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Landon Hockey 2 Hill 4
This group of Bear skaters played 39 consecutive games without a loss. Today they played the Blues of Hill, a squad that regularly competes against tougher competition—schools like Delbarton, Lawrenceville, Wyoming Seminary. The skaters are assembled from Trois-Rivieres, QC to the North, Belmont, MA to the East, Greensboro, NC to the South and Chicago, IL to the West. The Blues were physically impressive, averaging almost 180# per player. Perhaps most telling for the Bears was that Hill usually plays 18 minute periods, thus the visiting team would usually be getting off the ice half way through the 3rd period; today, the Bear legs felt like they were playing Overtime for the last nine minutes. To add to the fatigue factor, Landon usually wears down its opponents with 4 sets of forwards and 3 pairs of D; today, there were only 9 forwards playing (and some were D who moved up) and three D (one who moved back for this game); the Blues were missing 4 players also, but they had 18 suited up.
Not as easily quantifiable, put perhaps most critical to the outcome, the Blues higher level competition forced them to make decisions more quickly, to skate faster but under control and to push the puck up rink harder. For the Bears, their normal break out passes would get past the MAPHL forwards; here, the opponents were able to prevent the puck getting to its intended target. Landon hockey played at home benefits from our boys being able to make one or two dangles and to have an open view of the other team’s goalie; today, after the 2nd move, another Blue appeared. The value of such competition is that the exhausted Bears came off the ice realizing both that there is a higher level and that they can move up in effort/performance.
The Blues captain, Brian Sachs, scored with a little more than 10 minutes left in the first period. Sam Kroll had stopped several Hill shots before Sachs’ heavy wrist shot. The Bears were called for 4 penalties, while the referees detected only for 2 transgressions.
END OF 1ST PERIOD Blues 1 Bears 0; SOGs Landon 8 Hill 7
Landon took an early penalty at the start of the next stanza and with 02 seconds remaining on the time in the box, Blue Matt Brizzi scored. H2 L0@ 15:07. After 8 minutes had expired, Johnny Cobb foundfrosh Satchel Glendinenin front of the net and calmly the youngster did a 180° turn putting the puck into the net. H2 L1@ 13:29.
The home team responded with two goals; for the first, the shot @10:54 was deflected and the Bear goalie screened; Blue scorer= Jake Myers, a frosh from Massachusetts. The second score was by a Blue D, Sam Salvano with an assist from Matt Brizzi @ 9:16 H4 L1. The Bears played a strong penalty kill and Matt Greenwald’s big slap shot from the point resulted in the puck lying on the crease. Graham Shue put thepuck inback of the Hill net @ 4:06 and was soon thereafter deposited by a Hill D. H4 L2
END OF 2ND PERIOD Blues 4 Bears 2 2nd period; SOGs L6 H9
At the end of the last period, the home teams were found to have fouled the Bears and one of the Blues was in the penalty box. The Hill team sent the puck deeply into the Landon D zone and the Landon forwards expedited the black sphere up the ice and, as seen by all Bear spectators, into the goal. The referees consulted for several minutes and indicated that the faceoff was at a point signifying NO GOAL. Coach Gammill asked for an explanation; the referee admitted that neither he nor the appropriate linesman was in a position to call a goal. Thus, the decision was not to acknowledge that the Bears had narrowed to margin to one, as in a hypothetical H4 L3 score. {This does not violate the recently renamed “Falvey Rule” of the absence of criticism of the officials; for the above is reporting a quote from the referee.}
The Bears peppered the Blues goalie with 11 more shots and the officials whistled penalties (L1 H3) that resulted in a net of two Landon powerplays. Unfortunately the Bears were not able to convert those opportunities (remember that all of the chances were played during a time segment which under IAC & MAPHL rules would have been a nine minute OT.
FINAL SCORE BLUES 4 BEARS 2; GAME TOTAL SOGs L26 H 19
THAT’S A BEAR AWARD—It isnever 100%clear whether recognition of a player is appropriate after a loss, but it became evident that an award (actually 3) was right as the Landon buses parked behind the gym some 12 hours after the beginning of the day. The next thought was that this interregional game was the result of a lot of hard work. Further, the image of 3 dedicated teachers/mentors/coaches spending hours going to/from, organizing and participating in practices was compelling. Then, the difficulty of putting together a special line up for the Hill test was another strong impression. Finally, the boys and their coaches all experience a certain amount of pre-game nerves, competitive juices and worries. The boys get to expiate those feeling as they rush up the ice and perhaps collide with an opponent. The coaches get no similar chance to “exhale” and have to exhibit a high level of equanimity. THUS, the THAT’S A BEAR AWARD is conferred on KATHLEEN LUBIN,HANS FARNSTROM and CHAN GAMMILL for the Hill game.
PHOTOS FROM PAM POTOLICCHIO, thanks
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