Hockey Corner

ONCE, TWICE, THREE TIMES A WINNER

The Hoosac Owls Varsity Hockey team had a productive week on the ice as they posted a 3-0 record. First up it was a trip down to Rye, NY to take on NEPSIHA opponent, Rye Country Day.  This building had provided some of the oddest moments in recent Owl history, so we knew anything could happen.
 
The game proved to be mostly sloppy as neither team had any jump for the majority of the game.  Hoosac eventually found their legs and even though the game was not aesthetically pleasing, Hoosac rolled to an 8-3 victory.  Attila Pavuk recorded his second hat trick of the season and Zach Cappelli chipped in two goals to lead the Owl attack.  David Brassard notched his fourth win of the season.
 
On Wednesday, it was off to picturesque Lake Placid, NY to take on the National Sports Academy.  Over the past two years Hoosac and NSA had provided three exciting games, with Hoosac coming out on top in each one.  This game did not disappoint the fans in attendance as it was another heart wrenching game.
 
The game opened up with Hoosac playing one of their worst periods of the year.  Defensive lapses, lack of hustle and uninspired play led to the Owls facing a 3-1 deficit after the first period.  The Owls came out of the locker room to start the second period a much different club.  The Owls began to carry the play and forced NSA back on their heels for most of the period.  Unfortunately, Hoosac’s efforts were not rewarded on the scoreboard and they would enter the third period still trailing by two goals.
The period saw Hoosac continue where they left off in the 2nd and this time they were rewarded for getting to the net.  Francis Germain tipped a Francis Lavoie shot home to bring the Owls within one and moments later Eli Brassard stuffed a poor angle shot past the bewildered NSA goalie to tie the game.
 
The teams exchanged goals in the next couple of minutes and with 8 minutes remaining in the game the score was knotted at 4.
 
In perhaps the play of the year, Captain, Jory Uhlman sacrificed his body and blocked a rocket from the point.  The puck bound into the neutral zone where a streaking Attila Pavuk picked up the loose puck and he sped off to tuck in the goal that gave the Owls a 5-4 lead.  Francis Lavoie and Hans Brule added late goals as Hoosac earned the 7-4 victory.  Mathieu Carpentier was solid  in net for Hoosac.
 
The week finished off with a 9-0 win over the Harvey School.  Travis Bobb picked up his first career goal at Hoosac and Edward Franz saw his first action in between the pipes.  The victory improved Hoosac’s  record to 15-5-3 and 6-2-1 in NEPSIHA play.
 
Next up for Hoosac are two traditional NEPSIHA rivals, Brunswick and Hebron.  Both games will be tough tests for the gritty Owl squad.

OWLS GO 4-2-1 AT TWO TOURNAMENTS

The Hoosac Varsity Ice Hockey Squad got back to work after being off the ice for a full month by kicking off 2010 at a tournament in Kents Hill, Maine.
 
The Owls started off the tournament by displaying a lot of rust from their month long hiatus.  The tournament started with a game against a strong Stanstead squad.  The Owls never found their timing or legs and plodded through a dreadful 54 minutes of mediocre hockey.  Although Hoosac was able to keep the game relatively close for the first part of the game, Stanstead scored a couple of late goals as they cruised to a 4-0 victory.
 
The important games of the tournament were the next two games as they were against league opponents Brooks School and North Yarmouth Academy.  Brooks was first up and Hoosac  continued their lethargic play.  Much of the game was sloppy and neither team could generate any sustained offensive pressure.  Eventually Hoosac found the back of the net as Attila Pavuk, Jory Uhlman, and Zach Cappelli all beat the Brooks goaltender and Hoosac built a 3-0 lead.  David Brassard played extremely well in goal and lost his shutout with 6 seconds left on a defensive miscue in the neutral zone.
 
On Sunday against NYA, Hoosac finally found their legs and put together a complete 54 minute effort.  The power play which had been so effective before the break once again found its timing and the Owls converted twice with the extra attacker.  Zach Cappelli scored two goals and Matthew Stewart and Hans Brule each scored once as the Owls moved to 3-0-1 in NEPSIHA play.
 
This past weekend the Owls traveled to Stanstead, QC to participate in the annual Stanstead tournament.  Hoosac opened the tournament on Friday against Appleby College from Ontario.  Once again sloppy, inconsistent effort plagued  the Owls.  A defensive battle turned into a pond hockey game in the third period and the Owls found themselves on the short end of a 5-4 score.  The Owls did receive goals from four different players as Hans Brule, Francis Germain, Eli Brassard and Francis Lavoie all found the back of the net for Hoosac.  David Brassard was strong in goal but received little support in the third period.
 
That loss proved to be the only loss of the tourney for Hoosac.  The remainder of the weekend Hoosac went 2-0-1.  Balanced scoring and solid defensive play carried Hoosac throughout the rest of the weekend.  Hoosac swarmed the Ontario Hockey Academy and skated to a 6-2 victory.
 
Hoosac then faced an extremely talented College of St. Foy team and battled them to a 3-3 draw.  This game was highlighted by goals by Eli Brassard and 2 by Frank Lavoie.  Once again the PP was strong throughout the game netting 2 goals.  David Brassard was once again strong in goal making several spectacular saves to preserve the 3-3 tie.
On Sunday Hoosac finished the tournament with an 8-3 win.  Attila Pavuk got a hat trick and Jory Uhlman scored twice to lead the Owl offensive attack.
Attila not only was named to the all tournament team but also joined Sy Nutkevitch, Mike Schiavi and Kyle Hardy as the only players in Hoosac Hockey history to earn 100 career points.  Congratulations to Atti from the entire Hoosac community.
 
Hoosac has a difficult week ahead with three league games against Kingswood Oxford, Berwick and Rye.  Hoosac’s record now stands at 11-4-3.


    

December 1, 2009

SPECIAL TEAMS AND GOALTENDING EQUALS EARLY SEASON SUCCESS FOR OWLS HOCKEY

Buoyed by excellent special teams and strong goaltending, the Hoosac Owls hockey team has jumped out of the gate with a strong start.

    The team began the season in Clifton Park, NY facing off against the CP Dynamo squad.  The Dynamo, who have been on the ice since August, carried the play early on.  Mathieu Carpentier made several spectacular saves early on to keep the Owls in the game.  Entering the third period the score was tied 1-1.  The Owls then exploded for 5 straight goals in the third to come away with a 6-1 victory.  The Owls were lead by Hans Brule with 2 goals and 2 assists and El Brassard with 2 goals.   Hoosac scored 4 of their 6 goals on the power play.

     The next day was Hoosac’s home opener against the Boston Jr. Blackhawks.  Once again the power play was the story as Hoosac scored 3 of their 5 goals on the power play as they skated away with an efficient 5-2 victory.  Ian Richter backstopped the win as he kicked out 22 shots to earn his first win of the year.  Captain, Jory Uhlman found the back of the net twice and Zach Cappelli, Attila Pavuk and Eli Brassard each scored one goal apiece.  Jon Gervais had an exceptionally strong game for the Owls on Defense.

      After a few days of practice Hoosac opened their NEPSIHA schedule with a game against Albany Academy.  The traditional game held on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving is always a barn burner and this one did not disappoint.  Once again the power play got the Owls off to a fast start as Jory Uhlman and Attila Pavuk both scored with the man advantage.  Albany Academy quickly responded and as the teams headed off the ice at the end of one the score was deadlocked at 2.  After a scoreless second period, the teams staged a fast paced and dramatic third period.  Albany Academy took the lead early in the third period on a somewhat “flukish” goal.  This gave Albany Academy momentum as they stormed the Hoosac goal with several excellent scoring chances but Mathieu Carpentier was up to the task as he kept the Owls within one goal.  Hoosac then came down the ice on a 3 on 2 rush and Chris Pirocacos fired a snap shot on goal that seemed to go through the back of the net.  Once play was stopped the referees inspected the net and determined the shot did indeed go through the net and Hoosac was now even with ten minutes to play.  This seemed to spark Hoosac and the intensity of their play forced Albany Academy into a couple of penalties and once again the power play came through with two goals.  The final score was Hoosac 5 and Albany Academy 3.  This was one of the gutsier wins in recent memory for the Owls as they were playing shorthanded due to injury.

      On Thanksgiving Day, the Owls traveled to Pittsburgh, PA to participate in the Shadyside Academy tournament.  This tournament always provides Hoosac with strong early season competition.  At 8:00AM on Friday the Owls opened the tournament against the host team.  Although Hoosac did not have their legs early on, David Brassard held the fort in goal with some spectacular net minding.  Once Hoosac found their legs it was the line of Attla Pavuk, Jory Uhlman and Zach Cappelli that carried the Owls to victory.  The line combined for 5 goals and 12 points leading Hoosac to a 5-2 victory.  Once again the power play was integral in the victory as 2 of the 5 goals were scored with a man advantage.

      Later that day Hoosac took the ice against traditional Owl nemesis, St. Francis from Buffalo.  It was St. Francis who defeated Hoosac for the tournament championship in 2008.  Hoosac came out flying in this game and carried the play throughout the game.  Once again it was Uhlman, Cappelli and Pavuk that carried the Owls.  The line scored three goals in the first two periods and Mathieu Carpentier picked up his first shutout in an Owls uniform as Hoosac won 4-0 and clinched first place in their division for the tournament.

      The next day Hoosac faced off against Lawrenceville in a game that the Owls knew did not have any impact on the tournament seeding.  Hoosac was flat all game and spent much of the game chasing the speedy Lawrenceville team around the ice.  Lawrenceville won the game 3-2 as Chris Pirocacos and Tony Jorgenson chipped in goals for Hoosac.

      The semi finals would pit Hoosac vs. Shadyside Academy for the second time in as many days.  This game would have a different feel to it as the home crowd packed the barn in support of their team.  After a scoreless first period Shadyside jumped on top with a power play goal just 31 seconds into the second period.  This marked the first time all year Hoosac had given up a power play goal.  In the waning moments of the period Jory Uhlman chipped in a power play goal of his own and the teams entered the third period tied at 1.   Six minutes into the third period Shadyside got the lead and were relentless in their pursuit to put the game away but Mathieu Carpentier held the fort for the next several minutes.  With a little over 5 minutes left in the game and Hoosac trailing by a goal, Francis Germain fired a rocket from the point that found its way to the back of the net for his first goal of the year.  As time ticked down both teams seemed resigned to head into overtime.  With less than thirty seconds left in regulation Hoosac took advantage of a pinching Shadyside defenseman and streaked up ice on a 3 on 1 break.  Attila Pavuk moved the puck to Zach Cappelli who slipped it by the goalie with only 14 seconds left in regulation.  The 3-2 win moved the Owls into the finals for the second year in a row.

      On Sunday morning it was the Owls vs. the undefeated Wyoming Seminary squad.  Both teams seemed a bit tired at the outset of the game and the play was choppy.  Seminary struck first half way through the first period but Hoosac evened the score on a power play goal by Jory Uhlman.  In the second period Hoosac began to carry the play and was rewarded when Jon Gervais snuck in from the right point and buried a one timer to give the Owls a 2-1 lead heading into the third stanza.  Although the Owls carried much of the play in the third period, Seminary tied the game off a "flukish" bounce and regulation ended with the teams tied at 2.  After a scoreless 8 minute overtime the two teams headed to a shootout.  The shoot-out provided much drama as Hoosac was twice one shot or one save away from victory; however Seminary always found a way and came away with the shootout win.  Despite the bitter disappointment with the shootout loss, the Owls are proud of their effort and have a strong foundation to build on for the remainder of the year.

Next up for Hoosac is a NEPSIHA tilt with Tilton.

January 31, 2009

SINCE IT COSTS A LOT TO WIN AND EVEN MORE TO LOSE
THE OWLS SPEND SOME TIME WONDERING WHAT TO CHOOSE!

   After 5 periods and 500 miles, Hoosac's hockey team woke from a poorly timed slumber to earn a split this past weekend.  Traveling through nearly every state in New England, the Owls had a weekend of games with two traditional NEPSIHA rivals.

   First off on Friday, Hoosac traveled to Hebron, Maine to take on the #1 team in New England.  Perhaps internet watching plagued the Owl squad as they were tentative from the drop of the puck.  Against the most skilled team Hoosac has encountered this year, tentativeness proved to be a recipe for disaster.  Timid play, lack of discipline and lack of intensity led to a 9-2 drubbing at the hands of the Lumberjacks.

   The following morning with the beat down still fresh in their minds, Hoosac climbed aboard the bus to head south to Rhode Island.  The picturesque campus of St. Georges, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean would be the setting for this affair.  Hoosac has never beaten St. Georges with two losses coming in the '03 and '05 playoffs. 

   With the loss on Friday night hanging over them like a storm cloud, Hoosac sleep walked through the first two stanzas.  Entering the third period Hoosac found themselves trailing 2-1 as the only thing that kept the game that close was the exploits of goaltender David Brassard.

   With an 0-2 weekend looming, the Owls finally decided to play hockey and stormed back to earn a 4-3 victory.  Hoosac had more shots and quality chances in that one period than they had earned in the previous five.  Stephen Buco, Attila Pavuk and Jory Uhlman all scored in the third period to give Hoosac their 19th win of the year and left them at 6-2 in NEPSIHA play heading into the month of February. 

   Hoosac plays Winchendon on Wednesday before having next weekend off.  GO OWLS

BABY BLEEZE DON'T GO!

 January 24, 2009

   While the Hoosac Hockey team enjoyed the annual tradition of the Bleeze Banquet here at Hoosac and dined on a wonderful meal, the Northwood Tournament was dropping the puck. With the first bite of crown roast, the club knew they would just have to show up on Saturday and win the games in front of them.

   After arriving in Lake Placid sometime around midnight, the team quickly shuffled off to bed and had a quick turnaround for a 8:00AM face-off against familiar foe, Stanstead College. The two teams had already played twice this season, battling to a tie the first game and Stanstead coming out on top in the second meeting.  Hoosac set the tone early this time, firing 8 shots at the Stanstead net before two minutes had elapsed.  The eighth shot found the back of the net as Sean Jenkins converted on a powerplay goal.

   The score went back and forth for the remainder of the game and midway through the final stanza, Stephen Buco gave the Owls a lead they would never relinquish.  Niko Langlois was impressive in goal as he kicked out 25 of 27 shots and preserved the win as Stanstead buzzed the net late in the game.

   Later that afternoon Hoosac would play National Sports Academy, a team they had just disposed of 10 short days ago.  Once again Hoosac jumped on top with Graig Angarella scoring a tough goal. Graig barreled to the net hard and was able to tip a pass from Stephen Buco past the NSA netminder.  As the game progressed, the Owls appeared tired and NSA began to carry the play.  With just under four minutes to go Stephen Buco scored and gave the Owls a 2-1 victory.  Once again Niko Langlois was spectacular in goal making several outstanding saves late in the game.

   Hoosac moved to 18-6-4 overall and will embark on the biggest week of the season.  Brunswick on Wednesday, Hebron on Friday and St. Georges next Saturday.  GO OWLS!