2/2/08

Sat. Feb. 2 Recaps

-- At Milton, Mass., Milton Academy came from two goals down to tie Exeter. See below for full game story.

-- At Middletown, RI, St. George’s topped Roxbury Latin, 5-2. Junior Jeff Ryan (2g,1a) and senior Nick Carellas (1g,2a) each had three points and senior goaltender Sean O’Brien stopped 18 of 20 shots for the win.

-- At Gill, Mass. Tabor got goals from five different scorers in a 5-3 win over NMH. Senior Colin Downey scored all three of the Hoggers’ goals.

-- At Greenwich, Conn., Pingree senior goaltender kicked out 24 of 27 shots to lead his team to a 5-3 road win over the Brunswick School. Senior Tom Smith had a pair of goals for Pingree, the latter being an empty-netter. For Brunswick, junior Ben Weisburger (2g) and freshman Bo Stafford (1g,1a) each had two points.

-- At Weston, Mass., Belmont Hill got goals from four different scorers in coming back from a 2-0 deficit against Rivers today and taking a 4-2 decision today. Belmont Hill outshot Rivers, 55-17. Junior Mike Condon had 15 saves for Belmont Hill; senior Kyle Shute stopped 51 for Rivers.

-- At North Andover, Mass., senior Greg DelGiuduce scored the game winner at 13:30 of the third period to lead Brooks to a 3-2 win over Middlesex. DelGiuduce also had an assist on senior Frank Conway’s goal just 1:20 earlier. Senior goaltender Aaron Stanley of Katonah, NY kicked out 34 of 36 shots for the win.

-- At Brookline, Mass., junior Robert Lerro scored a pair of goals to give Dexter a 2-0 lead, but Kents Hill roared back with five goals over the next two periods to head home to Maine with a 5-2 win. Sophomore Ryan Dorso (2g,1a) and senior Josh Goellner (2g) led the Kents Hill attack.

--At Saxton’s River, Vt., Vermont Academy got goals from four different scorers in a 4-1 win over Hoosac. Vermont Academy outshot Hoosac 43-13.

2/29/08

Snow Coming; Games On

Weather will be an issue over the next 24 hours, with snow forecast for all of New England tonight and throughout tomorrow morning.

The Connecticut teams have the greatest distance to travel, so South Kent, which plays St. Paul's in the first Div. I semi tomorrow (3:30 pm), left for Salem, NH this morning. Avon, which plays Belmont Hill in the second Div. II semi tomorrow (6:00 pm), will be leaving this afternoon.  

2/28/08 Update 1:15 pm -- The game will be at Tilton. Official NEPSIHA statement is below.

Roxbury Latin-New Hampton Div. II Semi Moved

Roxbury Latin, due to the fact that some of the juniors on the team who had been participating in an SAT prep course were scheduled to take the actual exam this Saturday morning, has asked to be excused from Saturday’s 11:00 am Div. II semifinal contest in Salem, NH.

But they haven’t asked to be excused from the tournament.

Instead, in a first for the NEPSIHA tournament, Roxbury Latin’s athletic director has asked NEPSIHA president John Gardner for special accommodations. Gardner, after conferring with the NEPSIHA board, arranged for them to play at 4:00 pm that afternoon at a site to be determined, either Phillips Exeter or Tilton. It’s not like the NEPSIHA board had a choice really. They weren’t thrilled with the way the tournament has now been broken up, but what were they going to do? Roxbury Latin announced they wouldn’t be playing in a morning game, and that was that.

For the New Hampton kids, we would think this provides major motivation. They went to bed last night believing they’d be playing on the big sheet in Salem, in front of a large contingent of NHL scouts and college recruiters… and now have learned they will be playing in front of friends and family. That’s a tough one to swallow.

Forgive the aside, but when this typist took the SATs in the ‘70s, none of us took prep courses. And we only took the test once, in the fall of our senior year. We just got a good night’s sleep, ate a good breakfast, sharpened our pencils and went in and took the test cold. Seemed to work fine. This is personal opinion, but, in the decades since, the whole testing industry has run amok. It stresses out kids, who expend far more energy and time on test prep courses than is healthy. It stresses out parents, who spend far too much money on the courses. The colleges should just step up and rein the industry in. It would be a plus for everyone, except the CEO and stockholders at Princeton Review, Kaplan, et al. Right now, the tail is wagging the dog.   

At any rate, getting back of the soapbox and back to the immediate matter at hand, we will let you know when the venue has been confirmed.

***

1:15 pm Update:  NEPSIHA Release:

Due to a SAT scheduling commitment, the New Hampton-Roxbury Latin Division 2 Semifinal game has been changed to a 4 PM game at Tilton School on Saturday March 1 rather than 11:00 AM at the Icenter in Salem NH.

Please know that this change is unusual, but the NEPSIHA Executive Committee thought that it was the best possible solution to the problem.

2/27/08

No Car? No Problem

The Salisbury @ South Kent game, a 3:30 pm faceoff, will be broadcast live on the school’s website www.southkentschool.org. It’s free of charge; check it out.


 

2/27/08 

NEPSIHA Quarterfinals
Wed. Feb. 27, 2008

Div. I:

(#1E) St. Pauls 7, (#4E) Andover 1 – Senior Jason Bourgea scored four points (3g,1a) to lead St. Paul’s to a 7-1 thumping of an Andover team that had gone 13-1-1 down the stretch to earn the #4 seed in the east. St. Paul’s came out hard, blitzing Andover for four first-period goals. If Andover harbored any hopes of getting back into the game in the second period, they were short-lived. Just 22 seconds into the period, Bourgea won the draw back to winger Ben Albertson, who snapped one into the top corner past Andover goaltender Glenn Stowell to make it 5-0. From that point forward, St. Paul’s played keep-away in all three zones, making sure Andover’s usually-explosive forwards got as few touches of the puck as possible. Bourgea’s linemates -- Albertson (1g,1a) and Alex Davidson (2a) – each finished the game with two points. Andrew Peabody was on his game, kicking out 19 of 20. 

(#2E)  Belmont Hill 4, (#3E) Exeter 3 (3-OT) –  When it was all over, after 90 plus minutes of hockey, Belmont Hill head coach Ken Martin, who has coached a few games in his career, called it the greatest comeback he had ever been a part of.  It was indeed  improbable, not just the fact that Exeter took a 3-0 lead into the third period and watched it disappear as Belmont Hill outshot Exeter 19-4 in the period and found the back of the net with three of those shots – the last two on the power play – to tie the game at 3-3 and send it into overtime. And there it sat, for two full 18-minute sudden death sessions. Finally, with the dinner having come and gone, Sam Choate banged home a rebound – it may have hit both posts – and it went in just 35 seconds into the third OT. For Choate it was second goal of the game. Ryan Purdy was excellent again, kicking out 62 of 66 shots. Mike Condon stopped 34 of 37 to earn the win.

(#1W) Avon Old Farms 5, (#4W) Berkshire 4 (OT) – Berkshire, when all was said and done, was outshot, 47-27, but Avon came within an unlucky bounce from getting bounced out of the playoffs as the upset-minded Berkshire Bears took them to overtime before Avon’s Chris Wieland found the back of the net at the 1:46 mark. After the first period, Berkshire had a 3-2 lead. Avon scored the only second period goal to send the game into the third at 3-3. There, Chris McCarthy scored at 1:44 to put the visitors up 4-3. However, Avon came back less than two minutes later with a Pat Mullane goal. The score held at 3-3 for the remainder of regulation. And then Wieland settled it in OT. And once again the Winged Beavers are on their way to Salem. 

(#2W) South Kent 4, (#3W) Salisbury 1 – For the second straight year, South Kent has bounced Salisbury from the playoffs, though this time they did it in front of the home fans. After Salisbury took a first period lead on a Kyle Hughes goal, South Kent came back with three second period goals, two off the stick of John Tague. Mike Pereira added a third period goal. Tyler Scott kicked out 24 of 25 shots for the win.


Div. II:

(#2) New Hampton 2, (#7) Berwick 0 – Junior forward Kyle Zobler scored both goals and junior goaltender Pat Dunn kicked out all 34 shots he faced to lead New Hampton to a 2-0 win over Berwick. Casey DeSmith kicked out 26 of the 28 shots he faced but was tagged with the loss. New Hampton will faced Roxbury Latin in Saturday’s first semi.

(#3) Roxbury Latin 2, (#6) St. George’s 1 (OT) – St. George’s outshot Roxbury Latin by nearly a 2-1 margin, but came up short on the scoreboard as Roxbury Latin senior Sean McCarthy scored his second goal of the game at 5:48 of sudden-death overtime to lift his team to a 2-1 win and a berth in Saturday’s semis in Salem, NH. The key for Roxbury Latin was the play of junior goaltender, who came up big time and again, kicking out 33 of 34 shots.

(#8) Hebron 5, (#1) Worcester Academy 0 – In the upset of the day, Hebron blanked top-ranked Worcester Academy, 5-0, behind a 25-save shutout from senior Keith MacDonald of Storrs, Conn. David Woods (1g,3a), Eric Rondriguez (2g,1a), Nate Dupere (1g,1a), and Greg Jacques (2a) led the way for Hebron offensively. Worcester, by the way, was only able to dress 14 skaters due to a flu epidemic at the school, and a number of those who did play were ill as well. Hebron will go up against Kents Hill on Saturday.

(#4) Kents Hill 6, (#5) Brunswick 4 --  Kents Hill took a 2-1 lead after one, extended it to 5-2 after two and then held on for a 6-4 win over Brunswick today. Greg Haliskoe (2g,1a), Andrew Noiles (1g,2a), and Trevor Crevatin (1g,1a) led the Kents Hill attack. For Brunswick, Ben Weisburger (1g,3a) figured in all of his team’s goals. J.E. Oberbeck (2g,1a), and Matt Chase (1g,1a) were also big contributors. Kents Hill will face Hebron in Saturday’s semis.

 

Saturday’s Schedule
Semifinals @ Salem, NH

Div. I

St. Paul’s vs. South Kent, 3:30 pm
Avon Old Farms vs. Belmont Hill, 6:00 pm

Div. II:

Hebron vs. Kents Hill, 1:15 pm
New Hampton vs. Roxbury Latin, 4:00 pm (@ Tilton)

2/25/08

Avon, Worcester Top USHR Polls

Last year, we didn't do polls after the seedings were announced. But people wrote in, asking why we didn't continue the polls right through to the end, as the colleges do. So we're doing one this week. (And next week, too, despite a slight misgiving that polls released after championship games are a little superfluous.) 

Div. I USHR Poll; Feb. 25, 2008 

Div. II USHR Poll; Feb. 25, 2008 

2/23/08

Sat. Feb. 23 Recaps

-- At Andover, Mass, Andover, which finished the season with a 13-1-1 run after starting the season 5-6, blanked archrival Exeter, 2-0. See full story below.

-- At Avon, Conn., Avon Old Farms trounced Loomis, 7-2 tonight, giving head coach John Gardner his 600^th career victory. Chris Wieland (2g,1a) and Mike DiMare (2g,1a) led the way offensively. Prior to the game, Kareem Norman ’98, an Avon JV player who passed away recently, was honored.

-- At Belmont, Mass., host Belmont Hill, behind 28 saves from junior Mike Condon, blanked BB&N 2-0.

-- At Washington, Conn., a goal at 14:45 from Berkshire’s all-sophomore line – specifically, Jake Goldberg from Kevin Sullivan and Chris McCarthy – lifted the Bears to a crucial 4-3 win over Gunnery.

-- At South Kent, Conn., host South Kent trounced Winchendon, 7-0. Jeff Silengo (3g), Mike Pereira (3a), Dillon O’Hara (1g,2a), and John Tague (1g,2a) each had three points. Tyler Scott posted the shutout on 38 shots.

-- At Concord, NH, St. Paul’s topped Lawrence 6-3. The big line was on target as Jason Bourgea (1g,4a), Ben Albertson (2g,1a), Alex Davidson (1g,2a) led the way. So, too, did all-New England defenseman Mike Daly (1g,2a). Andrew Peabody kicked out 21 of 24 shots for the win.

-- At the Empire Cup Tournament, Albany Academy, led by seniors Chris Connors (1g,3a) and Lucas First (4g), rolled over Portledge, 8-2.

-- At North Andover, Mass., Worcester Academy, the #1 seed in Div. II, topped Brooks, 4-2. Jordan Foster (2g,1a) and Zach Luczyk (1g,1a) led the Worcester offense.

-- At Kents Hill, Maine, a goal from defenseman Brad Richard at 14:25 of the third period lifted host Kents Hill to a 2-2 tie with Berwick. This was a matchup of sophomore goaltenders: Kents Hill’s Austin Kaiser (23/25) and Berwick’s Casey DeSmith (26/28).

-- At the Empire Cup Tournament, Millbrook rolled over Portledge, 9-4. Evan Haney (3g,1a), Kirk Baldo (3g), Mathieu Dubuc (1g,3a), and Jonathan Theriault (1g,2a) led the way.

-- At Wolfeboro, NH, junior goaltender Pat Dunn kicked out 43 of 45 shots and Kyle Stevenson (2g,1a) paced the offense to lead New Hampton to a 5-2 win over Brewster.

-- At the Empire Cup Tournament, Wyoming Seminary trounced Albany Academy, 7-1. Senior Kaz Iwamoto of Hokkaido, Japan led the attack with five points (3g,2a).

-- At Middletown, RI, St. George’s topped Middlesex, 5-1. Nick Carrellas (2g,1a), Jeff Ryan (4a), Garrett Sider (1g,1a), and Mike Violette (1g,1a) led the way for the Dragons.

-- At Kent, Conn., senior Brian Dowd kicked out 31 of 33 shots to lead Kent to a 4-2 win over Choate. Drew Daniels had a goal and an assist for Kent. Joel Goodsell (1g,1a) and Mark Goggin (1g,1a) each had two points for Choate. Nick BonDurant had 33 saves on 36 shots for Choate.

-- At the Empire Cup Tournament, Millbrook topped Wyoming Seminary, 6-4. Senior Kirk Baldo (3g,3a) figured in all six Millbrook goals.

-- At Lakeville, Conn., a third period goal by Peter Massar lifted host Hotchkiss into a 3-3 tie with Taft. Robbie Bourdon had two goals for Taft, one of which was shorthanded.

-- At the Empire Cup Tournament, Vermont Academy edged Trinity-Pawling, 4-3. Brian Gibbons (2g), Sergiy Laptyev (2g,1a), and Chris Napolitan (2a) led the way for Vermont.

-- At West Hartford, Conn., Hoosac topped Kingswood-Oxford, 4-1, with Graig Angarella (1g,1a) and Gary Marin (2a) each notching a couple of points.

-- At Southborough, Mass., a goal by junior Juno Turchetta lifted Groton to a 2-1 win over St. Mark’s, which fell just short of picking up their first win of the season, finishing 0-23-1.

-- At Milton, Mass., Nobles rolled over Milton, 9-2. Andrew Glass (4g,1a), Derrick Pallis (2g,1a), Matt Marshall (1g,2a), and Billy Arnold (3a) led the offense. Gene Lane kicked out 21 of 23 shots for the win.

-- At Canton, Mass., St. Sebastian’s topped Thayer, 5-2. Chris Brown (2g) and Sean Sullivan (1g,1a) each had two points for the Arrows.

-- At the Empire Cup Tournament, Trinity-Pawling, behind a pair of goals from sophomore Brandon Moore, topped Millbrook, 4-2. Senior goaltender Colin Bessey kicked out 17 of 19 shots to earn the win.

-- At West Roxbury, Mass., Roxbury Latin picked up their 16^th win of the season, a 3-1 decision over Dexter. Richie Iskra (1g,1a) and Sean McCarthy (1g,1a) led the attack. Junior Brad Barone stopped 20 of 21 shots for the win.
.  

2/24/08 update 2/25 -- Please note: Hebron vs. Worcester has a new time/location. See below.
                                                              Exeter @ Belmont Hill now a 4:00 pm start

Quarterfinal Matchups & Final Standings

It’s official now. Here are the quarterfinal matchups for Wed. Feb. 27, and the final Div. I standings. For Div. II standings scroll below> 

Div. I :

Andover (#4 East) @ St. Paul’s (#1 East), 3:30 pm
Salisbury (#3 West) @ South Kent(#2 West), 3:30 pm
The winners will meet at the Icenter in Salem, NH in semifinal play on Sat. March 1 at 3:30 pm.

Berkshire (#4 West) @ Avon Old Farms (#1 West), 3:30 pm
Exeter (#3 East) @ Belmont Hill (#2 East), 4:00 pm
The winners will face off at the Icenter in Salem, NH in semifinal play on Sat. March 1 at 6:00 pm.

The Div. I championship game will be held at 3:00 pm on Sun. March 2, also in Salem, NH.

Div. II:

#7 Berwick vs. #2 New Hampton, 3:30 pm (@ New Hampton)
#6 St. George’s vs. #3 Roxbury Latin, 3:40 pm (@ Dexter School)
The winners will meet at the Icenter in Salem, NH in a semifinal matchup on Sat. March 1 at 11:00 am.

#8 Hebron vs. #1 Worcester Academy, 4:00 pm (@ Phillips Exeter Academy)
#5 Brunswick vs. #4 Kents Hill, 4:00 pm (@ Pingree School)
The winners will meet at the Icenter in Salem, NH in semifinal action on Sat. March 1 at 1:15 pm.

The Div. II championship game will be held Sunday March 2 at 12:30 pm, also in Salem, NH.

Note:
As always, quarterfinal games will be held at the higher-seeded schools unless the travel time exceeds two hours, in which case the game will be held at a neutral site somewhere between the two schools.

***

Div. I Final Standings

East:

1. St. Paul’s 1-1-1 = 3
2. Belmont Hill 2-2-4 = 8
3. Exeter 3-3-2 = 8
4. Andover 4-5-6 = 15
5. Nobles 6-6-5 = 17
6. Cushing 7-7-3 = 17
7. Tilton 5-3-10 = 18
8. Milton 8-9-7 = 24
9. GDA 9-8-8 = 25
10. LA 10-10-9 = 29
11. Tabor 11-11-12 = 34
12. St. Seb’s 12-12-11 = 35
13. Holderness 13-13-14 = 40
14. Proctor 14-14-13 = 41
15. Thayer 17-15-16 = 48
16. KUA 18-16-14 = 48
17. BB&N 16-17-16 = 49
18. Rivers 15-19-16 = 50
19. NMH 19-18-16 = 53


West:

1. Avon 1-1-1 = 3
2. South Kent 2-2-2 = 6
3. Salisbury 3-2-6 = 11
4. Berkshire 4-4-5 = 13
5. Kent 5-6-4 = 15
6. Deerfield 5-5-7 = 17
7. Hotchkiss 7-7-3 = 17
8. Westminster 9-9-8 = 26
9. Winchendon 8-8-12 = 28
10. Taft 10-10-10 = 30
11. Choate 12-11-9 = 32
12. Gunnery 13-13-11 = 37
13. Williston 11-12-18 = 41
14. T-P 14-15-13 = 42
15. Canterbury 15-14-14 = 43
16. Millbrook 16-16-15 = 47
17. Albany Academy 17-17-18 = 52
18. Pomfret 18-18-17 = 53
19. Loomis 19-19-16 = 54

2/24/08

Lords of the Lakes

Andover, NH – Proctor, behind sophomore Connor Toomey (1g, 2a) and senior Matt Robertson (2g), upset Tilton, 5-1, to take the championship of the First Annual Lakes Region Tournament here today.

Senior goaltender Rob Simpson, a native of the Lakes Region, hailing from Sunapee, NH, kicked out 35 of 36 shots for the win.

In the consolation game, Kimball Union topped Holderness, 5-3.

2/23/08

Andover, in a Pressure-Cooker, Comes Through

Andover, Mass. – A Nick Craven goal at 5:09 of the third period broke a 0-0 tie and, along with the shutout goaltending of junior Glenn Stowell, propelled  host Andover to a 2-0 victory over arch-rival Exeter in front of an overflow crowd here tonight.

Andover-Exeter is a big game. (Like you didn’t know that.) But this time around, with the added pressure of a shot at the playoffs riding in the balance, it was a H-U-G-E game. And Andover, now a red-hot 13-1-1 over their last 15 games, came through in the end.

It was hard work, though, as Exeter senior goaltender Ryan Purdy was brilliant, keeping high-flying forwards like Bobby Farnham, Andrew Cox, and Chris Kreider at bay for 41 minutes before Craven, a junior who came into the game with two goals on the season, beat the diminutive goaltender from San Diego at the 5:09 mark of the third period.

Craven’s game winner came at the tail end of a flurry of shots. Somehow, from a scrum in front, the puck squirted out, appearing suddenly in the slot, about 10 feet out. Due to the wall of bodies between puck and goal line, it didn’t look like anybody’s idea of a prime scoring opportunity. But Craven, a Fort Collins, Colorado native, shoveled the puck right back toward the net, and it snaked its way through. It had eyes. 

The crowd, which had quieted a bit, almost as if they were beginning to believe that this stalemate would continue up to the final buzzer, erupted.

Andover didn’t let up. Instead of retreating into a defensive posture, they kept the pressure on throughout a dominating third period. The icing on the cake came when Farnham, who was a force all night, came flying down the left side and hit junior Brooks Dyroff, coming down the right side, with a perfect pass. It was a bang-bang play and Dyroff, who had net to shoot at, didn’t miss, making it 2-0 with 2:05 remaining.

At the next whistle, with 2:00 remaining, Exeter took a timeout and lifted Purdy for the extra attacker. While Exeter managed to keep the puck in the Andover end for most of that time, they weren’t able to generate any single great scoring chance. When time ran out, the Andover players, who looked nothing like the team that laid an egg at the Flood-Marr, celebrated on the ice.

The one down note to the day for the Big Blue came with 2:13 left in the first period, as senior forward Tucker Mullin, hit from behind in the Exeter end, crumpled to the ice in pain. The game was delayed for roughly 15 minutes while Mullin was taken off the ice on a stretcher, and brought to the hospital. Early reports indicated that he might have suffered a bad shoulder separation. At any rate, the officials cut the period short, sending both teams to their respective locker rooms for an early intermission while Mullin was being cared for on the ice. After Mullin was bundled into the ambulance, the ice was resurfaced, and the extra time was tacked onto the second period.

Also in the first period, Exeter forward Joe Kestner took a hit and suffered a bad leg injury – a tough one to watch, as he pulled himself to his feet and tried to get to the bench unaided, but couldn’t. We have no report yet on his condition.
Between the injuries and numerous whistles, the first period seemed to take forever. Purdy made a great glove save on Farnham about five minutes in and late in the period robbed Cox twice. Exeter’s B.J. Lalonde hit a post. But there was never any real flow to the period.

The second period was different, physical but also more wide open, with the tempo bumped up a notch. At about the eight minute mark, Cox, who was also a constant threat, sent Farnham in alone, but Purdy robbed him. At the other end, Exeter’s Ted McKenna had a great chance, with Stowell all twisted around, but couldn’t bury it. Then, right afterward, Stowell came up with his save of the game, on Tommy Clayton.

The teams moved onto the third period, where Farnham had a chance early, but was denied. Then, finally, Andover broke through. 

Exeter’s big problem, and it could bite them in the playoffs, was the lack of offensive punch. Stowell stopped everything sent his way, and came out with an 18-save victory, so he did exactly what he was asked to do. Exeter, however, failed to generate many good opportunities, though Andover’s defenseman certainly played a role in that as well.

Afterward, the buzz around the arena was over Purdy, whose 28 saves included some pretty spectacular ones. He certainly gave his team a chance, and if Exeter is to advance beyond the quarterfinals, he will have to be just as sharp as he was today.

As for Andover, their forwards are tough to stop, as they can generate speed through the neutral zone. They are carrying a lot of momentum into a possible quarterfinal game on Wednesday. Whichever goaltender they face will have to pull a Purdy.

“I’m proud of our kids,” said Andover head coach Dean Boylan afterward. “We had to play through some things today and I’m just proud of the way they worked.”

Boylan tipped his cap to Purdy. “He was very good, very quick. We were trying to get traffic in front of him. In the second period I thought we were running around a bit too much.”

Boylan, asked his thoughts about how his team has evolved over the course of the season, said, “I think we’ve done a lot of growing. We’ve had to fight through a lot of adversity.”

The game, then, was a bit of a microcosm of Andover’s season.

Exeter coach Dana Barbin said he saw signs of hope during the game. “ I thought the number of terrific saves Purdy made as the game progressed boded well for us. I thought he wasn’t going to let anything in, but then… they got one. It was one of those games where I felt that whichever team got the first one would win.”

“You have to give Andover a lot of credit,” Barbin answered. “Because what they have done down the stretch here is very, very impressive.”

 

2/23/08

Div. II Final Standings

1. Worcester  2-1-1 = 4
2. New Hampton  3-2-3 = 8
3. Roxbury Latin 1-3-5 = 9
4. Kents Hill  5-4-2 = 11
5. Brunswick  6-5-4 = 15
6. St. George’s  4-6-9 = 19
7. Berwick 7-7-8 = 22
8. Hebron  9-8-7 = 24

9. Brewster  11-9-6 = 26
10. Pingree  10-10-10 = 30
11. Groton  8-11-13 = 32
12. Vermont  11-12-11 = 34
13T. NYA  14-13-12 = 39
        Rye CD  11-14-14 = 39

2/22/08 

Another Storm

Better today than tomorrow, but still, there are games scheduled for this afternoon and tonight, and plenty of snow to drive through to get to them.

If anyone has any cancellations/postponements please let us know at information@ushr.com

This what we have so far:

Vermont Academy @ Brunswick, cancelled (This game, part of the Empire Cup,  would not have affected playoff picture for either of the two teams, but would affect seedings for other teams. Tomorrow's schedule TBA.)

Berwick @ Kents Hill, rescheduled for Sat. Feb. 23, at noon.  

Winchendon @ Williston, cancelled

Dexter @ Roxbury Latin, rescheduled for Sat. Feb.23, 5:45 pm.
 
Holderness @ Cushing, cancelled

2/22/08

The Cardinal Takes Wing

South Kent, Conn. – Senior John Tague (1g,4a) figured in all of his team’s goals and senior goaltender Tyler Scott kicked out 35 shots to lead South Kent to a 5-1 win over Berkshire tonight.

The win gives South Kent a big boost in the hunt for home ice in next Wednesday’s quarterfinals. The Cardinal plays host to Winchendon tomorrow, while the Bears head down Connecticut’s snow-covered roads again, as they finish up at Gunnery tomorrow.    

The first period was fairly even, with South Kent taking a 1-0 lead when Tague jumped on the rebound of a Dan Pelletier shot and scooped it over Berkshire goaltender Charlie Ogalin at the 12:17 mark.

Scott made a nice save in the final minute, denying Berkshire’s Nick Prockow, who had broken though the South Kent D. Shots in the first were even at 15 apiece.

Early in the second, at the 2:14 mark, South Kent went up 2-0 on a Dillon O’Hara blast from the left point, a power play goal.

That goal seemed to wake up Berkshire, as the Bears took charge, totally dominating the remainder of the period.

At the 9:37 mark Berkshire got on the scoreboard, capitalizing on an odd-man rush, with junior Justin Agosta finishing off a Kevin Sullivan to Chris McCarthy passing sequence, beating Scott with a nice shot to the top corner to cut South Kent’s lead to 2-1.

Berkshire kept at it, pinning South Kent in their end with an effective forecheck while peppering Scott with shots. The Bears outshot South Kent 16-5 in the period, but Scott was tough, and Berkshire, for all their effort, just had the one goal to show for it.

South Kent came out hard in the third, answering Berkshire’s second-period dominance. By the end of the period, South Kent had a 15-5 shot advantage, and several of those shots found the back of the net. 

The key goal, the tally that put South Kent up 3-1, came at the 5:44 mark, as sophomore defensemen Garrett Clement, at the end of his shift, spied forward David BenMocha at the far wall and hit him with a long, cross-ice saucer pass, sending the junior forward in alone. Ogalin blocked the initial shot, but BenMocha buried his own rebound.

South Kent went up 4-1 when O’Hara scored his second goal of the game, another shot from the left point, this one sneaking through the five-hole at the 10:23 mark.

Exactly one minute later, South Kent made it 5-1 when Pelletier hit the post with a shot that deflected right back to him. He nailed it on the second attempt.

“We only had five shots in the second period,” South Kent head coach Geoff Marottolo said. “Berkshire really took it to us. But I really liked the way we centered ourselves and came back out with that third period.”

Marottolo also pointed to the play of Scott. “He’s played over 1,500 minutes for us this season. He controlled rebounds really well, and gave us whistles.”

“The kids were moving well in the neutral zone, and we found our third line tonight,” Marottolo said. “And we like to move the puck.”

 

2/20/08

Borelli Blanks Bearcats

Salisbury, Conn. – Salisbury senior goaltender Anthony Borelli stopped 32 shots to lead his team to a 2-0 win over Hotchkiss here this afternoon.

This was a game that had playoff implications for both teams, and Hotchkiss came out fired up, and took it to Salisbury, playing hard, playing physically, and outshooting their hosts. At the end of the period, Hotchkiss had nearly four straight minutes on the power play, as well as a brief spell of a 5x3, but still had nothing to show for it. 

Instead, it was Salisbury that scored the period’s only goal when Shawn Manning chipped it out to Jeff Back, who in turn made a nice pass to Adam Pawlick who skated in on Hotchkiss goaltender John Yanchek, picking the top corner at the 12:55 mark. It was Salisbury’s first or second shot of the period.

Hotchkiss continued to work hard in the second, but again had nothing to show for it, as the Salisbury team defense kept odd-man rushes to a minimum. The period’s only goal came when Jack Clayman fired a wide-angle shot from just off the wall near the hash marks. It appeared to beat Yanchek short side. The goal came at the 5:57 mark.

In the third, Hotchkiss continued to work and try to get back in the game, but didn’t have the energy they had in the first two periods. For the game, Hotchkiss outshot Salisbury 32-27, and also had the edge in territory. However, Hotchkiss didn’t move the puck as crisply on the PP as their hosts did, nor do they have the snipers Salisbury has. As for Hotchkiss, Yanchek had a solid game. The Pawlick goal was just a terrific shot. The Clayman goal he’d probably want back.

”I thought we competed hard,” Hotchkiss coach Damon White said afterward. “They had two shots in the first, one of which went in. We got tired in the third, as our top two lines were worn out. Salisbury played a very good game, but I was very pleased with our effort. Our kids played hard, and they played hurt -- Derek DeBlois hurt his shoulder early in the first and played the whole game in pain. The game was kind of a microcosm of the season – we can’t score goals.”

Salisbury head coach Matt Corkery said, “We had a really good goalie. Hotchkiss was all over us early and brought a lot of energy. But Anthony (Borelli) was the difference, both early and then when we had those penalties to kill later. He was our best penalty killer. He just did a great job.”

Notes:

Salisbury defenseman Brandon Russo missed the game due to a deep bone bruise and is day-to-day. Zach Martin missed the game for Hotchkiss. He’s out for the season.
 

2/20/08

Wed. Feb. 20 Recaps

-- At Salisbury, Conn., host Salisbury, behind Anthony Borelli’s 32 saves blanked a tenacious Hotchkiss squad, 2-0. Adam Pawlick and Jack Clayman scored the game’s only goals. Scroll below for full story.

-- At Wallingford, Conn. host Choate topped Loomis, 7-2. Mark Goggin (2g.2a), Billy Rivellini (2g,2a), and Joel Goodsell (4a) led the Wild Boars attack. Kevin Donovan kicked out 31 of 33 shots for the win.

-- At New Milford, Conn., Avon Old Farms topped Canterbury, 6-1. Cam Atkinson (1g,2a) and Pat Mullane (2g) led the Winged Beavers attack.

-- At Simsbury, Conn., Gunnery topped Westminster, 3-1. Gunnery got three first period goals, the first two by Thane Heller and the third by Brady Earle. Billy Sanborn had two assists for Gunnery. John Vazzano kicked out 31 of 32 shots for the win.

-- At Concord, Mass., Groton edged Middlesex, 3-2. Luke Deary scored a pair of goals and sophomore goaltender Dale Adams kicked out 29 of 31 shots.

-- At Pawling, NY, Taft got goals from four different scorers in a 4-1 win over T-P. Michael Petchonka kicked out 33 of 34 in the Rhinos’ net.

-- At Hoosick, NY, Vermont Academy beat Hoosac, 4-2. Brian Gibbons had two goals – the second was an empty-netter – plus an assist for Vermont. Chris Napolitan (1g,1a) and Oleg Koval (2a) each added two points. Junior Austin Erney picked up the win in goal, stopping 44 of 46 shots.

--At New Hampton, NH, in a big Div. II tilt, Casey Shaughnessy (3g,3a) figured in all the New Hampton goals in a 6-3 win over Kents Hill. Kyle Zobler (3g,2a) also had a huge day.

-- At Sheffield, Mass., host Berkshire trounced Millbrook, 7-1. Nick Prokow (1g,2a) had three points and Charlie Ogalin stopped 19 of 20 shots.

-- At Exeter, NH, Ryan Purdy came up big again, kicking out 33 of 34 to lead Exeter to a 3-1 win over Proctor.

-- At Deerfield, visiting Kent came back from a 2-1 deficit, scoring three straight goals late in the third to shock Deerfield, 4-2. After Malcolm Lyles had scored his second of the game for the Big Green, John Passantino and Justin Daniels scored three minutes apart, then Passantino added an empty-netter to make it 4-2.

-- At West Roxbury, Mass., host Roxbury Latin made a statement in Div. II, knocking off top-ranked Worcester Academy, 5-2. Roxbury Latin got goals from five different scorers and junior goaltender Brad Barone stopped 21 of 23 for the win.

-- At Needham, Mass., Lawrence Academy defeated host St. Sebastian’s, 5-3. Steven Whitney (1g,2a) led the way for LA.

-- At Dedham, Mass., a Gus Young goal at 13:31 of the third lifted host Nobles to a 3-2 win over GDA. Mike Griffin scored the other two Nobles goals, both on the power play. Derrick Pallis had a pair of assists. Sophomore goaltender Gene Lane stopped 24 of 26 shots for the win.

-- At Concord, NH, St. Paul’s topped Belmont Hill 5-2. Ben Albertson (2g,1a), Jason Bourgea (1g,2a), and Alex Davidson (3a) each had three points. Defenseman Mike Daly added a goal and an assist. Senior goaltender Andrew Peabody stopped 30 of 32 shots.

-- At Ashburnham, Mass., Cushing got goals from seven different scorers in an 8-3 win over Proctor.

-- At West Hartford, Conn., Kingswood-Oxford topped Portsmouth Abbey, 5-2. Kelly Cannon (1g,2a) and Derek Niziankiewicz (1g,2a) each had three points. Junior Andrew Boyce stopped 40 of 42 shots for the win.

-- At Marion, Mass., host Tabor blanked KUA, 7-0. Joey Coffin (3g) and Wyatt Clarke (3a) each had three points for the Seawolves. Sophomore goaltenders Josh Kanter (20/20) and Robert Kang (7/7) combined for the shutout.

-- At Albany, NY, Williston-Northampton trounced Albany Academy, 7-3. Anthony Chighisola had a pair of goals for the winners.

-- At Gill, Mass., Phillips Andover rolled over NMH, 8-3. Bobby Farnham (2g,2a), Chris Kreider (1g,2a), Andrew Cox (1g,2a), Jack Walsh (1g,1a), Brian Safstrom (1g,1a), Nick Craven (2a), and Garnet Hathaway (2a) all had multiple points for Andover.

2/21/08

Empire Cup Schedule

Fri. Feb. 22:
Round 1
Game 1: Brunswick vs. Vermont Academy, 7:00 pm (@ Brunswick)
Game 2: Trinity-Pawling vs. The Hill, 7:00 pm (@ T-P)
Game 3: Albany Academy vs. Wyoming Seminary, 5:00 pm (@ Millbrook)
Game 4: Millbrook vs. Portledge, 8:00 pm (@ Millbrook)

Sat. Feb. 23:
Round 2
Game 5: Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2, 12:00 pm (@T-P)
Game 6: Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2, 2:30 pm (@ T-P)
Game 7: Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4, 12:00 pm (@ Millbrook)
Game 8: Loser Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4, 2:30 pm (@ Millbrook)
Championship Game:
Winner Game #5 vs. Winner Game #7, 7:00 pm (@ Millbrook)

***

1st Annual Lakes Region Championship Schedule

Final Seedings:
#1 Tilton 6-0-0
#2 Holderness 2-3-1
#3 Proctor 2-3-1
#4 KUA 1-5-0

Sat. Feb. 23 Semifinals:
Proctor @ Holderness, 5:30 pm
KUA @ Tilton, 3:30 pm

Sun. Feb. 24:
Consolation Game, 11:00 am (@ Proctor)
Championship Game, 2:00 pm (@ Proctor)

 

2/21/08

Div. II Standings

Here’s how things look going into Friday’s action.

First, a couple of things: By beating Hoosac on Wednesday Vermont Academy moved to .500, which helped Berwick and Brewster, even though Pingree beat Berwick and Hebron beat NYA. Hebron playing NYA actually hurt them because NYA is under .500, so Brewster moved to 8th without even playing a Div. II game (they lost to Div. I Holderness).

 1. Worcester 2-1-1 = 4
 2. Roxbury Latin 1-2-5 = 8
 3T. Kents Hill 4-4-2 = 10
       New Hampton 3-3-4 = 10
 5. Brunswick 6-5-3 = 14
 6. St. George’s 5-6-9 = 20
 7. Berwick 7-7-7 = 21
 8 Brewster 11-8-6 = 25
 9 Hebron 10-9-8 = 27
10. Pingree 9-10-10 = 29
11. Groton 8-11-13 = 32
12. Vermont 12-12-11 = 35
13. NYA 14-13-12 = 39

Note:

The Div. II All-New England Team is now posted. See USHR February News.

2/19/08

Tuesday Morning Update

A quick update on some changes in the standings in the West after Monday’s games…Avon Old Farms and Berkshire continue to hold the #1-2 slots. South Kent, with its win over Choate, grabbed sole possession of the 3^rd seed. They now have 10 points (4+4+2).  Deerfield is in the 4^th spot (12 points) and Salisbury occupies 5^th, with 14 points (5+4+5). Hotchkiss, winners over Millbrook, is right on their tail, sitting at 6^th with 15 points (6+6+3).  As we look ahead to action this week, here are a few things to watch for, aside from who wins and who loses.  In the West, will Choate, Gunnery and Williston stay at or above .500?  Should any -- or all -- of them slip below that mark, games against those teams will no longer count as “quality” games and all of the contenders’ positions in the third criterion will be affected.  In the East, Andover’s chances will likely come down to its battle against arch-rival Exeter on Saturday.  Can you imagine the atmosphere if Andover needs that win in order to qualify? Of course, Nobles and Tilton are just outside of a playoff spot, looking in, and they need to win and hope for some help.  And keep this in mind: If Tabor beats KUA and NMH this week, they move above .500.  St. Paul’s, Exeter (twice), Andover, Cushing (twice), Nobles and Tilton all played Tabor this year.  How will the rankings in the 3^rd criterion (and overall) be affected if those games now count as quality games?  Will St. Paul’s loss to the Seawolves cost them a top seed?  Will Andover’s dramatic 9-8 come-from-behind OT win at Tabor push them over the top? Should be fun this week.  

 

2/19/08

Div. II Playoff Picture: Feb. 19

Here’s how things look in Div. II heading into tomorrow’s games. The same teams are in the Top 8 as this time last week. However, the deck has been shuffled, with Brunswick moving up into contention for home ice in the quarterfinals, while New Hampton and Berwick have each dropped down three slots.

If the season were to end today, this is how things would stand:

 1. Worcester 1-1-1 = 3
 2. Kents Hill 3-2-1 = 6
 3. Roxbury Latin 2-3-4 = 9
 4T. St. George’s 5-4-6 = 15
       Brunswick 6-6-3 = 15
 6. New Hampton 4-5-7 = 16
 7. Berwick 6-7-9 = 22
 8. Hebron 10-9-5 = 24
 9. Brewster 11-8-8 = 27
10. Pingree 8-10-11 = 29
11. Groton 9-13-13 = 35
12T. NYA 13-11-12 = 36
        Vermont 14-12-10 = 36

The three criteria are: 1) winning percentage against all Div. II NEPSIHA opponents; 2) Winning percentage against Division II opponents with a winning percentage over .500; 3) (Percentage of games versus Division II opponents with a winning percentage over .500) x (Winning percentage vs. Division II opponents with a winning percentage over .500)

One significant difference between Div. II and Div. I is the fact that Div. II just seeds the teams #1-8 regardless of geography – i.e. there is no east and west.

 

2/18/08

This Week's Schedule

Mon. Feb. 18, 2008:
Kimball Union @ Proctor, 4:00 pm (rescheduled from 2/13/08)
Gunnery @ Canterbury, 4:15 pm
Winchendon @ Pomfret, 4:30 pm
Vermont Academy @ Berwick (rescheduled from 2/6/08)
BB&N @ St. Sebastian's, 4:45 pm
Rivers @ Milton, 5:00 pm
Millbrook @ Hotchkiss, 5:00 pm (rescheduled from 1/5/08)
South Kent @ Choate, 6:00 pm

Tue. Feb. 19, 2008:
Hebron @ Bridgton, 4:15 pm 

Wed. Feb. 20, 2008:
Gunnery @ Westminster, 2:00 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Canterbury, 2:30 pm
Brewster @ Holderness, 2:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Choate, 2:30 pm
Taft @ Trinity-Pawling, 3:00 pm
Hotchkiss @ Salisbury, 3:00 pm
Groton @ Middlesex, 3:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Hoosac, 3:00 pm
Hebron @ Bridgton, 3:00 pm
Belmont Hill @ St. Paul's, 3:30 pm
Andover @ Northfield Mt. Hermon, 3:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ Roxbury Latin, 3:45 pm
Blair Academy @ Harvey, 4:00 pm
Pomfret @ Exeter, 4:00 pm
Rye Country Day @ Brunswick, 4:00 pm 
Pingree @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Kents Hill @ New Hampton, 4:00 pm (rescheduled from 2/6/08)
Williston-Northampton @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm 
Kent @ Deerfield, 4:00 pm
Millbrook @ Berkshire, 4:15 pm
Lawrence @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
Proctor @ Cushing, 4:45 pm
Rivers @ Brooks, 5:00 pm
Governor Dummer @ Noble & Greenough, 5:00 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Kingswood-Oxford, 5:00 pm
Thayer @ BB&N, 5:15 pm
Kimball Union @ Tabor, 5:30 pm
North Yarmouth @ Hebron, 6:00 pm
Philadelphia Jr. Flyers @ Hill School, 7:00 pm

Thu. Feb. 21, 2008:
New Hampton @ Hebron – tentative (makeup of 2/13/08)

Fri. Feb. 22, 2008:
Empire Cup, hosted by Trinity-Pawling and Millbrook (Day 1 of 2). Competing schools: Albany Academy, The Hill, Brunswick, Vermont Academy, Portledge, Wyoming Seminary, Trinity-Pawling, and Millbrook. 
Dexter @ Roxbury Latin, 3:45 pm
South Kent Varsity B @ Harvey, 3:45 pm 
Northwood B @ New Hampton, 4:00 pm
Holderness @ Cushing, 4:00 pm
Mark Bavis Cup: Thayer vs. Catholic Memorial, 5:00 pm (@ Canton SportsPlex)
Fieldston Prep @ Rye Country Day, 5:00 pm
Winchendon @ Williston-Northampton, 5:00 pm
Brooks @ Governor Dummer, 5:00 pm
Berwick @ Kent's Hill, 5:00 pm
Berkshire @ South Kent, 5:30 pm
Vermont Academy @ Brunswick, 5:30 pm (Empire Cup Game at Brunswick)
North Yarmouth @ St. George's, 6:00 pm

Sat. Feb. 23, 2008:
Empire Cup, hosted by Trinity-Pawling and Millbrook (Day 2 of 2)
Lakes Region Championship. Competing Schools: Proctor, Tilton, Holderness, & KUA (Day 1 of 2)
St. Sebastian's vs. Thayer, 1:30 pm (@ Harvard)
BB&N @ Belmont Hill, 2:00 pm
Hoosac @ Kingswood-Oxford, 2:00 pm
Northfield Mt. Hermon @ Tabor, 2:00 pm
Choate @ Kent, 2:30 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Pomfret, 2:30 pm 
Lawrence @ St. Paul's, 2:30 pm
Berkshire @ Gunnery, 2:30 pm
Pingree @ Hebron, 3:00 pm
Winchendon @ South Kent, 3:00 pm
Salisbury @ Canterbury, 3:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ Brooks, 3:30 pm
New Hampton @ Brewster, 3:45 pm
Northwood @ Cushing, 4:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Milton, 4:00 pm
Exeter @ Andover, 4:00 pm
Groton @ St. Mark's, 4:00 pm
Taft @ Hotchkiss, 4:30 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ North Yarmouth, 5:30 pm
Westminster @ Deerfield, 6:30 pm
Culver Military Academy @ Gilmour, 7:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Avon Old Farms, 7:30 pm

Sun. Feb. 24, 2008:
Lakes Region Championship: Proctor, Tilton, Holderness, & KUA (Day 2 of 2)
Culver Military Academy @ Gilmour, 10:00 am
National Sports Academy @ Albany Academy, 2:30 pm
Northwood vs. Junior Bruins EJHL, 3:00 pm (@ UMass-Amherst)

 

2/18/08

Div. I Update

We've posted an updated version of the Div. I standings in the February News.

Monday a.m. update

 

2/18/08 updated

A Few Important Finals

The box scores from a couple of important games tonight in the west have yet to be posted, but here are the results:

Hotchkiss 6, Millbrook 2

South Kent 6, Choate 4

Also, Gunnery's 3-2 loss to Canterbury puts Gunnery exactly at .500 with two tough opponents remaining (Westminster, Berkshire). 
 

2/18/08

Worcester Academy Again #1 in USHR Div. II Poll

For the second straight week Worcester Academy holds down the top spot in the USHR Div. I poll.

USHR Div. II Prep Poll; 2/18/08  

2/16/08

Sat. Feb. 16 Recaps

-- At Salisbury, Conn., #1 Avon Old Farms topped #2 Salisbury, 4-1. For the full story, scroll down.

-- In a big Div. II game, Brunswick made a major statement, going on the road and knocking off #1-ranked Kents Hill, 4-3. Brunswick carried a 4-0 lead into the third, but almost let it get away, as Kents Hill scored three before falling short.  Ben Weisburger (2g), Bo Stafford (3a), and Phil Silbereisen (1g,1a) led the way for Brunswick. Greg Haliskoe (2g,1a) figured in all three Kents Hill goals.

-- At West Hartford, Conn., Hebron blanked host Kingswood-Oxford, 4-0, getting goals from four different goal scorers, and a 16 save shutout from Keith MacDonald. Junior goalie Andrew Boyce stopped 40 of 44 shots for the Fighting Wyverns.

-- At Middletown, RI, St. George’s goaltender Sean O’Brien posted a 22-save shutout to lead the Dragons to a 4-0 win visiting Groton. Jeff Ryan (1g,2a), Nick Carrellas (1g,1a), Garrett Sider (1g,1a), and Mike Violette (1g,1a) led the way for St. George’s.

-- Strange happenings in Watertown, Conn., where host Taft took a 6-0 lead after one period of play, only to watch as the visitors from Choate came back with seven unanswered goals, the final a Mark Goggin strike in OT to win it for the Wild Boars. The game could be considered a microcosm of the Rhinos season, which has seen the squad be very good, sweeping tough teams like Salisbury and Kent, but also not so good. Today’s loss was their third in a row.

-- At Pawling, NY, Trinity-Pawling played the role of spoiler, putting a big crimp in Hotchkiss’ playoff hopes when sophomore Brandon Moore scored his second goal of the day at 12:45 of the third period to lift the Pride to a 2-1 win over the Bearcats. Senior Colin Bessey kicked out 34 of 35 shots for T-P, while John Yanchek was the hard-luck loser for Hotchkiss, stopping 23 of 25.

-- Albany Academy visited the Gunnery and came away 10-1 losers. The shots on goal in this game: Gunnery 75, Albany Academy 10.

-- At Exeter, NH, Deerfield stayed in the playoff hunt with a 6-3 win over Exeter. Exeter got goals from six different scorers.

-- At Concord, Mass., host Middlesex bowed to Rivers, 2-1. The goaltenders ruled in this one as Rivers soph Tim Corey (38/39) and Middlesex senior Joe Delaney (37/39) each had strong games.

-- At Millbrook, NY, visiting Pomfret took a 2-0 lead into the second period, but Millbrook scored five of the next seven gals to take a 5-4 win. Sophomore Jonathan Theriault (2g,1a) led the Millbrook scorers.

-- Trailing 3-1 in the third period at Vermont Academy, Brewster gave their playoff hopes a boost by scoring three goals in the third period. Sophomore brothers Breck (2g,1a) and Riley Merritt (2a), and junior Justin Ingram (1g,1a) led the way for Brewster. In net, sophomore Anthony Jacaruso kicked out 40 of 43 shots for the win.

--  Junior Pat Dunn kicked out all 28 shots he faced to lead host New Hampton to a 2-0 shutout of Proctor. Kyle Zobler and Kyle Stewardson scored the goals.

-- At Marion, Mass., junior Jayson Megan (1g,2a) led the scorers in host Tabor’s 6-3 win over Holderness. Sophomore goaltender Josh Kanter stopped 31 of 34 shots for the win.

-- At Groton, Mass., host Lawrence outscored St. Mark’s 8-1 and outshot them 62-13. Doesn’t sound pretty at all.

-- At the Canton Sportsplex, St. Paul’s goaltender Andrew Peabody only needed to make 11 saves in a 4-0 shutout of Thayer Academy. St. Paul’s got goals from four different scorers.

-- At North Andover, Mass., Andover knocked off Div. II Brooks, 4-1. Andrew Cox had a pair of goals.

-- At Simsbury, Conn., a third period goal by sophomore Chris McCarthy, his third of the game, lifted Berkshire to a 3-3 tie with host Westminster, and kept the Bears right in the playoff hunt.

-- At Byfield, Mass., freshman Alex Gacek scored a pair of goals to help lead GDA to a 4-3 win over St. Sebastian’s.

-- Danny Colvin (3g,1a) and Justin Daniels (1g,2a) led the attack as host Kent kept their playoff hopes alive with a 7-2 win over Canterbury. .

-- At Easthampton, Mass., sophomore Mike Pereira (2g,1a) led South Kent to a 4-3 win over host Williston-Northampton. PG John Lessard scored all three of Williston’s goals. Sophomore Bobby Bowden stopped 41 of 44 shots for Williston; senior Tyler Scott stopped 35 of 38 for South Kent.


        

2/17/08

Again, Winged Beavers Top USHR Div. I Prep Poll

What's to say? They are 22-1-0.

We wanted to mention one thing about the USHR Div. I prep poll and the methodology used. We like the poll to reflect, as much as possible, how a team is currently doing. We want it to be a bit of a snapshot of the moment. To that end, recent surges, slumps, dips, etc. are accounted for by placing a little more weight on recent games (i.e. the more recent the more weight). The principal criteria, however, remains the overall season/strength of schedule/head-to-head results/common opponents -- all the usual stuff.   

USHR Div. I Prep Poll, 2/18/08

2/16/08

Div. II Reminder

Berwick head coach Andy Lathrop has emailed all Div. II head coaches with the following reminder, but some of the emails bounced back, so he has asked us to post it in this space. We're glad to do it. 

Coaches,
As many of you know, I have been doing the D2 seedings for the tournament the past few years. I rely heavily on all NEPSIHA games being reported to USHR. Please make sure all your games are reported there and that they are accurate. This has been a bad winter with a lotof cancellations and postponements, so its really important to double-check your results and make sure everything is on there. Thanks for your help with this matter.

Andy Lathrop, CAA
Assistant Director of Athletics/Head Boys Hockey Coach
Berwick Academy

2/16/08 Updated

#1 Avon Rolls On; Tops Salisbury, 4-1

Salisbury, Conn.  – The Avon juggernaut took to the road this afternoon, rolling down Route 44 and knocking off #2 Salisbury, 4-1.

While Avon, now 22-1-0, stands atop the prep pyramid, Salisbury can take a measure of solace in the fact that they became the first team in a five-week stretch to hold Avon to fewer than six goals (Kent did it five weeks ago, in a Jan. 12 loss). 

Salisbury can also take pride in their first period play, for they came out hard, played with emotion, and dominated most of the period. They also got on the board first when, after applying steady pressure, Avon goalie Max Fenkell blocked a flurry of shots before sophomore Matt Nieto finally found an opening, banging home a rebound to put the home team up 1-0 at the 7:31 mark. 

The Salisbury goal seemed to wake up the Winged Beavers, who got their legs under them, began skating harder and, as usually happens, the offense followed. The period, which would end with Avon holding an 11-10 advantage in shots, had no further scoring, but the game had a new face.

The second period began with Salisbury on a power play for the first  couple of minutes, but the two best scoring chances would be Avon's, whose pressure on Salisbury's point men caused a pair of turnovers leading to 2-on-1s. Both scoring opportunities were stopped handily by Salisbury netminder Anthony Borelli.

At the 9:44 mark of the second period, Avon punched through on a power play goal, a pretty, down low, tic-tac-toe goal. Cam Atkinson gained control of the puck in the corner to Borelli's right, and fed a pass to Paul Lee standing at the left face off circle. Lee one-timed a pass to Patrick Mullane, who in turn one-timed a snap shot past Borelli, tying the game at 1-1.

Avon kept the pressure on, going up 2-1 just three minutes later on a tremendous play initiated by Avon goaltender Max Fenkell. With Avon pressuring, Salisbury dumped the puck out of the zone for what looked to be a certain icing. Fenkell, though, spied Mullane up the far wall, away from the benches, and hit him with a perfect pass. Mullane stepped over the blue line into the Salisbury zone, and got it to Atkinson in the middle for what turned out to be the game winner.

Avon put the game away in the third, The first goal came on an Atkinson-to-Lee rush at the 7:16 mark that totally silenced the SRO crowd. The other was an empty-netter by Ricky Longobardi with 1:14 to play. 

"Avon is quick, sudden, and fast" said Salisbury head coach Matt Corkery after the game. "Our kids played well. Hopefully, we'll see Avon again."

 

2/15/08

All-New England Teams Named

Please see February News:

2007-08 All-New England Teams

2/13/08  Updated

Weather Strikes Again

Bad weather has again caused the postponement and/or cancellation of games. So far, this is what we have for today:

-- Kimball Union @ Proctor, postponed, makeup date TBA

-- Salisbury @ Albany Academy, postponed. The game will be made up tomorrow, 2/14 @ 4:00 pm.

-- New Hampton @ Hebron, postponed, makeup date TBA.

 

2/13/08

Div. II Playoff Scenario

If you’ve been wondering how the Div. II playoff race stacks up… same here. That’s why we were pleased to receive this quite unexpected missive from Andy Lathrop, who is in charge of the Div. II tournament this season, replete with the latest numbers showing exactly where each team stands going into the games of this afternoon, Wed. 2/13.

They’ll look different tonight, but this should help all of us as we peruse today’s scores. 

The three criteria are:

1) winning percentage against all Div. II NEPSIHA opponents.

2) Winning percentage against Division II opponents with a winning percentage over .500

3) (Percentage of games versus Division II opponents with a winning percentage over .500) x (Winning percentage vs. Division II opponents with a winning percentage over .500)

One significant difference between Div. II and Div. I is the fact that Div. II just seeds the teams #1-8 regardless of geography – i.e. there is no east and west, which is not a bad way to go about it, at least in this typist’s opinion.

At any rate, if the season were to end at noon today, this is now things would stand.

1. Kents Hill 2-1-1 = 4
2. Worcester Academy 1-2-2 = 5
3. New Hampton 5-4-3 = 12
4. Berwick 6-6-4 = 16
5. Roxbury Latin 3-5-8 = 16
6. St. George’s 4-3-11 = 18
7. Brunswick 7-7-6 = 20
8. Hebron 13-8-5 = 26
9. Brewster 11-9-7 = 27
10. Pingree 10-11-9 = 30
11. Groton 8-10-13 = 31
12. NYA 9-12-12 = 33
13. Vermont 11-13-10 = 34

2/13/08

Wed. Feb. 13 Recaps

-- At Wallingford, Conn., senior Ricky Longobardi (1g,2a) led the attack and junior Parker Milner kicked out 16 of 17 shots  to lead Avon Old Farms (21-1-0) to a 6-1 win over Choate.

-- At Windsor, Conn., Joey Campanelli (2g), Julien Boutet (1g,1a), Reid Acton (1g,1a), and Jarrod Connolly (2a) each had two points to lead Westminster past host Loomis, 5-2. Juniors Paul Gallagher (2g) and Joseph Tebano (2a) figured in both Loomis goals.

-- The Salisbury @ Albany Academy game was postponed a day. The two teams will play Thursday at 4:00 pm.

-- At Pawling, NY, senior Clark DeGeer of Caledon, Ont. scored a pair of goals to lead host Trinity-Pawling past Millbrook, 5-2.

-- At Andover, Mass., a game with playoff implications for both teams turned into an orgy of goal scoring, with host Andover topping Cushing 9-5. Sophomores Garnet Hathaway (3g,1a) and Chris Kreider (2g,2a) led the way for Andover. The win was a must for Andover’s playoff’s chances. As for Cushing, it was a lost opportunity to tighten their grip on the last playoff spot in the east.

-- At Exeter, NH, Exeter topped NMH, 8-1. Senior Jamie Core (2g,1a) and sophomore defenseman Brendan Cosgrove (3a) led the way for Exeter.

-- At Portsmouth, RI, Middlesex senior Rob Dudley of Douglas, Mass, scored an early third period goal to lift Middlesex to a 6-5 win over host Portsmouth Abbey.

-- Kimball Union @ Proctor was postponed. No makeup date has been announced.

-- At Watertown, Conn., senior Michael Dizgun kicked out 41 of 42 shots as visiting Deerfield kept their playoff hopes on the front burner with a 4-1 road win over Taft. The Big Green got goals from four different scorers.

-- At Weston, Mass., senior goaltender Kyle Shute kicked out 25 of 26 shots to lead Rivers to a 4-1 over St. Mark’s.

-- At Washington, Conn., sophomore defenseman Garrett Clement scored a power play goal at 14:50 of the third period to lift Gunnery to a 3-3 tie with South Kent. Shots were 35-35 in this one. This was an opportunity for South Kent to pick up a win over an over- .500 team but they had to settle for a tie.

-- At Byfield, Mass., not far from the banks of the Parker River, 6’2” junior Dominic Malerba kicked out 23 of 24 shots to lead GDA to a 3-1 win over Lawrence Academy.

-- At Groton, Mass., sophomore goaltender Dale Adams kicked out 36 of 37 shots to lead host Groton to a 4-1 win over Brooks. In the win, which keeps Groton’s playoff hopes alive, freshman Nils Martin (2g) and junior defenseman Ben Sargent (2a) led the offense.

-- At Easthampton, Mass., sophomore goaltender Bobby Bowden kicked out 23 of 24 shots to lead Williston-Northampton to a 3-1 win over Canterbury.

-- At Belmont, Mass., junior goaltender Michael Condon stopped 26 of 27 shots to lead host Belmont Hill to a 6-1 win over Milton Academy. Connor Brickley (1g,2a), Jake Moscatel (1g,1a), Mike Blake (1g,1a), and defenseman Jack McNamara (2a) led the way offensively.

-- The New Hampton @ Hebron was postponed. No makeup date has been announced.

-- At Kent, Conn., in a battle of two teams scratching for a playoff spot, Luke Glendening had a goal and two assists and John Yanchek stopped 16 of 17 shots to lead Hotchkiss to a 4-1 win over host Kent. The Bearcats outshot Kent, 35-17.

-- At West Roxbury, Mass., in a battle of two teams fighting to stay in the playoff hunt, host Roxbury Latin got two goals from Ryan Whooley and two power play goals from Richie Iskra to knock off St. George’s, 4-2. Brad Baron stopped 33 of 35 shots to earn the big win.

-- At Rye, NY, Rye Country Day topped KLHT, 8-1. Junior Ryan Blatt (2g,1a) and freshman Shayne Bingham (3a) led the way offensively and sophomore Jordan Gluck stopped 16 of 17 for the win.

-- At Pomfret, Conn., visiting Berkshire kept themselves in the thick of the postseason hunt with a 6-2 win at Pomfret. Sophomore forward Chris McCarthy (1g,2a) and senior goalie Charlie Ogalin (23 saves) led the way for the Bears.

-- At Needham, Mass., a third period goal by Vermont recruit Ben Albertson lifted St. Paul’s to a 4-3 road win at St. Sebastian’s.

-- At Canton, Mass., senior forward Trevor Pawliczka (2g,2a) led Tabor to a 6-2 win over Thayer. Sophomore goaltender Robert Kang  kicked out 26 of 28 shots for the win.


 

2/13/08

Prep Playoff Scenario Now Posted in Feb. USHR News

Here is is: 

Prep playoff scenario going into games of Wed. Feb. 13

 

2/11/08 Updated

This Week's Schedule

Mon. Feb. 11, 2008:
Proctor @ Exeter, 5:00 pm (rescheduled from 2/6/08)
Berkshire @ Millbrook, 5:15 pm
Rye Country Day @ Portledge, 5:30 pm
Worcester Academy @ Pingree, 6:00 pm
Lawrenceville @ Brunswick, 6:00 pm

Tue. Feb. 12, 2008:
Governor Dummer @ Lawrence, 4:30 pm (rescheduled from1/23/08)

Wed. Feb. 13, 2008:
Ridley College @ St. Andrew's, 2:00 pm
Westminster @ Loomis-Chaffee, 2:00 pm
Millbrook @ Trinity-Pawling, 2:30 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Choate, 2:30 pm
South Kent @ Gunnery, 2:30 pm
Kimball Union @ Proctor, 2:30 pm -- postponed
Hotchkiss @ Kent, 2:30 pm
Brooks @ Groton, 3:00 pm
Middlesex @ Portsmouth Abbey, 3:00 pm
Cushing @ Andover, 3:15 pm
Lawrence @ Governor Dummer, 3:45 pm
Columbia Prep @ Harvey, 3:45 pm
Deerfield @ Taft, 4:00 pm
Salisbury @ Albany Academy -- postponed to Thurs. 2/14 @ 4:00 pm
Northfield Mt. Hermon @ Exeter, 4:00 pm
Holderness @ Winchendon, 4:00 pm
Tabor @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Dexter @ Berwick, 4:00 pm
Berkshire @ Pomfret, 4:00 pm
New Hampton @ Hebron, 4:00 pm -- postponed
Portledge @ Wyoming Seminary, 4:15 pm
St. Mark's @ Rivers, 4:30 pm
St. Paul's @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
Canterbury @ Williston-Northampton, 4:45 pm
Milton @ Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm
Worcester Academy @ Vermont Academy, 5:00 pm
King & Low-Heywood Thomas @ Rye Country Day, 5:00 pm
Noble & Greenough @ BB&N, 5:15 pm
Malvern Prep @ Hill School, 5:30 pm

Thu. Feb. 14, 2008:
Fieldston Prep @ Harvey, 3:30 pm
Salisbury @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm -- makeup of 2/13
Brunswick @ North Yarmouth, 5:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 15, 2008:
Brunswick @ Hebron, 3:30 pm
Berwick @ Portsmouth Abbey, 3:30 pm
Pingree @ Middlesex, 3:30 pm
Proctor @ Holderness, 3:30 pm
Brewster @ New Hampton, 4:00 pm
Roxbury Latin @ Brooks, 4:30 pm
Belmont Hill @ Noble & Greenough, 5:00 pm
Thayer @ Rivers, 5:00 pm
Milton @ BB&N, 5:00 pm
Tilton @ Lawrence, 6:00 pm
South Kent @ Winchendon, 6:00 pm
Andover @ Tabor, 6:30 pm
Bridgton @ Wyoming Seminary, 7:00 pm
Kingswood-Oxford @ Worcester Academy, 7:45 pm (New England Sports Center)
Stanstead College @ Vermont Academy, 8:00 pm

Sat. Feb. 16, 2008:
Brunswick @ Kent's Hill, 12:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Lawrence, 1:30 pm
Hebron @ Kingswood-Oxford, 1:45 pm
Choate @ Taft, 2:00 pm
Proctor @ New Hampton, 2:00 pm
LaSalle College Prep @ Lawrenceville, 2:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Gunnery, 2:00 pm
Groton @ St. George's, 2:30 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Salisbury, 3:00 pm
Brewster @ Vermont Academy, 3:15 pm
Hotchkiss @ Trinity-Pawling, 3:30 pm
Pomfret @ Millbrook, 4:00 pm
St. Paul's @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
St. Sebastian's @ Governor Dummer, 4:00 pm
Deerfield @ Exeter, 4:00 pm
Rivers @ Middlesex, 4:00 pm
Andover @ Brooks, 4:00 pm
Holderness @ Tabor, 4:00 pm
South Kent @ Williston-Northampton, 4:15 pm
Winchendon @ Tilton, 4:30 pm
Kimball Union @ Cushing, 4:30 pm
Bridgton @ Hill School, 5:00 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Northfield Mt. Hermon, 5:00 pm
Hoosac @ North Yarmouth, 5:30 pm
Wyoming Seminary vs. Northwood, 7:00 pm (@ Houston Field House, RPI)
Berkshire @ Westminster, 7:00 pm
Canterbury @ Kent, 7:00 pm

Sun. Feb. 17, 2008:
Wyoming Seminary vs. Northwood, 11:15 am (@ Houston Field House, RPI)
Hoosac @ Kent's Hill, 11:30 am
Bridgton @ Lawrenceville School, 12:30 pm
Bridgton @ Lawrenceville, 12:30 pm

Mon. Feb. 18, 2008:
Gunnery @ Canterbury, 4:15 pm
Winchendon @ Pomfret, 4:30 pm
BB&N @ St. Sebastian's, 4:45 pm
Rivers @ Milton, 5:00 pm
Millbrook @ Hotchkiss, 5:00 pm (rescheduled from 1/5/08)
South Kent @ Choate, 6:00 pm

2/11/08

Worcester Academy Back on Top in Div. II Poll 

Worcester Academy, by the slimmest of margins (just two points), has retaken the top spot in this week's USHR Div. II poll.

USHR Div. II Poll; 2/11/08

 

2/10/08

Avon Once Again #1 in USHR Div. I Prep Poll

Avon Old Farms (20-1-0) is once again #1 in this week’s USHR Div. I poll. For the full poll, click on the link below.

USHR Div. I Prep Poll; 2/10/08

 

2/8/08

Andover Strikes Late, Ties up GDA

Andover, Mass. – With a 4-2 lead and a tick over three minutes remaining on the clock, it looked like Governor’s Academy was going to sneak out of town with a hard-earned road win under their belt.

But, suddenly, a puck flung on net by senior Andrew Cox deflected off GDA defenseman Zach Menard’s stick and by junior goaltender Dom Malerba to make it a 4-3 game at 14:59 of the third.

A little over a minute later, Andover senior forward J.J. McGregor came barreling hard down the right side and fanned on his first pass attempt but on take two was able to get it across the crease to Cox, who was stationed at the far post. Suddenly, to the delight of the Andover partisans, which included New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, it was a 4-4 game.

The goal was the third of the game for Cox, a Holy Cross recruit from Lombardy, Ontario.

But despite dominating overtime, that was all Andover would get, and they should probably consider themselves fortunate because for much of the game, GDA had their number.

“I thought we played well for 57 minutes tonight,” said Governor’s head coach Peter Kravchuk, “and we had a couple of minutes where we let it slip away. In the last couple minutes of the third we were running around a bit. We have a young team, though, and hopefully the next time we’re in this situation we’ll figure out a way to pull it out. The fact that they’re upset with this is a good thing.”

Dean Boylan, Andover’s head coach, said, “They badly outplayed us, certainly in the first and for a major part of the second. We had to really find a way to dig in in the third.”

The first period, in which Governor’s outshot Andover 13-5 and led on the scoreboard 3-2, was a frenetic affair. Cox put Andover up 1-0 just 2:19 in. Fifty seconds later, GDA senior center Michael Hill dug a puck out of the corner and got it out front to sophomore Tim Winslow, who made it 1-1. GDA went up 2-1 at the 7:57 mark when Zach Menard converted a nice pass from Will Bryson. But three minutes later, Andover’s star sophomore Chris Kreider banged home a rebound while the two sides were playing 4x4 hockey. Finally, with 1:42 left in the period, GDA defenseman Jeff Menard – for the record, there are three Menards on the team – got the puck to sophomore center Cody Ferriero, who ripped off a blast that beat Andover goalie Glenn Stowell high glove side to give the visitors a 3-2 lead.

For a long time, it looked like that goal would be the game winner. And it looked like Josh Adinolfo’s goal at 2:11 of the third period, a little knuckler off a pass from Hill, was just an insurance goal. Well, that goal turned out to be pretty valuable in the end.


Notes:

-- This game was not much to speak of artistically. It was more of a ragged, hard-fought affair. Governor’s did a great job in their own end, particularly for the first couple of periods. To be specific, they gave the Andover players very little time and space, hounding them continuously and making it impossible for their hosts to set up and make plays. Governor’s hustled and almost pulled off a minor upset.

Andover came back and, with a strong third period and overtime, wound up outshooting Governor’s by a 27-24 margin.

-- Midway through the first period, Andover’s McGregor was hooked down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Malerba, however, came out and stopped him before he could get a shot off.

-- The officiating was strange in this game. The refs just weren’t on the ball at all, a problem we’ve seen quite a bit of this season.

  

2/9/08 

Sat. Feb. 9 Recaps

Deerfield, Mass. – After playing Salisbury to a 0-0 tie on the road last night, #4 Deerfield returned home to host #1-ranked Avon Old Farms. The hosts came out hard, too, skating with Avon step-for-step through a frenetic first period. The Big Green got on the board first, with Andrew Ammon making a nice pass to Cody Skinner to give Deerfield a 1-0 lead 5:01 in. However, with the teams skating 4-on-4, Pat Mullane made an equally nice pass to Chris Weiland, who buried it at 7:48 to tie the game at 1-1, which is how the first period ended.

Avon took total command in the second period, though Deerfield goalie Michael Dizgun, who had 41 saves while blanking Salisbury less than 24 hours earlier, kept the high-flying Avon attack from breaking the 1-1 tie until the 11:56 mark when Ricky Longobardi fed James Chamness for the go-ahead goal. It was a shorthanded goal which felt big at the time and, as it turned out, was indeed the game’s turning point. Several minutes later, at 15:51, Avon put a punctuation mark on things when Lee Moffie, from the left point, sent a nice pass to Pat Mullane down low. Mullane fed Cam Atkinson, who made it 3-1. 

In the third, the Winged Beavers’ onslaught continued. At 1:31, Mike DiMare banged home the rebound of a Moffie shot from the point. Then, at 4:58, Atkinson scored his second of the game, a 20’ snipe from the slot. Deerfield’s Malcolm Lyles scored to cut the Avon lead to 5-2, but DiMare got it right back with his second goal of the night, and Avon headed back down 91 with a 6-2 win, their 20^th victory of the season.

Dizgun wound up facing 50 shots in the Deerfield net. Avon junior Max Fenkell stopped 22 of 24 to pick up the win. In addition to Atkinson and DiMare each scoring a pair, Wieland (1g,2a) and Mullane (3a) also had big afternoons.

“We killed penalties well in the second period,” said Avon head coach John Gardner. “And we hustled. It paid off when Chamness and Longobardi combined for a beautiful shorthanded goal. Once we got that goal we just pounded away. Dizgun played great for them. I know they had a tough game last night… and we were resting. They’re good. We caught ‘em at the right time and did what we had to do.”

“I was pleased with how our kids played. I thought they worked hard. And they played better defensively. The second period was one of the best periods we played all year – they smelled it and played hard.

***

-- At Windsor, Conn., #2 Salisbury blanked Loomis, 3-0. Junior Adam Pawlick (2g,1a) figured in all three Salisbury goals while sophomore Andy Iles stopped 26 shots to earn the shutout.

-- At Andover, NH, a third period goal by senior Matt Robertson lifted host Proctor to a 3-3 tie with #3 St. Paul’s. Proctor goaltender Conor Systrom kicked out 32 of 35 shots, and his teammates effectively used a neutral zone trap to slow down the SPS forwards.

-- At Saxton’s River, Vt., Brian Gibbons, who committed to Utica College earlier in the week, scored a pair of goals to lead Vermont Academy to a 3-0 shutout of Kingswood-Oxford. Junior Austin Erney stopped all 23 shots he faced for VA, while K-O’s goaltender, junior Andrew Boyce, stopped 53 of 56 shots.

-- At Weston, Mass., Roxbury Latin junior goaltender Brad Barone (23 saves) shut out host Rivers, 2-0. Senior Sean McCarthy scored both Roxbury Latin goals, the latter being an empty-netter.

-- At Katonah, NY, North Yarmouth Academy trounced host Harvey School, 11-1. Freshmen Colt Steele (3g,1a) and Jordan Haskell (2g,3a) and sophomore Shane Hearn (5a) led the NYA attack. 

 -- At Simsbury, Conn., Westminster topped Choate, 5-3. Joey Campanelli (1g,2a), Jarrod Connolly (1g,2a), and Michael Sorrenti (1g,1a) led the Westminster offense. Choate is playing without forward Mark Goggin, who is in Slovakia with the U.S. Under-17 Team.

-- At Millbrook, NY, sophomore Jonathan Theriault (3g,2a) figured in five of his team’s six goals as host Millbrook topped Williston-Northampton, 6-4.

--At Middletown, RI, Garrett Sider (3g,1a), Nick Carrellas (4a), and Jeff Ryan (1g,2a) led St. George’s past Brooks, 6-2.

-- At Watertown, Conn., a third period goal by senior Peter Massar, his second tally of the game, lifted #6 Hotchkiss to a 4-3 win over host Taft.

-- At Byfield, Mass., Chris Menard scored a pair of goals and added an assist as GDA edged BB&N, 4-3. Luke Montoni earned the win in goal, stopping 18 of 21 shots.

-- At Marion, Mass., Tabor took the Travis Roy Cup, topping St. Sebastian’s, 5-2. Mike Jangro (2g), Mark Colp (2a), and Drew Jelinek (2a) led the Seawolves attack. Sophomore Robert Kang stopped 20 of 22 shots for the win.

-- At Winchendon, Mass., a Nick Prockow overtime goal lifted #9 Berkshire to a 3-2 win over Winchendon.

-- At Washington, Conn., host Gunnery topped Pomfret, 3-1. Billy Sanborn had the game winner for Gunnery, and added an empty-netter.

-- At Gill, Mass., #8 Exeter got goals from four different scorers in a 4-1 win over NMH. Ryan Purdy kicked out 20 of 21 shots for the win.   

-- At South Hamilton, Mass., a third period goal by senior Tom Smith lifted Pingree to a 3-3 tie with New Hampton.

-- At Dedham, Mass., host Nobles, trailing Milton 5-3 after two periods, got four goals in a span of 3:32 early in the third and went on to take an 8-6 win. Andrew Glass (3g,4a) had a hand in seven of Nobles’ eight goals. Matt Marshall had five assists.

-- At Concord, Mass., Middlesex topped winless St. Mark’s, 9-5. Rob Dudley (2g,3a), Chris Mahoney (2g,2a), Jared Mullane (1g,2a), and Joe Pascucci (2g) led the Middleses offense.

-- At Hebron, Me., a third period goal by junior Josh Richards lifted Berwick to a 3-2 win over Hebron in a key Div. II matchup. Senior Kyle Riffe scored Berwick’s other two goals, and sophomore Casey DeSmith kicked out 30 of 32 shots for the win.

-- At Worcester, Mass., host Worcester Academy topped Hoosac, 6-4. Cam Maillet (2g,1a) and Anthony Bilotta (4a) led the WA scorers.

-- At Trinity College, #7 South Kent topped #10 Belmont Hill, 5-3. John Tague (1g,3a), Mike Pereira (2g), Dillon O’Hara (1g,1a) and David Benmocha (1g,1a) led the SK attack. Senior Tyler Scott kicked out 33 of 36 shots for the win.

--  At Brookline, Mass., Portsmouth Abbey topped host Dexter, 6-3. Bryan Abraham (3g,1a) led the PA attack while Brendan Hammatt stopped 29 of 32 shots for the win. Senior Charlie Casner (1g,2a) figured in all three of Dexter’s goals.

-- At Holderness, NH, a shorthanded goal by Anthony Mazzagno and shutout goaltending by Dave Grilk gave Holderness a 1-0 win over Kimball Union.

2/6/08

Wed. Feb. 6 Recaps

-- At Avon, Conn., #1 Avon Old Farms rolled over Gunnery, 8-3. Cam Atkinson (2g,2a), and defensemen Danny New (2g,2a) and Lee Moffie (1g,2a) led the attack. Sophomore goaltender Josh Dionne kicked out 25 of 28 shots.

-- At Salisbury, Conn., Taft rolled into town and, lifted by a pair of third period tallies off the stick of junior Robbie Bourdon, won their eighth straight, a 3-2 decision over #2-ranked Salisbury. Bourdon, who also had an assist, figured in all of Taft’s goals. Sophomore goalie Steve Racine kicked out 35 of 37 shots for the win. Salisbury sophomore goaltender Andy Iles stopped 28 of 31 in a losing effort. With the win, Taft swept the season series against Salisbury.

-- At Sheffield, Mass., #9 Berkshire edged #5 Kent, 3-2. Sophomore forward Chris McCarthy had a pair of goals and senior goaltender Charlie Ogalin picked up the win, kicking out 23 of 25 Kent shots. For Kent, Danny Colvin scored both their goals and Mike Milana kicked out 25 of 28 shots, but took the loss. This game, by the way, gives a huge boost to Berkshire’s chances of making the postseason.

-- At Southborough, Mass., sophomore Nick Galanos (3g) and junior Taylor MacGillivary (2g,1a) led Brooks to am 8-4 win over host St. Mark’s.

--  At Gill, Mass., visiting Williston-Northampton got goals from four different scorers in a 4-3 win over host NMH.

-- At Pawling, NY, senior forward Ryan Fritz scored a shorthanded goal and a power play goal to lead Canterbury to a 4-2 win over host Trinity-Pawling. PG goalie Ryan Garvin kicked out 29 of 31 shots for the win. T-P senior goalie stopped 28 of 32, but was saddled with the loss.

-- At Marion, Mass., Tabor almost came back from a 4-2 third period deficit, but fell short and Cushing headed back to Central Mass with a 6-5 win. Sean Whitney (2g), Alex Gallen (2g), Mike Conderman (1g,1a), and Grant Telfer (2a) each had two points for the Penguins. Eric Czapka (2g), Andy Latta (3a), Ross Garson (1g,1a), and Jason Megna (2a) led the Seawolves attack.

-- At Middletown, RI, senior Sean O’Brien kicked out 24 shots and led St. George’s to a 3-0 shutout of Rivers.

-- At Simsbury, Conn., #6 Hotchkiss had another of their patented low-scoring affairs, tying host Westminster, 1-1. John Yanchek had 34 saves for Hotchkiss; Charles Corsi had 31 for Westy.

-- At West Hartford, Conn., Brunswick got goals from four different scorers en route to a 4-2 win over host Kingswood-Oxford.

-- At Katonah, NY, Harvey and Rye CD battled to a 5-5 tie. Junior forward Sean O’Brien (2g,3a) had a hand in all five Harvey goals.

-- At Needham, Mass., a Jake Moscatel power play goal at 8:55 of the third lifted Belmont Hill to a 5-4 win over host St. Sebastian’s.

-- At Milton, Mass., junior Thomas Tysowsky kicked out 39 of 41 shots to lead Milton Academy to a 3-2 upset of #3 St. Paul’s. With the win, Milton, which had battled St. Paul’s to a 0-0 tie in early January, extends their unbeaten streak to eight games, while the SPS streak ends at 12 games. For the second straight game Milton had to come back from a 2-0 deficit (they’d tied Exeter 2-2 on Saturday), but this time they were able to finish it off on a John Bellotti goal at 5:09 of the third. Junior Kyle Hunchberger scored Milton’s first two goals, with juniors Jay Haseley and Ryan Edwards assisting both times.

-- At Deerfield, Mass., senior Michael Dizgun stopped all 18 shots he faced and big junior Antoine Laganiere had a goal and an assist in #4 Deerfield’s 2-0 win over Loomis. Both of the Big Green goals came on the power play. Loomis goalie Craig Naclerio stopped 33 of 35.

--  At Concord, Mass., Roxbury Latin topped Middlesex, 5-1, with junior goalie Brad Barone stopping 28 of 29 shots for the win.

-- At Byfield, Mass., a Matt Marshall goal at 7:16 of the third period lifted Nobles to a 3-2 win over host GDA. Sophomore Gene Lane had 22 saves for Nobles; junior Dom Malerba had 31 for the Governors.

-- At Portsmouth, RI, freshman Alex Machikas scored at 10:53 of the third to lead Groton to a 2-1 win over Portsmouth Abbey. Sophomore Dale Adams kicked out 13 of 14 shots for the win, while Junior Brendan Hammatt stopped 22 of 24 but had to take the loss.

-- At Meriden, NH, senior Tucker Mullin had a pair of goals and Bobby Farnham had a pair of assists to lead Andover to a 4-2 win over KUA.

-- At Canton, Mass., a John McInnis third period power play goal lifted Lawrence Academy to a 3-2 win over host Thayer.

-- At Albany, NY, Mathieu Dubuc (3g,2a) and Evan Haney (1g,3a) led Millbrook to an 8-4 win over Albany Academy.

2/6/08 updated

Snow, Sleet, and Ice for Northern New England

Today's games involving teams traveling to and from Northern New England are in peril from the weather, which calls for snow, sleet, and ice pellets.

Scheduled games that have been postponed or cancelled are:

Vermont Academy @ Berwick -- makeup date TBA
Proctor @ Exeter -- rescheduled for 2/11 @ 5:00 pm  
Kents Hill @ New Hampton -- makeup date TBA  
Dexter @ Brewster -- makeup date TBA 

Please email information@ushr.com with any other postponement information. 

 

2/4/08

Kents Hill Tops in Div. II

The Kents Hill School holds onto the #1 spot in this week’s USHR Div. II prep poll, with Worcester Academy and New Hampton close behind.

Votes were taken early Monday, prior to the afternoon game featuring #4 Berwick @ #9 Brewster. In an upset, Brewster won, so you may want to make a mental adjustment for that. 

As with the Div. I poll, we’re forgoing comments, and putting each of the top 10 teams weekly schedule in its place.

USHR Div. II Poll: 2/4/08

2/5/08

Playoff Scenario

We have completed the first of what will be a number of "playoff scenario" articles and, because we don't want to overload this page to the point where scrolling the length of it becomes a chore, we have placed the article in the regular USHR February News page (which, admittedly, is a little short of news right now).

The next 2-3 weeks are shaping up to be very interesting.

USHR February News

   

2/4/08 Updated

This Week's Schedule

Mon. Feb. 04, 2008:
Holderness @ Exeter, 3:00 pm (rescheduled from 1/14/08)
Berwick @ Brewster, 3:00 pm (rescheduled from 1/23/08)
Andover @ BB&N, 4:30 pm
Canterbury @ Berkshire, 6:00 pm (rescheduled from 1/30/08)

Wed. Feb. 06, 2008:
St. Andrew's @ Upper Canada College, 1:00 pm
Holderness @ Tilton, 2:00 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Northfield - Mt. Hermon, 2:30 pm
Hotchkiss @ Westminster, 2:30 pm
Canterbury @ Trinity-Pawling, 2:30 pm
Taft @ Salisbury, 2:30 pm
Gunnery @ Avon Old Farms, 2:30 pm 
Brooks @ St. Mark's, 3:00 pm
Kent @ Berkshire, 3:00 pm
Andover @ Kimball Union, 3:30 pm
Cushing @ Tabor, 3:30 pm
Rye Country Day @ Harvey, 3:30 pm
Rivers @ St. George's, 4:00 pm
Hoosac vs. Northwood Midgets, 1:30 pm (@ RPI)
Millbrook @ Albany Academy, 4:00 pm
Lawrence @ Thayer, 4:00 pm
Proctor @ Exeter, 4:00 pm -- postponed; makeup date 2/11 @ 5:00 pm
Vermont Academy @ Berwick, 4:15 pm -- postponed
Groton @ Portsmouth Abbey, 4:15 pm
Belmont Hill @ St. Sebastian's, 4:30 pm
Pomfret @ Choate, 4:30 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Deerfield, 4:30 pm
Dexter @ Brewster, 4:45 pm -- postponed
St. Paul's @ Milton, 4:45 pm
Delbarton @ Lawrenceville, 5:00 pm
Hebron @ North Yarmouth, 5:00 pm
Roxbury Latin @ Middlesex, 5:00 pm
Brunswick @ Kingswood-Oxford, 5:30 pm
Noble & Greenough @ Governor Dummer, 5:45 pm
Kent's Hill @ New Hampton, 6:00 pm -- postponed
Northwood @ National Sports Academy, 7:00 pm

Fri. Feb. 08, 2008:
St. Andrew's @ St. Mike's College, 3:00 pm
Pingree @ Roxbury Latin, 3:45 pm
Hoosac @ New Hampton, 4:30 pm
St. Sebastian's @ Milton, 4:45 pm
Loomis-Chaffee @ Gunnery, 5:00 pm
Berwick @ Exeter, 5:00 pm -- moved up from 2/11
Thayer @ Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm
NMH @ Winchendon, 5:00 pm -- rescheduled from 2/1 
BB&N @ St. Paul's, 5:45 pm
Deerfield @ Salisbury, 6:30 pm
Tilton @ Kent, 6:30 pm
Governor Dummer @ Andover, 6:30 pm
Maine Jr Moose @ Bridgton, 7:00 pm
North Yarmouth @ Harvey, 7:00 pm
Brunswick @ Worcester Academy, 7:15 pm (New England Sports Center)

Sat. Feb. 09, 2008:
Rivers @ Roxbury Latin, 12:00 pm
St. Andrew's @ Appleby College, 1:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Lawrenceville, 2:00 pm
Berwick @ Hebron, 2:00 pm
St. Mark's @ Middlesex, 2:00 pm
Salisbury @ Loomis-Chaffee, 2:30 pm
Choate @ Westminster, 2:30 pm
Kingswood-Oxford @ Vermont Academy, 2:45 pm
Brooks @ St. George's, 2:45 pm
Portsmouth Abbey @ Dexter, 3:00 pm
St. Paul's @ Proctor, 3:00 pm
Williston-Northampton @ Millbrook, 3:30 pm
Kimball Union @ Holderness, 3:30 pm
Hoosac @ Worcester Academy, 4:00 pm (Buffone Arena)
St. Sebastian's @ Tabor, 4:00 pm (Travis Roy Cup)
BB&N @ Governor Dummer, 4:00 pm
Berkshire @ Winchendon, 4:00 pm
New Hampton @ Pingree, 4:00 pm
Hotchkiss @ Taft, 4:30 pm
National Sports Academy @ New Jersey Rockets, 4:30 pm
Exeter @ Northfield Mt. Hermon, 4:30 pm
Pomfret @ Gunnery, 4:30 pm
Milton @ Noble & Greenough, 4:30 pm
Avon Old Farms @ Deerfield, 4:45 pm
South Kent vs. Belmont Hill, 5:00 pm (@ Trinity College)
Tilton @ Hill School, 6:30 pm
Bridgton @ Maine Jr Moose, 7:00 pm
Kent @ Trinity-Pawling, 7:00 pm
Cushing vs. Canterbury, 7:00 pm (@Trinity College)

Sun. Feb. 10, 2008:
Winchendon @ Canterbury, 1:00 pm
Albany Academy @ Hill School, 1:00 pm
Tilton @ Wyoming Seminary, 2:00 pm
South Kent @ Lawrence, 2:30 pm

2/3/08

#1 This Week? We Think You Know

Due to the Super Bowl, which has a 6:00 pm start, we’re posting the poll a little earlier today.

Not surprisingly, the Winged Beavers of Avon Old Farms (18-1-0) sit atop this week’s USHR Div. I prep school poll.

Also, we’re limiting our comments for each team to a list of their opponents for next week.

USHR Div. I Prep Poll, 2/4/08

 

Note:

After last week’s poll was posted, some Exeter supporters were miffed about our comment, which read “Endowment has hit the $1 billion mark, tops in NEPSIHA. Cigars all around!”

People who spoke to us felt that we were attributing the school’s ranking/good record to the school’s deep pockets.

It was actually a tongue-in-cheek reference to a front page article that had appeared in the New York Times the day before. The article had trumpeted the fact that Exeter endowment over the fall had reached the $1 billion mark.

Apparently, a lot of people had missed the article and had no idea what we were talking about – and took it the wrong way.

Anyway, no big deal. Just thought it might be a good idea to clear that up.

For the record, here’s the article in question:

NY Times article of Jan. 26, 2008 --

2/2/08

Milton Comes Back to Tie Up Exeter, 2-2

Milton, Mass. – On paper, before today’s game, there was little to separate Exeter and Milton, and now, after 59 minutes of hockey between the two teams produced a 2-2 tie here today, there’s even less to separate them.

“Two good teams,” said Milton coach Paul Cannata afterwards. “The game had a really controlled feel, didn’t it? It almost had a pro game feel to it. At times we pressed and at times they pressed – there was an ebb and flow to the game. Neither team was really willing to press the pedal and force the issue.”

“And that,” Cannata added, “results in two goals for one team, and two goals for the other.”

Exeter scored the game’s first two goals, the first coming on a power play 5:07 into the first period, when Ted McKenna, from behind the net, got the puck out front to Jamie Core who one-timed it past Milton junior goalie Tom Tysowsky. Exeter then went up 2-0 on an even-strength goal at 2:53 of the second period. This was just one of those goals where the puck was bouncing around in front of the net, and everyone was just whacking away at it. Eventually Cam Chaput banged it past Tysowsky.

It began to look like Milton’s unbeaten streak might be in jeopardy.

But that didn’t happen. 

Milton began its comeback just a little over a minute later when junior Jay Haseley, from the left faceoff circle, fired a low, ice-skimming shot on net. The puck hit the blade of Exeter goalie Ryan Purdy’s stick and deflected up into the top corner at the 3:55 mark. A goal, no doubt, that Purdy would like back.

With about seven minutes left in the period, Exeter’s Jeff Reppucci was called for a hold, and Tommy Clayton was called for a slash. Suddenly, Milton, down by a goal, had a 5-on-3. Cannata called a timeout.

When play resumed, Milton steadily and patiently worked the puck down low until junior Kyle Hunchberger, from the left side, found Ryan Edwards at the far post. Purdy was unable to get across quickly enough, and Edwards found daylight inside the post. It was a 2-2 game. And that’s where it stayed, though the third period, and overtime as well.

There were chances, but not a lot of Grade A scoring opportunities. Both goalies played well, but neither really was called upon to do anything extraordinary. Purdy probably had the tougher of the chances.

In the shot department, Exeter had a 31-30 edge. Like we said up top: there wasn’t much to separate these two teams today, and probably any other day either.

“It was too bad for us,” Exeter head coach Dana Barbin said afterwards. “They tied it on a 5-on-3. But, hey, the score indicated what it was: a very even game. I thought our effort was terrific -- and Purds is a good tender.”

 

2/1/08

St. Paul’s Comes Back; Tops Nobles

Dedham, Mass. – Nearly halfway through tonight’s game St. Paul’s found themselves trailing Noble & Greenough 2-0, but the visitors from New Hampshire scored four of the game’s next five goals and headed home with a well-earned 4-3 win.

This was one of the more entertaining games of the season, with reversals of fortune, physical play, and a lot of puck movement, mostly by St. Paul’s.

From the opening faceoff, St. Paul’s used their speed, size, and stick skills to keep Nobles pinned in their end for long stretches.

Nobles didn’t even have a shot on the St. Paul’s net until the 9:57 mark, but when the finally got one, they made it count, as a Brown recruit Mike Griffin, on a  2-on-1, beat St. Paul’s goaltender Andrew Peabody high to the glove side. The play was set up by sophomore Ben Wiggins, who hustled to get to a loose puck and then, from the left faceoff circle, tapped it over to Griffin in the high slot: 1-0, Nobles.

St. Paul’s had chances to tie it up – junior Cory McGrath hit a crossbar – but, despite outshooting Nobles 12-7 for the period, couldn’t get one past Nobles sophomore goalie Gene Lane.

Nobles went up 2-0 at 3:52 of the second period, as Andrew Glass banged home a rebound of a Billy Arnold shot.

St. Paul’s finally got on the scoreboard at the 7:34 mark of the second as Jason Bourgea skated it into the Nobles end and left it for junior Julian Shine who moved it to defenseman Mike Daly who fired it by Lane to cut the Nobles lead to 2-1.

St. Paul’s continued to plug away, pressuring the Nobles D and connecting on a high percentage of passes, both when breaking it out or setting up in the Nobles end. But Lane continued to play well, only allowing that one goal, to Daly, over the first 19 shots he faced.

Nobles entered the third up 2-1, and the home fans roared in approval when Nobles defenseman Gus Young put a solid hit on St. Paul’s forward Christopher Beisswenger, dumping him over the boards and into the Nobles bench.

It looked like the hit might give Nobles enough lift to carry them through the third period, but Derek Pallis took a tripping penalty shortly afterward, and St. Paul’s came very close to tying it up when a shot got behind Lane and just sat tantalizingly on the goal line for a second.

St. Paul’s finally tied it up when a shot from the point rebounded off Lane and a number of St. Paul’s players whacked away at it. Junior Sam Courcelles finally banged it past Lane and, at 7:33, the game was tied at 2-2.

The winning goal came when Shine took a shot from the left point and big Ben Albertson tipped it past Lane, putting St. Paul’s up 3-2 with 6:51 left on the clock.

Several minutes later, St. Paul’s scored the backbreaker as a shot from the point deflected off Scott Harff and past Lane to make it 4-2.

Nobles called a timeout with 1:01 remaining in regulation, and pulled Lane for the extra skater. The puck was drawn back to Pallis at the point. The defenseman took a shot, which deflected out to senior Mike Griffin, who banged it home for his second  goal of the game.

Nobles, now trailing 4-3, pulled Lane again, and got the puck to the goalmouth for one final dramatic flurry, but couldn’t get it past Peabody and St. Paul’s skated off with a 4-3 win.

For the game, St. Paul’s outshot Nobles, 31-20.

Their unbeaten streak now stands at 13 games.

“It was a great prep school game,” said St. Paul’s head coach Tim Pratt. “Nobles has a very good team and we had to play our very best and not get discouraged. We just had to keep at it, keep chipping away. Eventually, our shots on net paid off.”

Nobles head coach Brian Day said, “I was pleased with our effort and disappointed in the result. I thought we competed really hard. St. Paul’s is as good a hockey team was we’ve played this year. They threw more pucks on net and got some deflections and that was the difference.”

St. Paul’s, which also beat Nobles by a 6-3 score on Jan. 16 at Concord, NH, takes the season series, 2-0. St. Paul’s plays their next game on Wednesday, at Milton (4:45 pm). Nobles plays their next game on Wednesday at GDA.

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