Christmas Tournament Success

Coming into Saturday’s final game of Round Robin action in the Brian C. Stone Christmas Hockey tournament, Dick Dodds’s Hanover Marauders sat at 1-1 in pool play with two close games against two very good opponents – a 2-1 loss to Bedford and a 4-3 win with Trinity.  Both of these teams are firmly in the hunt for the NHIAA Division I state championship, so the result for the Marauders can only be seen as very, very encouraging and no matter what the result, a very successful Christmas tournament. 

So into the fray they went for the early game this afternoon facing a Goffstown Grizzlies team that is leading NHIAA Division 2 with a gaudy 4-0 record, although had come up short in their first two games of the tournament.  As the puck was about to drop, most of the Hanover partisans spent the time trying to figure out the chance of moving on to Sunday, and the tiebreakers involved there-in.  Head-to-head, most wins, fewest goals allowed, quickest goal scored, coin toss, prettiest uniforms, nicest bus driver, loudest fans, ugliest facial hair – so we will at least have the advantage on the last four.

A Spencer Lawe blast from the point on a rebound to John Hill screening at 5:01 opened the scoring to make it 1-0 on Goffstown netminder Madeline Sage. Ben Plottner in net faced a surprising number of good Grizzlies attempts and a cross-check put the locals down midway through the first. However it was Cam Woods on an aggressive forecheck behind the net finding Patrick Daley in front at 8:33 to make it 2-0. Second assist to Jack Gardner. Then at 12:46 Augie Oberting picked up an errant puck in the neutral zone for a five-hole against Sage to make it 3-0, assists from Gardner and Nick Lee.  Rolling all four lines Hanover outshot the Grizzlies 12-7…and we started really paying attention to the tiebreakers.

The second period opened with Hanover scoring quickly as Daley got his second on a nifty cross into the slot from Woods and Spencer Lawe at 30 seconds.  However, it was Goffstown on a dipsy-doo right off of the faceoff by Jack Wilkinson that cut the lead to 4-1 at 6:47. And it was really the Grizzlies who owned the better of play for several minutes mid period as Hanover appeared to take the pedal off of the gas, including a crossbar late that almost cut the lead to two goals. But it was Casey Graham bailing out the locals on a rebound to make it 5-1 at 14:11 off assists from Gardner and Lawe.  Period shot total Hanover 15 and Goffstown 3.

With the Concord Crimson team gazing downward like choirboys from the West End stands, the third period opened with the first Hanover man-up of the game. Despite some shaky offensive zone, play Woods scooped up an errant puck in his defensive end and roofed it on Sage at 3:16 to make it 6-1.  Assistant to Daley and Jack Stadheim.  Almost immediately thereafter Rowan Wilson got on the board with a gloveside wrister assisted by Lee and the clock starting running with the six goal lead. With a crossbar as their best chance with five minutes left, Goffstown didn’t threaten again.  Final Saves 13 for Plottner and 36 for Sage.

So with the 7-1 win, the Marauders go to 4-1 on the season (2-0 in NHIAA Division 1 play).  We await the results of the 4:00 pm Trinity/Bedford game to determine if we get to make the Queen City four-peat, or instead get to breathe some clean air tomorrow and stay in the Upper Valley.  If nothing else, the annual Bishop Guertin grudge match awaits on Saturday afternoon at Campion.  Vegas odds has the over-under at 6 on both the number of recruited Mass players on the BG roster this year and the number of times the net will mysteriously come off its stanchions when the Marauders are about to score.

See you at the rink…

 

Total Team Win

If the 2019-20 Hanover Marauders boys hockey team goes deep into the NHIAA Division 1 playoff this year, today’s 4-3 win over the Trinity Pioneers in the second game of the Brian C. Stone Christmas tournament might just be seen as the turning point.  Because after yesterday’s 2-1 loss to defending champion Bedford, the sense for some was that although Hanover outplayed the Bulldogs, they maybe fell victim a little bit to the Bedford mystique and came out a little sluggishly.  So today was going to be an interesting match-up against a vaunted Trinity squad that featured one of the state’s best offensive players in junior wing Anthony Dizillo, had come off a 5-1 pummeling of Goffstown in their opening game, and had little Santas sewn on their uniforms - how cute.

And the first period didn’t start off as the Marauders had hoped, as after a dubious interference call put the locals on the man-down, Trinity’s Cadin Booth beat Hanover goalie Luke Ives in the scrum to go up 1-0 at 9:37.  But unlike yesterday’s game, Hanover played with sense of urgency throughout the first period and hammered the Pioneers netinder Ryan Brewitt with 8 quality shots in the period.  One could tell there was something different in the Marauders today – a swagger really – and they went in to the first intermission having outshot the Pioneers 8-4 and on the man-up coming out in the second.

And in the second they played there most consistent period of the year with the piece de resistance being a Rowan Wilson short-handed slot wrister at 4:53 with an assist from Brendan Brigham to knot it up at 1-1. And that’s when the Pioneers let their aggression get the best of them, and they started racking up the penalties.  And it was Spencer Lawe manning the quarterback positon at the point on the power play whose blast from the red line sailed over the goal, rebounded back behind Brewitt and off his skate into the goal – 2-1 Hanover at 6:40. 

And this is when Hanover really came into its own, because although Trinity tied it up just 42 seconds later on a scrum in front, the Marauders were dominating.  And it wasn’t based on one single player, but based on a total team chemistry and work ethic.  A crushing forecheck, disruptive backcheck and smart D-to-D work by the defenders kept Trinity guessing, Hanover for the first time this year looked like a skill team with a ton of effort being put forth.  As the horn sounded 2-2 at the end of the second, Hanover had again outshot the Pioneers 8-4.

And in the third Hanover just crushed it, with help x 3 for Ives from the post.  Just 2:31 it was your captain Toño Correa netting the all-important tiebreaker on a feed from Augie Oberting to make it 3-2. Right on its heels at 4:33 was Curtis Rice getting a kick out in the mid slot and his eventual game winner beat Brewitt glove side.  With rush after rush coming at him, Cool Hand Luke turned away it all.  It was only on the 6-5 with 51 seconds left that the Pioneers were able to draw within one.  But Hanover maintained a staunch defense and with the horn Dick Dodds and the locals went to 3-1 on the young season. Final shots 23-15 Hanover.

So a huge team win for the Hanover in which they were smarter, more physical and excelled in both zones.  But before we start going through the tournament tie breakers, it is critical that Hanover takes care of Goffstown tomorrow at noon.  Then we wait and see.  Four boiled hot dogs in four days? Nothing would taste any better.

See you at the rink…

 

 

Old School Hockey

The organizers of this year’s Brian C. Stone Memorial Christmas Tournament know what they are doing.  Holding the tournament in one of the true great barns in New England where there is still a sign on the West End stands threatening a $50 fine for bringing in any “intoxicating beverages” and an 8 foot wide neutral zone is one.  Maintaining the tradition of free hot dogs for each player after each game is number two.  And scheduling the first game of the tournament between the last two New Hampshire Division I state champions in Hanover and Bedford just completes the trifecta.

So to the Queen City for the first time they went this 2019-20 version of Dick Dodds’s Hanover Marauders to face off against the Bulldogs for the first of three this year.  With two games under their belt – a surprisingly close 2-1 victory over Bow and then a blowout of Manchester Central – we really didn’t know what to expect from the locals going in.

What we came out with was a close 2-1 loss, in an absolutely great, clean, hard-fought game that made the post egg nog hangover much more tolerable.  This was a fast game with limited whistles and a heckuva a lot of back and forth.  You know it’s a well-played game when there are more goals than icing calls...and there were only three goals.

So into the fray they went as the puck dropped at 2:00 pm on a Thursday (c’mon parents is there absolutely anything you would rather be doing than this?) and it was the Bulldogs who had the first early opportunity as a trip had Hanover facing the man-down just 2:09 in.  The locals killed it, and nearly scored on a short-handed rush.  There was back and forth throughout the period, with Bedford controlling better in their offensive zone, but the Marauders better on the transition and breakout.  However, all of the rushes, the most dangerous by senior Rowan Wilson, were turned away by the wily Bedford veteran netminder Shea Guimont.  And as the clock ticked down, it was Connor Labrecque on a one-timer coming off an end board rebound that beat Ben Plottner to make it 1-0 at the first intermission.

While an impartial observer would say that Bedford owned the better of the play slightly in the first, the second was dead even.  Plottner and Guimond were stellar as each faced down good chances on the rush.  Hanover had a lot of chances on their only man-up of the game, but it was a post by Hanover late in the period being their best chance as the horn sounded keeping it 1-0 moving into the third.

Now if Bedford had the advantage in the first, and the teams were pretty even in the second, Hanover certainly carried the play in the third.  Unfortunately for the locals, it was Guimond’s day, as he stared down shot after shot from the local forwards with Patrick Daley, Cam Woods, Brendan Brigham and especially Casey Graham having great opportunities.  Unfortunately Bedford was able to convert on one of their few third period opportunities on an absolute rifle writer from the slot from Owen Roberto to make it 2-0 at 5:55. 

But rather than go into the hole, Hanover responded with sense of offensive urgency that has been missing thus far this season and played their best five minutes of hockey this year.  They absolutely hammered Guimond and the Bulldogs defense with rush after rush until MVP thus far for Hanover this year Brigham loosed up another puck and fed Toño Correa in close for a one-time to make it 2-1 deep with less than two minutes to go. Unfortunately, the furious Hanover push over the last 43 seconds with Plottner pulled could not equalize and the locals were left on the short end.  Final save total 23 for Plottner and 30 for Guimond.

So what to take from this game?  For one, Bedford is beatable this year, and Hanover was the better team today.  For two, once Hanover can start to finish in close, look out NH Division I.  For three, the Hanover defense, which had question marks coming in with the loss of two All- Staters, looks very solid through three games.  For four, Ben Plottner is really good.

So, there you have it.  Lots of positives from today – again this tournament is all about getting the experience of playing great competition in JFK arena.  Oh, and also eating free boiled hot dogs.

See you at the rink tomorrow for Trinity, and their nasty nasty first offensive line, at 2:00 pm.