On Saturday, Williston looked to rebound against the Berkshire Bears after a two-game losing streak that ended 2018. With a number of alumni on hand, the Wildcats looked to impress; unfortunately, it was not to be as Williston dropped the contest, 5-3. Twenty minutes in penalties did not help the cause.
Williston jumped out on top at the midpoint of the first period. Brendan Nehmer took a pass on the half-wall and sprinted up the ice on the right side with Cam Mariani and James Belleavoine jumping into the rush with the speed and energy of Irondequoit Creek in the April thaws of Upstate New York. As Nehmer crossed into the zone, he dropped the puck to a waiting Belleavoine who let a shot go from the far hash marks. A fortuitous Mariani darted at the net and was able to get a stick on the puck beating Berkshire post-graduate goalie, Kenny Burgess. Williston would hold the lead for the remainder of the period.
In the second, Berkshire got two goals, both on the power play to put the Bears up 2-1. The lead would hold for three minutes when, on a power play of their own, Williston tied the game at two. Tommy Harty took a puck in the left corner of the Berkshire zone and passed to David Novotny at the point. David worked the puck back to Harty who curled around the top of the circle and let a shot fly that was deflected onto Jake Sacratini’s stick on the high left post. Seeing an opportunity, Novotny cruised into the slot, took a pass from Sacratini and let a backhander rip from the mid-slot that beat Burgess between the pads. While no panes of glass were trembling at the ferocity of the shot, it was good enough to tie the game. The tie would only last for a little over three minutes when Berkshire scored with just 23 seconds left in the period to go up 3-2.
In the third, Cam Mariani tied the game with a blast from just inside the blue line that went in the top right corner (Belleavoine and Novotny with the assists) but Berkshire was too much, scoring two more goals to seal the win.
Shots in the game were 27 for Williston, while Tyler Breland faced 30.
On Wednesday, the Worcester Hilltoppers came to Lossone. Last year, the Wildcats were losing to Worcester, 1-0 going into the third only to pull out a 4-1 win. This year was a different story as Williston beat Worcester 14-3. Notable efforts for the afternoon were Jake Sacratini (3g, 1a), Hunter Sarro (2g, 2a), David Novotny (2g, 2a), Brendan Nehmer (1g, 2a), and Tommy Harty (3a). Trevor Corsello got the win. Williston outshot Worcester, 42-16.
This is a big weekend for the Wildcats. On Friday night, Winchendon comes to town for a 5:30 game. Williston defeated the Wapitis 7-1 at the St. Sebastian’s Tournament in December so look for the Green and Black to come out with vengeance. Then on Saturday, Williston looks to even up the season series with Berkshire in Sheffield, MA at 4:30. We hope to see you tonight!