Easthampton, MA-On an afternoon where Williston-Northampton’s seniors were recognized before the game, Pomfret made the trip to Williston and spoiled the party with a 5-2 victory. Pomfret controlled the play for most of the game, and if it were not for the solid performance from Williston’s senior net minder Kyler Breland (Drayton Valley, Alberta), the outcome could have been a lot worse.
The first period was a tightly contested period with both teams applying pressure at different points throughout. The scoring opened when Pomfret’s Wells Robinson (Newport, RI) buried a rebound on a Corey Popowcer (Parkland, FL) point shot. Pomfret started to gain some momentum after the first goal of the game, but ran into some penalty trouble toward the end of the period and Williston would capitalize. Cam Mariani (Wilbraham, MA) would get Williston on the board on a rebound from recent Holy Cross commit Tim Rego’s point shot on the power play late in the period. The teams would head into the first intermission tied at 1-1.
Pomfret would get timely saves from senior goaltender Peyton Durand (Newport, RI) throughout the game, but none may be as important as the stop made on a Williston breakaway in the second period. Williston’s James Belleavoine (Smithfield, RI) was able to separate himself with a burst of speed to create the breakaway and made a good move to his backhand, but Durand was able to make the save as he stretched left to right across the crease. This would help shift the momentum of the game, as Pomfret would take the play to Williston the rest of the way. Chris Verstandig (Slingerlands, NY) helped Pomfret jump out to a 2-1 lead when he hopped on a rebound from a point shot and put it in the back of the net. Pomfret would head into the second intermission with a 2-1 lead and wouldn’t look back.
Cam Lowe (Lancaster, MA) would add to Pomfret’s lead on a broken play off of an offensive zone faceoff during four on four action in the third period. Later in the period, Pomfret’s Tyler Bourque (North Scituate, RI) extended the lead to 4-1 when he made a great tip on a knee-high point shot from Landon Krekorian (Londonderry, NH). During a 5-3 power play late in the third, Williston’s James Belleavoine would be the benefactor on a back door tap-in to make the game 5-2, but it was too little too late for Williston.
Three Stars:
- Tyler Bourque– Pomfret
- Kyle Tomaso– Pomfret
- Peyton Durand– Pomfret
NZ’s Take: For Pomfret; Kyle Tomaso (Milford, MA) had a nice game. He was able to show his play making ability and get in on forechecks to create chances. He has good size, can skate well and puts his line mates in good position to make plays. Landon Krekorian looked steady on the back end, as he was able to make his presence felt on the Pomfret penalty kill, made strong first passes in the defensive zone and was able to get on the score sheet with a nice assist. Tyler Bourque had a nice day, adding to his goal total on the year. Bourque is a prototypical two-way center that is great in the faceoff circle and possesses good goal scoring ability. Finally, in net, Peyton Durand looked solid in net for Pomfret. He made all of the saves that he should make and bailed Pomfret out at times when there were defensive collapses. He is very fundamentally sound and has great potential to be a productive collegiate goaltender. For Williston; Recent Holy Cross commit Tim Rego was steady for Williston on the back end. He finds himself in the right spots at the right times in the defensive zone and can make plays to start transitioning from defense to offense. On the front end, Cam Mariani looked good as well. He is a speedy player who has good goal scoring touch around the net, and can really cause havoc for opposing defenders when he gets moving through the neutral zone.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images