Rutland wins in OT, 3-2 over Burr & Burton (Jan. 11th, 2023)

Rutland, VT – We caught another Rutland thriller as they faced off against Burr & Burton at Spartan Arena. In the end, the Raiders came out on top with a sharp angle goal from junior Cameron Rider #23. Rutland improved to 6-3-0 on the season while the Bulldogs dropped to 3-5-0 but remains 13th in our RPI standings. 

Rutland came out strong and put the pressure on Burr & Burton early in the game. Sophomore defenseman Ethan Wideawake #24 followed his shot and finished upper right, 1-0 Raiders. Next up would be senior forward Griffin Melen #14 scoring off a pass from fellow senior forward William Alexander #8 to make it 2-0. Rutland would continue to sustain pressure in the period, but the Bulldogs would get some chances late and would find the back of the net when junior Max Brownlee #11 skated the puck in the zone, and junior defenseman Jack McCoy #12 was credited with the goal with 0.4 seconds left after some pressure. Shots were 9-7 Raiders and the score was 2-1 after one. 

In the second, Burr & Burton brought solid pressure to the Raiders with Rutland taking some penalties including a 5 minute major, allowing a 5 on 3 for the Bulldogs. Rutland killed off most of it, but Max Brownlee #11 would find the equalizer about halfway through the period. The teams went back and forth and ended the second at 2-2. 

The third period saw Rutland take a penalty right away but was able to kill it successfully. Play was back and forth again with Burr & Burton applying pressure at times with three or four quality chances. Rutland’s sophomore goalie Noah Bruttomesso #1 would fight off the chances with his quick glove and athleticism. Regulation ended in a 2-2 tie with the overtime period required to find a winner. Overtime saw Rutland come out hot and find the OT winner on the sharp angle shot from Cameron Rider #23 that went off the post and just snuck by the goalie. 

This made two very close games on the season between two evenly matched teams that will have an honest bid for the D-2 championship. Both teams have promising futures. 

Stars of the Game 

  1. Cameron Rider #23, Rutland
  2. Ethan Wideawake #24, Rutland
  3. Jack McCoy #12, Burr & Burton