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Mighty Rice trailed for just the second time this season when South Burlington struck first in the opening period of Thursday's Division I high school boys hockey championship game.
That deficit lasted a mere 31 seconds.
Rice also surrendered a third-period lead when Lucas Van Mullen's turnaround laser leveled the contest with 10 minutes, 45 seconds to play.
But the team that ran circles around its competition all winter also showed its grit with everything at stake and overtime looming.
Oliver Quong's rebound tally with 1:22 left broke a deadlock as No. 1 Rice outlasted third-seeded South Burlington, 4-2, at Gutterson Fieldhouse, seizing the second of back-to-back crowns and Division I's first perfect season in 21 years.
One year after claiming their first title since 1995, the Green Knights outscored opponents 136-17 in a 23-0 campaign. They played just two games decided by one goal and Thursday was nearly a third before one final tally with 3 seconds to go.
"Best coaches, best team ever," said Quong, who also scored the game-winner in last year's title-game win over South Burlington. "We knew we could do it, we knew we had the team for it — we just put it together and got it done."
Rice coach Justin Martin said the undefeated season "hasn't really sunk in yet."
"It’s a very special group. They care about each other, they love to compete and they are about as coachable as any group I’ve had at the high school level," Martin said. "We were afraid to talk about (the perfect season) for a while and now that it’s finally here, I can’t honestly believe it."
Quong finished with two goals and two assists. Tyler Russo also had two tallies to go with a helper while Baylor Lamos (three assists) and Brendan Patterson (two assists) helped Rice figure out a determined South Burlington side that executed coach Sean Jones' game plan.
"Couldn’t ask more of these guys. This Rice team is super-talented top to bottom. We knew we were going to have to be on our game," Jones said. "We knew we were going to have to play really simple hockey. I think we put ourselves where we wanted to be and got into good position to win. The better team won."
Van Mullen had both of South Burlington's goals, with assists to Colby Reagan, Christian Butler, Ryan Audibert and Drew Dougherty. The Wolves (16-7), who gave up 11 combined goals in the two regular-season losses to Rice, focused on keeping Rice's quick skaters to the outside "as much as possible," Jones said.
"That worked well for a while," Jones said.
Martin: "Everything was a struggle to get pucks through."
To start the game, Van Mullen finished Butler's back pass in front of net for a 1-0 lead 2:35 in. Russo knotted the game 31 seconds later, banging a rebound off a South Burlington defenseman and into the back of the net.
Late in the second period, Rice's Patterson and Quong struck on a beautiful connection. Patterson delivered a two-line pass right on the tape for Quong, who went short side for the 2-1 margin.
Van Mullen supplied the tying goal early in the third. The senior whipped around from the left faceoff area, his rocket nipping the crossbar on its way into the net.
"I think the world of him as a player. He’s an unbelievable athlete and competitor," Martin said of Van Mullen. "Coach Jones had those kids going."
South Burlington freshman goalie Alex Chagnon piled up 24 stops, including nine in the final frame to keep the game even. But Rice was relentless in the lead up to the game-winner, and Quong wiggled free on a rebound chance, sliding the puck inside the left post.
"It just feels great to know you have a whole team on your back," Quong said. "We just worked so hard this season to win this game."
Quong then assisted Russo on the fourth goal for the exclamation on a perfect season.
"We haven’t had a ton of pressure so it’s interesting to see how the group would respond when it gets to be a pressure-cooker," Martin said. "We were on the good side of a bounce again this year. That’s two years in a row."
Henry Monaghan turned back 20 saves for his second consecutive championship win in net for Rice.
Contact Alex Abrami at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
Dec. 14: 5-1 over Spaulding
Dec. 18: 7-1 over Colchester
Dec. 21: 6-2 over Clinton (N.Y.)
Dec. 28: 2-1 over Saranac (N.Y.)
Dec. 31: 4-0 over BFA-St. Albans
Jan. 4: 5-0 over Missisquoi
Jan. 8: 9-0 over Hartford
Jan. 11: 8-2 over Burr and Burton
Jan. 18: 10-0 over Northeastern Clinton (N.Y.)
Jan. 22: 1-0 over Colchester
Jan. 25: 5-1 over South Burlington
Jan. 29: 3-1 over Rutland
Feb. 1: 4-3 over Essex (OT)
Feb. 5: 8-0 over Champlain Valley
Feb. 8: 6-1 over Middlebury
Feb. 12: 9-0 over BFA-St. Albans
Feb. 15: 6-3 over South Burlington
Feb. 19: 11-1 over Colchester
Feb. 22: 3-0 over Essex
Feb. 26: 5-0 over Champlain Valley
March 5: 11-0 over Burlington (quarterfinals)
March 8: 5-0 over Mount Mansfield (semifinals)
March 13: 4-2 over South Burlington (championship)
Total goals scored: 137
Total goals conceded: 17
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont high school boys hockey: Rice edges South Burlington
Continue reading...
That deficit lasted a mere 31 seconds.
Rice also surrendered a third-period lead when Lucas Van Mullen's turnaround laser leveled the contest with 10 minutes, 45 seconds to play.
But the team that ran circles around its competition all winter also showed its grit with everything at stake and overtime looming.
Oliver Quong's rebound tally with 1:22 left broke a deadlock as No. 1 Rice outlasted third-seeded South Burlington, 4-2, at Gutterson Fieldhouse, seizing the second of back-to-back crowns and Division I's first perfect season in 21 years.
One year after claiming their first title since 1995, the Green Knights outscored opponents 136-17 in a 23-0 campaign. They played just two games decided by one goal and Thursday was nearly a third before one final tally with 3 seconds to go.
"Best coaches, best team ever," said Quong, who also scored the game-winner in last year's title-game win over South Burlington. "We knew we could do it, we knew we had the team for it — we just put it together and got it done."
Rice coach Justin Martin said the undefeated season "hasn't really sunk in yet."
"It’s a very special group. They care about each other, they love to compete and they are about as coachable as any group I’ve had at the high school level," Martin said. "We were afraid to talk about (the perfect season) for a while and now that it’s finally here, I can’t honestly believe it."
Quong finished with two goals and two assists. Tyler Russo also had two tallies to go with a helper while Baylor Lamos (three assists) and Brendan Patterson (two assists) helped Rice figure out a determined South Burlington side that executed coach Sean Jones' game plan.
"Couldn’t ask more of these guys. This Rice team is super-talented top to bottom. We knew we were going to have to be on our game," Jones said. "We knew we were going to have to play really simple hockey. I think we put ourselves where we wanted to be and got into good position to win. The better team won."
Van Mullen had both of South Burlington's goals, with assists to Colby Reagan, Christian Butler, Ryan Audibert and Drew Dougherty. The Wolves (16-7), who gave up 11 combined goals in the two regular-season losses to Rice, focused on keeping Rice's quick skaters to the outside "as much as possible," Jones said.
"That worked well for a while," Jones said.
Martin: "Everything was a struggle to get pucks through."
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To start the game, Van Mullen finished Butler's back pass in front of net for a 1-0 lead 2:35 in. Russo knotted the game 31 seconds later, banging a rebound off a South Burlington defenseman and into the back of the net.
Late in the second period, Rice's Patterson and Quong struck on a beautiful connection. Patterson delivered a two-line pass right on the tape for Quong, who went short side for the 2-1 margin.
Van Mullen supplied the tying goal early in the third. The senior whipped around from the left faceoff area, his rocket nipping the crossbar on its way into the net.
"I think the world of him as a player. He’s an unbelievable athlete and competitor," Martin said of Van Mullen. "Coach Jones had those kids going."
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South Burlington freshman goalie Alex Chagnon piled up 24 stops, including nine in the final frame to keep the game even. But Rice was relentless in the lead up to the game-winner, and Quong wiggled free on a rebound chance, sliding the puck inside the left post.
"It just feels great to know you have a whole team on your back," Quong said. "We just worked so hard this season to win this game."
Quong then assisted Russo on the fourth goal for the exclamation on a perfect season.
"We haven’t had a ton of pressure so it’s interesting to see how the group would respond when it gets to be a pressure-cooker," Martin said. "We were on the good side of a bounce again this year. That’s two years in a row."
Henry Monaghan turned back 20 saves for his second consecutive championship win in net for Rice.
Contact Alex Abrami at [email protected]. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
Rice boys hockey's perfect season
Dec. 14: 5-1 over Spaulding
Dec. 18: 7-1 over Colchester
Dec. 21: 6-2 over Clinton (N.Y.)
Dec. 28: 2-1 over Saranac (N.Y.)
Dec. 31: 4-0 over BFA-St. Albans
Jan. 4: 5-0 over Missisquoi
Jan. 8: 9-0 over Hartford
Jan. 11: 8-2 over Burr and Burton
Jan. 18: 10-0 over Northeastern Clinton (N.Y.)
Jan. 22: 1-0 over Colchester
Jan. 25: 5-1 over South Burlington
Jan. 29: 3-1 over Rutland
Feb. 1: 4-3 over Essex (OT)
Feb. 5: 8-0 over Champlain Valley
Feb. 8: 6-1 over Middlebury
Feb. 12: 9-0 over BFA-St. Albans
Feb. 15: 6-3 over South Burlington
Feb. 19: 11-1 over Colchester
Feb. 22: 3-0 over Essex
Feb. 26: 5-0 over Champlain Valley
March 5: 11-0 over Burlington (quarterfinals)
March 8: 5-0 over Mount Mansfield (semifinals)
March 13: 4-2 over South Burlington (championship)
Total goals scored: 137
Total goals conceded: 17
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont high school boys hockey: Rice edges South Burlington
Continue reading...
