Written by Press Release: February 9, 2014
February 8: Kearsarge 7 @ Pleasant Valley 0 (Vermont Academy)
The ride for all of us was a long one, and it led to a place that seemed even further from any place we may have seen or envisioned along the way. Tucked back in the hills with nary a sign to alert a soul they are even getting close, we found Vermont Academy. Saxtons River, Vermont, apparently named after a surveyor named Saxton. This river feeds the Connecticut River and the school sits back on land that climbs away from the valley created by the Connecticut. Upon pulling up the road leading to the athletic facilities my son and I took note of the ski jump on campus, as well as the many groomed trails for cross-country skiing.
Back to the task at hand, I revisit some recent history to set up Saturday’s game. This is from the press release on January 27th…”I know one player (at least) that was upset with the outcome of the game, not because of calls, but because of the teams play. Looking back, I wouldn’t be surprised if several of his teammates felt the same way. 24 hours later, he was still confounded as to how they didn’t play better, and create a better result for themselves. That reminds me, February 8th, the team gets another shot at creating that desired result, at Pleasant Valley”.
After the long drive, with 9 skaters and a goalie, and the effort against this same team just weeks ago, it wasn’t out of the question to wonder how the Kearsarge Bantams would show up and play. Well, I can say that I had my answer within the first 120 seconds of the game. I will get to that shortly.
First, in a sort of roll call from Saturday’s roster let me get to the names of the kids mentioned and from there I will get into some details. In the order of the names listed on the game stickers adhered to the game sheet, Alfie Rylander, Nicole Kimtis, Corey Henault, Noah Newton, Sebastian Beal, Matt Jarvis, Kirsten Westerberg, Ashley Thompson, Nick Ducharme, and Kevin Kiernan all showed up, and if they were fueled at all by their performance two weeks prior, it showed up.
Matt Jarvis scored two goals in a span of 10 seconds, at 13:28 and 13:18 of the first period, respectively. Better yet, each goal had an assist, going to Alfie Rylander and Noah Newton, respectively. Even better than that, the five skaters on Kearsarge were all involved in moving, positioning, and flowing up the ice as a unit on both of these goals. This was a sign of things to come. The first period ended with Kearsarge leading 2-0.
The second period saw just one goal, also scored by Kearsarge. This time Noah Newton took a pass from Sebastian Beal who made a nice play to retain possession of the puck in the neutral zone. Then Newton made several moves through Pleasant Valley defenders before rifling a shot to the back of the net. The scoreboard read, 3-0 in favor of Kearsarge after two periods.
As the game progressed the home team was frustrated by a constant barrage of shots, offensive maneuvering, and pressure from Kearsarge. These things and the mounting score against them may have made the physical play they employed seem a bit unnecessary or even over the boundary of clean versus dirty play, but it was noticed. There were several hits, and even more attempted hits on Kearsarge players that seemed to originate from a vantage point that would have made visible the numbers on the backs of the Kearsarge players. Finally, at one point, the home team coach yelled to his team, “If you can see their numbers, you can’t hit them!” That confirmed that it wasn’t just me.
The third period was 15 minutes of Kearsarge marching up and down the ice in total control, scoring four goals and creating at least three times that amount of good chances. The goal was then to get out of town without injury or insult. To the scoring; Jarvis scored his third goal of the game on a play set up by Nicole Kimtis and Kirsten Westerberg. The goal completed a sequence of passes that led from their own blue line all the way up the ice in seconds. Alfie Rylander scored on a set up from Noah Newton. Then a little bit later the favor was returned when Newton scored again, from Rylander and Ashley Thompson on a pretty pass across the crease for a tap in goal. 33 seconds later Kevin Kiernan capped the scoring by stick handling into the zone and ripping a shot over the goaltenders shoulder, and giving Kearsarge a 7-0 lead. The final score read 7-0 in favor of the visitors.
In the spirit of commentary I also add some observations. Pleasant Valley’s goaltender played pretty well and actually made several brilliant saves that kept his team in the game especially through the first two periods. Corey Henault didn’t get a lot of action but there were definitely some chances against him and as tough as it is to be sharp when there’s not much rhythm or flow to work with, he was in excellent position to make stops, and he made them. Kearsarge came to play. They moved the puck with a skill called passing, and it was beautiful. They worked passes high to low, and back. They passed east and west among defensemen, creating lanes everywhere. There was evidence of cycling the puck and I heard mumblings among the parents about a triangle shape being used in the offensive zone. I also have to mention that one of the three young ladies skating for Kearsarge on Saturday seemed to draw a lot of attention from the boys on Pleasant Valley’s team. I don’t know if it had anything to do with the approaching of Valentine’s Day, but Kirsten Westerberg, was everywhere on the ice, and all the guys were after her. Unfortunately, many of the styling’s shown by these boys led to attempted checks of Kirsten, including some that connected. I know numbers were exchanged, but I am pretty certain it was tracking the numbers of players after her. Kirsten played very well, had an assist, and was no worse for the wear as far as I know.
That was some good team hockey exhibited by Kearsarge and hopefully it continues for them, We will find out on Sunday morning as they play host to Plymouth.
February 9: Kearsarge 2 vs. Plymouth 2 (Proctor Academy)
In the third meeting of the season with Plymouth both sides came into the game coming off of wins, and also having beat each other on the road. Kearsarge was looking to maintain the level of play they showed in Vermont a day earlier, and avenge a loss to Plymouth on their home ice.
The first period came and went with no goals and no penalties, but was not void of scoring opportunities. Kearsarge played well, moved the puck well, and created some great chances to score but could connect cleanly on a few chances in front of the net. Plymouth also had some chances created by their defense carrying the puck up ice to start or join the rush.
In the second period Kearsarge struck first when Sebastian Beal blasted a high slap shot off of a defenseman’s shoulder and into the net. The play was set up by Nick Ducharme and Noah Newton. Just over two minutes later, Plymouth tied the game 1-1. That is how the second period would end.
The third period got off to a good start for the home team when they scored less than four minutes into the final period. Matt Jarvis and Kirsten Westerberg took turns bringing the puck up ice before Carter McClean poked the loose puck across the goal line to give Kearsarge a 2-1 lead. Then, nearly five minutes later, Plymouth scored the tying goal on a shot that trickled under Corey Henault in net. The game would end in a 2-2 tie. These two teams match up well, both played well, and either team could have won this one. After three meetings, the teams are 1-1-1 head-to-head, with one game left to play against each other. The teams will meet again on Feb. 22nd at Plymouth.
On a somber note, but important to recognize, the Kearsarge hockey family welcomed a familiar face back to the rink on Sunday. The “unofficial” team manager, team Mom, coach’s wife, and pleasant greeter of all, Beth Kimtis. Beth lost her father this past Sunday, and the hockey family welcomed her back. This week, the players all signed, and gave her a card; the parents also presented her with thoughts in the form of a card as well as giving her a rose-bush to be planted this spring in her Dad’s honor. I speak on behalf of all of us when I say how thankful I am for Beth’s efforts to schedule games, ice time, and extracurricular events. She makes every effort to make sure Kearsarge Youth Hockey and Proctor Academy are both great places for the kids to play and for parents to be happy with their choice in both. Thank you and we are happy to have you back at the rink.