SOUTH HAMILTON — After a strong preseason and wins in its first two regular season games, Pingree boys hockey coach Shawn Bates knew it was coming: the dreaded letdown.
That happened Wednesday against visiting Berwick Academy, where the Highlanders didn’t have a whole lot of jump or energy for better part of two-and-a-half periods. Still, they managed to get the tying goal from sophomore Colin Driscoll with 2:46 left in regulation, then carried the play in overtime before settling for a 2-2 tie at Johnson Rink.
“I was waiting for it to happen; our strong start wasn’t sustainable with the young roster that we had,” admitted Bates, his team now 2-0-1. “But you need to make mistakes to learn from them, and I’m proud of the fact the guys were able to come back and get a point for us.
“I told them just now in the locker room that if we treated the entire game like we did over the last eight minutes, with that much energy and emotion, we wouldn’t have had to fight for the tie.”
With 10 sophomores and four freshmen on the roster (many of whom played Wednesday), Bates knows they’re still in the acclimation process to winning hockey games at the prep school level. Still, he said, things have changed as far as how the program goes.
“They have to learn you don’t just put on your skates, play and win. There’s an intensity needed,” Bates, who grew up in Alberta, Canada and played four years of college hockey at Merrimack before embarking on a pro career, said.
“The program here isn’t what it used to be,” added Bates, who served as a Highlanders’ assistant under former coach Dan Gordon before taking over last winter. “It’s built up; you’re not surprising other teams any more. We won the (Holt Conference) two years ago, then again last year. Teams come in here and are amped up to play us; we need to be amped up, too.”
Goalie Von Larson, one of just six seniors on the roster, made 22 saves. His best was a diving glove stop in which he went right-to-left across his crease to deny a one-timer from the slot by Berwick’s Jack Goodrich in the latter half of the middle stanza.
The Highlanders, who outshot Berwick 11-2 in the third period, knotted things up when Driscoll, a second left wing from Middleton, poked in a rebound glove side on Bulldogs keeper Ethan Addazio (who, ironically, is also from Middleton).
Freshman right wing Liam Miga, also from Middleton, gave Pingree a 1-0 lead just 2:38 in on the fourth line’s first shift of the game by connecting short side after a pass from Graham Luskin.
“He’s doing really, really well,” said Bates of Miga, who has scored twice in Pingee’s first three contests. “He works his butt off every time he’s on the ice.”
Berwick, which had lost a pair of one-goal outings to begin their season, scored twice in the second period Wednesday, both as a result of defensive breakdowns. The second of those was a breakaway snipe with 28 seconds before intermission.
“We used to be happy coming to the rink the day after a tie, but the program is no longer at that spot,” said Bates, whose club will host Pomfret Saturday (3:30 p.m.). “I asked the guys and they agreed; they have higher expectations for themselves and our program.”
Pingree 2, Berwick 2 (OT)
at Johnson Rink, South Hamilton
Berwick 0 2 0 0 2
Pingree 1 0 1 0 2
First period: P, Liam Miga (Graham Luskin), 2:38.
Second period: B, Cole Cournoyer (Amir Makdad), 5:44; B, John Goodrich (Reed Kenney), 17:32.
Third period: P, Colin Driscoll (Christian Renaud, Will Sheehan), 15:14.
Overtime: No scoring.
Saves: B, Ethan Addazio 29; P, Von Larson 20.
Records: P, 2-0-1; B, 0-2-1.
Contact Phil Stacey
@PhilStacey_SN