Jr. A Enters Winter Break With A Win

The Jr. A team ended the first semester with a big 4-2 win over the Hill Academy. The team hit the ice hard in an effort to make up for their loss the previous night, and did just that. Mike Marchionda (Hyde Park, MA) led the scoring with two goals in the game. Ryan Connors (Marshfield, MA) and Billy Boudreau (Newburyport, MA) added the last two goals for BA. Jordi Van Gaal (RyMenam, Belguim) had a big night in goal saving 30 of 32 shots. The team enters break with a winning record of 13-6-2.

Jr. A Falls to NE Stars

The Jr. A hockey team remained on campus for one last home game before winter break. As they faced off against the NE Stars, it promised to be a close match up. While the Wolverines kept in the game for the most part, they ultimately fell to the Stars 4-2. Jimmy Magrath (Medfield, MA) tallied Bridgton's first goal of the night as he rebounded Alex Pompeo's (Hingham, MA) shot from Steve Bellew (Hingham, MA). The Stars tied things up with an unsuccessful penalty kill by Bridgton with just over seven minutes to play in the first period. Pompeo tallied his second assist of the night as he set up Brendan Glynn (Quincy, MA) who flipped the puck over the Star's goalie to tie it up 2-2. Going into the third period, the NE Stars were able to pull ahead to secure the 4-2 win.

Jr. B Has A Busy Weekend

Friday Night the Jr. B hockey team took on the University of New Hampshire’s club team for the second time this season. The game had a good start to the game with Billy Smith (Boston, MA) scored the first goal of the game off assists from Craig Standish (New York, NY) and Dusty Burke (Sherborn, MA) to give BA a 1-0 lead. UNH answered back to tie things up, followed by another Bridgton goal. Matt Driscoll (Dedham, MA) capitalized on a feed from Zach Pettingill (Scarborough, ME) and Marquise Cotten (Washington, DC). Bridgton could not hold onto the 2-1 lead as UNH fought back to secure the 4-2 win. John Busa (Billerica, MA) played in net stopping 38 of 42 shots.

Coach Meserve commented after the game, “Overall we just didn't work as a team. Teamwork is something we have preached all year and we just didn't work together as a unit."

Bridgton was on the ice the following night as they took on the Academie St. Louis. With a fire that was missing the previous night, Bridgton fought the whole game to come out on top with a 3-0 win. Brian McKeown (Scarborough, ME) led the scoring effort as he capitalized on a breakaway from a long stretch pass from Cory Durkin (Narragansett, RI) and Driscoll. Driscoll then tallied another assist as he can Chris Mini (Everett, MA) set up Pettingill for the Wolverines second goal of the night. Burke clinched the win with the third and final goal of the evening and he redirected a pass from the corner and buried the puck in the back of the net. McKeown and Steve Trychon (Stearling, MA) assisted Burke’s goal. Busa played in net for the second night with a shutout stopping all 40 shots the Academie St. Louis sent his way.

Coach Meserve was happy after the second game noting, “Best overall game of the year. We executed our systems, worked as a team and competed in all areas of the ice. John Busa was spectacular in net and the defense cleared away all the rebounds."

Bridgton took the ice Sunday afternoon for their final contest of the weekend with another game against the Academy St. Louie. This time, the Academie was ready for the Wolverines and picked up a 6-1 upset. Burke scored Bridgton’s only goal of the night with assists from Durkin and Johnny Sheil (Narragansett, RI). Brendan Gaetjins (Montclair, NJ) started in net for the Wolverines stopping 14 of 18 shots. Busa finished the game in net saving 22 of 24 shots.

Coach Meserve used the game to the team’s advantage commenting, "This was a great learning experience for us today. A lot of things we did correctly the day we just didn't execute today. We learned the hard way what happens when you don't show discipline and play unselfish hockey."

Jr. B Ties New England College J.V.

The Wolverines hit the road as the traveled to New England College to take on the Pilgrim's J.V. squad. The teams were very evenly matches skill wise, and the game resulted in a 3-3 tie. Chris Mini (Everett, MA) scored on a wrist shot from Marquise Cotten (Washington, DC). Colin Edwards (Winchester, MA) tallied the Wolverines second goal of the night as he took a feed in the slot from Kevin Seely (Berkley, MA) and Billy Smith (West Roxbury, MA). Seely then took a long pass from Matt Pagano (Cranston, RI) and turned it into Bridgton's final goal of the contest. John Busa (Billerica, MA) took 40 shots and saved 37 of them.

Jr. A Falls To Hebron Academy

Bridgton took their home ice against Hebron Academy for a big rivalry game this past weekend. Right away, the competition and skill level was high. Hebron took the lead early in the game, extending it to 5-0. Silas Rainville (Franklin, VT) netted Bridgton's first goal of the competition from Mike Marchionda (Hyde Park, MA) to lessen Hebron's lead. Bridgton kept the momentum going as Ryan Connors (Marshfield, MA) capitalized on a feed from Colin Edwards (Winchester, MA). Hebron then answered back to extend the lead to 6-2, followed by another Bridgton goal. For the Wolverines third tally, Billy Boudreau (Newburyport, MA) finished a pass from Dylan Larrow (Ludlow, MA) for the final effort of the game. Hebron netted one more before the end, resulting in a 7-3 loss for the Wolverines.

Jr. A Captures Big Win Over Phillips Exeter

The Jr. A hockey team traveled to Phillips Exeter Academy, who has always proven to be tough competition. The first period of play was evenly matched, with Bridgton first on the scoreboard. Silas Rainville (Franklin, VT) blocked a shot on a penalty kill, and turned it into the first goal of the night. Bridgton stayed strong, but Exeter was able to tally their own goal later in the first.

Early in the second frame, Bridgton gave up a two more penalties, resulting in Exeter's domination of the play. Bridgton stayed strong and killed the man down play to keep the score tied. Not long after, Bridgton worked the puck down the ice and scored with some scrappy play in front of Exeter's net. Jimmy Magrath (Medfield, MA) fired a shot, and Brendan Glynn (Quincy, MA) collected the roubound and put it away for the go ahead goal. The second goal had the Wolverines fired up, and they dominated for the remainder of the period.

Going into the third, Bridgton had yet another player in the penalty box, giving Exeter a man up for the first minute of play. Exeter had a hop in their step, but Bridgton successfully killed that penalty as well. The third period saw some physical play and the puck moved quickly up and down the ice. Exeter pulled their goalie in a final attempt to tie up the game, but Bridgton managed to hold on and secure the exciting 2-1 win.

In the game, Bridgton killed 14 penalties, going 100%. Pat Farrington (Sandwich, MA) played in net blocking 38 of 39 shots in three periods.

Jr. B Finds Success Over Yale University

The Jr. B hockey team visited Yale University where they took on the Bulldogs Club Team and took away a 7-1 win. Brian McKeown (Scarborough, ME) started off the night with assists from Chris Mini (Everett, MA) and John Sheil (Naragansett, RI). Next up, Matt Driscoll (Dedham, MA) collected a pass from Evan Gray (Norwell, MA), then fired it on net where Ethan Charny (Chicago, IL) tipped it in net. Danny MacInnis (Plymouth, MA) netted the Wolverines third goal of the game with assists from Steve Trychon (Stearling, MA) and Billy Smith (Boston, MA). Marquise Cotten (Washington, DC) set up Zach Pettingill (Scarborough, ME) for Bridgton’s next goal. Pettingill then set up Mini who finished a text book feed for goal number five. Charny netted his second goal of the night with assists from Dusty Burke (Shearborn, MA) and Sheil. Sheil rounded out the night scoring an unassisted goal to secure the 7-1 win. Brendan Gaitjins played in net saving 18 of 19 shots.

The team was on the road again on Sunday as they traveled to play the Boston Jr. Warriors, and suffered a 3-1 loss. Smith scored the Wolverines only goal of night night after collecting a pass from MacInnes on the move and carrying the puck to blast a shot from the point and slipping it past the Warriors goal on the low blocker side. John Busa (Billerica, MA) played in net for the Wolverines stopping 28 or 31 shots.

Jr. B Pounds SNHU

After a day off from competition, the Jr. B team hit the ice again, this time to take on Southern New Hampshire University at home. Following Friday night’s 9-1 win, Bridgton worked hard once again to secure a 9-2 win of SNHU’s Club team.

Right off the bat, Bridgton drew a penalty and Cody Norton (South Burlington, VT) scored with assists from Brian McKeown (Scarborough, ME) and John Sheil (Narragansett, RI). Matt Pagano (Cranston, RI) scored next off assists from Marquise Cotten (Washington, DC) and Chris Mini (Everett, MA). SNHU then scored, to close the gap. It didn’t take long however for Bridgton to pull ahead as Kevin Seely (Berkley, MA) scored a power play goal off a feed from Barry O’Neil (Falmouth, MA). Dusty Burke (Sherborn, MA) scored Bridgton’s final goal of the first period unassisted and shorthanded.

In the second period, SNHU held Bridgton to one goal with Dylan Larrow (Ludlow, MA) scoring off O’Neil and Matt Driscoll (Dedham, MA). SNHU also snuck in a goal to tie the period up, although they still trailed 5-2.

Bridgton came out on fire in the third period with Ethan Charny (Chicago, IL) scoring twice in one shift, both assists from Zach Pettingil (Scarborough, ME) and Burke. The line then rounded out the scoring with Pettingill nettings Bridgton’s final goal of the game from Charny and Burke. John Busa (Billerica, MA) played in net saving 31 of the 33 shots SNHU fired at him.

Coach Meserve called the game “another big win” commenting, " SNHU has some big college guys, and our guys had to battle for each and every puck. Now we still have to work on bringing the intensity each and every shift"

Stanstead Steals a Win From BA

As Bridgton took the ice against Stanstead Prep, they had their work cut out for them. The game was close throughout, and Bridgton lost by a small margin with a score of 3-2. Stanstead initially took the lead, but it was not long before Zach Wells (Hyannis, MA) scored Bridgton’s first goal of the night. With the game tied at one, Stanstead took the lead once again, lighting a fire under the Wolverines. On a faceoff in Bridgton's offensive zone, Sam Scannell (Glastonbury, CT) dropped the puck to Billy Boudreau (Newburyport, MA) who fired a wrist shot over the opposing goalies shoulder into the back of the net. The game stayed tied up going into the third period, however Stanstead was able to sneak one more goal to take the 3-2 win.

Up next, the Jr. A team will participate in the Warrior Classic starting Friday the 11th and continuing throughout the weekend.

Jr. A Slips Past Boston Jr. Bruins 4-3

The Jr. A hockey team took the ice against the Boston Jr. Bruins in what proved to be a close match up. Ryan Connors (Marshfield, MA) started off the night as the Wolverines took advantage of a powerplay and Connors finished a feed from Marco Spisso (Highland Falls, NY) to take a 1-0 lead four minutes into the game. Bridgton continued to dominate for the rest of the period, but the Bruins were a man up in the last minute of the period, and snuck a goal past goaltender Pat Farrington (Sandwich, MA) to tie up the game.

Taking the ice for the second period, the Wolverines were fired up and determined to take back the lead with Mike Marchionda (Hyde Park, MA) netting the go ahead goal with assists from Tommy Graham (Medfield, MA) and Cam Kennedy (Lynn, MA). Connors tallied his second goal of the game shortly after in the second period off a pass from John Sartell (Wakefield, MA) to take a 3-1 lead going into the third period.

Right off the bat in the final period, the Bruins scored closing the gap to one goal. After a few trips up and down the ice, Bridgton scored another powerplay goal as Zach Wells buried the Wolverine’s final puck of the night from Spisso and Connors. With a 4-2 lead, the Wolverines were not out of the clear. The Bruins kept up the tempo of the game, but Bridgton had no trouble hanging in there. Bridgton held the lead, even with the Bruins last goal with three seconds left in the game to secure a 4-3 win for the Wolverines.

Jr. B Dominates UNH Club 9-1

Friday night the Jr. B hockey team started off the weekend with a home game against the University of New Hampshire’s Club team. It was a well matched game, but Bridgton played a strong game both on offense and defense to secure the win.

Kevin Seely (Berkely, MA) started off the effort, netting Bridgton’s first goal with assists from Dan MacInnes (Plymouth, MA) and Cory Durkin (Narragansett, RI). Dusty Burke tallied Bridgton’s second goal after working hard to collect a rebound that was created by Barry O’Neil (Falmouth, MA) and Billy Smith (Boston, MA). Brian McKeown scored next on a power play from a Matt Pagano (Cranston, RI) and Durkin. On his next play, McKeown scored again, this time from Marco Spisso (Highland Falls, NY) and Pagano. Pagano then took a shot from the point off a feed from McKeown, and John Sheil (Narragansett, RI) created a great screen in front, netting Bridgton’s next goal of the game. Spisso netted Bridgton’s sixth goal, followed shortly by Sheil from O’Neil and Spisso. Pettingill buried the eighth goal of the game with assists from Matt Driscoll (Dedham, MA) and Burke. Ethan Charny (Chicago, IL) rounded out the scoring as he received a great pass from Marquise Cotten (Washington, DC) out front and finished the play for Bridgton’s ninth and final goal. Mike Gendreau (Medford, MA) played in net for the Wolverines stopping 27 of the 28 shots that came his way earning the 9-1 win.

Coach Meserve was happy with the results commenting, "It was the most complete game of the year and we executed our systems with perfection. Guys like Cotten, Sheil and Burke were our spark plugs tonight, always moving, always finishing checks"

Bridgton Sails Past the Maine Wave

The Jr. B hockey team took the ice against the Maine Wave this week and won with a score of 5-1. Bridgton took control of the game from the get go, and let up very few times throughout the game. With the Wolverines peppering the Wave with shots, five snuck by. Dan MacInnes (Plymouth, MA) led the scoring as he capitalized on a rebound set up by Kevin Seely (Berkley, MA) and Barry O’Neil (Falmouth, MA). Shortly after, Brian McKeown (Scarborough, ME) collected a rebound from Matt Pagano (Cranston, RI) and John Sheil (Narragansett, RI) to give BA a 2-0 lead. MacInnes tallied his second of the night off a rebound from Matt Driscoll (Dedham, MA) and Seely.

Later in the second period, Marquise Cotton (Washington, DC) and Chris Mini (Everett, MA) made a series of passes followed by a text book feed to Dylan Larrow (Ludlow, HS) who finished the play with a goal. With a 4-1 lead, Ethan Charny (Chicago, IL) tossed the puck high in the air above the goalie, and on a good bounce netted the fifth and final goal of the competition. John Busa (Billerica, MA) played in net for the Wolverines stopping 34 of the 35 shots that came his way.

While Bridgton played a great game, Coach Meserve was level headed after the win commenting, “We did just enough to win. Now we need to find the inner fire to learn how to compete for every puck.”

Up next, the Wolverines will take on Middlesex Community College on Saturday the 29th at 8:00 P.M.