Sports

Boys Hockey Takes Belmont Hill, NMH, Suffers OT Loss to Tabor

Boys Hockey experienced another week with mixed results last week. Losing Friday 3-2 to Tabor Academy in overtime, then picking up 2-1 and 3-1 wins against Belmont Hill and NMH on Monday and Wednesday respectably The Boys in Blue now hold a still impressive record of 17-4-2. Captain and net minder Cory Schneider ’04 had another remarkable week in net, and freshman Joe Smith ’07 who has been improving all season, scored three out of the six PA goals scored this week. Friday evening the Andover team ventured to Tabor to take on the Seawolves in Travis Roy Ice Hockey Rink. In the first period, the Big Blue got off to a sluggish start but thanks to Schneider’s mastery in the net, the team entered the second period tied at zero and with Schneider having saved 17. In the second period the Andover offense stepped it up a notch. Joe Smith ’07 opened the scoring on a pass from Kyle Kucharski ’05, to give Andover the 1-0 lead. Paul Engelhardt ’06 followed Smith with a goal of his own. Unfortunately the Andover squad lost its intensity in the last couple minutes of the period and drew a penalty. Tabor entered the third on a power play and scored a goal a mere 54 seconds into the period. The Seawolves continued their high level of play, and were able to score another goal on a scrum in front of the net, to tie things up, two minutes later. Andover and Tabor battled it out for the rest of the period, but neither team was able to find the back of the net and the game was then sent into overtime. Unfortunately, after saving 45 of 47 shots on the day and playing in his fifth game in eleven days, a tuckered out Cory Schneider let one get by him twenty-five seconds into the OT, to give Tabor the win. After taking the weekend off, the Big Blue traveled to Belmont Hill Monday afternoon in a game with possible playoff implications for both teams. The first period with equal play from both teams, and upon entering the second the score remained tied at zero. The second period presented more of the same scoreless hockey, highlighted by Schneider stopping 17 shots. Then with 10:19 left in the game Mike Foley ’04 presented Steve Rolocek ’05 with a beautiful feed, which Rolo transformed into the winning goal. At the tale end of the period, Belmont pulled their goalie and off a pass from Kyle Kucharski Rolo scored again, this time on an open net. Andover won the game, with a final score of two to nothing, and Schneider, saving 37/37, racked up yet another shutout. Wednesday afternoon the Big Blue traveled to NMH to take on the Hoggers. In their third game on the road in six days the Boys in Blue were able to secure a 2-0 overtime win. Both goals were scored by freshman Smith, who scored fifty-percent of the team’s goals this week.