by Team Reporter Nate Gordon ’16

Until time ran out, for each Salisbury (2-0-0) goal, Williston (1-2-0) had a response. Down 3-2 with under nine minutes to play, junior forward Jack Kelly skated down the right side of the rink and fired a shot past the Crimson Knight goaltender to tie the game. And when it appeared the game was headed for overtime, an unlucky bounce off an official’s skate gave a Salisbury forward a shot between the two face off circles that rocketed to the top left corner past Williston’s goalie Shane Mason’s blocker.

This loss was the Wildcats’ second consecutive loss against top prep school hockey games. In USHR.com’s 2014-15 New England Prep Preview, Salisbury was ranked number one, coming off a one-loss season in which it won the NEPSIHA championship.

In the locker room after the game, Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha told his team, “The line of how close we are [to winning] is very thin. If we were further away, I’d call it what it is. I’d say, ‘you know what we’re just not as good as those guys, we have to get better.’  But we are, we are as good these guys.”

Although the Wildcats lost both their games this week, they showed they deserve to be playing against these top teams. Cunha said in the locker room, “We picked up zero points this week, but the emphasis is not on the outcome, but on the process. The process that you guys went through for these two games.”

This game against the Crimson Knights was Williston’s first home loss of the young season.

Mason ’16, who has started each of the three games this season, saved 33 of 37 shots that came his way. Besides Salisbury’s flukey first goal, Mason appeared to be screened for two of the Crimson Knights’ next three goals. Throughout the game, Salisbury displayed its speed, which resulted in numerous odd man rushed and a few breakaways that Mason turned down.

Williston senior forward Jack Gethings scored his first two goals of the year to keep the Wildcats in the game until Kelly ’16 added the team’s third goal of the game, his first of the season.

Before the final period, Cunha told the team, “You want a story you’re going to take with you, you guys have the chance to write it  right now.” With a line that lightened the mood, Cunha said, “Punch these guys in the face…figuratively. This is a prizefight right here. You guys have been exchanging blows all game. But we’re in the late rounds, what kind of team are we going to be.”

From the start, in a game in which neither team scored two consecutive goals, the play was very fast moving and aggressive, bordering on dirty at points.

There were a combined 13 penalties in this game, seven against the Wildcats. This is the second time in the first three games the Wildcats have gone to the box at least  seven times. This was dangerous against a Salisbury team with a very potent power play, but it capitalized on just one of these opportunities.

After the game, Salisbury Head Coach Andrew Will said, “I think the difference was that we were able to keep our focus and just to do things that we needed to do to have an opportunity. I thought both teams were terrific at playing with energy, playing hard, and competing.” He added, “When [Williston] got that goal to tie it up late, it was a great shot, a great play, and it could have gotten us a little rattled and anxious, but I think we regrouped and continued to apply pressure and we were able to get that winning goal.”

Stay tuned for a weekly preview of next week which will include games against Cushing and Gunnery.

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.”

by Team Reporter Nate Gordon ’16

After an important first victory at home against Canterbury back on November 22nd and a week off for Thanksgiving, the Williston Boys Hockey team now faces what may be the toughest week of the season. On Wednesday, the Wildcats will travel to Meridan, NH to take on Kimball Union, the team’s first away game. On Saturday, Williston will face Salisbury at home. Both of these teams were ranked as top ten teams in U.S. Hockey Report’s (USHR) 2014-15 New England Preview.

The Wildcats’ convincing 5-2 victory over Canterbury is what the team is looking to build upon in these next two games.

Clash of the ‘Cats: Williston @ Kimball Union Academy (KUA) (Wednesday, December 3, 4p.m.)

With a 26-6-5 record last season, the KUA Wildcats were champions of the Small School division of prep hockey. KUA is ranked as number seven in USHR’s Preview.  The Wildcats lost three forwards from last season who have gone on to play Division 1 Hockey. However, KUA already has two forwards who have committed to D1 schools this season. These two are senior Jack McCarthy (Brown) and junior Patrick Shea (Maine). KUA began its 2014-15 campaign with a 4-0 victory over Stanstead College on November 22. Last season, Williston tied KUA 4-4 at home.

Wildcats to host Salisbury (Saturday, December 6, Lossone Rink, 5p.m.)

On Saturday, Williston will host the Salisbury Crimson Knights, who lost just one game last season (21-1-4), for the team’s second home game of the season. Ranked number one in USHR’s Preview, Salisbury is looking to defend its 2013-14 NEPSIHA Championship this season. The Wildcats lost narrowly to the Crimson Knights last season 3-2 at home.

USHR wrote in the preview: “Not only is Salisbury the defending champion, but they have reached the Elite 8 for five consecutive seasons. Thus they are the gold standard – until they aren’t. That said, we expect that they will lose more than one game this time around, and will have to work that much harder to gain the #1 spot again come March.”

Salisbury will open its season tomorrow against Taft before facing the Wildcats.

As always, game updates will be available via the team’s Twitter feed (@WillistonHockey)

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.

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.

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.

by Nate Gordon-Team Reporter

One week ago, Max Willman ‘14 became just the third Williston graduate ever to be drafted by an NHL team. On Saturday, June 28th, the Buffalo Sabres selected Willman in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.

The most important tweets about Willman and the draft are shown throughout this article:

what an unreal feeling! thank you to everyone who has helped me reach this point! I'm excited and honored to be apart of the @BuffaloSabres

— Max Willman (@MaxWillman10) June 28, 2014

Willman spent just one year at Williston as a postgraduate. After graduating from Barnstable, Mass. High School in 2013, Willman was unsure of his future playing career. Williston Hockey Head Coach Derek Cunha offered Willman a spot on the 2013-14 roster. Willman accepted the opportunity, and after performing superbly in multiple showcases last summer, Willman committed to play Division 1 hockey at Brown University.

“He [Cunha] is a great coach with many contacts and will push for you when others won’t. He has been a major part [of] my success,” says Willman.

Cunha knows that Willman’s recent accomplishments reflect very well on his program.

Cunha says, “I think Max getting drafted is a great success story about what opportunities Williston Hockey can provide to its players and Max made the most of it…I know I was proud to wear my Williston gear in Philadelphia for the draft and my hope is that more players could be drawn to our school and program.” 

Willman with Coach Cunha after being drafted (Cunha tweeted this) :

Max finally wrapped up all of his media duties, but time for one more photo! So proud of his accomplishment! pic.twitter.com/thwvko6FrS

— Williston Hockey (@WillistonHockey) June 28, 2014

Willman joins Matt DelGuidice and Kurt Stahura, both class of ’86, and Brian Jopling ’83 as the only four Williston graduates to be drafted. DelGuidice was chosen by the Boston Bruins and Stahura by the Minnesota Northstars (now known as the Minnesota Wild). Jopling was chosen by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 11th round.

Although undrafted, Williston graduate Patrick Rissmiller ’97 played in a combined 192 games and recorded 46 points while playing for four NHL teams. Rissmiller was captain of the 1997 Williston Hockey team that went 23-4, the most wins in the program’s history. In 2013, Williston inducted Rissmiller into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

This past season, Willman was a co-team-captain, centered Williston’s top line, and led the team in goals (21) and points (44). Williston ended the season with a 13-10-2 record, narrowly missing the playoffs.

Willman will still attend Brown next fall, but will join the Sabres when the organization believes he is ready.

“[I will] continue to work on my game and get bigger, stronger, and faster. As I progress and when the Sabres feel I’m ready I will either leave school early to pursue my dream of playing in the NHL or I will stay the four years and graduate from Brown and sign with the Sabres after,” Willman said.

A statement from the Buffalo Sabres’ GM about Willman’s character:

Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray: @BrownMensHockey recruit Max Willman of @WillistonHockey is "the type of kid you want your daughter to marry."

— Jeff Cox (@JeffCoxSports) June 28, 2014

Willman signing autographs at the draft:

Maxwell Willman, from high school to signing autographs at the #NHLDraft. #Sabres2014Draft pic.twitter.com/UYUlhlwojk

— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) June 28, 2014

A few days after the draft, Willman tweeted that he will be working within the Sabre’s system this summer:

It hasn't completely sunk in yet! So excited to get to camp and go to work!! #GoSabres pic.twitter.com/pAIS9DARWi

— Max Willman (@MaxWillman10) July 2, 2014

Information from Williston Athletic Director Mr. Mark Conroy and Associate Director of Athletics Mr. Jay Grant was used in this report.

Sept. 16 Correction: Max Willman was the fourth Williston grad to be drafted; the original story referred to only three previous grads and has been amended to include information on Brian Jopling.

by Team Reporter-Nate Gordon ’16

As was announced via the team’s Twitter feed this morning, Williston Boys Hockey (13-10-2) missed a spot in the playoffs by .004 of an RPI percentage point.

Williston Head Coach Derek Cunha said this to the team in an email earlier today:

“I am sorry to have to report that we did not qualify for a playoff spot. Despite our strong ending we finished just .004 away from getting in. Our final RPI percentage was 0.5269330 and the 8th seed was 0.5309567. It’s hard to imagine that it came down to 4/1000 of a point of us getting in but it is a testament to how competitive it is to make the prep hockey playoffs. Though initial news is disappointing you need to know how incredibly proud Coach Hanford and I are of this group and the strides we made this season.”

The team will have its “banquet night” on Tuesday where team awards will be given out. Soon after, I will post my season recap on the blog.

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 22^nd. 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.”