Eight goals from 8 different Andover players helped the team in an offensive steamroll of Governor’s Academy in an away game on Friday. Andover then traveled to Cushing on Wednesday and played to a 3-3 tie. On Friday, Andover came out of the gates skating hard and took it to Governor’s from the first drop of the puck. A total of three goals in the first period gave Andover the early advantage. Chris Kreider ’10 scored for the fourth consecutive game as he started the scoring brigade for the visiting team. Jim Houghton ’09 and Mike Lozzi ’09 also scored in the opening frame, as Andover went to the locker room up 3-0. Andover did not stop the scoring party in the second period, as Governor’s saw 5 more goals slide into its net. Josh Geary ’09, Captain Brooks Dyroff ’09, and Mike McDonough ’09 all scored in the period. Garnet Hathaway ’10 and Brian Safstrom ’10 netted goals as well, as Andover pushed its lead to a whopping 8-0. The third period saw Andover relinquish two goals to Governor’s, and Andover came home with an 8-2 blowout win. “Leading up to the Governors game, we talked about consistency as a necessary part of our game,” said goalie Glenn Stowell ’09. The team was able to deliver on its goal for the game, as Andover was in control from the first puck drop to the final whistle. “We were able to put together three full periods of good hockey, as we played consistently in all three zones and kept out of the penalty box,” said Geary of the Governor’s game. The game also displayed why Andover’s depth cannot be matched by many teams in the league. Eight different players scored the goals for Andover, and the defense held the Governor’s offense in check for the majority of the game. Shutout goaltending from Stowell in the first two periods also contributed to the win. The big lead allowed Coach Boylan to play some players with less experience in the third period. The first line and Stowell took spots on the bench, as players such as Peter Nelson ’11, Sam Auffant ’09, and Charlie DiGiulian ’10 got ice time, with Eric Yoon ’11 taking Stowell’s place between the pipes. Wednesday’s matchup against Cushing was not as easy, as both Andover and Cushing came out of the locker rooms playing physical hockey. Hathaway scored first for Andover, with Geary and Redmond Colson ’10 helping with assists. Kreider extended his scoring streak to five games with a marker assisted by Bennett Carroccio ’10, and Dyroff closed out the scoring for Andover with his second goal of the week. These three goals were not enough to win, however, as the two teams ended overtime in a 3-3 tie. “Although it has been a problem we have focused on, we still committed a lot of penalties against Cushing,” said Dyroff. “We have to start finding a way to win these close games.”
