Despite two early goals from TJ Hickey ’11 and Andrew Sullivan ’11, Andover fell to Exeter, 7-3 this past Saturday. Down by a goal early, Andover did not give up any ground to the hard-hitting home squad, fighting back and scoring two goals of its own before time could expire in the first. With three minutes remaining in the period, Hickey stepped up to the plate, taking the puck down the right side and then firing the puck right past the Exeter goalie. Minutes later, Sullivan also took it down the right side of the ice, cutting into the middle. He ripped a shot that deflected off the goalie and into the back of the net. “I was able to hop on a loose puck and slide it five-hole for a goal. The experience was great, and the crowd was raging. Overall it was a really fun game to be a part of,” Sullivan said, reflecting on his first Andover/Exeter game. Up 2-1, Andover had momentum going into the second period, but within the first minute of play, Exeter showed that they would not go down easily and scored the equalizer. With the score tied at 2-2, both teams began to play physically, and the intensity level rose. On a power play with five minutes remaining in the second, Exeter scored, making the score 3-2. One minute into the third period, Joe Kuta ’11 ripped a shot from the blue line that found its way through the crowded goalmouth and into the back of the net to make the game tied at 3. Defenseman Tommy Shannon ’12 said, “Coming on the ice for the third period, I really felt like we were going to pull it out. Unfortunately, the ending did not go as planned, but I thought we gave a great effort and really stuck together as a team until the end.” Exeter dominated the third, scoring four goals to secure the 7-3 win. Although the score box reads as if the game was a blowout, both teams played very close throughout, creating many opportunities on both nets.
