham via Gardner at 11:12 and then Rice finished it off with a long range blast at 14:09 on Graham’s third assist via Joey Goff.  Final 5-0.  The scoring curse had been broken and with it, Hanover earns that all-important fourth seed and a home playoff game next Saturday night.

      Plottner had 14 saves and earned yet another shut out on the season - his fifth.  The Marauders got off the snide with 5 goals.  No one got seriously hurt.  Awesome.

     So with the great regular season finale win Hanover finishes 14-3-1 in NHIAA play. They have beaten two of the three teams ahead of them in the standings and they know they can beat anyone.  Next up is a home playoff game for the chance to go the best night in New Hampshire high school hockey, the semifinal double header at JFK.  And yet again we see why coach Dodds and his staff are the best in the business with the avoidance of Bedford in the potential semifinal - brilliantly played and of course, following the game plan drawn up this summer perfectly.  I will never know how he got the boys to tank the game and not score against Bedford on Thursday at Sullivan to make the seeding set up this way - the man is a legend.


      Now every shift counts from here on in as the playoffs are here.  Time to tell your sons to play even harder this game Hanover dads even though you tell them to play hard every game as they walk out the door ignoring you.  Time to grow your playoff beards Hanover moms and remember the difference between a hockey mom and a bulldog is just lipstick.  Its playoff hockey time in Hanover - where it still matters.  See you at the rink.

 

 

We've Got Them Right Where We Want Them

Ineffective power play, turnovers galore, off-the-post opportunities, even a fall in the introduction line...perfect game plan in the 4-0 loss to Bedford.  Get all of the bad out, get the team embarrassed in front of representatives from of all of the top NHIAA teams in attendance, get them mad. This one didn't matter in the standings - each of the rest do.




Look out NHIAA - the Marauders are pissed.  No more nice vineyard vines boys from the Upper Valley from here on out.




See you at the rink.

Big Ben

      When it was over, many pundits felt that the most recent Super Bowl was one of the most boring every played, and not just because Maroon V was terrible during the halftime show.  They complained that there was no offense, no excitement, no scoring.  Many have said they same thing after reading Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea – old guy catches a fish, sharks eat fish, old guy is sad – not much plot there.  So what do these two things have in common with this afternoon’s clash between the Crimson Tide and Hanover Marauders that ended in a 0-0 tie?  Well, if you looked at only the box score and weren’t there, you might think that this was a sleeper.  However, if you appreciated the nuance, the subtlety, the little things that made this game great, the incredible defensive play, the missed opportunities, the riled up fans and most of all the absolutely incredible goalie play, it was a subtle masterpiece – kind of like Super Bowl LIII and the Old Man and the Sea (I got us back here eventually but I know it took a while).

      The third game of this season series between these old rivals – each having won once already this year – including Hanover’s stomping of the Tide four days earlier.  Both having played tough games the night before and both tied in the standings bunched up into second place.  Throw in a big Thompson afternoon crowd and a time pressure crunch to get off of the ice to so that warm-ups were truncated, and it had all of the making of a classic.

      So out they came and from the opening tip, it had a very different feeling than the last game.  To teams going toe-to-toe from the get go.  And one got the sense that this would come down to goalie play – would it be Tide junior Parker Taylor or Marauder freshman Ben Plottner, not of the NH Avalanche, who carried the day?  Over the next 53 minutes of hockey, it was the Parker/Plottner show, check that  - it was the Plottner/Parker show, as each team had multiple great scoping opportunities in this one.  From Sam Seelig’s rile from the high slot midway through the first stoned by Parker, to Concord’s scary power play early in the second, both goalies were absolutely stellar.  And on and on it went, neither team giving an inch, and as the fatigue set in, one could see the opportunities develop until the final horn sounded at 0-0.

      So with the Dartmouth athletic department fretting over an overtime that pushed back whatever C level intramural game scheduled afterwards, an 8 minute overtime slugfest ensued.  Hanover had the best of the early going, and a point blank opportunity missed on an empty net (just saving these goals for the playoffs I’m sure) had Hanover fans groaning.  And almost immediately afterwards a defensive zone turnover had Plottner staring down a point blank shot with three minutes left – and like he had all day, he stoned Concord to preserve the shutout.  And there we had it 0-0.  And for the record that is now 98 minutes in a row that Concord has not scored a goal on Hanover.

      The three stars in this game for Hanover therefore go to period 1 Ben Plottner, period 2 Ben Plottner, and period 3 Ben Plottner.  And he gets an extra special star for overtime. An absolutely incredible performance with 22 saves.

      So with the tie, Hanover (12-3-1) falls into a three way tie with Concord and Bedford for second place in NHIAA play.  Bedford is on Thursday, Brady on Saturday – playoff fever is already here.  See you at the rink.

Senioritis

      Senior year. The pinnacle. On top of the world. Life is ahead of you. You know everything about everything (except how to financially support yourself).  Anything is possible (well maybe not for most of the teams trying to beat Hanover this year).  It’s a time of huge celebration, but also a game tinged with a bit of melancholy.  In fact this week in speaking to one of my work friends he said the only time he has cried in the last 20 years was driving home from his son’s last high school hockey game. For all hockey parents out there then, it is a time of proud reflection colored by a bit of sadness.  From the time they have been little learn to players, just about every weekend from October until March has been in part spent in a hockey rink.

      What makes it even harder is Dick Dodds, Dean Cashman, Alex Dodds, Pat Doherty, Wayne Burrell and all of the others who make playing for Hanover so much of a privilege and so much fun.  To be part of the Hanover tradition, to be part of something bigger than themselves, to commit themselves to their school and their town for four years – this is as much a celebration of that tonight than of the players themselves.  If it wasn’t so great, it wouldn’t hurt so much to say goodbye when it is over.

      And boy what a senior group of players it is.  Captain Hans Williams the shifty, sneaky, lateral presence ripping through the neutral zone time and time again.  Will Laycock, who is a better pound for than Floyd Mayweather and whose punishing for-check belies a sweet touch coming hard into the net.  Joey Goff, a hero of the 2018 state championship game who brings a big, hard, tough wing presence shift after shift.  Duncan Bailey, whose has left his imprint on many opposing teams (no, I mean literally left his imprint on them) with his hard nosed play and devastating wrister from the point. Sam Seelig, a smooth skating, steady defensive presence who half the team will be working for some day.  And finally captain Charlie Plottner, who defines what a captain needs to be – exuberant, tough as nails, picks everyone up, and is absolutely lethal around the net.

      So as this later afternoon game tipped off tonight between the first place (12-2 NHIAA, 13-4 overall) Marauders and the sixth place Blue Hawks from Exeter, it was with a sense of pride and sadness that we realized that there was a hockey game to play.  And this was a big one, for the next two weeks will determine seeding for the upcoming NHIAA tournament.  Hanover has four tough ones to go, and tonight would be yet another test for the defending state champions with Concord and Bedford waiting in the wings this week.

      The puck dropped at 4:20 and it was Matty Gardner unassisted from the high slot to put the locals up 1-0 just 24 seconds in….and then the wheels fell off the proverbial bus.  While the score was 1-0 going into the first intermission Exeter’s Brandon Doyle, in what was probably the game of his life, scored the first of his four goals on the night at 3:23 to knot the score.  Sylas Oberting answered unassisted a minute later, but it was Doyle who answered right back deep into the second to make it 2-2.  The last goal from Carter Auch on an assist from Hans Williams had a nervous Marauder squad up 3-2 going into the third.  And then boom it was Doyle again in the third at 4:46 to knot it up and then Sam Perry put the visitors up for good at 9:24 before Doyle closed it out with an empty netter at 14:12 – final 5-3 Exeter.

      So a bad, bad senior night loss.  And I suspect the only thing keeping the locals from a date with a Herb Brooks inspired practice is that in less than 12 hours, Concord comes to town. The game is at 2:45 and I suspect for everyone in Hanover nation this puck drop can’t come soon enough.  I have a feeling the Tide are going to be meeting up with a hornet’s nest tomorrow – let’s hope so.  See you at the rink.  

Right Back Where We Started From

      Put the brakes on. Relax. Exhale. It’s just one game in the standings, the same as a win against Central or a loss to Bedford.  Just another mid-February game between two NHIAA teams, on a snowy Wednesday night at Everett.  Don’t get too high, don’t get too low, just another game…but didn’t it feel just a little bit good to watch the Hanover Marauders kick the crap out of Concord in their home barn tonight in a 4-0 stomping to solidify second place in Division 1 NHIAA play with four games to play? In the over 60 years (that is right sixty years) of high school coaching experience between coaches Dodds and Walsh, I can’t imagine they have seen this type of one-sided dominance too often between their two clubs.  Oh wait, there was last year’s 6-0 Concord stomping at Hanover.  Maybe a little payback in the air tonight?

     But as lopsided as the final tally ended up, this game was a lot closer than the box score.  Concord is a great team, picked as the preseason number 1 this year by HNIB.  So they must have been as surprised as anyone when the freight train Sy Oberting dialed up one of his blue line bombs just 56 seconds in, and with the coolness that only comes from a guy who can jet set to the West Coast and back over the weekend for a music audition, #20 Hans Williams beautifully deflected the shot past Crimson Tide goalie Parker Taylor to put the Marauders up 1-0.  With many of us still confusedly asking in the lobby as we shuffled in at 5:30 “They’re playing already?” it was freshman goalie Ben Plottner, not of the NH Avalanche, who dominated the rushing Tide forwards in close numerous times as the first period wound on.  A little bit of a friendly post kept Concord out of the scorer’s column, as did a smothering back check.  However, in what would doom them tonight, Concord get whistled for its second penalty of the period and on the man-up, Matty Gardner pirouetted around the near side circle a few times before finally realizing that the point of an offensive man-up is to score goals and with that, his unassisted snipe made it 2-0 at 14:33.

      Into the locker room they went and were it not for the incredible intermission music selection (always well done by the way Concord – keep giving us the Maxine Nightingale because we appreciate it very much) perhaps we could have heard some rumblings coming from the home locker room.  But in what is something rarely seen in a high level high school hockey game, the Crimson Tide had zero (yes zero) shots on Plottner in the second period – thank you to the smothering defense from Spencer Lawe, Curtis Rice, and Tom Lyons.  But the Marauders would not return the favor and with fury after flurry raining down on Taylor, it was Cameron Woods on the man-up in front scrum on an assist from Gardner and Casey Graham to make it 3-0 heading into the final intermission.  And doesn't it seem like Woods is always there to put these goals home - a sneaky, understated, lethal assassin in front of the net.

      The all-important three goal advantage, now all we wanted was the shutout and Plottner (18 saves) obliged by stopping several point blank attempts with fewer rebounds than Taylor Swift in a given year.  With Concord  finding themselves again in the sin bin it was big brother Charlie who stuffed in Hanover’s third power play goal of the night on an assist from Gardner at 10:26 to complete the scoring at 4-0 and in the process put cupid to shame with his pre-Valentine’s Day archer goal celebration.

      So with the win, Hanover climbs to 12-2 in league play (13-4 overall) and sits solidly in second place with tonight’s action still pending (like the Valley News the deadline for the blog site is now 10:30 pm).  But is doesn’t get any easier, with a senior night tilt against fifth place Exeter on Saturday and then, you guessed it, Concord at Thompson on Sunday.  So savor the win, don’t forget to kiss your mom tomorrow and wish her a Happy Valentine’s Day, and sorry guys, I got the last gas station rose bouquet from Dan and Whits on the way home – start coming up with the excuses now.  See you at the rink.

And Now the Fun Really Starts

      Today’s afternoon tilt between the 10-2 (11-4 overall) Hanover Marauders and the one win Manchester Memorial Crusaders had the feeling of the calm before the storm.   While the Crusaders did own a recent 6-6 tie with Trinity under their belt, most everyone in Hanover nation expected a win today prior to embarking on the stretch run which will see them battle with playoff team after playoff team leading to the state tourney in early march.  And making yet another trip down to JFK arena on a cold, blustery February day, the marauders got a little more game than they bargained more with a 5-1 win.

      The goals came in equal bunches in this one, with two goals in the firs two periods and a closer in the third.  Sy Oberting, Charlie Plottner, Toño Correa, and Duncan Bailey twice found the twine, with assists going to Joey Goff x 3, Plottner, Correa x 2, Oberting and Will Laycock.  Ben Plottner had 10 saves for the locals.

      While admittedly not the best blog of the year, this was the type of game that really didn’t warrant too much attention.  Because starting Wednesday we see what Hanover has learned this year and what we can expect for the States.  In succession it goes – Concord, Exeter, Concord, Bedford, Bishop Brady.  All good.  All playoff teams.  All wanting to knock off the defending state champs.  Time to bring it Marauders – the best time of year is upon us.  See you at the rink.

And Now The Fun Starts

      Leaving the Upper Valley this evening for the long trek down to the Salem Ice Center, probably few of us were too excited. For one, we were playing a historically tough, well-coached Salem Blue Devils team that has given fits to the Marauders over the years in their barn.  Two, we had other things on our mind like collarbones, and Crimson Tides, and flu-like illnesses.  Then you get down past Manchester in the 1-93 construction zone and wonder why it has taken so long to make a road one lane wider (nice work NH DOT) and by the time you get to the Ice Center, not even the 5 for $15 buckets of beer on sale in the bar make you smile.

      And to top it off, in the first five minutes, you find your team down 1-0 and you wonder if the third loss in NHIAA play is looming.  And as the nervous pacing starts from us dads in the BMI >30 crowd, our boys wake up, put the pedal down, and run the Blue Devils out of their own rink with a complete 6-2 win to go to 10-2 (11-4 overall) in NHIAA play to move into a virtual second place tie with Pinkerton and Concord.

      Said coach Dick Dodds, “This was a complete game from start to finish.  Our depth is impressive.  We ran all four lines the whole game and all six D.”

      It was Toño Correa at 9:49 who tied it up, putting in a rebound in close off of a Sy Oberting shot from Joey Goff.  In addition, in what has become both a positive and negative for the Marauders this year, penalties put them on the kill, but the kill continued to be incredible.  And it was on the very end of a kill that Hans Williams found Will Laycock free in the neutral zone who took it in alone on Salem goalie Cam Smalley to make it 2-1 heading into the intermission.

      Up themselves on the power play coming out in the second, Casey Graham put the locals up 3-1 just 1:20 in on a one-timer on a lateral pass from Cam Woods.  20 seconds later, Goff, on a pass from Charlie Plottner, came streaking up the far side and on a snipe that would have broken the glass had the top left corner of the net not stopped it, made it 4-1.  And then Marauders did what truly separates them from many teams – they killed two 5 on 3s in the period, with goalie Ben Plottner (15 saves) preserving the lead with incredible kick save after incredible kick save.

      Into the third it went and Curtis Rice made it 5-1 when he picked off a pass in the neutral zone and beat Smalley with a long wrister just inside the blue line.  After another Salem score, Charlie Plottner finished the scoring at 3:35 with a cross that went off the back of Smalley and found the net on an assist from Williams.  In addition, just for kicks, Hanover killed off another 5 on 3 to finish the game.

      So now it gets interesting.  Hanover has six games to play in NHIAA competition and five of those six games are against teams in the top 8 in the league standings, including two with Concord and one with Bedford.  The first is Wednesday night, when Concord, who beat Pinkerton today, comes to town.  This ought to be a fun one as all of these top teams jockey for positon heading into early March.  Maybe time to ask Dabo for some advice on how to beat the Tide?  Oops, wrong sport.  See you at the rink.