In-depth coverage of Williston boys varsity hockey

Wildcats vs. Cushing Preview, Broken Glass

Team Reporter & Writer-Nate Gordon

Williston vs. Cushing Preview

On Wednesday, December 11th, at 4:30 p.m., Williston hockey will host Cushing Academy for the team’s third home game of the year.

Cushing comes into the game with a 4-1 record, with its one loss against the Dexter School. In their last game, the Penguins defeated Avon Old Farms 3-1.

Hockey Night in Boston News 2013/2014 Prep School Preview Edition ranks Cushing number eight in its preseason poll. This will be the third consecutive game Williston plays against a team ranked in the top ten of that poll.

Cushing Hockey has an outstanding reputation. Approximately 195 boys’ and girls’ players have gone on to play D1 college hockey. This is the most from any New England prep school.

The Wildcats are coming off a gritty 3-2 loss against Salisbury. Williston’s Head Coach Derek Cunha says the team has been working on its penalty kill and power play, both weaknesses in the game against Salisbury.

I will be tweeting throughout the game via the team’s twitter feed (@WillistonHockey).

Broken Glass

Before Tuesday’s practice, a pane of glass was shattered when players were skating before practice. Strangely, though, it was not a slap shot that caused the damage. According to Coach Cunha, defenseman Jo Labreque apparently just flicked the puck high up on the glass. Rink managers were able to quickly clean up the shards and install a new pane. Coach Cunha says that this is the first time glass has been shattered since new boards and glass were set up a few years ago.

 

Williston Loses Tight Game against Salisbury

by Team Beat Writer & Reporter-Nate Gordon

In a game marred by penalties, Williston wasn’t able to add to its early lead until it was too late. The Wildcat were defeated for the first time this season by the defending New England Division 1 Champion, Salisbury.

Both teams came out playing very physically. With just under four minutes left, it seemed as if Salisbury would take the first lead in the game, but the goal was called off when the refs decided a Salisbury player had used his hand to swat the puck into the goal.

Two minutes later, junior forward Brandon Bork of Williston scored on a beautiful pass right in front of Salisbury’s net. The pass came from junior forward Tyler Scroggins, who received the puck from senior defenseman and team Nick Staub.

A total of five penalties occurred in the first eighteen minutes, the least of any period. Four of those penalties resulted in Williston going on the power play.

During the first intermission, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha told his team to play the way they have been practicing. “Stick to what we know, stick to what we do,” said Cunha. Cunha said that to win the game, the team must play hard for the rest of the game. “This is going to be an absolute fight for the next thirty-six minutes.” He also reminded his players to stay out of trouble after the whistle.

In the second period, the game settled down and became less chippy, though the penalties continued. With 16:37 left on the clock, Williston went on the first power play of the period when a Salisbury player was sent to the box for a five-minute major. Just over three minutes into the power play, Williston junior forward Chris Dumont was called for a slash when a Salisbury player was on a breakaway.

Six minutes later, while on the power play, Salisbury came back to tie the game on a rebound from a shot close to the left side of the goal.

Two minutes later, again on the power play, Salisbury took the lead on another rebound goal. The same Salisbury line scored the team’s first two goals. Just 16 seconds later, once again on the power play, Salisbury added to its lead on a wraparound goal.

Thirty seconds later, senior forward and team captain Max Willman scored on a wrist shot, which was assisted by sophomore defenseman Nick Garofano and senior forward and captain Phil Angelo.

After the goal, the two teams had an altercation that resulted in one minor misconduct for each team.

The theme of this second period was Williston being unable to kill penalties, which were aplenty, and the Wildcats being unable to take advantage on the power play.

After the game, Williston assistant coach Kyle Hanford said, “When they scored a goal, it just kind of deflated us a little bit, but I’m really proud of the way the guys came back and continued to battle on. You know, it just didn’t happened today.”

Team captain Nick Staub after the game spoke about the team’s mentality after Salisbury scored quick goals. “A little depressed, but I mean we were ready to bounce back right away and we got a little unlucky on the penalty kill, but we found a way to battle and give it our all.”

Williston went into the third period down one goal, looking to at least get one point in the standings by sending the game to overtime. Before the period, Cunha told his players that the team that wins will be the one that keeps its emotions in check.

Sixteen seconds into the third period it seemed as if Salisbury would take a three-goal lead, but the refs called the goal off, saying a Salisbury player had “high-sticked” to knock a puck in that had bounced off the cross bar.

For almost ten minutes, in between 16:12 and 6:38, Williston successfully killed two cross-checking penalties and one high-sticking penalty.

With under 1:50 left on the clock, Williston decided to pull its senior goaltender, Tim Nowacki to put an extra skater on the ice. Nowacki had thirty five saves on thirty-eight shots.

At the end, Williston desperately tried to score in the final seconds. Williston had four players on the ice, with its goalie pulled, and Salisbury had just three players due to penalties.

Salisbury Head Coach Andrew Will said after the game, “Both teams played extremely hard and I think the big thing for us was that we continue to do a lot of the little things. With all the penalties and special teams, that was a big thing that separated us. We’re definitely going to have to be more disciplined. We took ten penalties, that’s too many. We got to stay out of the penalty box.”

Although this game was a loss, it gave Williston the confidence that they could play with the best teams in the league.

This upcoming Wednesday, the Wildcats will take on Cushing Academy at home at 4:30. Cushing was ranked number eight in Hockey Night in Boston News 2013/14 Prep School Preview Edition’s poll.

 

Wildcats To Take on Defending Champs, Salisbury-Mini Preview

by Team Beat Writer & Reporter-Nate Gordon ’16

The Wildcats will take on the Salisbury Crimson Knights at 6:30 p.m. on December 7th at Williston’s Lossone Rink. Salisbury comes into the game with a 1-0 record, winning its first game against Taft 5-0.

Hockey Night in Boston News 2013/14 Prep School Preview Edition ranked Salisbury number one in its preseason poll. The Crimson Knights are looking to defend their New England Division 1 Championship, which they won last year.

The Wildcats are coming off a thrilling 4-4 tie against Kimball Union Academy this past Wednesday that ended in overtime. Against Salisbury, the team is looking to improve to 2-0-1.

Derek Cunha, Williston’s Head Coach, said that to beat Salisbury, the team will need to play physically in all three zones. He also said his team needs to stay disciplined on the fore-check.

I will be live-tweeting throughout the game on the team’s twitter (@WillistonHockey). A game report with reactions from players and coaches will be available after the game.

 

Wildcats Score 4 in 3rd vs. KUA, Ends in Tie in Overtime

by Team Reporter & Writer-Nate Gordon ’16

When all seemed lost, down three goals in the third period to Kimball Union Academy (KUA), the Williston Wildcats surged back scoring four goals before ultimately ending the game in an overtime tie. KUA controlled the puck for much of the first two periods. Williston did get its chances, but was unable to capitalize.

It was looking like the first period would end 0-0, but KUA scored with one second left on a rebound goal right in front of the net. Williston players disputed the goal, asking the refs whether time had expired and whether the net had moved out of place. At both ends of the ice, the nets moved and play was stopped numerous times throughout the game.

During the first intermission, Head Coach Derek Cunha told his team, “we cannot let that derail us, we played a good 18 minutes of hockey right there, and the last second, when the puck goes in, that period shouldn’t be defined by that goal. One goal is not going to win this game.”

In the second period, both teams had scoring opportunities, but the scored remained 1-0.

Then, early in the third period, KUA added to its lead less than three minutes in. The team scored two quick goals, including one from junior forward A.J. Greer who has committed to Penn State for college hockey.

 

Boys V Hockey vs. KUA 2013Senior captain Max Willman who scored the first of Williston’s four goals. Photo courtesy of Williston Flickr.
With twelve minutes left, the Wildcats went on a seven-minute scoring rampage. It started with senior captain Max Willman scoring on a breakaway with a backhand. The goal was assisted by senior defenseman Seth Cupak.  Next, senior captain Nick Staub netted a top shelf slap shot from the blue line. This goal was unassisted and brought Williston within one goal. To tie the game, junior forward Tyler Scroggins put away a rebound with just under ten minutes left. With five minutes left, the Wildcats went ahead 4-3 when junior forward Brandon Bork scored with assists from Scroggins and junior forward Will Flynn.

After the game, Bork said about the goal, “It felt good because it kept the momentum going, we pushed them back a little bit and it ended up being the goal we needed to send us to overtime.”

Exactly one minute after its last goal, Williston was brought back down to Earth when KUA scored a goal on a wraparound from behind its net.

In overtime, both teams had chances to score, including Willman almost scoring on a backhand very early on.

Senior Goalie Tim Nowacki was a big factor in keeping the team in the game. He had 28 saves on 32 shots. His most exciting moment came in the second period when KUA got a breakaway, but he came out of his net making a sliding soccer goalie-type save.

On the game as a whole, Nowacki said after the game, “We made a great comeback in the third period. It was a really gritty team effort.”

Of the game Cunha said, “I was most proud of the fact that they scored two on us quickly in the third to make it 3-0 and that we continued to come back. That’s the thing that I’m most proud of, that they didn’t give up and that they played for the whole game. They could have folded and they didn’t.”

KUA’s Head Coach, Tim Whitehead said after the game, “We learned a lot, it’s our second game of the year, so we’re still learning about our team. One thing for sure is that, once we got the lead, we took too many chances offensively like defensemen were pinching and our forwards were anticipating offensively instead of defensive. That’s what cost us the win.”

The team will have two more practices before facing Salisbury this upcoming Saturday, the 7th. Salisbury was ranked number one in Hockey Night in Boston News’ 2013/2014 Prep School Preview Edition poll.

Clash of the Wildcats: Williston vs. Kimball Union Mini Preview

by Team Beat Writer & Reporter-Nate Gordon ’16

On Wednesday December 4rd at 3:30 p.m., the Wildcats will host their first home game against Kimball Union Academy.

Both teams come into the game having won their first games. The Wildcats of Kimball Union defeated Standstead College of the Midwest Prep Hockey League 2-1 on Saturday, November 23rd. The team is led by former UMaine head coach, Tim Whitehead.

Kimball Union came into the season ranked fourth by the Hockey Night in Boston News 2013/2014 Prep School Preview Edition coming off a 27-3-0 record last season. Williston, though, will see a new team this year as Kimball Union had 16 seniors graduate last year.

However, the team Williston will face is certainly not short on talent. Kimball Union already has two players committed to D1 college hockey schools. Senior forward J.D. Dudek committed to Boston College and junior forward A.J. Greer already committed to Penn State.

The Wildcats are coming off a strong first game win against Canterbury. As Williston’s Head Coach Derek Cunha said, the team will look to establish its fore-check early against Kimball Union. Williston will also be working to shut down Kimball Union in transition, one of the team’s biggest strengths.

Coach Cunha also told his team that “the winner of tomorrow’s game will be the one with the least mistakes.” In a private interview, he said that because it is early in the season, mistakes will be made. Williston can’t make many costly errors and must capitalizes on Kimball Union’s faults.

Tomorrow’s matchup will begin a grueling four-game home stand, with all four opponents ranked in the top ten of the aforementioned poll.

I will be tweeting (@Williston Hockey) during the game (I got the Twitter situation figured out from last game!) and a full game report with reactions from players and coaches will be available after the game.

What are you most thankful for?

by Team Beat Writer & Reporter Nate Gordon ’16

In the spirit of the holiday, I asked the members of the team what they are most thankful for from family to school to sports and everything in between. Here are what those who responded said:

Junior Forward Brandon Borges: I am most thankful for being home on break with my family, and for the bice [bros/boys] on the team, love those boys.

Junior Defenseman Nick Staub: I am most thankful for my family. Other than the old age we are all healthy and definitely all happy. We always get to spend the holidays together. And when one of us leaves like when I go off to school the family is always happy when I’m back. My family can be my rock when things aren’t going well. I would do anything for my family just how they would do anything for me.  That’s why they are so important to me.

Senior Forward Matt Arnold: I’m thankful I have somewhere warm to go during the winter breaks which is Florida.

Junior Forward Tyler Scroggins: Thankful for family and friends.

Senior Forward Max Willman: I’m thankful for the support of my family and friends!

Junior Forward Jack Gethings: I’m thankful for my friends and family.

Sophomore Defenseman Nick Garofano: I am most thankful for my teammates, friends and family who support and love me as much as I do them. Sophomore Defenseman Nick Garofano

Junior Forward Will Flynn: I’m thankful for having  the opportunity to study and play hockey for Williston because I’m getting better in English, I have a lot of new friends that I will stay in touch with after Williston and it is a good experience to live far from Montreal. I’m also thankful for being part of a great team where everyone wants to win and does what it takes to become better individually. All the new guys are a positive addition to our team and I think that after this  season, people will have a lot more respect for our program.


 

Williston Roster

#

Name

Position

Year

1

Shane Mason

G

Sophomore

3

Seth Cupak

D

Senior

4

Nick Staub

D

Senior

6

Nick Garofano

D

Sophomore

7

Jo Labreque

D

Junior

9

Phil Angelo

F

Senior

10

William Flynn

F

Junior

13

Justin Lindsay

F

Junior

14

Brandon Borges

F

Junior

15

Tyler Scroggins

F

Junior

16

Jack Gethings

F

Junior

17

Kyle Hall

F

Senior

18

Brandon Bork

F

Junior

19

Anthony Mantz

F

Senior

20

Max Willman

F

Senior

21

Chris Dumont

D

Junior

22

Rourke Ferguson

F

Junior

23

R.J. Guardia

D

Sophomore

24

Matt Arnold

F

Senior

31

Tim Nowacki

G

Senior

Wildcats Defeat Canterbury on the Road, Setting High Bar for Season

The Wildcats celebrating the win over Canterbury.
The Wildcats celebrating the win over Canterbury.

by Nate Gordon’16

The Wildcats defeated the Canterbury Saints 4-2 on Saturday, November 23, 2013, to pick up a big road victory in the first game of the season. This win was critical for setting the tone before getting a week off for Thanksgiving break.

As Coach Cunha said before the game, “We only worry about playing today. But I tell you right now that if you guys want to be playing in March, these two points are very important…For the next two hours, you are dialed in to this rink, to this locker room, to these guys that are around you.”

The Wildcats had control of the puck in their offensive zone for much of the first period. Just three minutes into the game, a Canterbury defensemen was sent to the penalty box for hooking. This was the first of eleven total penalties in the game. Williston had many opportunities on this power play, including a shot that got past the Canterbury goaltender, but slid just inches wide of the goal post.

Senior forward Max Willman put Williston on the board with just under nine minutes left in the first period. He skated down the left side of the rink, put a move on the goalie, and scored. The goal was assisted by junior forward Brandon Borges.

With five minutes left in the first period, Williston was called for a hooking penalty while a Canterbury player was on a breakaway. This gave the Saints their first real scoring opportunity. Senior Williston goalie Tim Nowacki saved a backhand attempt by the Canterbury player. This was just one of 35 saves Nowacki had in the game.

Nowacki said after the game that “it’s a good first game of the season, obviously, on the road, it’s always tough to do. It felt great, we jumped on them early, that was really important. From there, we just kept on rolling.”

With three minutes left in the period, junior forward Will Flynn added to Williston’s lead when he scored off of a rebound of his own shot. The goal was assisted by junior forwards Tyler Scroggins and Justin Lindsay.

During the first intermission, Coach Cunha told the team, “When we score a goal, yeah, we get excited, but then we lock it right back down in terms of the focus. We can’t get too high when we score a goal, or too low when we give up one. We go even keel and negate the highs, negate the lows.”

The first intermission ended up taking half an hour due to a Zamboni malfunction. However, this did not seem to affect either team noticeably in the second period.

Canterbury started the second period on the power play, one of six the Wildcats killed in the game.

With just under 15 minutes to play in the second period, the Wildcats increased their lead to three. Junior forward Jack Gethings had the puck in the corner of Williston’s offensive zone when he passed it to senior defensemen Seth Cupak, who unleashed a wrist shot from the slot, which netted the puck.

The Wildcats thought they had scored a fourth goal with under two minutes in the period when the puck found its way to the back of the net. The referees, though, said the puck was kicked in by a Williston player.

Coach Cunha told his team to stay focused in the last period and to close out the game. “You’ve won the first period, you won the second. Win the third period, win the hockey game. It’s as easy as that. Do not give them a sniff to think that they are in this hockey game. Finish what you started,” said Cunha.

Although, the Wildcats lossed the third period 1-2 in goals, the team had done enough in the first two period to never let the game become truly close. Cupak said after the game, “It felt really good [to get the win], we came out strong in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Second and first we came out real good, third was a little flat.”

Three goals were scored with less than 2:10 left in the game. At 2:01, Canterbury senior forward Connor Henry netted a rebound. With 48 seconds left, Williston forward Kyle Hall scored an unassisted empty-net goal. Then, with 2.5 seconds left, Cantebury freshman Mathieu Gervais poked the puck into the goal with many bodies in front of Williston’s net.

Ultimately, Canterbury was never able to control the puck in Williston’s defensive zone. The Saints’ scoring opportunities came off odd-man rushes in transition.

Coach Cunha said after the game that “we gave ourselves enough wiggle room. With that effort [in the 3rd period], I hope it leaves a little bit of a sour taste in our mouths, knowing that we did not finish on a good note. That you’re just itching to get back here and get even better.” You guys can be good, you guys can be very good this year.”

After the team gets back from the Thanksgiving break, it will begin a four game home stand, starting with Kimball Union Academy on Wednesday, November 4th.

Player of the Game: Goalie Tim Nowacki-35 saves (.945 save %)

Note: My apologies for not tweeting updates during this game. I was unable to connect to the Canterbury rink Wi-Fi. I will have this figured out for the team’s next game.

In the Crease: Wildcats vs. Canterbury Preview, Captains Appointed, Roster Notes

by Nate Gordon ’16

Wildcats vs. Canterbury Saints Preview

“When we leave campus, nothing else matters. Nothing else matters except playing hockey. You guys won’t have any classes, you have no homework. You’re going on break. But before you go on break, you have one really big hockey game to play.” This is what Williston Coach Derek Cunha told the team about this week’s game against Canterbury after its 6-3 win over Académie St. Louis last Saturday, the 16th.

The Wildcats are hoping to build on this win as they head down to New Milford, Conn. to take on the Canterbury Saints for the team’s first regular season game.

Canterbury also won its scrimmage last Saturday in a 3-0 victory over the Hill School from N.Y.C. The Saints are led by senior forwards Lucas Habich and Mark Bowen, as well as junior Shane Sellar. These three combined for 81 points last season.

Yesterday, Friday the 22nd, the Wildcats watched part of the game film from one of last year’s losses to the Saints. While the Wildcats will be facing a new Canterbury team, of course, Coach Cunha pointed out tendencies in Canterbury’s style of play:

  • They keep the puck wide, stretching the ice on offense.
  • They shoot from everywhere.
  • Their penalty kill is very aggressive—not just waiting for the other team to make a mistake.

Coach Cunha told the team that “if we get the puck moving, we should be good tomorrow.”

Team Appoints Captains

In a team meeting yesterday, Friday the 22nd, the team appointed seniors Phil Angelo, Nick Staub, and Max Willman as team captains. All three said they are honored to be named captains of the hockey team. Angelo, a forward who had a goal and two assists last Saturday, added, “It feels great, it’s an honor, ready to lead the bice (bros/boys).”

Coach Cunha said, however, “We expect in general that all the seniors take on a leadership role.”

Roster Notes

The final roster was set yesterday, with two sophomore defensemen sent down to JV. These two players will be practicing with the varsity team during the week, but will then join the JV squad for games. Besides the two goalies who played last Saturday, Shane Mason ’16 and Tim Nowacki ’14, three other goalies have been battling for a spot on the team. Coaches Cunha and Kyle Hanford decided that the three goalies will rotate, with one practicing with the varsity team each week, while the other two will be with JV.

The final roster includes a total of 20 players, with 12 forwards, six defensemen, and two goalies.

Updates During Tomorrow’s Game

For Williston vs. Canterbury game updates, I will tweeting from the team’s feed, @WillistonHockey. Game highlights, as well as reactions from players and coaches, will available after the game in my game report.

Wildcats Pick Up Scrimmage Win, “A Good Starting Point”

by Nate Gordon ’16

Williston Boys Varsity Hockey picked up its first win in a 6-3 victory over Académie St. Louis in a scrimmage at Lossone Arena.

The Wildcats entered the third period with a 3-2 lead. After a goal from Académie St. Louis tied the game 6 minutes in, Williston responded by scoring three unanswered goals. Senior Max Willman scored two of those goals, which were part of his four-goal effort.

As Willman says, “It was definitely exciting in my first game here at Williston. Definitely felt good to get a W for the boys.”

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