We drew our largest crowd of the season as we hosted the previously unbeaten New Canaan Rams. As for us, we were fresh off a two-game losing streak, and to lose three in a row definitely wouldn't sit well with Hamden fans, as I heard someone say that it hasn't been done in over 30 years.
Andy Varga got the start in net, and he played like I have never seen him play before. After a ton of opportunities for both sides, New Canaan was able to sneak one by Varga on the powerplay to take the lead by one.
Heading into the second down a lone goal, the situation was certainly familiar to us as of late. We knew, in addition to their depth, they were riding on the glove of their hot goaltender. In order to beat a goalie like such, you must pepper him with shots. We did just that, but he wouldn't break. Fortunately, Varga didn't break either, allowing the score to remain at 1-0 in New Canaan's favor.
In between the second and third period, there was a weird feeling about the locker room. Teammates weren't gloomily hanging heads, but instead they were active in offering words of encouragement to other. Mind you we were still down a goal.
In the final period, Nowacki didn't budge. Not one bit. After numerous chances, the puck still wasn't going. With 1:36 left on the clock, Coach Verneris pulled Varga for an extra attacker. This was helpful in sustaining pressure until Harper sent the puck into our net from his blue line to seal the deal with an empty netter.
After the epic showdown two years back, New Canaan finally got some revenge. Games like these I like to say that we didn't lose, we got beat, and there is nothing wrong with that. At times, there is nothing more a team can do after they work together with all that they have than to simply tip their cap. New Canaan came out on top and remains perfect.
Tomorrow, we travel to South Windsor to hopefully finish this crazy week on a high note. Only time will tell.
No comments:
Post a Comment