by Team Reporter-Nate Gordon ’16
On Wednesday, February 4th, Williston Boys Hockey (10-7-1) will take on the Hoggers of Northfield Mt. Hermon (NMH) (16-6-1) at 4:30 p.m. This game will begin a three-game home stretch for the Wildcats in which they will also face Millbrook and Canterbury.
This game against NMH also marks the beginning of the final seven games of the regular season, four of which will be played at Williston’s Lossone Rink.
About the final stretch of the season, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha says, “We have to keep it one game at a time, that’s been our motto, our philosophy. We can’t get ahead of ourselves, so we’re not worried about Saturday, we’re not worried about March, we’re just worried about NMH.”
The Wildcats’ last game, against Loomis-Chaffee on Wednesday, January 29th, ended in a 5-4 loss. Williston gave up three of those five goals in the second period. Senior defenseman Seth Cupak was also ejected from this game, so he will miss tomorrow’s game.
The Hoggers are currently on a four-game winning streak and have won seven of their last eight games. Most recently, on February 1st, NMH defeated Vermont Academy 6-1. Williston defeated Vermont 4-1 on January 15th.
NMH’s leader in goals (16) and assists (22) is junior forward Ben Freeman. Freeman has committed to UCONN (D1) for college hockey.
About tomorrow’s game, Cunha says, “They’re a team that’s got a lot of confidence right now, they’ve beaten a lot of good teams recently. So for us, I think we need to compete with them right from the start tomorrow. We need to make sure we’re focusing on ourselves, making sure we’re making good passes, we’re transitioning with speed. And if we can do that, that may neutralize some of what they’ve been doing well.
Snow is in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, so a cancellation is always a possibility. To get the most up-to-date information on the game, check the team’s Twitter Account (@WillistonHockey). Assuming the game is played, game updates will be available via the team’s Twitter account.