Williston Defeats Vermont, Bork Scores 2

by Team Reporter-Nate Gordon ’16

With two goals from junior forward Brandon Bork and a full team effort, Williston Hockey won its eighth game of the season against Vermont Academy (V.A.) (7-4-2) to improve to 8-4-1 on the season. The Wildcats were playing in their first home game since December 11th when they were defeated by Cushing Academy 7-3. Before this game, Williston played eight straight road games, going 6-2 during that stretch.

After the game, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha said, “The distinguishing feature of this game was just your legs were moving…I saw some excellent chemistry…It’s two more points towards playing in March.”

The first eighteen minutes ended in a scoreless tie, though Williston did kill two penalties. It was clear that Williston players were getting frustrated because they were unable to capitalize on good chances. However, during the first intermission, Coach Cunha said he thought the team had played a solid first period. “I see this anxiety [you have], that was a pretty good period. The things that we asked of you for that first period, play with an edge [and be] physical, you guys were [doing it],” he said.

The second period was more physical than the first with bigger hits and a few altercations after the whistle.

Williston got on the board just over four minutes into the period. Sophomore defenseman RJ Guardia gave junior forward Brandon Borges a pass that sent him on a breakaway with V.A. players trailing very closely. Borges passed the puck to senior forward Max Willman who scored right in front of the net. This was Willman’s seventh goal in four games and his fourteenth of the year.

Less than a minute later, on the power play, junior forward Bork hit the puck out of the air in front of the goal to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Junior forward Tyler Scroggins and Willman had the assists on the goal.

Eight minutes later, again on the power play, Williston was circling the puck around and Bork eventually got the puck near the goal to score his second of the game and fifth of the season.

Before the third period, Cunha reminded his team that they had another period of hockey to play and that the game was by no means over. “This is going to be a battle for the next eighteen minutes, do not think we have just won the game.”

In the third period, both teams scored one goal. Vermont Academy’s came first with just over eleven minutes to play. A V.A. player got the puck down below the faceoff circle on the left side (facing the net) and took a wrist shot that found it way past senior goaltender Tim Nowacki.

Nowacki finished the game with 29 saves (.967%). On the season, Nowacki has a .938 save percentage and has allowed an average of just 1.5 per game. For New England prep hockey goalies who have played over 300 minutes this season, Nowacki has allowed the second least goals (20). The leader of that list is Kent’s Stephen Morrissey, who has allowed 19.

Junior forward Tyler Scroggins then gave Williston a 4-1 lead with just under five minutes to play. Max Willman passed the puck from the right side of the goal (facing the goal) to Scroggins on the left side who put the puck into the top right corner of the net.

After the game, Vermont’s Head Coach Chris Davidson said, “I feel like we’re a little snake bitten right now, we’re not getting inside to get our second chances, guys that normally score aren’t right now. We’re sort of fighting it a little bit right in our last few games. In our last three games, we’ve lost 2-1, 2-0, and today was 4-1, so we just can’t seem to score. [Williston] has a very solid top line, so, when they have a puck, any team would be scrambling.

On Saturday, January 18th, Williston will be taking on Gunnery (11-5) on the road. The first scheduled game against Gunnery on December 14th, a home game, was canceled due to a snowstorm.

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