Avon School 7 Loomis Chaffee School 0
Windsor, CT-Loomis entered this afternoon’s match up vs Avon riding a 3-1-1 stretch for the month of January, while Avon entered this game defeating rival Westminster in what was an emotional rivalry game. Loomis was without a few big pieces to their roster and it showed as they were unable to get anything going. Avon kept the momentum rolling as they were able to contain a talented Loomis team from generating any success.
From early on it was clear Avon was the much better team today as they were able to apply sustained pressure on Loomis Goaltender Kyle Chauvette. Loomis lost Dartmouth Commit Coby Hoban was knocked out early from a collision which resulted him being sidelined for the entirety of the game early in the first. Shortly after Avon was able to get the scoring started as forward JP Turner was able to gather a puck in the slot from Drew Tsakounis and beat Chauvette as he was coming across his goal crease.
Chauvette did his best to keep his team in the game throughout the second period after trailing the first 1-0. However, the Avon pressure remained too much for Loomis to handle as Avon extended it’s lead to 5-0 through 2 periods of play. On the second goal Patrick Neal was able to split the Loomis defensemen as he received a stretch pass from defensemen Chase Ramsay. Neal was able to show patience on the breakaway and beat Chauvette high. Timur Alishlalov scored Avon’s third goal as he was able to work his way to the middle of the offensive zone showing off his hands as he put one in the back of the net. Senior Avon forward Gentry Shamburger was able to beat Chauvette in similar fashion minutes later, as Shamburger used his heavy shot from the slot to beat the Loomis goaltender for Avon’s fourth tally. Avon dominated the middle of the ice throughout the period, while the Avon defensive core did a fantastic job of stretching the play. 2002 defensemen Jason Marsella was the prime example of that as he had a beautiful two zone pass to hit Brendan Williams for a breakaway. Williams was able to get behind the Loomis defense and finished his breakaway with a nifty back hand goal.
Entering the final frame Avon led 5-0 but Loomis showed some push back as Senior Defensemen Kennedy O’Connor picked up his physical play. Loomis goaltender Kyle Chauvette remained in the game and really battled for his team in the third. However, Avon added two more third period goals extending the lead to 7-0 where the final score finished.
Stars of the Game
First: Timur Alishlalov (Avon)
Second: Chase Ramsay (Avon)
Third: Brendan Williams (Avon)
NZ Notes: For Loomis– It was clear it was not their day in this highly anticipated match up. Missing a few key pieces up front for Loomis really hurt them as they could not generate any sustained pressure. Defensively they were disorganized giving up way too many quality chances. Coach Zavisza will need to use this game as a learning tool for his squad as they enter the final stretch of the season. We suspect Loomis will bounce back strong vs Andover on Saturday night. For Avon; For the second time this week Avon looks like a complete team. Their structure from their defensive zone too their offensive zone is top notch and will make them hard to beat on any given night. They are super skilled from the net out and compete on every shift. Teams have a difficult time breaking out pucks as their third man high never gets lost and stays disciplined to his spot. This created several high percentage chances today that ended up in the back of the Loomis net.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
