Sports

Andover Snaps Losing Streak Against Powerhouse Nobles

Six different players scored for Andover Boys Hockey against Nobles last Saturday and snapped Andover’s nine game losing streak.

Andover also tied Winchendon on Wednesday and lost to Thayer last Friday.

At Nobles on Saturday, Nobles scored early, only 22 seconds into the game, to take the lead 1-0.

Later, Luca Tresham ’13 fought his way to the Nobles goal and was able to tie the game up at 1.

Andover took a penalty late in the first, and the Nobles players were quick to capitalize on the powerplay, regaining the lead 2-1 on a late period goal.

Andover came into the second period firing and scored three unanswered goals in the second period to take a 4-2 lead.

Zach Weinger ’15, Bryan Ackil ’14 and David Belluche ’14 all scored in the second period, with Conal Lynch ’13, Alternate Captain Connor Light ’13, Peter Bensen ’14 and Captain Eddie Ellis ’13 each offering an assist.

Just 1:31 into the third period, Jake Secatore ’13 scored after burying a rebound off of a point shot from Michael Kim ’14.

Nobles scored after pulling its goalie with three minutes to go in the game, but Patrick Daly ’15 was able to chip the puck out of the Andover zone and slide it into the empty net to make the score 6-3.

“Saturday’s game was very important for us,” said Belluche.“It was a very needed win and especially good because it was against Nobles.”

“We needed that win to get us out of our skid,” said Alternate Captain Seamus O’Neill ’13. “It was a huge confidence boost for all of us.”

Andover looked to continue to improve its record when the team played Winchendon on Wednesday afternoon.

The team let up the first goal once again, this time 4:31 into the game off a Winchendon partial breakaway.

The team was quick to respond, and Ellis scored 7:13 into the first period on a quick shot from the top of the circle with assists from Daly and Light.

“The first two periods were very sloppy for both teams,” said Belluche. “We were missing passes that we should make which was very detrimental to our break out.”

Five minutes into the third period, Winchendon scored to take a 2-1 lead late in the game.

Belluche, however, scored off a one-timer from Bensen to tie the game with only 3:23 left in the game.

“That really got the team fired up for the remainder of the game and into overtime,” said Belluche, “We completely dominated but couldn’t put the puck in the net.”

The game ultimately went into overtime and resulted in a 2-2 tie much thanks to outstanding work by goaltender Ross Bendetson ’13, who saved 33 out of 35 shots.

Earlier in the week against Thayer on Friday, the opposing team started off strong and scored just 3:48 into the first period and again with 4:43 left in period to extend its lead to 2-0.

Andover retaliated soon after, as Lynch, assisted by Weinger, scored just 2:11 into the second period to cut Thayer’s lead in half.

Thayer responded just two minutes later with a goal of its own to regain the two-goal advantage.

However, Ellis was able to score unassisted with five minutes to go in the period to make the score 3-2.

Larken Kemp ’13 scored just two minutes later and tied the game up 3-3 going into the third period.

The comeback was not to be, and Thayer scored the game winning goal with 9:14 left in the third period to take the lead and eventually win the game 4-3.

“A tough 4-3 loss,” said Ackil. “[We were] in the game the whole way, had a big second period, but we couldn’t get another [goal] in the third.”

Andover looks to win its next two games against Loomis on Saturday and Deerfield next Wednesday.