by Team Reporter-Nate Gordon
The Wildcats won their final three games of the regular season, including a 4-2 win over the Pomfret Griffins (3-21-2) on Saturday, February 22nd. Will this mean anything tomorrow when the teams that make the playoffs are announced? After this win, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha said, “The whole math and the spread sheet and all that stuff, it’s out of our hands, right now.”
Williston Boys Hockey finished its 2013-14 regular season with a 13-10-2 record. The team defeated its final three opponents and outscored them 16-4. Coach Cunha said after the game, “Regardless of what happens tomorrow with the rankings, you guys had had a very good year.”
After the game, senior forward Kyle Hall said about the winning season and a potential playoff berth, “It feels good, it has been a long two years, last year was not the greatest season, so this year it feels good to actually be in a spot to play in the playoffs.”
In the first period, both teams created prime scoring chances, but Pomfret capitalized first midway through the period while on the power-play. Three minutes later, junior forward Brandon Borges skated through Pomfret’s defensemen and tied the game at 1. Senior forward Max Willman and junior forward Tyler Scroggins had the assists on the play. This was Borges’ third goal in the past two games.
Borges ended up sitting out much of the rest of the game with an upper-body injury.
In the locker room after the first period, Coach Cunha was not pleased. He told his team, “For a team that I think wants a chance to play next week, it didn’t look like it that period.”
Just over two minutes into the second period, on the power-play, junior forward Will Flynn gave Williston its first lead of the game. The goal was assisted by Chris Dumont and Rourke Ferguson. After the game, Flynn said about the goal, “It was a nice pass by Dumont on the power-play, we had good puck movement, and I just had to bury it at the end.”
The second period was similar to the first—both teams got scoring chances—but in this period Williston manufactured goals as a team. With 8:45 remaining in the period, junior forward Rourke Ferguson picked the puck up in the slot and scored. Junior forward Brandon Bork had the assist on the play.
Each team scored one goal in the third period with Pomfret’s coming just over three minutes into the period. For almost fifteen minutes in the third period, Williston was hanging onto a one-goal lead. Then, with thirty-five second to play, on the power-play, senior forward Matt Arnold scored his first goal of the season to put the game out of reach for the Griffins.
In the past three games, Williston has scored seven power-play goals.
Once the playoff situation is announced tomorrow, the results will be posted here on the blog. Also, follow the team’s Twitter (@WillistonHockey) for the latest news.
Coach Cunha said after the game, “My true hope is that we’re getting on the ice Monday for practice.”