Hanover Celebrates Senior Night With NHIAA Win
The Hanover boys opened their NHIA Class I Tournament campaign with a systematic 2-0 victory over a hard-working Coe-brown team. The match was preceded with a brief ceremony to honor the 12 seniors on the squad, and all 12 celebrated in their own fashion during the game, as every one got on the pitch and contributed to the win.
The Marauders quickly established a territorial edge and came close to scoring almost immediately, as Casey Maue took a nice pass from Angus Kennedy in close quarters and clanged a shot off the right post. Maue was a threat in the box all evening, and Kennedy was equally dangerous from outside the 18. Coe-Brown goalkeeper Skylar Speed was equal to the task, making several nice saves to keep the match scoreless. Hanover broke through in the 28th minute, with Eric Barthold working his magic on the left flank, blasting a shot that Speed saved but was unable to hold. Maue blasted home the rebound for his ninth goal of the season, with Barthold collecting his team-leading ninth helper.
Hanover’s one-goal lead was not that slim, given the solid play of the Marauder back four, who limited Coe-Brown to one long-distance bid on Ben Harwick. Matt Wetherell and Cal Felicetti were imposing in the air, and Angus Kennedy kept up his relentless ball-winning at midfield.
Hanover resumed the attack after the break, and doubled the lead after eleven minutes with one of the nicest scores of the season. The Marauders were awarded a free kick outside of the Coe-Brown penalty area, and Angus Kennedy bent a shot around the wall and inside the near post for 2-0 lead. It was Kennedy’s ninth goal of the season and eighth in the last seven games. Paired with Maue, who has a four-game scoring streak, and it appears that Hanover’s captains are stepping up at just the right time.
The best way to hold a 2-0 lead is to keep attacking, and the Marauders followed that pattern, taking advantage of several goal-hungry seniors. Erik Barth played well in both halves at center midfield, and had several good looks at the goal. Dylan Riessen enhanced his status at the most snake-bitten sniper on the team, blasting a close range bullet that was somehow blocked on the goal line. Oliver Horton showed his ability to fill Kennedy’s shoes at midfield, and Paul Burchard shook off a sore back to help close out the match.
Harwick made another solo save in the half to notch his eleventh shutout of the season. It was the team’s fourteenth overall whitewash, putting them withing sniffing distance of the state record of 17, held by Gilford.
Hanover’s unbeaten streak is now 24 games long, the second-longest in school history (46 games in 1992-1994) and tying Nashua High School for fifth longest in state history.
Informed of these team milestones, Coach Grabill issued an uncharacteristically curt response. “This is not a good time to talk about records,” he snapped. “Our focus right now is winning our next game, and that’s it. We’re not interested in this other stuff right now.” He softened a bit, praising the Marauders for their ability
To overcome distractions and maintain a consistent approach. “I’m very happy with the way we have practiced, and this has showed in recent games when we have had to play in poor weather.”
Next up for Hanover is eight-seeded Merrimack Valley, which opened the Class I tournament with a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth. Among Merrimack Valley’s 10 regular season wins was 3-2 win over dangerous fifth seed Hollis-Brookline. They also pushed second-seeded Bow before dropping a 1-0 decision. Kickoff for Fridays game is slated for 6:00 p.m.
