Lebanon
Gareth Davis, the Raiders’ only goaltender, had struggled much of the evening. Attempting to track hurled white balls under fluorescent lighting is an exercise in futility, but the sophomore finally had stopped a shot, only to fall to his knees at the left post and see an attackman cash the rebound from the right side.
Despite his oversized stick getting caught under his feet, Davis threw himself sideways and blocked the second shot with his body, collapsing in a heap at the right post. An enormous “Ohhhh!” went up from the other 29 players, who then burst out in shouts, jumped about as if on pogo sticks and threw their gloved hands in the air in disbelief.
Davis climbed to a knee, then slowly to his feet as first-year coach Rob Fett jogged in for a high-five and others gathered round to pat the netminder on the helmet and shoulder pads. What had been a somewhat sluggish workout was transformed.
“I’ll sleep better tonight because of that,” Fett joked afterward, his concerns over having one inexperienced backstop temporarily pushed aside.
Lebanon opens its season on April 11 at ConVal, and while that’s an interminable wait for the players, the coach knows his young team needs every minute to prepare.
“It’s a crucial position, and I’m confident he’ll step up,” Fett said of Davis. “But we need more than one, for obvious reasons. If no one volunteers, I’ll designate one.”
Lebanon selected Fett, 63, to replace a man roughly half his age. Lochrane Gary guided the Raiders to a 13-31 record the past three seasons after the NHIAA Division III program posted only one victory the year before he arrived. Gary moved out of the area last year, however, and Fett, who spent the past five campaigns assisting with the girls team, returned to a boys high school squad for the first time since coaching one in New Jersey about a decade back.
The former Roanoke (Va.) College player has been a hit so far, his enthusiasm and work as a substitute teacher creating a quick bond with his players. He’s also used to teaching the basics after a stint guiding Hanover recreation teams at the middle school level.
“It’s not going to be as much of a growing year as I thought it was going to be,” senior midfielder Jordan Hammond said. “We’re moving a lot faster than last year, and it’s exciting to see a lot of new faces out here and trying hard. Last year at this time we were really flat.”
Lebanon was 4-10 in 2016 and employed an offensive strategy that entailed holding the ball for long periods in an attempt to limit opponents’ chances at the other end. Senior attackman Nate Damren said that was frustrating at times, and he’s encouraged to see Fett emphasizing a more free-flowing attack, while at the same time emphasizing defense.
A sizable loss, literally and figuratively, was the transfer of hulking junior attackman Michael Fleury to prep school before the start of the current school year. The big man scored 18 goals and added 12 assists last spring, making him the team’s second-leading scorer behind Damren, who had 36 goals and 10 assists. Hammond had 17 goals and five assists and took many of the faceoffs.
Lebanon has only five seniors and two juniors. There are 11 sophomores and 10 freshmen, and Lebanon recreation teams are bursting at the seams at the elementary and middle school levels. For now, the Raiders will rely on Nate Damren and his brother, Aaron, a junior, on attack; Hammond and fellow senior Jamison Rios in the midfield and seniors Sam Buckman and Ben Gerow on defense.
Goaltending will be a work in progress, and it’s been years since the program had a standout keeper. However, Hammond, who plays the position in hockey, said he can’t fault Davis’ attitude and approach.
“The kid’s all about the team and he’s just so excited to be in goal,” said Hammond, who abandoned a try at lacrosse netminding after taking a shot to the throat as a youth player. “He doesn’t care about getting hit with the ball. He finds it amusing.”
Lebanon started last season 3-2, but lost its last six contests by a combined 71-24. There also was a 20-0 home loss to eventual division runner-up Pelham earlier in the season. Fett is hoping to avoid such setbacks this season by having the Raiders in tip-top shape.
“We want to have fourth-quarter wheels, to have our conditioning be the differentiator between us and other teams,” he said. “But my biggest concern is our numbers, because we don’t have the depth. I like to carry 22 to 25 people on varsity, but we’re not going to have that. It’s a short season, and injuries could be a problem.”
For now, the Raiders are healthy, happy and hoping to return to the playoffs, for which they last qualified in 2015. Fett, a former Wall Street bonds analyst, is bullish on his team’s spirit of cooperation.
“You can see it in their teamwork, how they’re teaching each other,” he said. “I don’t like repeat myself and they’re picking up the slack, going to each other and asking what they don’t understand.”
Notes: Bryan Albright, last year’s starting goaltender, did not return to the team this season. … The Raiders were scheduled to scrimmage at Rutland on Saturday, but Fett said the Raiders’ field is covered in snow and school policy prohibits it being plowed. … Nate Damren scored 19 of his goals last season during back-to-back victories over Manchester West and Belmont. He had five goals during the Raiders’ final six games. … Lebanon is 20-55 during the past five seasons. … Fleury and Nate Damren each scored 24 goals during the 2015 campaign. … Lebanon’s home opener is scheduled for April 13 against Bishop Brady, which won the teams’ 2016 meeting, 7-6, during the last game of the year. … Other home openers for New Hampshire teams include Stevens’ April 11 date with InterLakes-Moultonborough, Hanover’s April 13 clash with defending Division I champion Bishop Guertin and Kearsarge’s April 12 engagement with Trinity.
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.