Williston Ties NMH; Sweeps Millbrook, Canterbury

Coming of the heels of a much-needed mid-winter break, Williston took a short sojourn up route 91 to face the Northfield Mount Herman Hoggers last Wednesday.  Sophomore goalie Greg Iverson got the nod on this day earning a 1-1 tie.

NMH got on the board at the 8:33 mark of the first period on a shot from the left dot that beat Iverson over the shoulder on a screen.  Iverson settled in and played an aggressive game for the remainder.  The second period was a scoreless affair leading to a high-energy third period for Williston.

Williston controlled much of the play entering the final frame and was able to solve Eric Green when the puck got to sophomore defenseman Tim Rego on the right point. Rego skated down Broadway and let a low shot go from just above the hashmarks that beat Green between the pads.  Overtime was needed but to no avail as Williston’s recorded improved to 10-11-1. Iverson made 32 saves on the day.

 

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On Saturday afternoon, Williston traveled across state lines into New York to take on the Millbrook Mustangs in a five o’clock tilt.  Williston took the game, 7-6 giving Greg Iverson the win, but not without a battle from the ‘Stangs.

Millbrook got on the board at the 7:09 mark and held the lead for just under three minutes when Connor Power scored his second goal of the season off of a pass from defensive partner and roommate, Tim Rego, to Nick Day who made a nifty give and go to Power slicing down the slot beating Millbrook goalie Greg Brassard on the far post.  Just :49 seconds later, Billy Smith took a Brendan Hansen pass at the top of the left circle and let a light shot go that coasted over the left shoulder of Brassard.  Millbrook would get two more goals and eventually took the lead into the dressing rooms after the first, 3-2.

Williston tied the game early in the second period on a deflected goal by Steven Gower off a shot from Connor Canterbury.  Roommate and linemate, Owen Sylvia received the second assist.  Then, at 11:43 and on the powerplay, Lassman let a rope go from the left point that careened off the near post and in.  Assists were awarded to JT Chamberlain and Sam Milnes.  Millbrook would score at the 14:06 mark of the period tying the game.

In the third, Millbrook went up 5-4 at the 6:44 mark but again Williston had the answer as they scored three straight.  The first came just :36 seconds later when Kyle Caddo scored his first goal of his Williston career off of a Brendan Hansen shot; Brassard made the initial save but could not contain the rebound as Caddo smelled blood and pounced on the loose puck.  From this writer’s position, it looked as if the junior from Jersey “dabbed” his way down the ice in celebration.

Steven Townley took a pass from JoJo Carbone and made it six on a shot from the right circle that beat Brassard and then just over a minute later, Tim Rego put the proverbial Nail in the coffin when he took a pass from Brendan White in the mid-slot on a 2-1 that was initially saved by Brassard but who let out a rebound that Rego batted home.  While Millbrook was able to get a goal with 14:57 left, Iverson was able to close the door.

Iverson earned the win saving 21 shots and Kyle Caddo earned the game puck.

 

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On Wednesday afternoon, Williston once again took a two-hour bus trip, this time to the Nutmeg state to play Canterbury.  While Canterbury gave Williston quite the battle, the boys from Williston were able to take home a victory, 4-2.  Xander Rogers was given the nod in this contest and earned the win.

After a scoreless first period, JT Chamberlain got Williston on the board just :19 seconds into the second period on a breakaway beating Saint’s goalie, Connor Cherry.  Williston would get their second goal at the 6:56 mark of the game when Jake Durocher took a shot from the point that was deflected by Brendan White, hit Cherry in the pads and bounced into the mid-slot where a waiting Sam Milnes, while getting tripped, was able to put it home.  Nick Schofield scored a nifty goal at the 15:50 mark when a shot was taken on the left side of the net and Schofield was able to gain possession of the puck on the right side near bottom of the circle and put a sweet backhander past Cherry. However, just under :30 seconds later, Canterbury scored to put the game within two as the teams headed to the break.

The third was tightly contested and Canterbury made things interesting getting a goal with just under three minutes remaining on a deflection off of a Wildcat shin pad that careened past Rogers.  The flurry that ensued in the final moments of the game was heart-pounding and stress-filled, but Milnes was able to seal the deal with an empty net goal shot from just outside of the Williston blue line.

Williston took home the “dub” and improved their record to 12-11-1 while Rogers earned the game puck.

This Friday, Williston takes on their Pioneer Valley foe to the north, Deerfield in a 6 pm matchup.  Williston has not defeated the Big Green since 2012 and look to get back at Deerfield for their four-year dominance.  Good seats are still available.

Williston Takes Down Brunswick, Westminster

It looks like a nice series is beginning to brew between the Williston Wildcats and the Brunswick Bruins.  The match-up was orchestrated by Williston trustee and current Brunswick faculty member John Booth—Williston class of ’83–last year in Greenwich with the host Bruins taking the game 5-3.  This year, Williston evened the series, winning 1-0.

The teams were deadlocked at zeroes for two full periods with both clubs battling hard.  It wasn’t until the 13:04 mark of the third period when sophomore Kevin Lassman broke the tie with a high shot from the left point that beat Bruin goalie Strauss Mann over the left should with a bevy of blue and white jerseys in front of him.

Xander Rogers earned the win making 22 saves.  Mann saved 34 shots in the loss.

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On Monday afternoon, Williston took a fifty-minute jaunt down Route 10 to the Westminster School for a five o’clock tilt with the Martlets.  Williston was able to take down their Connecticut foe 3-2 in overtime but not before losing their senior captain, Nick Schofield, to injury.

Williston got on the board quickly when junior Billy Smith took a Brendan Hansen pass and beat Westminster goalie Kai Edmonds past his glove at the :51 second mark.  However, just six minutes later, Schofield took the puck up the left wall in the neutral zone and dumped the puck deep.  Feeling pressure, he turned to avoid a hit but an oncoming Martlet defensemen could not slow up his momentum and slammed Schofield into the boards.  He lay on the ice for some forty minutes as the Westminster trainer and doctor assessed the fallen player and waited for an ambulance.  Nick was taken to St. Francis Hospital for a CT scan and MRI.  Both were negative.

With emotions running high for both teams, the players took the ice to finish the remainder of the period.  After failing to score on a 5-minute misconduct for the Schofield hit, Westminster went on the power play and was able to knot the score at one at the 9:42 mark.  Then, just seven minutes later, they capitalized again on the power play and went to the dressing room up 2-1.

In the second period, Williston was able to even up the game when sophomore Tim Rego let a blast go on the power play that beat Edmonds between the pads.  Assists were awarded to senior JoJo Carbone and Lassman.  The rest of the game was a back-and-forth contest with neither team being able to solve the others’ goaltender.  Overtime would be needed once again for Williston and the hero for the boys in blue and green would be Rego once again.  With just over two minutes left, Westminster dumped the puck into the Williston end where Connor Power got the puck to a waiting Sam Milnes who took the it up the right wall.  As he crossed into the Westminster end, Milnes made a tape-to-tape pass to Rego who was the high trailer who buried the puck putting Williston up, 3-2 for the win.

For Williston, this was their third win in row and second overtime win in three games putting them at .500 for the season.  Xander Rogers earned the win kicking out 31/33 saves.

The Wildcats take on the Loomis Chaffee Pelicans on Wednesday at 4:45 at Lossone.  Be there.