Varsity Hockey v. Vermont Junior Glades

2/15/2016

The Eagles migrated north to Burlington, Vermont for the weekend to play a two-game series with the Vermont Junior Glades. Friday night the boys pulled up to the Gutterson Fieldhouse for their first game at 5:45pm. The Eagles wasted no time and got on the board first, with a nice short-handed tally by Drew Parsons. The Eagles maintained a goal advantage after one period of play, but the Glades would respond with a big offensive surge in the second. Capitalizing on rebounds in front and in-close shooting would allow the Glades to build a comfortable 4-1 lead after two periods. Despite the lackluster period, the Eagles regrouped and were ready to make the necessary adjustments to defend the Glades fly-the-zone strategy. The Eagles went to the drawing board and gave the Glades a taste of their own medicine, as they stretched the ice as well. This new formation sparked a lot of offensive chances, as Charlie Kenyon and Keith Davenport had a couple of odd-man rushes, but were unable to convert. The Eagles played a stronger period on both sides of the ice, but because of ice time restrictions, the final buzzer halted the Eagles momentum. The scoreless third period would secure the victory for the Glades and the two teams would congregate at Gutterson again early next morning.

Following the game, Eaglebrook enjoyed a nice team meal at Al’s French Fries in Burlington and headed back to the hotel for a restful sleep. In the morning they headed back to Gutterson Fieldhouse to avenge the prior night’s outcome. They came out strong, asserting themselves on the forecheck, limiting the opposition’s ability to look for the stretch pass. Their pressure succeeded, as they would again tally the first goal of the game with Drew Parsons re-directing a nice shot from the point from Austin Propper. The games momentum would seesaw back and forth, as the Eagles and Glades traded goals throughout the game. With the game tied at 1, Connor Theriault converted on a nice rush, sliding the puck underneath the sprawling goaltender. However, the glades would answer back with a couple of their own to pull ahead 3-2. With time winding down, the Eagles sent an extra attacker and had a couple of great opportunities to tie the score, but couldn’t put one in. Connor Cherry played stellar in goal, stopping 49 of 52 saves. Despite dropping both games, the Eagles showed strong improvement and came away with an understanding that they left everything out on the ice.

Post-game, the boys all piled in the mine-busses and headed to Main Street to continue the tourism portion of the trip. From there, the team continued the tradition of stopping at the Gadowskis' house in Dummerston to partake in a pond hockey classic. Despite the temperature hovering below zero, the boys played until sundown and later warmed their toes by the fire. Eaglebrook wants to send a special thank you to the Gadowski family for their top-notch hospitality, as this final pit stop capped off a great, memorable weekend for the boys.

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