Spaulding wrestler earns 100th victory
Toolbox
Staff Report - Published: December 7, 2008
BARRE – The Spaulding wrestling team started its season on the right foot Saturday by winning three out of their four matches during the annual North/South Duals.
The big stories of the day were Kyle Edmonds' 100th victory for Spaulding and the Crimson Tide's ability to stay close with Mount Anthony, the 20-time defending Vermont state champion. The Crimson Tide held the Patriots to 40 points and tallied 28 of their own in the loss. During the match against Mount Anthony, Spaulding was forced to forfeit in four of the 14 weight classes. Of the 10 contested matches, Spaulding wrestlers were able to tally five victories (at weight classes of 125, 130, 140, 145 and 189 pounds.)
In the 145-pound match, Spaulding junior Evan Bilodeau scored a major decision against Mount Anthony to earn a surprise 11-1 victory.
"He's a junior coming off a sub-.500 season, so he needed a good start," Spaulding coach Dave Fournier said of Bilodeau.
Edmonds went 3-1 on the day, winning 119-pound matches against Otter Valley, Rutland and Fair Haven opponents. Two of Edmonds' three victories were by virtue of pins.
"It's great for Kyle to get his 100th win," Fournier said. "He's a senior and he's been wrestling since about fifth grade."
Other highlights for Spaulding included the efforts of Damian Mason (3-1, one pin at 125 pounds), Zach Rillo (4-0, three pins at 130 pounds), Tyler Cleveland (2-2 at 135 pounds), Brett Tremblay (3-1, two pins at 140 pounds), Evan Bilodeau (3-1 at 145 pounds), Steve Rich (4-0, three pins at 160 pounds), Bryant Cleveland (2-2 at 171 pounds), Reuben Stone (4-0, two pins at 189 pounds), Adam Reed (3-1, two pins at 215 pounds) and Ken Demingware (3-1, three pins at 285 pounds.)
Spaulding will host St. Johnsbury and Milton at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
"We're very senior-laden this year," Fournier said. "This is a make-or-break year."
GIRLS ICE HOCKEY
Harwood 4, Northfield 3
NORTHFIELD – Harwood's Anna Martini scored the game-winning goal with two minutes left in overtime to help the Highlanders secure a 4-3 girls ice hockey victory over Northfield on Saturday.
Harwood's Kelsey Lacroix scored two goals and teammate Sarah Moore scored one. The Marauders' Grace Amber scored two goals and teammate Olivia Drown also found the back of the net.
"It was a really good game," Northfield coach Doug MacDougall said. "Harwood played very well. It was an evenly matched game."
Harwood goalie Rand Lowe made 17 saves, while Northfield keeper Steph Morban made 27 saves. The Highlanders (2-0) will host Missisquoi on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Spaulding 3, Burlington 0
BARRE – The Spaulding girls hockey team earned another shutout victory on Saturday by blanking Burlington 3-0.
The Crimson Tides' Alicia Laquerre opened the scoring 17 seconds into the second period with a nice shot past Burlington goalie Eileen Gomez. Laquerre's goal fired up the crowd, especially the Crimson Crazies, and teammate Cassie Ross doubled the lead shortly afterwards on assists from Nicolette Gosselin and Julie Morris.
Burlington offense increased the pressure as the game went on and managed to keep the puck in the Tide's defensive territory for several long stretches. Spaulding refused to fold under the pressure, and Laquerre managed to add an insurance goal 6:17 into the final period.
"It was a good effort tonight," Spaulding coach Dave Lamarre said. "It's great to have two shutouts in a row. We've been working on our breakouts and have capitalized on our abilities."
The game was quite clean overall, with only two penalties called for minor infractions.
Crimson Tide keeper Courtney Grenier fended off 15 shots while Burlington's Gomez made 14 saves.
Spaulding improves to 2-0 and will host South Burlington on Wednesday.
BOYS ICE HOCKEY
St. Johnsbury 5, Northfield 3
NORTHFIELD – St. Johnsbury goalie Daniel Trombley made 50 saves Saturday to key the Hilltoppers' 5-3 boys hockey victory over Northfield.
Dylan Estabrooks and Cole Hunter (two assists) each scored two goals in the victory and teammate Dylan Rutledge also scored. Jake Young tallied one goal and one assist for the Marauders, while teammates Josh Bell and Jerry Passalaqua also found the back of the net.
Goalie Ben Albury made eight saves for Northfield, which falls to 1-1 and will travel to Montpelier at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
GIRLS BASKETBALL
Williamstown 41, Twinfield 38
WLLIAMSTOWN – Emma Lamson scored a team-high 11 points for Williamstown in Saturday's 41-38 girls basketball victory over Twinfield.
Brittany Martin contributed eight points for the Blue Devils, who trailed by one point entering the final quarter. Betsy Martin scored 11 points for the Trojans and teammate Jessica Hurlburt added 10 points.
Williamstown 41, Twinfield 38
TWINFIELD (38)
Becca Chodorkoff 1 0-0 2, Kayla Potter 0 1 3-3 6, Jessica Hurlburt 4 2-3 10, Mallorie Lyford 1 0-0 2, Dannika Dabrowski 2 0-0 4, Betsy Martin 1 3 0-0 11, Marissa Hurlburt 1 0-0 2, Krysten Leclerc 0 0-0 0, Jocelyn Batchelder 0 1-2 1. Totals 10 4 8-14 38.
WILLIAMSTOWN (41)
Sarah Bailey 2 0-0 4, Erin Saldi 1 0-0 2, Stephanie Manwaring 1 0-0 2, Brittany Farnham 0 1 0-0 3, Kristen Brown 1 0-0 2, Bethany Carrier 1 0-0 2, Brittany Martin 3 2-6 8, Emma Lamson 2 1 0-0 11, Carlie Lasard 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 2 5-12 41.
Williamstown 8 9 11 13 – 41
Twinfield 7 10 12 9 – 38
Three-pointers: T – Kayla Potter, Betsy Martin (3). W – Brittany Farnham, Emma Lamson. Fouled out: None.
Burlington 80, Rutland 57
BURLINGTON – The Rutland Raiders kept pace with the defending Division I champion Burlington Seahorses for three periods but the depth, balance and potency of the Seahorses finally wore down the Raiders in the fourth period on the way to an 80-57 victory on Saturday.
Burlington held a 51-43 lead going into the final session but the Seahorses outscored the Raiders 29-14 in the fourth period to post their second consecutive victory.
Fresh from a 40-point licking Burlington administered to Essex, the Seahorses reeled off 11 straight points to shock the Raiders at the onset.
But the Raiders fended off the intial spurt and fought back to narrow the gap to 31-25 at the half.
Burlington shot well from the floor but really cashed in from the foul line, meshing 18-for-22 as opposed to Rutland which shot a good percentage (5-for-8) but was limited in opportunity.
A quintet of Seahorses notched double-digits led by guard Shane Norris' 20. Joe O'Shea added 15, including nine in the second half, while Clancy Rugg chipped in 14, Kevin Cherry 12 and James Hale 11.
Senior forward Mark Comstock paced the Raiders with 17 points, including a 3, while Cedric White contributed 14 and sophomore Troy Davine added 11. The Raiders return to action Friday against Essex in the first round of the North-South Challenge.
BFA-St. Albans 66, Rutland 48
ST. ALBANS – Division I powerhouse BFA-St. Albans opened the girls basketball season with a victory over Rutland High School, with Tiffany Johnson tossing in 20 points to lead the way.
The Bobwhites jumped out to an early lead and held it, while the Raiders stayed close with a smaller lineup and shorter bench than coach Tom Geisler expects to have this season. BFA had an eight-point lead at halftime.
The Raiders, down to 10 players (two players were out due to recent illness and injury), piled up 21 steals and were outscored by only 32-27 in the middle periods by a team that went undefeated last year until the state finals.
Meghan Blongy led Rutland with 18 points and Liz Douglass had 13 points and seven steals. Meghan Ballard, the first freshman to start in Geisler's tenure at Rutland, had five points and six rebounds.
Cole Lawton added 16 points for BFA.
Rochester 50, Proctor 23
LUDLOW – The Rochester Rockets led virtually wire-to-wire to capture the consolation game of the Black River Tournament.
Daley Crowley paced the 1-1 Rockets with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Madori Cruikshank added 10 points for Rochester. Rochester returns to action Tuesday against Blue Mountain in Wells River.
Mount Anthony 53, Thetford 40
BENNINGTON – The defending Division I champion Mount Anthony Patriots successfully opened their season by leading wire-to-wire and whipped Thetford Academy in a nonleague game.
Captain Becca Skepowicz showed the way for the Pats with 13 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman Abby Iannotti made her presence felt by tossing in 11 points and snaring 15 boards, while senior Bree Ripley helped out on the glass with 11 caroms.
Thetford was paced by Caitlin Roberts with 15 points.
BOYS BASKETBALL
Danville 50, Cabot 42
DANVILLE – Patrick Rainville led a balanced Danville squad with 12 points in Saturday's 50-42 boys basketball victory over Cabot.
John Maxfield scored 10 points for the Huskies, who trailed by four points heading into the final quarter.
"It was a really close game and it came right down to the end, but we had to foul to try and keep it close," Cabot coach Raymond Bothfeld said.
Danville improves to 2-0, while Cabot falls to 0-1 and will travel to play the United Christian Academy on Saturday.
Danville 50, Cabot 42
CABOT (42)
Mike King 2 1 0-0 7, John Maxfield 2 1 3-5 10, Braden Billings 1 1-1 3, Robert Lanpher 1 0-0 2, Trevor Bannister 2 1-2 5, Shane Bathelon 3 0-0 6, Hakon Hanson 0 1 6-6 9. Totals 11 3 11-14 42.
DANVILLE (50)
Scott Remmick 3 0-0 6, Tony Burrington 1 1-2 3, Patrick Rainville 4 4-6 12, Chris Elliot 2 5-6 9, Matt Chamberlain 3 1-4 7, Richie Benoit 2 0-6 4, Andrew Coutu 4 1-2 9. Totals 19 12-26 50.
Cabot 15 7 9 11 – 42
Danville 18 7 10 15 – 50
Three-pointers: C – King, Maxfield, Hanson. D – None. Fouled out: C – Bathelon, Billings, Maxfield. D – Benoit.
MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Northfield 73, St. Joseph's 51
NORTHFIELD – Jaren Jeffcoat scored a game-high 20 points and Mike Filipek registered a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds as the Norwich University men's basketball team defeated St. Joseph's of Vermont 73-51 on Saturday.
Robert Thurman added 11 points for the Cadets, who improve to 2-5 and advance to today's Ed Hockenbury Classic title game. Tim Fico played a solid floor game for Norwich, scoring seven points and dishing out a game-high seven assists.
The Cadets started out strong, opening up a 17-9 lead at the 11:48 mark of the first half. Two baskets by Thurman started the run, and a pair of Jeffcoat three-pointers helped the Cadets build an eight-point advantage. A 7-3 spurt by St. Joseph's helped the Saints pull to within four points with 6:24 to play before halftime.
The Cadets rattled off a 12-2 run to take their largest lead of the half at 32-17 with less than two minutes to play in the half, but the Saints closed the stanza on an 11-5 run to trim NU's lead to 37-28.
Thurman and Jeffcoat each scored 10 points apiece in the first half to pace the Cadets. Tyler Harrington led all scorers in the opening frame with 12 points for the Saints.
Norwich opened the second half on a 14-2 run to establish a 51-30 lead at the 13:07 mark. The Cadets' lead swelled to as many as 27 points later in the stanza and they were never challenged down the stretch.
The Cadets shot 45.0 percent from the field, while the Saints made 21.9 percent of their shots. Norwich, which held a 54-37 edge in rebounds, will play Colby-Sawyer in today's Ed Hockenbury title game at 3 p.m.
Colby-Sawyer 85, Worcester State 72
NORTHFIELD – Matt Lemieux scored 23 points and dished out a game-high nine assists and Will Bardaglio scored 16 points as Colby-Sawyer defeated Worcester State 85-72 in Saturday's first round of the 2008 Ed Hockenbury Classic Saturday.
The Chargers (4-2) move into today's tournament championship game, where they will face Norwich at 3 p.m.
Spaulding graduate Jon Chaloux added 12 points for CSC, while teammates David Rosso and Duncan Szeliga each added 11 apiece.
Worcester State (2-4) was paced by Maurice Horton, who scored a game-high 33 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds before fouling out in the second half. Patrick Hamilton added 11 points for the Lancers.
Worcester State started fast, opening up a 19-9 lead at the 11:30 mark of the first half. Colby-Sawyer responded with a 17-4 run to edge in front 26-23 with 7:31 to play in the opening 20 minutes. Three free throws pulled the Lancers even at 266 moments later, but CSC ended the first half on a 14-4 spurt to take a 40-30 lead into halftime.
The Chargers continued to increase their lead in the opening minutes of the second half, opening the second stanza on a 15-7 run to go ahead 55-37 at the 15:15 mark. CSC's lead never dipped below 11 points the rest of the way as they cruised to the victory.
Southern Maine Tech 78, Vermont Tech 50
PORTLAND, Maine – Coleman Finley scored a team-high 23 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to lead Southern Maine Technical College to Saturday's 78-50 men's college basketball victory.
Sean Smith scored 14 points and Michael Nowland added 13 points for the Green Knights, who fall to 4-3 and will travel to play Central Maine Tech today.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
St. Lawrence 74, Norwich 68
NORTHFIELD – Katherine Edgerton scored a team-high 16 points to lead a quintet of Saints in double-figures as the St. Lawrence women's basketball team defeated Norwich 74-68 in Saturday's championship game of the 2008 Ed Hockenbury Classic.
Abby Stanton and Katie Palmer each chipped in with 13 points for the Saints, who improve to 4-2. Jenna Krzemien and Lauren Sischo each scored 10 points apiece, rounding out the Saints' list of double-figure scorers.
Norwich was led by Tara Stevenson, who scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed five rebounds. Laurel McWilliams added 13 points for the Cadets, while Ally Daniels chipped in 10 points.
St. Lawrence played a nearly flawless first half, shooting a blistering 61.5 percent from the floor en route to a 37-21 halftime lead.
The Saints opened the game by scoring the first nine points and they led 14-4 at the 14:30 mark. Three straight baskets by the Cadets closed the gap to 14-10 at the 10:29 mark, but a 7-2 St. Lawrence spurt gave the visitors a 21-12 edge with 9:04 to play in the half. Norwich cut its deficit to 21-15 at the 7:17 mark, but St. Lawrence reeled off a 14-0 run to take its largest lead of the half at 35-15 with 2:09 on the first half clock.
Norwich (4-2) shot 32.0 percent from the field in the first half and committed 14 turnovers.
The Cadets stormed out of the locker room and began the second half on a 24-13 run to pull to within 50-45 at the 6:41 mark. St. Lawrence responded with an 11-4 spurt to take a 61-49 lead with just under four minutes to play. Norwich refused to go away, using a 7-0 burst to cut the Saints' lead to 61-56 with 2:35 to play. That was as close as the Cadets got, as St. Lawrence hit its free throws down the stretch.
Norwich shot 53.1 percent from the floor in the second half, while St. Lawrence cooled off and shot 36.8 percent. The Cadets held a 35-25 rebounding edge for the game.
Daniels and Stevenson represented Norwich on the all-tournament team. The rest of the all-tournament team was made up of Sicsho, Maine Maritime's Kelsi Eiane and Maine-Machias' Briann Emery. Palmer was selected as the tournament's most valuable player.
Norwich will host in-state rival Johnson State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Southern Maine Tech 77, Vermont Tech 38
SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine – Stacey Corey of West Rutland scored 13 points for Vermont Technical College in Saturday's 77-38 loss against Southern Maine Technical College in women's college basketball action.
Eliza Wakefield of Danville scored 12 points and had 17 rebounds in the loss for VTC. The high scorer for SMTC, which led 35-17 at half, was Rachel del Camp (22 points). Vermont Tech falls to 3-3 and will travel to play Central Maine Technical College today.
WOMEN'S COLLEGE HOCKEY
UMass-Boston 3, Norwich 2
BOSTON, Mass. – Kelsey Cone and Julie Fortier each scored goals for Norwich, but it was not enough as the Cadets suffered a 3-2 loss to ECAC East rival UMass-Boston in Saturday's women's college hockey action.
The Cadets (4-5-0 overall, 4-3-0 ECAC East) got on the scoreboard first when Cone scored at 12:56 of the first period off assists from Melissa Rundlett and Caitie Banfield. Norwich outshot UMass-Boston 18-1 in the opening 20 minutes, but the Cadets could not add to their lead and settled for a 1-0 lead after the first frame.
UMass-Boston (6-1-1 overall, 5-1-1 ECAC East) seized control of the game in the second period by scoring three goals in a span of 4:39. Maria Nasta tied the score at 1 with a power-play goal at the 7:30 mark. Lauren Duran put the Beacons on top 2-1 with an even-strength goal at the 10:55 mark. UMass-Boston added to its lead 14 seconds later when Kelly Gillis scored at the 11:09 mark to put the Beacons in front 3-1.
The Beacons thoroughly dominated the second period, outshooting the Cadets 18-6.
Norwich closed the gap to 3-2 early in the third period when Fortier scored her team-leading ninth goal of the year off an assist from Sophie Leclerc at the 4:22 mark. The Cadets held a 15-4 edge in shots in the final frame, but they could not tally the equalizing goal.
Chiara Traversa stopped 20 shots in goal for the Cadets, who will travel to play Connecticut College on Jan. 6.
Northeastern 2, Vermont 1
BURLINGTON – Northeastern goalie Leah Sulyma made 26 saves as the Huskies nipped Vermont, 2-1, in Saturday' key women's Hockey East game Saturday afternoon at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Sulyma made 10 stops in the deciding third period as NU (7- 5-2, 4-3-0) held off a late Catamounts surge. Vermont, which topped sixth-ranked Boston University Friday, falls to 4-12-1 overall and 2-5-0 in league play.
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