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NH Avalanche 18U end the season strong!

By ADMIN, 03/13/18, 3:15PM EDT

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Hooksett, NH - 3/13/18

The final weekend of the season for theNH avalanche 18U team took place at Rodman Arena in Walpole MA.  The team entered the NPHL playoff as the 4th seed and was forced to play a 3 game round Robin to earn the opportunity to play in a semifinal game.  

 

Game 1 vs Boston Shamrocks – The Avalanche came out flying in this one putting up 3 quick goals and never looking back winning 5-2. Alex Gagne, Aaron Harmon, Tim Cronin (2) and Cody Lappas all lit the lamp in a dominant effort.  Assists came from Griffin Gagne (2), Kegan Vincent, Baxter Kimball and Michael O’Brien.  Andrew LoRusso earned the W by providing another solid performance in net.

 

Game 2 vs Walpole Express – The Avalanche came out buzzing again jumping out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Cody Lappas and Matt Gagnon. The team stepped up defensively and didn’t give the Express any chances to gain momentum.  Tim Cronin and Michael O’Brien scored later in the game to seal the victory 4-0. Baxter Kimball, Griffin Gagne, Alex Gagne and Tim Cronin got the assists.  With LoRusso getting some much needed rest, Matt Gover stepped in and provided the team with a tremendous performance and earned his first 18U shutout.

 

Game 3 vs Northwood – Entering the third game of the round robin with a 2-0 record, the team knew they had already advanced to the semifinals and would face Northwood in back to back games.  The team still played hard but the spark from the previous two games was clearly not there.  In the end, Northwood won 2-0.  it was a solid game all the way around for both teams but both clearly had their focus on the Sunday morning semifinal rematch.  Unfortunately for the Avalanche, injuries started to mount and Griffin Gagne was officially ruled out for the remainder of the weekend which was a huge loss for the team.

 

Game 4 Semifinals vs Northwood – Entering this game the team was on fumes and beat up pretty good physically but you’d never know.  They once again resumed playing like they did in the 1st two games and dominated Northwood from start to finish.  Northwood got a couple late goals but the result was never in doubt as the NH Avalanche won 4-2 and earned a spot in the NPHL Championship Game!  Goals came from Pat Maloney, Cody Lappas (2), and Alex Gagne.  Assisting were Michael O’Brien (2), Matt Gagnon, Kegan Vincent, Baxter Kimball, Nick Snyder and Pat Maloney.  Andrew LoRusso locking things down in net earned his 2nd win on the weekend. 

 

Game 5 NPHL Championship vs #1 Boch Militia – Knowing the championship game was going to be a huge battle, the team was prepared.  They came out playing strong, physical, back n forth hockey with the extremely talented #1 seed.  Andrew LoRusso made some key saves as did the goalie for Boch Militia and there was no score half way through the game.  The 1st goal didn’t come until after the 45 minute mark of the 50 minute game.  Unfortunately, it was Boch Militia who capitalized on a turnover deep in the Avs D-zone and made them pay.   With time winding down, the Avs mounted an offensive assault to tie things up but the Boch goalie stood tall and shut them down.  An empty net goal at the end sealed the deal and the NH Avalanche season came to an end with a 2-0 loss to Boch Militia in the championship game.

 

Although the season did not end the way we wanted it to, the NH Avalanche have a lot to be proud of!  Their effort and heart throughout the season and playoffs is certainly something to be commended. 

 

Coach Saucier had this to say about the teams season and playoff run "The team has battled adversity all year so it was great to see them have tremendous success in the playoffs and earn the right to compete for the league championship.  I think everyone on the team can say, we played our best hockey of the season at the right time.  This group of players certainly has something to be proud of and it was a privilege to coach and get to know them all!"