by Team Reporter Nate Gordon ’16

Going into the third period tied at three, Williston Boys Hockey (1-1-0) gave up two unanswered goals to Kimball Union (KUA) (1-0-0) to suffer its first loss of the 2014-15 season.

Despite a slow a start in which Williston gave up a goal just 1:30 into the game, the team settled down to play a competitive first period. In the second period, Williston responded with three goals.  Within three minutes during the second period, five goals were scored resulting in a 3-3 tie.

At 10:41, senior forward Brandon Bork tied the game with a backdoor rebound goal. Senior forward Rourke Ferguson and senior defenseman Chris Dumont were credited with the assists. During the next 2:38, KUA scored twice to take a two-goal lead. KUA’s second goal was a shorthanded goal scored by senior forward Jack McCarthy who has committed to play Division 1 hockey at Brown.

Seventeen seconds later Williston junior defenseman Brad Budman scored his first goal of the season to cut KUA’s lead to one. Ten seconds later, sophomore forward Nick Schofield beat the KUA goaltender to even the game. This was Schofield’s team-leading third goal of the year..

KUA outshot Williston 32 to 28 (numbers are unofficial). Williston junior goalie Shane Mason made his second start of the season. Mason denied numerous odd man rushes and breakaways, especially in the third period after KUA took the lead. He held off the opponents’ attack long enough for Williston to create scoring opportunities, but his teammates were unable to capitalize.

After the game, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha said about losing the game in the final period, “If we’re going to be a team that is actually serious about [having] a good season, that stuff can’t happen. The effort was there. At times we had too many lapses. The margin of error in these games is so tight that you really can’t miss any opportunities.”

Both Cunha and KUA Head Coach Tim Whitehead said that each of their teams were at their best when they were playing “simple” hockey. Cunha said “The biggest difference is that we played a much simpler game in the second period.”

Whitehead said after the game, “We stayed out of the [penalty] box in the third and we kept it a little more simple, ad we finally hit the net with a couple of those wristers.”

Williston was given seven power plays this game, not scoring on any of them. KUA made the most of four man advantages, scoring two goals.

The Wildcats sported new away game uniforms (pictured below).

This upcoming Saturday, Williston will face defending NEPSIHA champion Salisbury at home at 5p.m. About this game, Cunha told the team today, “Saturday is going to be a battle and you gotta be ready for that. To do that you have to leave this loss here, it doesn’t get back on the bus with us. What it does is it motivates us tomorrow in practice, it motivates us on Friday, it motivates us to be a better team, but we don’t dwell on this, this game is over.”