Millbrook 1 at Salisbury 4; December 9, 2019
Salisbury, CT– A game that was originally scheduled to be a home game for the Millbrook School was switch to the Salisbury school because of a Zamboni issue at Millbrook. Regardless of the venue change the Millbrook fans still traveled in numbers, combined with the Salisbury student section it provided a great atmosphere for everyone involved. Both teams played a tight physical first period and it was not until 35 seconds left in the period when Salisbury’s Matt Deboer was able to find the back of the net. The second period featured a fast pace brand of hockey, however the Salisbury school’s depth started to wear on the Millbrook school as they were able to notch two goals past Millbrook’s Owen Hains. Millbrook fought back in the third to cut the Salisbury lead to two but Salisbury answered back two minutes to regain the three- goal lead. That three-goal lead was enough to seal the deal as Salisbury skated to a 4-1 win.
The emotions were running high for both teams in the first period as both teams were feeding off the crowd’s energy. The pace was frantic, the play was physical and both goaltenders were tested. Salisbury’s Deboer was the first to break the scoreless tie late in the first period as he was able to grab the puck in transition and utilized his quick release in stride to beat Hains through the legs with 35 seconds remaining in the period.
Both teams began the second period with energy but the game became more controlled as both sides started playing with more structure. Salisbury was able to get a good bounce early in the second when Jake Quillan took a shot but did not get all of it as his stick broke. The puck changed in direction which threw off Hains as he slid across his crease and was unable to go back towards the puck as the puck slid into the net. After Salisbury gained the two-goal lead Salisbury’s Senior goaltender Nick Haas was able to fend off the Millbrook attack. Salisbury was able to gain a three-goal lead off a beautiful cross offensive zone pass by Quillan to Deboer who was able to one time the puck into the back of the net.
The third period was played mostly in the neutral zone as Salisbury put the defensive clamps on the Millbrook attack. Salisbury played a simple third period and really did a nice job of eliminating any high percentage scoring chances. Millbrook’s lone goal came from Senior forward Niko Rexine as he cleaned up a poorly handled puck by Nick Haas. Salisbury answered back a few minutes later as defenseman Jarod Crespo was able to display his patience with the puck on the offensive blue as he pumped faked and took a shot that hit the post which allowed Lucas Mercuri an easy tap in goal as the puck sprung right to him.
Three Stars
- Matt DeBoer (Salisbury)
- Cole Vallese (Salisbury)
- Nick Haas (Salisbury)
Neutral Zone Notes- Salisbury is a deep team as usual and have some high-end skilled players both up front and on the blue line. Matt Deboer has come a long way in the last two seasons as he has fined tuned his game. He has a heavy shot, nice frame and does a nice job of finding the soft areas of the ice in the offensive zone. Cole Vallese is another dynamic forward for Salisbury and although he was unable to find the score sheet, he is all over the puck and is a dynamic play maker and really can play in space. Defensively for Salisbury Jarod Crespo, Bayard Hall and Bobby Metz were impressive as all three were extremely poised with the puck on their stick, played solid in their defensive zone and have the mobility to take ice along with escape forecheck pressure. In net Nick Haas is a very mature goaltender who takes up a lot of space. He moves extremely well, poised under pressure and does not put himself in bad secondary save positions. Outside of one mental lapse on the Millbrook goal where he simply just steered the puck in the wrong direction, he had a rock-solid game.
Millbrook- From what we can tell Millbrook is a not a finished product yet by any means but they have the potential to be a very good team this year in New England. Millbrook’s defensive core is extremely solid as they move pucks well and play a nice physical brand of hockey. Millbrook’s Zach Bookman is a nice offensive defenseman who has nice patience with the puck and vision on the offensive blueline. Bauer Morrissey another blue liner for Millbrook does a nice job as a two-way defender as he can contribute offensively and does a nice job touching the puck defensively off opponents sticks. Up front Jake Percival Is a two-way forward who works to get to the dirty areas of the ice. Percival plays a physical game and has the ability to make plays in the offensive zone. Newcomer Shane Albert was also a bright spot for Millbrook as you can tell he still adjusting to the prep game, but got much better as the game wore on as he always seems to know what to do with the puck and be in the right position.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
