Berwick tops Vermont Academy 2-0

SAXTONS RIVER, VT –He only faced 17 shots, but Rafe Gaughan (Somersworth, NH) made the big saves when the Bulldogs needed them most last night. With forty seconds remaining, Gaughan made a blocker save on a screened shot then kicked aside the point blank rebound to hang onto the shutout. Gaughan played like he had something to prove, perhaps because he was facing off with Dylan Regan, who carried the highest saves percentage in New England heading into the game.

 

Just three minutes into the game, Vermont handed Berwick a 5-on-3 advantage, and the Bulldogs cashed in.  Greg Stohrer (Barrington, NH) dug the puck out from behind Vermont’s cage and got it over to Tyler Gaulin (Kingston, NH) who found Tanner Derby (Newburyport, MA) in the high slot. Derby used Jackson Sidford’s (Newburyport, MA) screen to rip one top shelf past the helpless Regan. Four minutes into the second, Berwick found themselves on the other side of the ref’s whistle. Down 5-on-4, the Berwick forecheck forced an errant Vermont pass that went for an icing. Tyler Gaulin earned a rare faceoff win, and a clean one at that, right onto the stick of Zander Lizotte (Scarborough, ME) who caught and fired from 45 feet at the upper half of the net. Greg Stohrer redirected the puck down and through Regan’s five-hole for the demoralizing shorthanded goal. It was Stohrer’s second shorty in three games, and provided Berwick with all the insurance it would need down the stretch. Berwick will look to ride this momentum into Lakes Region road matchups next week with Holderness and Brewster.