Holderness came to Exeter, NH for a battle of two top New Hampshire programs ranked in the Top 10 in the latest NZ poll.
The game was fast paced, back and forth but at the 7:26 mark we saw one of the strangest things we’ve seen in a hockey game. A Holderness player had gotten hauled down and the ref had his hand up so Holderness goalie Evan Plunkett skated off the ice to give the Bulls the man advantage. Holderness forward Cooper Boulanger took the puck end to end and fired a rocket snap shot over the net which rang around the boards and went all the way down the ice….right into the Holderness net to give Exeter the 1-0 lead. It was deflating for a Holderness team that was playing well up to that point and weren’t able to generate much on the power play. Not only that but they were called for a too-many-men-on-the-ice that killed the advantage just over half way through.
Holderness started the second period with a power play after a scrum to end the first period but weren’t able to capitalize. They had a strong period and controlled most of the play and were rewarded at the 9:31 mark when sophomore Kaden Freelove gained the zone with speed and dropped it back to junior Jake Pullen who sniped top corner off the bar and in to tie the game at 1-1. Both teams exchanged chances but the Bulls had the better of things for the remainder of the period but couldn’t finish.
With a tied game going into the final period Exeter came out with an extra gear and really controlled the pace of play. They had several quality scoring chances but Holderness netminder Evan Plunkett was up to the challenge playing aggressive and making some big saves at key moments.
“Evan was aggressive, he came out and challenged shooters and kept us in the game,” said Holderenss Head Coach Alan Thompson, who has led Holderness to their best record and first appearance in the NZ Prep Poll.
The Bulls picked it up a bit at the end of the third period and had a few Grade A chances but this time it was Exeter’s junior netminder Michael Salvatore who stood tall. The period ended in a draw and both clubs went to overtime.
The pace remained fast and both teams exchanged scoring chances but just 1:56 into the overtime Holderness speedster Sean Senier wheeled around the offensive zone and made a pass from just inside the blue line to the slot area where Finn O’Hara caught it and immediately went to his backhand where he slid a behind the back pass across the crease to Maxime Charbonneau who knocked it home for the overtime victory.
“It was a great hockey game,” said Thompson. “They are a good team, well coached, and we haven’t been in a lot tight games like this so it’s a big win for our guys.”
Despite the 2-1 finish Holderness goalie earned a shutout as the only goal against was when he was pulled. The victory will be a major boost to the Bulls playoff hopes and while Exeter lost in OT they proved they belonged in this week’s prep poll. Fun fact of tonight’s game is that of the 4 coaches between both teams all played NCAA hockey. Alan Thompson and Dana Barbin both UNH standouts, Joe Gaudet former Dartmouth forward and son of longtime Dartmouth Head Coach Bob Gaudet and Tim Mitropoulos played four years at Tufts. Both Mitropoulos and Thompson are alumni of the schools they now coach for.
NZ Three Stars of the Game:
1st Star – Evan Plunkett – Holderness, Goalie
2nd Star – Dave Brandes – Holderness, Defense
3rd Star – Michael Salvatore – Exeter, Goalie
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling / Hickling Images