Hanover boys hockey continues to roll with win over Trinity

GOFFSTOWN – The Hanover High School boys hockey team just keeps piling up wins. The Marauders led wire-to-wire en route to their 4-1 victory over Trinity Saturday at Sullivan Arena.

The triumph marked Hanover’s fifth straight and seventh over its last eight contests.

Hanover junior forward David Lehmann scored on a penalty shot with 25.9 seconds left in the first period to open the game’s scoring.

“I think, for us, it was big just because it was 0-0 to that point. … That really, I think, gave us a lot of energy and charged our motors,” Hanover coach Dick Dodds said.

The Marauders (7-3) extended their lead to 3-1 entering the third frame. Hanover senior captain Patrick Logan capped the game’s scoring 2:45 into the third period.

Jake Acker built a 2-0 Hanover lead just 25 seconds into the second stanza when he went top shelf on Trinity goaltender Ethan Messner (38 saves). Acker’s goal marked Hanover’s first shot of the period.

“We were really confident,” Lehmann said of the Marauders’ mood after Acker’s tally. “It just kept momentum going and I think that led to a great second period.”

Freshman Owen Stadheim built a brief 3-0 Hanover advantage when he scored with 4:38 remaining in the second. The goal was the first of the season for Stadheim, who leads the Marauders in assists.

The Pioneers (1-8-1) answered less than two minutes later with a goal from Tyler Chipman, who went top shelf on Hanover netminder Gabe Loud (14 saves).

The Marauders could have had a larger cushion entering the third period had it not been for heads-up goaltending by Messner. The Trinity sophomore stuffed both Stadheim and Logan on breakaway shots before Stadheim’s tally.

“There were some streaks where I thought we were getting back into it and then we kind of went back into our shell,” Trinity coach Mike Connell said. “No excuses for that. We just need to do a better job of getting prepared.”

The Marauders outshot Trinity, 42-15. The Pioneers were limited to six shots on goal or fewer in each period while Hanover logged at least 11 in each frame.

“We were just laying back a little bit too much (Saturday),” Connell said.

Dodds credited Hanover’s recent unbeaten stretch to his players’ effort and passion for the game. The Marauders will look to log their sixth straight win at Pinkerton Academy (7-2) on Wednesday.

“It’s a good time to have a five-game winning streak but it’d be a little bit better to have it in March,” Dodds said.