By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
Here’s one thing that should be clear to Division I boys hockey coaches: No lead is safe against Bishop Guertin this season.
Four days after BG scored three short-handed goals during the same power play to defeat Exeter, 3-2 in overtime, the Cardinals overcame a one-goal deficit with less than seven minutes to play to beat Concord, 3-1, Saturday.
“A little bit of luck and a little bit of hard work,” BG coach Gary Bishop told the Nashua Telegraph.
The game featured the only unbeaten teams in Division I, and the two teams many expect to play for this year’s Division I title.
Concord grabbed a 1-0 lead when Jack Mullen scored with 1:54 left in the second period.
BG’s comeback began when Brian Bottari tied the contest with 6:22 left in regulation.
Sophomore Brad Cunningham handed the Cardinals a 2-1 lead when he scored a power-play goal with 2:13 to play, and Sean White added an empty-net goal after Concord coach Duncan Walsh pulled goaltender Andrew Proulx (23 saves) for an extra forward.
“It’s a bummer (because) I thought we played pretty well, but we just kind of let it slip away,” Walsh said.
The loss dropped Concord’s record to 6-1. BG, which has won the last two Division I titles, improved to 5-0.
Cunningham’s game-winning goal came on BG’s third power play in the final period. It was BG’s only goal in six power-play opportunities.
The Cardinals received 23 saves from Dave O’Brien, who stopped a penalty shot in the second period.
“This was definitely our toughest game of the season,” Cunningham said. “It’s a big win.”
Postseason: NHIAA Alters Tournaments
The postseason basketball tournaments will have a different look this season. In a move related to budgetary concerns, the NHIAA has limited neutral-site locations for the boys and girls basketball tournaments to the final two rounds (semifinals and championship game).
In past years the quarterfinals for all classes in both sports were played on a neutral court. In some cases, like the Class L girls basketball tournament, all four quarterfinal games were played at one location (Southern New Hampshire University) in one day.
Under the new format, teams that earn one of the top four seeds could each play two home games before hitting the road for the semifinals. The move places more emphasis on the regular season, but many coaches and athletic directors prefer the old format.
“Unfortunately it has all come down to financial considerations,” Campbell athletic director Dan Kiestlinger said. “It really hit home for me when we got the tournament schedules in the mail.”
Boys Basketball: Exeter Among Unbeatens
The season is still young, but the number of undefeated boys basketball teams in the state has been whittled to 10: Exeter (5-0), Trinity (5-0), Central (5-0), Pembroke Academy (7-0), Campbell (4-0), Stevens (4-0), Groveton (6-0), Lisbon (5-0), Moultonborough (4-0) and Nute (4-0).
Four of the 10 – Groveton, Lisbon, Moultonborough and Nute – compete in Class S, New Hampshire’s smallest division.
The biggest surprise thus far may be Exeter, which has received significant contributions from freshman guard Mike Thorpe, a transfer from Florida. Thorpe scored a team-high 14 points in Exeter’s 58-44 triumph over Nashua South on Friday night.
This week’s top game will take place in Class L on Friday, when Exeter travels to Trinity.
