Alex Witwicki of Mt. Ararat / Lisbon / Morse, left, throws a pass on the ice as Brunswick’s Nick Marro defends Friday afternoon at a boys’ hockey game at the Travis Roy Arena in Yarmouth. Eli Canfield / The Times Record
YARMOUTH Despite outperforming their opponents by a whopping 39 shots, the Brunswick hockey team took all the time to reach Mt. Ararat / Lisbon / Morse on Friday afternoon at Travis Roy Arena.
We passed the puck well and had plenty of opportunities to score, said Brunswick forward AJ Wolverton, who led the Dragons to a 3-1 victory with two goals, including the eventual second-half match winner. I have to tilt my cap to their goalkeeper; he was sharp today and didn’t allow many rebounds.
Wolverton’s goal with just over 10 minutes to go was the difference when he tapped a shot from teammate Zach Stern-Hayes’ stick on a Brunswick power play to give the Dragons a 2-1.
Due to time constraints with ice availability, the teams played two 23-minute halves, as opposed to the traditional three 15-minute periods. Additionally, players are being prepared outside before entering the rink due to concerns about the safety of the coronavirus.
It all adds up to a completely different routine.
It’s a big difference and a big change for us, but I think it’s something we’ve gotten used to as our season goes on, Mt. Ararat / Lisbon / Morse goalkeeper Sean Moore, who made 45 saves. Everyone else is in this together and we just have to get what we can get.
Moore kept the Eagles in the game from start to finish and thwarted some strong scoring opportunities.
Noah Magda from Mt. Ararat / Lisbon / Morse checks out Ollie Bateman of Brunswick while Tanner Robleto skates on ice with the puck in a boys’ hockey game Friday afternoon at the Travis Roy Arena in Yarmouth. Eli Canfield / The Times Record
Sean had a great game, Eagles head coach AJ Kavanaugh said. His confidence will certainly be at a good level after that performance.
It was a chippy game that resulted in the ejection of Eagles senior defender Hunter Hardy. Hardy and Brunswick defender Gray Perham got into a scuffle after the whistle, resulting in Hardy punches.
Hardy was immediately escorted off the ice by both officials, ending his day just 10 minutes after the game.
This was the first of two big five-minute penalties for the Eagles.
The other big penalty was called in the second half, when Eagles forward Alex Witwicki was sent to the box to attack.
Brunswick’s head coach Mike Misner said he was proud of his team because it stayed balanced.
The fact that we had the mental toughness to stay in it and not get involved in anything that could get them kicked out, Misner said. We kept our heads in the game and kept pressing, and good things happened at the end of the day.
Despite the penalties, the Eagles kept their cool after the incident in the first period and played much better on Friday’s penalty kill.
We gave up a really quick power play goal to Gardiner (Thursday), so I thought we were playing a lot better at that point, Kavanaugh said. We have to work to stay out of the box so that we don’t put ourselves in these situations.
The Eagles jumped 1-0 in the middle of the first half on a goal from sophomore striker Johnny Hole, who converted passes from Bryce Poulin and Brandon Durant.
Zander Kirk from Mt. Ararat / Lisbon / Morse goes around Brunswick’s Nick Marro during a boy’s hockey game on Friday afternoon at the Travis Roy Arena in Yarmouth. Eli Canfield / The Times Record
The Eagles looked like they would keep the lead by going to the half, but Wolverton had other ideas. After a poke check to clear the puck in the Eagles zone, Wolverton beat Moore’s glove side in half with 32 seconds left to put things first.
It feels good to score anytime, but especially with a goalkeeper who is just as talented as he (Moore), Wolverton added.
The Dragons added an empty net goal late after senior Henry Burnham’s stick.
We get better at those little things every day and have improved a lot since the start of the season, Misner said.
The Dragons outperformed the Eagles 48-9 and kept the puck in the Eagles end for most of the game. Brunswick goalkeeper Spencer Marquis made eight saves.
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