#15 Exeter at #7 Andover; 1/12/2019
Andover, MA: #15 Phillips Exeter Academy went on the road and beat #7 Phillips Andover Academy 6-0 on Saturday night in Andover. Andover was missing a few key players as Exeter fired 43 shots on goal and dominated most of the play. Junior goalie Ryan Welch (Swampscott, MA) was good when he needed to be stopping all 16 Andover shots for the shutout win. Andover goalie Charlie Archer (Belleville, ON) was under pressure all night but worked and made some nice saves or the score could have been worse. Danny Colon (Mendham, NH) led the way offensively for Exeter with three goals.
The first 10 minutes Exeter carried the play but to no avail. Archer was forced to make a few good stops. Then with 6:29 left Michael Pitts (Raymond, NH) broke through as he burst by the Andover defense and quickly fired a shot home to give Exeter a 1-0 lead. Then with 4:45 left Danny Colon found a loose puck and put Exeter up 2-0. With exactly one-minute left Andrew Seaman (Winnetka, IL) sniped high short side on the rush to cap the three-goal surge. Exeter took a 3-0 lead to the locker room.
The second period wasn’t without opportunity for Andover as they had three power play chances and Archer made a few terrific stops. However, it was Exeter who got on the scoreboard as Colon tucked a puck home that appeared to deflect off an Andover defenseman’s stick. It’s was a bit of a fluky play but Colon stayed with it and put Exeter up 4-0 with 7:25 left. Andover ended the period on their third power play and would carry over a minute of the man-up into the third.
After Exeter killed off the penalty, they padded their lead when junior Noah Jankowski (Methuen, MA) drove hard to the net and took a nice feed from Reese Ramirez (Pittsburgh, PA) for the catch and shoot score just two minutes into the last frame. Reese Popkin (Hooksett, NH) also picked up an assist. Finally, with 2:01 left, Colon completed the hat trick on the power play with a assists to senior Sam Willman (Portland, OR) and PG PJ Garrett (Duxbury, MA.) That would do it as Exeter headed home with the convincing 6-0 win.
Exeter Coach Dana Barbin commented after the win “”Any win against your arch rival is a good one. Obviously tonight was a total team effort”
Three Stars:
1st Danny Colon (Exeter)
2nd Ryan Welch (Exeter)
3rd Andrew Seaman (Exeter)
NZ’s Take: For Exeter; they were relentless and despite some penalties, they never gave Andover space. They never sat on their lead. Senior Paddy Mangan (South Burlington, VT) looked steady, strong and is a sold skater in all directions. Senior Andrew Seaman was really impressive. He is fast, slick and smart. Unique combination of a player who values possession and also has a high skill level. Garrett Foster (Newfields, NH) didn’t get on the sheet but was all over the ice early. Fast and strong, he has a shot that gave Archer trouble. Can change his blade angle and likes to fire it. The senior defensive combo of Garrett and Nicholas Foderaro (Methuen, MA) were imposing and played well. Both have some snarl. Garrett looks healthy and skates at 6’4”, 210lbs, dispossessed players and started transition. Ragged the puck on the PK and moved well laterally to squeeze off the rush. He looks to be back. Foderaro was strong in his end. Won wall battles and joined the rush a few times. Drove the net and cleared space up ice. Senior Paddy Bogart (Toronto, ON) is excellent on the forecheck. Good speed with a balanced stride. Tough to play against. Pitts’ goal was nice as he showed a real burst and nice finish for the game winner in the first period. For Andover; Mac Carso (Chicago, IL) played tough hockey, great speed and stayed around the puck. Got to the net and disrupted. Has real pace and can access his tools at top speed. William Hughes (Andover, MA) is a 6’2” 2004. Played power play and did not look remotely out of place. Real upside. Christian Powers (Gloucester, MA) played fast and fired a few accurate cross-ice passes. He sees the whole ice. Jonathan Assayag (Montreal, QC) played a heavy game, fired it on the rush and was hard on pucks.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
