The last few season the Lakes Region has been dominated by KUA, but this season they are joined by two other ranked opponents in Tilton and Proctor as well as two solid .500+ teams in New Hampton and Holderness.
Proctor came over to Meredith, NH for a rematch game from a loss to the Wildcats earlier in the season. Kimball Union jumped out to an early lead with just 2:31 into the first period when Tomas Mazura picked up the puck at his defensive blue line and skated through the neutral zone on a 2v1 where he perfectly placed a saucer pass on the stick of Carson Moe who made a nice catch and shoot goal just over the pad of Proctor netminder Cole Chingris.
The Hornets responded and controlled the play the rest of the season. They evened up the game 1-1 when Kevin Craig blasted a low slap shot from the point on the power play which got tipped by sophomore forward Grant Porter for the goal. They applied pressure and had several scoring chances but couldn’t finish.
“We got outworked in the first period by a hungry Proctor team and I thought our goalie (Veeti Kohvakka) really kept us in the game,” admitted Kimball Union Head Coach Tim Whitehead. “We took uncharacteristic stick penalties as a result of not moving our feet. We regrouped and came out the second period winning races to pucks, working harder and playing a simpler, more efficient two-way game.”
The Wildcats came out fast and physical and took the play to Proctor. They controlled the possession game and created several scoring chances only to be denied by Proctor’s Chingris who made save after save to keep the Hornets in the game. With 6:17 remaining in the period KUA assistant captain Arlo Merritt carried the puck down the wall deep in the offensive zone and then, on a great individual effort, cut across the slot and fired a wrister cross body about half way up the net glove side on the goalie to go up 2-1. Wildcats added to the lead with 36 seconds remaining sophomore Paul Dore carried the puck through the neutral zone and made a clever pass to Drew Bennett who lifted a backhander upstairs on Chingris to go up 3-1.
Proctor answered the call 32 seconds into the third period when sophomore James Tepper dangled a defender and fired a snap shot through their legs in the slot to cut the lead to 1. The Wildcats didn’t sit back and protect the lead and scored a few minutes later with 14:15 remaining in the period on a beautiful give and go one-timer goal from Seth Stadheim off a pass from Paul Dore.
“That was a big goal for us to get some cushion as Proctor was pushing hard,” said Whitehead. “We settled down, played our game and were able to close out the game.”
The Wildcats kept their foot on the gas and had the puck in Proctors end most of the period. With 2:00 remaining in the game Arlo Merritt sealed the deal with a brilliant snap shot top corner in tight to go 5-2.
NZ’s Take:
Kimball Union: KUA is a strong, three-line team who has a versatility that will make them dangerous in the playoffs. They are tough to play against, they have a deep defensive core and offensively they have some speed, they have some size and they can shoot. Their top players played well today; of note was Kyle Penny, selfless competitor who was back playing defense and is the heart and soul of the team. Tomas Mazura and Arlo Merritt were arguably the two best players on the ice but a few uncommitted prospects really stood out in Paul Dore, Teddy Griffin and Sullivan Mack. Their depth is what distinguishes them from other teams.
Proctor: The Hornets just didn’t have the depth to play with KUA for three-straight periods. They had strong performances from their seniors in Myles Abbott and Kevin Craig but some of their younger talent struggled to create much offensively. The goal James Tepper scored was a great individual effort and he continues to impress with his stick skills and shooting. Goaltender Cole Chingris had another strong game in the net and kept the Hornets in this for most of the game.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
