ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â JANUARY Â 1, Â 2015
Gymastics  competes  vs. Redhawks MIDDLEBURY  —  Visiting  Divi- sion  I  power  Champlain  Valley  de- feated  the  Middlebury  Union  High  School  gymnastics  team  on  Dec.  23,  122.8-Â106.75. Redhawk  gymnast  Emma  Lieber- man  won  all  four  disciplines  and  the  all-Âaround,  although  Tiger  Ida  Mae  Danforth  made  it  close  in  the  vault,  where  Lieberman  scored  8.35  and  Danforth  was  awarded  an  8.3. $OVR UHFRUGLQJ WRS WKUHH ÂżQLVKHV for  the  Tigers  were  Chloe  Kane  and  Emma  Snyder-ÂWhite.  Kane  took  VHFRQG LQ WKH Ă€RRU H[HUFLVH DW and  Snyder-ÂWhite  tied  for  third  in  that  discipline  with  two  Redhawk  gymnasts  with  a  score  of  7.15. The  Tigers  were  set  to  host  South  Burlington  on  Tuesday  after  the  early  deadline  for  this  edition  of  the  Inde- pendent.  St.  Johnsbury  is  set  to  visit  the  Tigers  at  the  Middlebury  Union  Middle  School  gym  on  Saturday  at  1  p.m.
Addison  Otters  vie  in  New  York  meets SCHENECTADY,  N.Y.  —  The  Addison  Otter  swim  team,  under  coach  Peter  Bicknell,  kicked  off  its  season  with  two  December  meets  at  Union  College  in  Schenectady,  N.Y. 7KH WHDPœV EHVW ¿QLVKHV IURP WKH Super  Splash  on  Dec.  6  are  as  fol- lows:
Hadley  Harris  (age  9)  37th  out  of  47  in  the  girls’  10-Âand-Âunder  50  free,  46.36. Katie  Mayer  (age  17)  third  out  of  15  in  the  girls’  15-Âand-Âover  100  breast,  1:16.76. Shea  McLaren  (age  10)  13th  out  of  27  in  the  boys’  U10  50  free,  36.15. Erich  Reitz  (age  12)  ninth  out  of  15  in  the  boys’  U12  200  free,  2:43.38. Tess  Rudy  (age  12)  fourth  out  of  59  in  the  girls’  U12  50  breast,  37.06. 7KH EHVW 2WWHU ÂżQLVKHV LQ WKH Sharks  12  &  Under  mini  meet  on  Dec.  20  are  as  follows: Cameron  Castillo  (age  5)  18th  out  of  21  in  the  boys’  U8  25  free,  33.74.
(See  Otters,  Page  3B)
ScoreBOARD HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Boys’ Hockey 12/27  MUHS  vs.  Harwood  .......................4-Â1 12/29  Lake  Placid  vs.  MUHS  ...................4-Â0 Girls’ Hockey 12/29  Spaulding  vs.  MUHS  .....................6-Â3 Boys’ Basketball 12/22  OV  vs.  West  Rutland  .................59-Â47 12/23  VUHS  vs.  Fairfax  .......................53-Â48 12/23  Mt.  Abe  at  Randolph  ..................64-Â40 12/27  VUHS  vs.  Harwood  ....................52-Â37 Girls’ Basketball 12/23  Winooski  vs.  VUHS  ...................42-Â32 12/23  Mill  River  vs.  MUHS  ...................68-Â21 12/26  OV  vs.  Hartford  ..........................34-Â26 12/26  Burr  &  Burton  vs.  Mt.  Abe  ..........48-Â36 12/27  VUHS  vs.  Harwood  ....................56-Â28 12/29  VUHS  vs.  Montpelier  .................50-Â22
Schedule
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Girls’ Hockey 1/3  N.  Country  at  MUHS  .....................7  p.m. 1/7  MUHS  at  Rutland  .....................4:15  p.m. 1/9  MUHS  at  Essex  .......................7:45  p.m. Boys’ Hockey 1/3  MUHS  at  Lyndon  ..........................4  p.m. 08+6 DW 0W 0DQV¿HOG  ............8:15  p.m. 1/10  Stowe  at  MUHS  ..........................7  p.m. Boys’ Basketball 1/3  Burr  &  Burton  at  VUHS  ..........11:30  a.m. 1/3  Rutland  at  MUHS  ...................12:30  p.m. 1/3  OV  at  Mt.  Abe  ........................12:30  p.m. 1/6  OV  at  MUHS  .................................7  p.m. 1/7  VUHS  at  Fair  Haven  .....................7  p.m. 1/7  Mt.  Abe  at  Mill  River  .................7:30  p.m. 1/9  Fair  Haven  at  MUHS  ....................7  p.m. 1/9  OV  at  Mill  River  .............................7  p.m. 1/10  VUHS  at  Fairfax  .....................3:30  p.m. Girls’ Basketball 1/2  MUHS  at  S.  Burlington  .................6  p.m. 1/2  OV  at  Leland  &  Gray  ....................7  p.m. 1/2  VUHS  at  Mt.  Abe  ..........................7  p.m. 1/5  Missisquoi  at  MUHS  .....................7  p.m. 1/5  Milton  at  VUHS  .............................7  p.m. 1/5  Mt.  Abe  at  Colchester  ...................7  p.m. 1/6  Rutland  at  OV  ...............................7  p.m. 1/7  VUHS  at  Colchester  .....................7  p.m. 1/7  MUHS  at  Mt.  Abe  ..........................7  p.m. 1/8  Fair  Haven  at  OV  ..........................7  p.m. 1/10  Mt.  Abe  at  CVU  ....................12:30  p.m. 1/10  Colchester  at  MUHS  ............12:30  p.m. 1/10  VUHS  at  Harwood  ...............12:30  p.m. Wrestling 1/3  .................... VUHS  at  Keene  Invitational 1/3........................................OV  Tournament 1/6  VUHS/MUHS  at  Mt.  Abe  ...............7  p.m. 1/10  ............. MUHS  at  Mt.  Anthony  Tourney Indoor Track 1/3  VUHS  at  UVM  ...............................1  p.m. 1/9&10  ..........................VUHS  at  Dartmouth Gymnastics 1/10  St.  Johnsbury  at  MUHS  ..............1  p.m.
SPORTS
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
Hundreds  of  top-Ânotch  skiers  race  at  Rikert  Center
By  JOHN  S.  McCRIGHT RIPTON  —  More  than  400  skiers  WRRN SDUW LQ UDFHV RQ WKH ÂżUVW GD\ RI the  two-Âday  New  England  Nordic  Ski  Association  (NENSA)  Eastern  Cup  Opener  at  the  Rikert  Nordic  Center  in  Ripton  just  before  Christmas,  and  that  many  again  competed  the  follow- ing  day. Indeed,  the  event  not  only  drew  large  numbers  of  people  to  the  area,  but  the  racing  was  of  a  high  caliber. Âł7KH TXDOLW\ RI WKH ÂżHOGV ZDV YHU\ KLJK ´ VDLG HYHQW RUJDQL]HU .HLWK :LONHUVRQ H[HFXWLYH GLUHFWRU RI )URVW Mountain  Nordic.  “New  England  is  home  to  some  of  the  top  skiers  in  the  U.S.,  and  several  teams  from  Quebec  and  Ontario  —  as  far  away  as  Toronto  —  came  down  for  the  competition. “Overall,  the  weekend  was  a  great  VXFFHVV ´ The  races  took  place  Dec.  20  and  21. Wilkerson  pointed  to  the  victory  by  Olympian  Andy  Newell  in  the  10K  classic  —  the  Shaftsbury  resi- MIDDLEBURY  UNION  HIGH  School  senior  goaltender  Baily  Ryan  slides  across  the  crease  to  stop  a  shot  by  Spaulding’s  Lauryn  Bedard  during  dent  covered  the  6.2-Âmile  course  in  WKH 7LJHUVÂś ÂżUVW JDPH RI WKH )OHWFKHU Âł%XVWHU´ %UXVK +ROLGD\ &ODVVLF KRFNH\ WRXUQDPHQW 0RQGD\ 24:44.10,  just  13  seconds  ahead  of  Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell Gordon  Vermeer  of  the  Craftsbury  Nordic  team  —  as  a  high  point  in  the  action.  There  were  also  many  others,  he  said: “Katharine  Ogden,  the  17-Âyear- By  ANDY  KIRKALDY we’ll  be  a  little  bit  mentally  more  prepared  tomor- from  just  inside  the  right-Âwing  circle. old  daughter  of  Middlebury  alumnus  MIDDLEBURY  —  The  young  Middlebury  URZ QLJKW ´ 7KHQ 08+6 WRRN FKDUJH ,Q WKH QH[W WKUHH PLQ- John  Ogden,  winning  the  women’s  Union  High  School  girls’  hockey  team  showed  on  The  Tigers  started  slowly  on  Monday,  and  goal- utes,  Tide  goalie  Morgan  Gosselin  (32  saves)  kept  race  both  days  against  some  really  Monday  both  why  the  Tigers  can  be  a  force  to  be  ie  Baily  Ryan  made  two  point-Âblank  saves  before  coming  up  big,  denying  Tully  Hescock,  Emma  high-Âquality  skiers;Íž  Paddy  Caldwell  (See  Hockey,  Page  2B) reckoned  with  after  moving  up  to  Division  I,  and  Ormsby  gave  the  Tide  the  lead  at  3:42  with  a  shot  winning  Sunday’s  15K  by  more  than  that  they  are  still  learning  on  the  job. a  minute;Íž  the  battle  between  Adam  ,Q WKH ÂżUVW URXQG RI WKH 7LJHUVÂś %XVWHU %UXVK Witkowski  and  Russell  Boswell  for  +ROLGD\ &ODVVLF WKH\ GRPLQDWHG WKH Ă€RZ RI WKH the  16-Âand-Âyounger  boys,  going  one- game  vs.  visiting  Spaulding  (3-Â2)  and  outshot  the  two  both  days,  with  Adam  winning  Tide,  35-Â19.  Saturday  and  Russell  Sunday‌ But  they  also  made  a  series  of  positioning  and  “Andy  Newell,  Paddy  Caldwell,  puck  management  errors  that  led  to  many  break- David  Sinclair,  Katharine  Ogden,  aways,  three  of  which  speedy  Jessica  Scott  con- (ULND )ORZHUV DQG -HQQLH %HQGHU DUH verted  on  the  way  to  a  four-Âgoal  night  that  sparked  all  national  level  skiers  who  raced  the  Tide  to  a  6-Â3  victory. and  were  pushed  by  the  Vermont  and  08+6 ZDV VHW WR IDFH 1RUWKÂżHOG RQ 1HZ (QJODQG FRQWLQJHQW ´ :LONHU- 7XHVGD\ LQ WKH ÂżQDO JDPH RI WKH WRXUQDPHQW 7KDW son  added. contest  was  played  after  the  early  deadline  for  this  In  addition  to  the  athletic  success,  edition  of  the  Independent. Wilkerson  said  the  economic  impact  The  Tigers  had  won  four  straight  coming  into  of  bringing  hundreds  to  Addison  Monday,  with  their  only  setback  being  their  open- County  during  an  off-Âpeak  time  was  HU DW 1RUWKÂżHOG 7KHLU SUHYLRXV RXWLQJ ZDV D being  evaluated. 7-Â1  win  on  Dec.  20  at  D-ÂI  foe  South  Burlington,  a  “The  initial  impressions  are  very  result  that  Co-Âcoach  Tim  Howlett  said  had  been  a  SRVLWLYH ´ KH VDLG Âł7KH KRVW KRWHO WKH step  forward.  Middlebury  Inn,  sold  74  room  nights  Howlett  acknowledged  Monday  was  a  hiccup  during  what  is  usually  considered  a  for  a  team  that  moved  to  D-ÂI  after  winning  the  ¾TXLHW ZHHNHQG ϫ D-ÂII  title  in  2014. He  credited  many  energetic  volun- “We’ve  been  on  a  progression,  games  one  teers  and  the  helpful  folks  at  the  ski  WKURXJK ÂżYH DQG LW VHHPHG OLNH DIWHU RXU ÂżIWK center  for  making  the  events  come  to- game,  South  Burlington,  we  really  looked  sharper  gether  nicely,  and  hopes  that  the  group  than  we  were  before.  The  puck  movement  was  will  bid  for  another  NENSA  event  JRRG WDSH WR WDSH SDVVHV ÂżQGLQJ HDFK RWKHU ´ QH[W VHDVRQ Âł2YHUDOO WKH ZHHNHQG Howlett  said.  “Tonight,  I  think  the  pace  they  ZDV D JUHDW VXFFHVV ´ :LONHUVRQ VDLG 6SDXOGLQJ EURXJKW WKRVH WZR H[SORVLYH JLUOV Results  for  the  races  below  include  (Scott)  and  11  (Julia  Ormsby,  who  recorded  a  goal  WKH ÂżUVW WKUHH SODFHV SOXV ÂżQLVK- and  an  assist),  just  rattled  them,  and  they  ended  up  ers  with  local  ties;Íž  SMS  is  Stratton  throwing  pucks  into  places  that  were  just  not  safe,  Mountain  School: DQG ZH JDYH XS ZD\ WRR PDQ\ EUHDNDZD\V ´ Men’s  10K  Classic  –  174  racers %XW +RZOHWW VDLG KH DOVR H[SHFWV WKH JDPH WR 1.  Andy  Newell,  24:44.10,  U.S.  Ski  EH D OHDUQLQJ H[SHULHQFH WKDW ZLOO KHOS WKH \RXQJ Team,  Shaftsbury. 2.  Gordon  Vermeer,  24:57.30,  Tigers  adapt  to  the  speed  of  D-ÂI  play.  Craftsbury  Nordic,  Craftsbury. “We’re  still  a  young  team.  We’re  still  trying  to  3.  David  Sinclair,  25:04.20,  Green  ¿JXUH WKLQJV RXW 7KLV ZDV D JRRG WDVWH RI ZKDW 0RXQWDLQ 9DOOH\ 6FKRRO :DLWVÂżHOG TIGER  JUNIOR  Emma  Best  controls  the  puck  after  a  faceoff  during  Monday’s  game  against  WKDW ' , OHYHO LV OLNH ´ +RZOHWW VDLG Âł6SDXOGLQJ 23.  Adam  Luban,  27:00.10,  Middle- Spaulding.  Middlebury  lost  the  game,  6-Â3. is  always  a  perennial  powerhouse  in  D-ÂI.  I  think  Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell (See  Nordic,  Page  3B)
Tigers  outshoot,  but  don’t  stem,  Tide
TIGER  JUNIOR  TYLER  Crowningshield  sets  up  a  play  during  Monday  night’s  game  against  Lake  Placid.  The  Tigers  lost  the  game,  4-Â0. Independent  photos/Trent  Campbell
MUHS  boys  sunk  by  Lake  Placid  Â
MIDDLEBURY  UNION  HIGH  School  junior  Jerry  Niemo  breaks  up  a  play  during  Monday’s  game  against  Lake  3ODFLG 7KH JDPH ZDV SDUW RI WKH )OHWFKHU ³%XVWHU´ %UXVK +ROLGD\ &ODVVLF
By  ANDY  KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY  —  Visiting  New  York  power  Lake  Placid  Central  on  Monday  defeated  the  Middlebury  Union  High  School  boys’  hockey  team,  4-Â0,  in  the  Tigers’  Buster Â
“That’s  why  we  have  Lake  Placid  over  here.  They’re  a  very  good  team,  YHU\ FRPSHWLWLYH ´ %DUWOHWW VDLG “We  want  to  see  teams  like  that  on  our  schedule  to  prepare  us  for  what  we  see  at  the  end  of  our  season,  get Â
Brush  Holiday  Classic,  but  Coach  Derek  Bartlett  was  not  unhappy  with  the  Tigers’  effort.  Bartlett  said  playing  teams  like  Lake  Placid  will  help  his  1-Â2-Â2  squad  down  the  road.
us  ready  to  play  in  those  tight  situa- WLRQV ´ The  Blue  Bombers  defeated  the  tournament’s  third  team,  Northeast- ern  Clinton  Central,  also  from  New  York,  9-Â0,  on  Saturday,  to  take  home Â
the  trophy.  The  Tigers  and  North- eastern  Clinton  were  set  to  meet  in  WKH HYHQWœV ¿QDO JDPH RQ 7XHVGD\ DI- ter  the  early  holiday  deadline  for  this  edition  of  the  Independent. (See  Tiger  boys,  Page  3B)