Berwick notches big win over talented St. George’s squad

MIDDLETOWN, RI - In desperate need of a win on Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs turned to junior goalie Crosby Smith (South Berwick, ME) and Smith answered the bell. While the first two periods did not exactly go as planned, Smith slammed the door shut in the third to earn the dog collar. St. George’s led 2-0 after one on two second-chance efforts, the second coming on the power play. The Bulldogs had their share of opportunities, but would have to wait until the second to cash in. 

 

Just nineteen seconds into the second period, Tyler Gaulin (Kingston, NH) picked off a pass in the neutral zone before racing wide on the entry and hitting Carson James (Falmouth, ME) for a backdoor tap-in. Less than five minutes later, the Bulldogs earned a power play and halfway through it Chris Dowd (Danville, NH) took a pass from Paddy Condon (South Berwick, ME) before walking right down Broadway and beating the goalie post-and-in on the far side. St. George’s matched with two more quick tallies, but Berwick responded in a big way before the period ended. Mason Alderson-Biddulph (London, GBR) stayed hot, cashing in on a backhand after setup efforts from Carson James and Michael O’Brien (Chester, NH). It was Brock James (Falmouth, ME), however, who sucked all the life out of St. George’s, as James hammered home a cross-crease one-timer off a Nick McSorley (Biddeford, ME) backhand feed.

 

Both teams traded chances in the third before Tyler Gaulin cashed in with just over a minute remaining. Alderson-Biddulph put one on a tee for Gaulin who crushed a one-timer through the tender’s five-hole. Berwick kept the puck in the St. George’s end for the next twenty seconds before the home team was finally able to pull the goalie. A strong back checking effort by Gaulin led to a turnover and a footrace that Carson James won with ease before depositing the puck into the empty net and sealing the win. It was a much needed win for the Bulldogs that was full of strong forechecking, opportunistic special teams play, and contributions from all over the lineup. The Bulldogs will need a similar effort when they head up to Hebron on Wednesday this week.