by Team Reporter-Nate Gordon ’16
Twenty-five seconds into the game? Williston Boys Hockey (10-7-1) had a 1-0 lead over the Loomis Chaffee Pelicans (9-7-2). Fifty-seven seconds into the game? 1-1. End of first period? 2-2. End of second period? 5-2.
If you take out the second period of the game on Wednesday, January 29, 2014, Williston wins 4-2. However, New England Prep Hockey is a fifty-four minute game.
After the game, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha said to his team, “If you guys haven’t learned yet, you cannot take a shift off and win a game in this league. We gave them goals.
In the second period, Loomis scored just 1:04 into the game. The goal was scored by junior forward Cory Swift, who recorded a Hat-Trick in the game.
With just over seven minutes to go in the period, senior defenseman Seth Cupak was sent to the penalty for a five minute major, but was then dismissed from the game.
During this five-minute major, the Pelicans added two more goals to their lead to take a 5-2 lead into the third period.
After the second period, Coach Cunha told his team, “We’re this run and gun, happy go-lucky team, [but] your backs are against the wall now. How do you respond?”
The Wildcats responded in the final eighteen minutes, but two goals was not enough to send the game to overtime.
Junior forward Brandon Borges scored a power play goal, his tenth goal of the season, 6:20 into the final period. The goal was assisted by senior forward Max Willman.
With just under four minutes to play, junior forward Will Flynn scored to cut Loomis’ lead down to just one goal. During the final two minutes of the game, the Wildcats were forced to kill a penalty. They played very aggressively on this man disadvantage and were able to move the puck into the offensive zone, but were unable to capitalize.
In the final eighteen minutes, Williston had ten minutes of power play including a few minutes of 5-on-3.
One positive element of this game was that Williston sophomore goaltender Shane Mason played eighteen minutes of shutout hockey. Mason replaced senior Tim Nowacki after the second period. This was just the second time this season Nowacki has given up more than four goals in a game.
Junior forward Tyler Scroggins scored both of the team’s goals in the first period. Scroggins has twelve goals, nineteen assists on the season.
After the game, Cunha also told the team, “If they’re gonna beat us, make them earn it. I haven’t seen a team this year that can beat us. I’ve seen us beat us, we’ve been our worst opponent in games that we lose.”
Loomis Head Coach John Zavisza said after the game that he was most pleased that “we finally put together three full periods of hockey. Guys who hadn’t stepped up, stepped up, and fortunately our [penalty] kill was able to get the job done in the third period. I was pleased we were able to battle through adversity and get the job done against a good team.”
This was Williston’s last game before winter long weekend. The Wildcats will resume practice on Tuesday, February 4th. The team’s next opponent in NMH (15-6-1) on Wednesday, the 5th at home.