Jr. A Skates Over the Competition

Both the Jr. A hockey team attended the EJHL Showcase Marlboro Mass this past weekend and skated away with a winning record of 3-0-1.

The team started out with an impressive 5-1 win in the first game of the tournament against a very talented Jr. Bruins team. The young men put together a solid 50 minutes of hockey and put college coached on their radar with strong defense and making the most out of their opportunities.

Dan Concannon (Burlington, MA) scored first with assists from Brad McGovern (Haverhill, MA) and Shawn Kenney (Braintree, MA). Charlie Cobb (South Burlington, VT) followed suit with assists from Ryan Dooley (Topsfield, MA) and Marco Spisso (Highland Falls, NY). Ryan Kulik (Pembroke, MA) then scored an unassisted goal bringing the total to three. Brendan Moore (Springfield, MA) finished a pass from Dan Cushing (Wilmington, MA) for the fourth goal of the game. Matt Buckley (Canton, MA) scored next with assists from Ryan Menard (Ashland, MA) and Brad Cray (Raleigh, NC). Cray played a very strong performance picking up right where he left off before break stopping 27/28 shots.

In the second game the team faced Andre Laurendeau which is a very talented and physical junior club from Canada. The team played hard all night against BA, tying the game at 3-3 with under a minute to play the game ended in a tie after 50 minutes of hockey. It was a great hockey game to watch up and down the ice, lots of action and excitement. BA would have liked to have pulled away with the win, but played very well.

Concannon started off the scoring as he put away a pass from Moore. Dean Cavicchi (Plymouth, MA) scored with help from Brendan Fitzpatrick (Winthrop, MA) and Mike Peacock (Barnstable, MA). Ryan Donovan (Bridgewater, MA) rounded out BA’s goals for the night with an assist from Fitzpatrick. Slick Willy Husic (Glastonbury, CT) steered away 23/26 shots.

The third game saw another great performance from the Wolverines as solid goaltending and defense lead to an impressive 3-1 win against The Ontario Hockey Academy. The lone goal surrendered came from a long shot off the glass that took a funny hop into the open net as Tyler Gallagher (Nahant, MA) went out to play the puck.

Steve Laliberte (Falmouth, MA) got the team going with a goal assisted by Tyler Albano (Beverly, MA). Kulik scored next off a feed from Spisso. Albano scored the third and final goal with assists from Bartlett and Donovan. Gallagher had a very strong outing surrendering only one fluke goal stopping 23/24 shots.

The wolverines continued their impressive undefeated tournament with a 10-2 win over the Lake Erie Warriors. Not only did the offense dominate with a season high 10 goals, but there was great goaltending between Cray and Husic who split the game. The mid-west team was no match for the BA clan as they started off tied 2-2 and erupted with 8 un-answered goals to finish off the tournament.

The goals were contributed by Concannon, Laliberte, Bartlett, Moore, McGovern, Cavicchi, Kenney, Spisso, Albano, and Kulik. Cray kicked away 12/14 shots while Willy Husic stopped all 13 shots he saw.

The Bridgton Academy Wolverines were undefeated for the second straight tournament showing off their talents in front of large crowds and many college coaches. They continue to impress their two coaches who are again proud of their efforts as they continue to play their best hockey on the biggest games.

“Playing that well in front of that many fans and college coaches is a real treat from a coaching stand-point. These guys came out showed how well they play as a team and I am confident they impressed the coaches who watched them. They continue to grow and get better by listening and sticking together; it’s a real joy to be apart of a team that is not only as talented, but as close. It’s a whole lot of fun,” said Coach Travis

On the Defensive side of things for the tournament anchorman Fitzpatrick lead the team with a +5 rating followed by Kenney, Buckley, and Menard +4 respectively.

The team's next competition is on the road as they travel to Hebron Academy to play at 3:30 P.M. On January 19th.