Early Momentum Drives Wildcats To Home Opener Victory

by Team Reporter Nate Gordon ’16

Just when it seemed like Canterbury (0-1-0) had clawed its way back into the game in the third period, the Williston Boys Hockey (1-0-0) team scored two unanswered goals to win its home opener against the Saints 5-2.

The Wildcats were up 3-0 when the Saints scored with 46 seconds remaining in the second period. With 12:34 to go in the third period, Canterbury won a face-off in its offensive zone and scored to cut its deficit to one.

But in the next five minutes, the Wildcat responded with two goals to seal the win. The first came from senior defenseman Jo Labrecque. He got the puck in the offensive zone and put it past the Saints’ senior goaltender’s glove.

Less than three minutes later, sophomore forward Nick Schofield put away a rebound off a shot from defenseman Chris Dumont ’15. This was Schofield’s second goal of the game with his first coming just 48 into play.

After the game, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha said of his team’s putting the game out of reach near the end, “I thought they showed some good maturity. It would have been very easy to fall back on our heels.  Once we scored that fourth goal, I think it re-settled us down and we knew that we were able to get back to the hockey we were playing earlier in the game.”

The team’s top line of Schofield-Tyler Scroggins ’15-Jared Karas ’15 combined for four of the team’s five goals and nine points on the day. This is similar to last season, when the Wildcats’ top line, which included Scroggins, produced the majority of the team’s offense.

 

Schofield said, “We were just moving, working the puck around. We weren’t afraid to get in the corners. We passed the puck really well and we just got the net, got to the dirty areas and made it happen.”

About his first line, Cunha said, “They were jut really in sync, moving that puck, especially center to wing, driving with speed. Their puck control and their communication was really good today.”

The Wildcats’ second goal came from Karas just over four minutes into the second period. Scroggins gave the team a 3-0 advantage three minutes later.

The Wildcats went to the box nine times, and the Saints six. Canterbury’s two goals were scored on the power play.  Eight of the fifteen penalties included a player from each team going to the box simultaneously.

Williston junior goaltender Shane Mason prevented Canterbury from getting back in the game, making multiple timely saves. He stopped 23 of 25 (92%) pucks that came is way.

The Wildcats now have a week off for Thanksgiving vacation. Their next three games could likely be the toughest of the year against Kimball Union (Dec 3, away), Salisbury (Dec 6, home), and Cushing (Dec 10, away). Stay tuned for a preview of these games.

Wildcats Defeat Academie St. Louis in Tune Up Game

The Williston 2013-14 Boys Varsity Hockey team missed a spot in the playoffs by .004 of a percentage point. Another win surely would have been enough. Even another goal or two, or not giving up a goal could have done the job.

To start the 2014-15 season, the Wildcats played an exhibition game against Academie St. Louis (ASL) on Saturday, November 15th.

The Wildcats held a 2-0 until they conceded a goal with .5 seconds remaining in the first period. That goal reminded Head Coach Derek Cunha of the .004. “That’s the stuff that’s going to keep us from being successful. That right there is four one-thousandths of a point.”

ASL is a Quebec-based secondary school. The oldest members of its team are  17.

Williston went on to have a three goal second period, and added another in the third for a 6-1 tune up win.

New member of the team, junior defenseman Brad Budman, scored the first goal of the game, a slap shot from the point that whistled past ASL’s goalie’ glove.

Post graduate Jared Karas, sophomore Jo Jo Carbone, and senior Justin Lindsay scored, as well.

The team’s line of Carbone ’17-Ferguson ’15-Brandon Bork ’15 produced three goals and three assists.

Senior forward Rourke Ferguson scored the Wildcats’ second and fourth goals. “I’m playing with two great guys, they really move the puck well, so it really opened up some ice for me and I was lucky to get those two bounces,” he said.

Lindsay said after the game, “We had a lot of speed out there, I felt like starting from the beginning, everyone was starting to click with each other.”

“I thought we were running around early, but as the game progressed, we started to settle down. I thought we had some good breakouts. I thought our “D” zone was exposed a bit, which in a first game it usually is.”

The Wildcats were without junior defensemen RJ Guardia and Nick Garofano who played in Williston football’s Bowl championship. After falling down 27-0 at the half, Williston came back and led Lawrence Academy 28-27 at one point, but eventually fell 35-34.

The hockey team played four goalies against ASL. Junior Shane Mason, who was the team’s backup last season started, played until about the halfway point of the second period, and was followed by Elie Small ’15, Joey Teresi ’16, and Don Battimelli ’17.

As tradition after each win, the hockey team sings one of the school’s songs, “Sammy” (named after founder Samuel Williston). In addition, as many hockey teams do, the team has a victory song, generally an upbeat popular song. Ferguson ’15 held a closed-eye team vote after today’s game and “Die Young” by Kesha was democratically elected. Last year’s song was “Timber” by Pitbull and Kesha.

2014-15 Season is Upon Us, In the Crease Returns

With the temperature still warmer outside of  Williston’s Lossone Rink, but quickly dropping, the 2014-15 is upon us. And with that means the return of In the Crease, the second year of in-depth coverage of the Boys Varsity Hockey Team.

As with last year, the coverage will have two components: Twitter and this blog. Game updates will be posted on the team’s Twitter before, during, and after each game. On the blog, reports will be available after each game,with reactions from both teams’ coaches and Williston players. The one change coming to the blog this year will be that instead of a preview before each game, there will be a weekly preview posted on Sunday or Monday that takes a look at each week’s games and where the team stands week to week. I am also hoping to write a few features on different players throughout the season.

In the next week, I will be putting together a season preview. It will look at how the team hopes to keep the momentum it created last season when it missed the playoffs by just a fraction of a percentage point. I will highlight big games, the team’s new players,  and opinions from coaches and members of the team.

This past week, the team held its tryouts which will culminate in the Wildcats’ first test, a home scrimmage against Academie St. Louis on Saturday, the 15th at 4:30 p.m.