Kennett boys hockey blanks Berlin-Gorham to win D3 championship

MANCHESTER – The Kennett High School boys hockey team has been able to control the third period this season.

So when the top-seeded Eagles scored late in the second period of Saturday’s Division III championship game to take a two-goal lead over No. 3 Berlin-Gorham, coach Mike Lane felt his team was in great shape.

He was right.

Kennett added two more goals in the third and sailed to the program’s first title in four years with a 4-0 win over the Mountaineers at SNHU Arena in Manchester.

“So proud of this team, we pushed them really hard all year,” Lane said. “We pushed these kids real hard this season and we battled through some injuries in the middle of the season that affected us. The kids persevered and what a way to wrap it up.”

Caleb McPherson scored the first two goals for the Eagles (18-3) and Connor Doucet added the other two, including an empty-net goal with 1:13 left, as the Kennett won its first title since 2012.

Anthony Graziano, Connor Furtado and Mackenzie Murphy each had an assist for the Eagles and John Biggio made 17 saves. But although Kennett was limiting the Mountaineers’ chances, it was a one-goal game late into the second period, when McPherson changed it.

Berlin-Gorham (16-4-1) had put together some momentum, thanks in part to two Kennett penalties, and had its greatest threat against the Eagles’ defense to that point. But an icing call against the Mountaineers put the faceoff at the other end, and Kennett capitalized.

“Right before that shift, coach said ‘I want a good shift from you guys,’ and I said ‘Coach, I’m gonna go score for you,’ ” McPherson said. “We won the faceoff, we got the puck low and I remember the rebound coming out and I hesitated. The defender next to me fell down and I just let it rip. I shot it low to maybe get a rebound, but it went into the back of the net. It was amazing.”

That tally with 1:23 left in the second made it 2-0, and swung momentum back in Kennett’s favor.

“That was huge because in the second period, we got out of our game,” Lane said. “We weren’t grinding down low and they took the momentum back. There were a couple of penalties that weren’t good.

“They had all the momentum so to get that going into the dressing room, we’re a third-period team. We’re one of the few Division III teams that plays three lines and we key on that third period. Getting that two-goal lead going into the third was huge.”

Doucet put the game away for the Eagles, scoring on a breakaway against Berlin-Gorham goalie Trent Labrecque (25 saves) with 5:59 remaining, and then adding an empty-netter with 1:13 to play.

“We just grinded the whole game, we got the puck low and just grinded that team to the bottom,” McPherson said. “We’ve just dreamed of this moment. It’s so amazing.”