ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â FEBRUARY Â 19, Â 2015
MATT DICKERSON
SPORTS
I  hesitate  to  use  superlatives  in  writ- ing,  especially  when  describing  any  sort  of  sporting  activity  or  weather  phenomena.  We  live  in  an  age  of  hy- per-Âsensationalism  when  blizzards  are  given  names  and  every  other  snow- storm  is  hyped  up  to  be  the  storm  of  the  decade  (or  century),  when  any  ath- lete  who  makes  a  decent  play  is  called  a  “hero,â€?  and  when  a  football  that  los- es  a  bit  of  air  pressure  due  to  a  drop  in  temperature  gets  national  media  at- tention  for  a  week  and  prompts  calls  for  public  execu- tions.  OK.  I  exag- gerated  a  little  regarding  the  “ex- ecutionâ€?  thing.  But  only  a  little.  And  it  may  not  be  an  exaggeration  to  say  that  the  past  few  weeks  have  offered  the  best,  most  consistent  and  prolonged  Nordic  ski  conditions  in  several  years.  I  grew  up  in  eastern  Massachusetts,  going  to  high  school  about  40  miles  west  of  Boston  in  the  late  1970s  and  early  ’80s.  If  there  is  one  thing  that  provides  common  ground  for  conver- sation,  commiseration,  or  just  remi- niscence,  for  anyone  of  my  generation  who  lived  anywhere  near  Boston,  it  is  the  famous  Blizzard  of  ’78.  More  than  the  Larry  Bird  championships  of  ’81,  ’84,  and  ’86.  More  than  the  Carlton  Fisk  game-Âsix-Âwinning  World  Series  homerun  of  1975.  More  than  the  ’76  Patriots  playoff  loss  to  the  Oakland  Raiders  thanks  to  the  infamous  phan- tom  “roughing  the  passerâ€?  call,  or  their  1986  Super  Bowl  blowout  loss  to  the  Bears  thanks  to  Chicago  just  be- ing  way  better,  or  simply  the  misery  of  two  decades  of  terrible  Patriots  teams  in  every  year  not  ending  in  six.  More,  even,  than  Billy  Buckner  —  though  that  might  be  close.  Ask  almost  anyone  who  was  living  in  eastern  Massachusetts  then  about  that  storm  and  they  will  tell  you  in  excruciating  detail  exactly  where  they  were  and  what  they  did  throughout  the  02817 $%5$+$0 81,21 +LJK 6FKRRO VHQLRU .HHJDQ -DFNPDQ VDLOV LQ IRU WZR SRLQWV GXULQJ 'LYLVLRQ ,, blizzard  and  its  aftermath,  how  many  ¿UVW URXQG SOD\RII DFWLRQ 7XHVGD\ QLJKW LQ %ULVWRO 7KH (DJOHV ZRQ WKH JDPH ,QGHSHQGHQW SKRWR 7UHQW &DPSEHOO days  (or  weeks)  their  local  school  was  closed,  and  just  how  deep  the  snow  was  —  not  in  inches  or  feet,  but  in  re- lationship  to  buildings,  automobiles  or  body  parts.  Actually,  you  don’t  even  have  to  ask  them.  Just  mention  any  particular  (See  Dickerson,  Page  5B)
Eagle  girls  outlast  Hartford
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Girls’ Hockey 2/18  MUHS  at  St.  Albans  .......................Late Boys’ Hockey 1RUWKÂżHOG DW 08+6  ........................Late Boys’ Basketball 2/16  OV  vs.  Bellows  Falls  ....................50-Â39 2/17  MUHS  vs.  Mt.  Abe  .......................71-Â26 2/17  Missisquoi  vs.  VUHS  ...................55-Â52 Girls’ Basketball Division II Playoffs 0W $EH YV +DUWIRUG  .........31-Â24 2/17  #1  Lake  Region  vs.  #16  OV  .........51-Â28 2/18  #12  VUHS  at  #5  Lamoille  ..............Late 2/18  #14  MUHS  at  #3  Mill  River  ............Late
Schedule HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Girls’ Hockey 2/19  .......................................... Pairings  Set Boys’ Hockey 2/19  .......................................... Pairings  Set Boys’ Basketball 2/19  MUHS  at  VUHS  ..........................7  p.m. 2/20  Mt.  Abe  at  St.  Albans  ..................7  p.m. 2/20  OV  at  Proctor  ..............................7  p.m. 29 DW /HODQG *UD\  ..................7  p.m. 2/23  .......................................... Pairings  Set Girls’ Basketball Division II Playoffs 2/20  #7  Fair  Haven  at  #2  Mt.  Abe  .......7  p.m. 98+6 RU /DPRLOOH DW /\QGRQ  ......7  p.m. 08+6 RU 058 YV 6SULQJÂżHOG  ....2  p.m.  .........................6HPLÂżQDOV LQ %DUUH 2/28  Final  in  Barre  .........................3:45  p.m. Wrestling  .......................State  Meet  at  MUHS Gymnastics 2/21...............................State  Meet  at  Essex COLLEGE SPORTS Women’s Basketball 1(6&$& 4XDUWHUĂ€QDO 0LGG DW %RZGRLQ  ........................4  p.m. Women’s Hockey 3ODWWVEXUJK DW 0LGG  ....................3  p.m. 2/28  ............. 1(6&$& 4XDUWHUÂżQDO DW 0LGG Men’s Hockey 0LGG DW $PKHUVW  .........................7  p.m. 0LGG DW +DPLOWRQ  ........................3  p.m. 2/28  ...........................1(6&$& 4XDUWHUÂżQDO Spectators  are  advised  to  consult  school  websites  for  the  latest  schedule  updates. Â
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Offering  praise for  white  stuff
ScoreBOARD
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
Mt.  Abe  moves  on  to  Slater  rematch
By  ANDY  KIRKALDY BRISTOL  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  A  big  lift  from  the  bench  helped  the  No.  2  Mount  Abra- ham  Union  High  School  girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  bas- ketball  team  get  past  scrappy  visiting  No.  17  Hartford  on  Tuesday,  31-Â24,  LQ D ÂżUVW URXQG 'LYLVLRQ ,, SOD\RII game. Freshman  forward  Emma  Cart- er  scored  six  of  her  game-Âhigh  13  SRLQWV LQ WKH ÂżQDO RI WKH VHFRQG quarter  to  help  erase  a  Hurricane  lead  and  forge  a  16-Â16  halftime  tie.  $OVR RQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;RRU GXULQJ WKDW VWUHWFK and  during  the  entire  second  half,  during  which  the  Eagles  allowed  just  eight  points,  was  junior  guard  Dani  Forand,  usually  a  reserve.  Forand  sparked  the  Eagle  second- KDOI GHIHQVH ÂżQLVKLQJ ZLWK VL[ VWHDOV while  adding  a  team-Âhigh  four  assists  and  chipping  in  four  points  as  Mount  Abe  improved  to  15-Â6.  ³, FRXOGQÂśW WDNH KHU RII WKH Ă&#x20AC;RRU ´ said  Eagle  Coach  Connie  LaRose.  â&#x20AC;&#x153;She  was  the  player  of  the  game.â&#x20AC;? Although  the  Hurricanes  entered  with  a  3-Â17  record,  they  defeated  Di- vision  I  Rutland  earlier  this  year  and  just  last  week  surprised  D-ÂII  No.  7  seed  Fair  Haven,  28-Â25.  Fair  Haven  (12-Â9)  will  visit  the  Eagles  in  a  Fri- GD\ TXDUWHUÂżQDO DQG RZQV D home  victory  over  Mount  Abe  this  past  December.  The  Hurricanes  played  aggres- sive  man-Âto-Âman  defense  and  out- UHERXQGHG WKH (DJOHV ,Q WKH ÂżUVW quarter,  they  allowed  only  buckets  by  senior  center  Isabel  Brennan  and  Carter  in  taking  a  6-Â4  lead. In  the  second  period,  Eagle  se- nior  guard  Keegan  Jackman  drove  WKH ODQH IRU D VWURQJ OHIW KDQG ÂżQLVK and  a  three-Âpoint  play,  and  at  5:15  ($*/( 6(1,25 $6+/(< %RLVH SXWV XS D VKRW DJDLQVW +DUWIRUG 7XHV Carterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  putback  put  Mount  Abe  on  GD\ QLJKW 0RXQW $EUDKDP ZRQ WKH ÂżUVW URXQG SOD\RII JDPH DQG ZLOO KRVW )DLU +DYHQ LQ D TXDUWHUÂżQDO JDPH RQ )ULGD\ (See  Basketball,  Page  2B) ,QGHSHQGHQW SKRWR 7UHQW &DPSEHOO
:RPHQÂśV KRFNH\ QDLOV GRZQ ÂżUVW SODFH MIDDLEBURY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  The  Middle- bury  College  womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  hockey  team  defeated  NESCAC  foe  Williams  twice  this  past  weekend  to  clinch  ¿UVW SODFH LQ WKH OHDJXH HDUQ WKH WRS seed  for  the  upcoming  NESCAC Â
tournament,  and  push  its  unbeaten  streak  to  15-Â0-Â3. 7KH 3DQWKHUV ÂżQLVKHG 1-Â2  in  NESCAC  play,  are  ranked  No.  3  in  NCAA  Division  III,  and  have  one  game  left  in  their  regular  season Â
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  a  visit  from  No.  2  Plattsburgh  this  Saturday  at  3  p.m.  The  Panthers  will  host  a  NESCAC  TXDUWHUÂżQDO YV WKH 1R VHHG ² WR be  determined  by  other  games  played  (See  Hockey,  Page  3B)
Tigers,  OV  win;Íž  VUHS  gets  tough  loss By  ANDY  KIRKALDY ADDISON  COUNTY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  In  local  high  school  boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  basketball  action  earlier  this  week,  Vergennes  lost  and  Otter  Valley  won  in  what  has  become  a  two-Âteam  duel  for  the  Nos.  4  and  5  seeds  in  Di- vision  II,  while  Middlebury  kept  up  its  winning  ways  by  knocking  off  Mount  Abraham. The  teams  will  play  WKHLU ÂżQDO UHJXODU VHD- son  games  late  this  week,  and  the  Ver- mont  Principalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  As- sociation  will  announce  playoff  pair- ings  on  Monday  morning. TIGERS-ÂEAGLES On  Tuesday,  the  Tigers  coasted  past  the  visiting  Eagles,  71-Â26,  to  maintain  their  hold  on  the  No.  5  seed  in  D-ÂI.  The  Tigers  have  at  least  a  chance  of  earn- ing  the  No.  4  seed  in  D-ÂI  if  they  defeat  host  Vergennes  on  Thursday  and  cur-Â
UHQW 1R %XUU %XUWRQ ORVHV LWV ÂżQDO game.  Against  the  Eagles,  Austin  Robin- son  (15  points)  and  Jon  Fitzcharles  (11)  led  MUHS,  which  saw  all  12  Ti- gers  score.  Tyrus  Keith  scored  seven  to  lead  the  0-Â19  Eagles.  OTTERS On  Monday,  OV  outlasted  visiting  Bel- lows  Falls,  50-Â39,  to  move  past  the  Com- modores  and  into  the  No.  4  spot  in  D-ÂII.  John  Winslow  scored  15  points  for  OV,  which  had  a  stronger  second  half  after  trailing  the  2-Â16  Terriers  at  the  break,  21-Â18.  The  Otters  are  14-Â4  heading  into  WKHLU ÂżQDO WZR JDPHV ERWK DJDLQVW D-ÂIV  teams  on  the  road  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  at  Proctor  on  Friday  at  7  p.m.  and  at  Leland  &  (See  Basketball  wrap,  Page  5B)
BASKETBALL
Wrap-Up
7RS VHHGHG 5DQJHUV RXVW 2WWHU JLUOV IURP SOD\RIIV By  ANDY  KIRKALDY ORLEANS  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  No.  1  Lake  Region  ousted  the  No.  16  Otter  Valley  Union  High  School  girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  basketball  team  from  the  Division  II  playoffs  on  Tuesday,  51-Â28.  The  19-Â2  Rangers  used  a  big  sec- ond  quarter  to  take  a  28-Â12  lead  at  the  half.  The  Otters  made  a  run  early  in  the  second  half  and  cut  the  lead  to  10  at  30-Â20,  but  could  come  no  closer. Senior  guard  Laura  Beth  Roberts  scored  13  to  lead  OV,  and  junior  for- ward  Amy  Jones  added  six.  Coach  Steve  Keith  said  the  Rang- ersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  depth,  offensive  rebounding  and  full-Âcourt  press  made  the  difference  against  his  team,  which  concluded  an  injury-Âplagued  season  at  3-Â18.  The  Otters  got  off  to  a  promising  3-Â3 Â
start,  but  soon  lost  starting  forward  Sophia  Bloomer  and  key  rotation  player  Courtney  Bushey  to  season- ending  knee  injuries. Keith  said  several  other  players  stepped  up  and  played  well  in  their  absence,  but  the  injuries  robbed  OV  of  its  depth. Keith  praised  the  Ottersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  perfor- mance  against  top-Âseeded  Lake  Re- gion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We  are  proud  of  the  effort  we  made,â&#x20AC;?  he  said.  In  other  D-ÂII  girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  basketball  ac- tion  earlier  this  week,  No.  2  Mount  Abraham  hosted  No.  17  Hartford  on  Tuesday  (see  story),  while  No.  12  Vergennes  (6-Â14)  and  No.  14  Mid- dlebury  (3-Â17)  were  set  to  play  on  Wednesday  after  the  deadline  for  this  issue  of  the  Independent.  Â
panther 3DQWKHU PHQ VSOLW ZLWK (SKV MIDDLEBURY  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  The  Middle- bury  College  menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  hockey  team  split  a  home-Âand-Âhome  series  with  Williams  (14-Â6-Â2  and  10-Â5-Â1  NE- SCAC)  this  past  weekend,  and  the  3DQWKHUV ZLOO HQWHU WKHLU ÂżQDO ZHHN- end  of  regular  season  play  with  a  9-Â10-Â3  record,  6-Â7-Â3  in  NESCAC  play. Middlebury  stands  in  seventh  place  and  has  clinched  a  NESCAC  playoff  berth.  The  Panthers  will  hope  to  move  up  in  the  standings  when  they  play  at  second-Âplace  Amherst  on  Friday  and  at  sixth-Âplace  Hamil- ton  on  Saturday.  This  past  Friday,  Middlebury  blanked  Williams,  2-Â0,  as  goalie  Ste- phen  Klein  worked  a  22-Âsave  shut- out,  his  third  of  the  season.  Middlebury  took  the  lead  at  5:57  RI WKH ÂżUVW SHULRG ZKHQ (YDQ 1HX- gold  tucked  home  the  rebound  of  his  own  shot.   Williams  nearly  tied  the  game  30  seconds  into  the  second  period,  but Â
Terrance  Goguen  cleared  a  puck  off  the  goal  line  behind  Klein.  The  Panthers  took  a  two-Âgoal  lead  4:21  into  the  second  period,  when  Ron- DOG )LVKPDQ ÂżQLVKHG RII D UHERXQG from  the  slot  after  Eph  goalie  Sean  Dougherty  (34  saves)  stopped  Mike  Najjarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  shot. On  Saturday,  the  Panthers  outshot  host  Williams,  39-Â25,  but  the  Ephs  rallied  for  a  5-Â4  win.    Middlebury  went  up  by  3-Â1  score  through  the  second  period  and  by  4-Â3  in  the  third  before  goals  by  Ephs  David  Italiano,  and  Craig  Kitto  gave  Williams  the  win. Brendan  McGovern  made  it  1-Â0,  0LGGOHEXU\ DW RI WKH ÂżUVW E\ burying  a  rebound.  After  Williams  equalized,  at  18:20  Jake  Charles  backhanded  home  the  rebound  of  his  own  shot  to  make  it  2-Â1,  Panthers.    Neugold  wristed  home  a  shot  from  close  range  at  6:24  of  the  second  to  (See  Panthers,  Page  3B)
Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  hoop  seeded  No.  7 AMHERST,  Mass.  â&#x20AC;&#x201D;  The  Mid- dlebury  College  womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  basketball  team  dropped  a  pair  of  road  NES- &$& JDPHV WKLV SDVW ZHHNHQG WR ÂżQ- ish  its  regular  season  at  11-Â13,  3-Â7  in  league  play,  but  still  earned  a  NES- CAC  playoff  berth  with  a  No.  7  seed. The  Panthers  will  visit  No.  2  seed  Bowdoin  (21-Â3,  9-Â1  NESCAC)  on  6DWXUGD\ IRU D TXDUWHUÂżQDO PDWFKXS The  Polar  Bears  defeated  the  Pan- thers,  55-Â43,  in  Middlebury  on  Feb.  8.  On  this  past  Sunday,  host  Amherst  (21-Â2,  8-Â2  NESCAC)  pulled  away  in  the  second  half  for  a  61-Â33  victory.  Middlebury  stayed  close  for  a  half,  trailing  by  just  six  at  the  break,  25- 19,  but  the  Jeffs  crafted  a  17-Â0  run  in  the  second  half.  Sarah  Kaufman  led  Middlebury  with  11  points,  while  she  and  Alex- is  Coolidge  each  recorded  six  re- bounds. On  Friday,  host  Trinity  (9-Â15,  2-Â8 Â
NESCAC)  used  late  foul  shooting  to  defeat  the  Panthers,  62-Â54.  The  Panthers  trailed  at  halftime,  29-Â20,  but  chipped  away  at  the  lead  until  buckets  by  Coolidge  and  Elizabeth  Knox  tied  the  game  at  48-Â48  down  the  stretch.  Trinity  answered  with  four  straight  points,  but  a  drive  by  Krystina  Reyn- olds  made  it  52-Â50  with  less  than  two  minutes  remaining.  Bantam  Sheena  Landy  drilled  a  three-Âpointer  from  the  top  of  the  key,  while  Reynolds  and  Bantam  Alexa  Menard  each  sank  two  free  throws,  and  it  was  57-Â52,  Trinity,  at  0:51.  Trinity  then  held  Middlebury  with- out  a  point  until  the  closing  seconds  DQG FRQQHFWHG RQ ÂżYH PRUH IRXO shots. Knox  led  the  Panther  offense  with  19  points  and  grabbed  eight  re- bounds,  while  Kaufman  dished  out  a  JDPH KLJK VL[ DVVLVWV DQG DGGHG ÂżYH boards. Â