Local Roundup: Hepler’s Helpers Lift Woodstock

Lyndonville, Vt. — With a heaping helping of Hepler, the Woodstock Union High girls hockey team returned to the win column on Wednesday night.

Forward Anna Hepler delivered assists on the Wasps’ last three goals, all in the second period, to turn a tight contest into a 5-1 win over North Country-Lyndon at Fenton Chester Arena.

Hepler’s feeds came as Woodstock (2-1-1) sought to build on an early lead. Lizzie Peck and Faye Stevens took turns setting each other up for a 2-0 advantage by the outset of the middle stanza before Hepler turned into a big help. She earned primary assists on goals from Lauren Forgion and Liz Currier to go with a secondary on Hannah Coates’ eighth goal of the young campaign. Woodstock piled four of its five goals into the middle 15 minutes.

Forgione also had an assist, and freshman Woodstock goaltender Ellie Stedina made 21 saves for the win in her first varsity start.

The Wasps host Stowe at Union Arena on Saturday.

Boys Hockey

Lebanon-Stevens 7, Alvirne 4

West Lebanon — No cake, no icing, but one dandy present: The Raiders (1-2-0) gave head coach Jim Damren and assistant coach Brad Whitaker a first victory on their respective birthdays, beating the Broncos at Campion Rink.

After surrendering the first goal of the game in the opening 2½ minutes, Lebanon-Stevens reeled off the next six before Alvirne made things interesting in the third period. Nate Chickering scored twice and added an assist, freshmen Andrew Duany and Aidan Yates both potted their first career goals and the Raiders rolled from there.

Jon Cloud and Hunter Boutin also scored for the hosts. Duany and Yates added assists to their goals; Aaron Damren, Mason Adams, Joey Dupree and Brian Daly also earned helpers.

The Raiders are scheduled to visit Bow at Concord’s Everett Arena on Friday.

Woodstock 4, Northfield 0

Northfield, Vt. — Steven Townley had a goal and two assists to lead the Wasps (3-0) over the Marauders.

The Wasps scored a pair of goals in each the first and third periods. Andrew Gubbins and Trevor White scored in the first, each assisted by Townley. Field Willis and Townley added goals in the third. White added an assist.

Goalie Henry Greene made nine saves for the Wasps, who outshot Northfield, 32-9. Woodstock hosts Brattleboro on Saturday night.

Brattleboro 2, Hartford 1

Brattleboro, Vt. — The Hurricanes dropped to 0-4 to start the season after a narrow loss at the Colonels.

Junior Nick Cameron scored his first career varsity goal for the Canes, finding the back of the net at the end of third period. A.J. DeBois and Jonas Spaulding each had assists.

Goalie Ross McFate had 20 saves for the Canes, who will host Lebanon-Stevens to open their holiday tournament on Wednesday.

Girls Basketball

Newport 38, Windsor 37

Newport — Alexis Hurd completed a 16-point night with the go-ahead basket in the final minute of the game, and the Tigers (3-1) withstood a mid-court Olivia Rockwood heave at the buzzer for what Newport coach Ross Dole considered a significant victory.

Alyssa Burr added eight points for the Tigers, who slogged through a tight final quarter that started with Windsor (2-1) holding a 34-32 lead. Newport missed two free throws with 6 seconds left, giving Rockwood (game-high 18 points) a long-distance chance to deliver a last-gasp Windsor win.

“That’s a championship-caliber team; (Windsor coach Bruce Mackay) runs a hell of a program,” Dole said. “The pace was off all night long; it was a strange game, real defensive. At the end, we did what we needed to do to win.”

Newport will be among four Upper Valley schools at Fall Mountain High’s MG Sports Holiday Tournament, opening with the hosts on Tuesday. The Jacks, who picked up five points from freshman Evelyn Page, head to Springfield on Friday.

Thetford 56South Royalton 11

Thetford — Jordan Mousley and Danielle Robinson each had 14 points to lead the Panthers (2-1) over the Royals.

Thetford started slow, leading 6-3 after the first quarter before closing the first half with a scoring burst for a 24-6 halftime cushion.

“We worked a lot on our zone offense because South Royalton plays a zone,” Thetford coach Eric Ward said. “We worked so hard on running the offense that no one was shooting the basketball. Credit South Royalton; they worked hard out there.”

Lily MacVeagh and Grace Davis each added eight points for the Panthers, who play at Windsor on Wednesday. The Royals (0-2) visit Chelsea on Jan. 2.

Hartford 55, Oxbow 18

White River Junction — The Canes took down the Olympians, but did so after losing starting senior point guard Megan Bushway to a knee injury early in the game.

Morgan White had a game-high 19 points for Hartford. Coach Troy Guerin also praised the defensive effort from White, a senior. Freshman Jasmine Jenkins took over at the point and had eight points. Kennedy Mullen added seven points.

Hartford (2-1) visits Randolph on Wednesday.

Mason Tomlinson had six points for Oxbow (0-3), which hosts Woodstock on Wednesday.

Williamstown 44Rivendell 38

Williamstown, Vt. — The Raptors had a hard time finding the bottom of the basket as the Blue Devils came back in the fourth quarter to earn the win on their home floor.

Rivendell shot just 2-for-20 from the field in the fourth quarter.

“It’s been very frustrating; we just haven’t been able to put it together,” Raptors coach Hank Tenney said.

Rivendell’s Riley Thomson had 16 points. Mikayla Stever and Mikayla DeBois each had eight points. The Raptors (1-2) get another shot at Williamstown on Wednesday, this time back in Orford.

Hinsdale 51, Sunapee 28

Hinsdale, n.h. — The Lakers (3-2) had difficulty finding their offense for a second straight night, falling to the Pacers (3-1).

One evening after posting a career-high 10 points in a loss to Mascenic, freshman Fiona Nolan posted a team-best nine points for Sunapee. Kalleigh Durkee had eight for the Lakers, who didn’t reach double figures as a team in each of the final three quarters of the contest.

Sunapee closes a four-game road trip on Friday at Colebrook.

Boys Basketball

Sharon 50, Long Trail 34

Sharon — The Phoenix built a 15-point lead at halftime and improved to 3-0.

Sharon led, 29-14, at the break. Fisher Kelley led the Phoenix with 14 points. Sam Knoerlein added 13 points. Austin Gaudette saw plenty of time at the point to finish with 13 points and six assists.

“We played really well in the first half; our intensity was really great. After a bit of a lull in the third quarter, we finished the game out well,” Sharon coach Blake Fabrikant said.

The Phoenix visit Rivendell on Friday.

Stevens 62, Franklin 48

Claremont — Franklin star Jayden Torres had 22 points in the first half and finished with 33, but the Cardinals’ team depth was enough to help the hosts improve to 2-2.

Stevens took control in the third quarter, outscoring the Golden Tornadoes, 13-4, to lead by 10 heading into the fourth. Luke Come had 14 points to lead the Cardinals. Josh Stithen and Damon Roy each added 12 points. Tanner Durkee finished with eight points.

The Cardinals return to league play on Jan. 2 when they host Mascenic. Stevens is scheduled to play in next week’s Connecticut River Shootout at Hanover High.

Sunapee 74, Hinsdale 67

Sunapee — Jordan Chappell (20 points) was 7-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help the Lakers to a comeback win over the Pacers.

Hinsdale scored 26 points in the second quarter to lead, 34-25, at halftime. The Lakers played a strong second half and closed with 31 points in the fourth, including 10 points from the line.

Cade Robinson added 17 points for Sunapee. Sean Shisko had 11. Brady Grzanna and Zack Belisle each added seven points. Sunapee (2-1) visits Colebrook on Friday.

Diving

Wallis, Renshaw Sweep Meet

White River Junction — Amelia Wallis and Kai Renshaw led a Hanover sweep of a six-school NHIAA diving meet off the one-meter board at the Upper Valley Aquatic Club.

Wallis was the runaway winner among the girls, scoring 373.70 points for her dives to beat Alvirne runner-up Skyler Bomba (313.95). Nika Renshaw (292.10) and Hazel Garrity-Hanchett (213.50) gave Hanover three of the top four places.

Kai Renshaw (354.30) and Benjamin Hoffer (274.90) Hanover a 1-2 sweep of the boys division, with Exeter’s Adrian DelliColi (263.80) claiming third. Christopher Onyango grabbed seventh (202.95) for the hosts.

Wrestling

Plymouth 48, Newport 27

Newport — The Tigers won six of nine head-to-head matches against the defending NHIAA Division III champions but came up short after having to forfeit matches in five weight classes.

“I was very pleased with how we wrestled this evening. I feel we can take a lot of positives from this meet,” Tigers coach Cole Boone said in an email.

Dylan Palmer (152 pounds), Gavin Lovely (170 pounds) and David Stark (182 pounds) all won with pins for Newport. Reilly Avery, Jordan Warburton and Josh Sharron also won their matches.

Newport returns to action on Jan. 3 at Campbell.

Women’s Basketball

Dartmouth 76Holy Cross 74 (ot)

Worcester, Mass. — Cy Lippold hit two free throws with 5 seconds left in overtime as the Big Green won a seesaw battle with the Crusaders before a matinee audience filled with Worcester-area schoolchildren.

Olivia Smith had a season-high 17 points for Dartmouth (8-3), and Lippold followed with 13. Paula Lenart, Annie McKenna and Emily Slagle all provided 10 points as the Big Green put five in double figures.

Lippold also played a big role in forcing overtime. Holy Cross (5-6) held a 68-64 lead in the final three minutes thanks to hoops from Infinity Thomas-Waheed and Tricia Byrne. The Crusaders tried to increase their advantage only to have Lippold score off her own steal before adding a jumper in the final 30 seconds to send the contest to extra time.

The Big Green is off until back-to-back road games at Albany (N.Y.) and Binghamton on Dec. 30 and 31.