Here is hoping for a great 2022 – and not 2020-too! The holiday tournament season saw COVID protocol challenges in abundance which outright canceled Norwich’s Northfield Bank tournament and took one team out of play in both the Middlebury Classic as well as the 56th annual Codfish Bowl. The Pathfinder Bank tournament at Oswego was the only tournament where all four teams took the ice. Several other non-conference games were also postponed and NESCAC along with other institutions have begun restrictions for fans attending contests moving into the second half. Here is the recap for the reduced slate of games and recognizing the champions in each of the New Year’s tournaments:
Friends of Middlebury Hockey (FOPH) Tournament
After a rough first-half where the Panthers played only two games, there must have been a great deal of excitement in hosting and playing in their own tournament. The opening game was an in-state Vermont affair where the Panthers took down St. Michael’s 5-1. Chris Garbe scored twice and added an assist for the Panthers who leveraged a great penalty-kill to thwart the Purple Knights. Jake Horoho made 20 saves for the win.
With Fitchburg State unable to play the opening round, No. 5 ranked Hobart moved into the final against Middlebury on Sunday. Reid Lindsay gave the Statesmen an early 1-0 lead and Blake Coffrey doubled the advantage with a power-play goal at 13:59 for a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. Middlebury’s Paddy Bogart scored the only goal in an action filled second period as Joe Halstrom made some big saves for Hobart to keep the lead. In the third period, Luke Aquaro’s goal at 1:37 gave Hobart a 3-1 lead before Aaron Maguyon scored into an empty-net for the 4-1 final score and championship win for Hobart.
Garbe, tournament MVP and defenseman Billy Dobensky received All-Tournament honors for the host Panthers while Aquaro and Halstrom were recognized for Hobart along with Nathan Smith from St. Michael’s.
Best Western Clarion Oswego State Hockey Classic
The marque match-up was the opening round game between the host Lakers and the No. 4 ranked Auggies from Augsburg. In a tight defensive battle, it was a game where special teams made the difference. Patrick O’Connor scored for the Auggies with the man advantage just 2:31 into the first period. Connor Sleeth answered for Oswego in the second period on the power-play and the game entered the third period tied at 1-1. Jarod Blackowiak scored the game-winning goal on the power-play for Augsburg at 8:16 and Jack Robbel made 13 of his 28 saves in the final period to give the Auggies the hard-fought win.
Skidmore played Canton in the other opening round game and the Thoroughbreds quickly jumped to a 3-0 first period lead on their way to a 6-0 win. Danny Magnuson, Mason Beecher and Jaden York scored in the first period as the Thoroughbreds outshot the Kangaroos by a 33-10 margin for the game. Tate Donovan earned the shutout making 10 saves.
In the title game, Augsburg’s Fritz Belisle proved to be all the offense that the team would need to down Skidmore by a 2-0 score. Belisle scored just 72 seconds into the first period and then added an empty-net goal late in the third period to seal the 2-0 win and tournament title for Augsburg. Samuel Vyletelka made 22 saves to pick up the shutout win for Augsburg and was named to the All-Tournament team along with Blackowiak who earned MVP honors.
In the consolation game, Oswego rebounded with a 3-2 win over Canton. Garrett Clegg broke a 2-2 tie in the second period and goaltender Eric Green held the Kangaroos off the scoreboard in the third period to give the host Lakers the win.
Codfish Bowl
The host Massachusetts-Boston Beacons have not won the Codfish Bowl since 2014 and this edition of the team took that as an open challenge in a dominating tournament win that saw them outscore their opponents by a 12-0 margin on their way to the title.
In the opening round against the ACHA D-1 program from the University of Rhode Island, the Beacons peppered URI’s Curtis Briggs with 65 shots and five different players scored in the 5-0 win. Sam Best picked up the shutout making 11 saves.
With Franklin Pierce unable to play due to COVID protocols, the title game saw Post University taking on the Beacons. Again, it was the host team dominating from the opening puck drop as they outshot Post by a 56-21 margin. Ethan Nitkin and Nolan Barrett each scored a pair of goals while Best (Tournament MVP) stopped all 21 shots including two key breakaway chances for Post in the second period to earn his second consecutive shutout in the 7-0 win.
Northfield Bank Tournament
With COVID protocols taking the lead, the tournament featuring Norwich, University of New England, Williams and Hamilton was canceled.
Three Biscuits
Sam Best – Massachusetts-Boston – recorded back-to-back shutouts in leading the Beacons to their first Codfish Bowl title since 2014.
Luke Aquaro – Hobart – scored a key goal and set-up the final score in Hobart’s 4-1 tournament championship win at Middlebury on Sunday.
Curtis Briggs – URI – stopped at least 19 shots in each period on his way to a 60-save effort in a 5-0 loss to UMass-Boston in the Codfish Bowl.
Here is a hope that 2022 will bring us some great hockey in a safe environment for all participants. While new spectator restrictions may not be popular, the players will happily play in empty building if it means they get to play.
