Salisbury, CT – In our game of the week, we have two top 15 teams playing back to back but this will be our recap for Tuesdays game. Jordan Rittenberg in net for Salisbury and Neilan Johnson for Hotchkiss.
Both teams come out flying in a strong paced start. Hotchkiss generates most of the early chances. With under five minutes into the game Evan Seow backhands it to Justin L’Abbe on the breakout who streaks up the right wing and slides the puck over to Jake Doherty who was all alone and finishes on his back hand for the games first goal. Salisbury, shortly after the goal, hops on the power play to try and find the equalizer. Hotchkiss penalty killers make it hard for Salisbury to establish good zone time while on the man up. Key block by Isaac Oberting towards the end of the penalty. Hotchkiss has there turn on the power play next right around the nine minute mark. Doherty forechecks, wins a race and starts a good possession down low to Austin Groves who is able to find Doherty again. Doherty coming around the net backhands a pass to Ryan Murray which fools Rittenberg and Murray is able to slide it into the net to extend the lead to 2-0. Murray looking to get his second goal of the game pokes the puck free on the penalty kill and gets on a breakaway but is unable to get a shot off. Scrum behind the Salisbury net earns each team a roughing call and both teams skate 4 v 4 with under three minutes to go. Neither team capitalize with the extra space. First period would finish 2-0 in favor of Hotchkiss.
Second period starts off hot again with Salisbury gaining there first goal of the game. Zachary Gill poke checks the puck forward into space for Luke Walkauskas to swoop in and explode up ice and get in alone on Johnson and beats him on the backhand. Doherty backhands another good pass into space for Finley Walsh to pick up and generate a good shot on net but a better save by Rittenberg. Gill collects a drop pass inside the offensive zone and puts a shot on net that directs right to Michael Halvorsen but Johnson makes a beautiful save coming across to keep his team ahead. Avery Tymus shows good poise with the puck on the point and finds Walkauskas who then finds Grayson Espenshade who is able to get in alone one on one with Johnson and slips it five hole to tie things up. That’s how the second period would end but Salisbury does get twenty seven seconds of power play to start the third.
Salisbury does not capitalize early in the third on the man up. First half of this final period sees both teams trading solid offensive zone time, good pace, compete and goaltending. With under eight minutes to go, Salisbury fails to clear the puck and Groves grabs the loose puck and out waits Rittenberg beating him upstairs to pull Hotchkiss ahead 3-2. 5:40 left in the third Hotchkiss hops on the power play to try and extend there lead. Fails to take advantage but then its Salisbury’s turn on the man up with under three minutes to go. Short lived, penalty taken forty seven seconds into there power play, both teams again skate 4 v 4. With twenty nine seconds left, L’Abbe picks up a loose puck and sends it down the ice and into the empty net to close out this game 4-2 in favor of Hotchkiss.
Three Stars
First: Austin Groves (Hotchkiss)
Second: Neilan Johnson (Hotchkiss)
Third: Luke Walkauskas (Salisbury)
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images