WEST LEBANON — A season short on scoring but long on heartbreaking losses took a decided upward turn Wednesday for the Lebanon-Stevens-Mount Royal boys hockey team. The Raiders, who began the afternoon outside the nine-team NHIAA Division II playoff field, locked themselves into a postseason berth with a shocking, 5-0 victory over top-ranked Keene.
Lebanon will compete in Wednesday’s preliminary-round game against either Portsmouth-Newmarket or Kingswood. Depending on coming results involving those teams, the Raiders will either host or be on the road for that contest. But just to get in after a difficult campaign resulted in a raucous home locker room at Campion Rink.
“That was a character win,” said third-year Lebanon coach Jon Damren, whose team scored three times in fewer than three minutes during the second period. “We were aggressive and the guys did everything we asked of them. It was huge.”
The Blackbirds arrived battling injury and illness, but the Raiders can tell you all about that. It was only two weeks ago that they was similarly beset and losing games partly because of it. So no one in maroon and gold was going to be shedding any tears for their coughing, sneezing foes.
“We caught them at the right time,” said Damren, who deploys two lines and two defensive pairs against teams that often have greater depth. “But you still have to beat them and when we play hard, get the first goal and get good goaltending, we can play with anyone in the state. We’re certainly in good shape.”
Lebanon opened the scoring 90 seconds into the second period when Mason Adams blasted a one-time rocket from the slot and under the crossbar. Brian Daly provided a pass from below the goal line.
The Raiders doubled their lead a minute later when Andrew Duany scored off assists by Griffin Auch and Jon Cloud. The hosts went up, 3-0, just 44 seconds later when Will McGee shoveled in a puck that sat momentarily unattended at the left post. An angry scrum broke out as the puck went in and lasted for about 10 seconds after, but the referees allowed the tally to stand.
Lebanon poured on a fourth goal with three minutes remaining in the middle stanza. Cloud sprinted through the neutral zone to chase down a rolling puck in the right corner before slamming on the brakes.
The senior looked up to find Duany drifting through the far circle and the pair completed a quick pass leading to Duany’s second goal of the game.
The fifth goal involved some sleight of hand, McGee cutting across the low slot and ever so slightly redirecting in a Cloud feed from the right wing. Lebanon held a 30-24 shot advantage for the game, but was outshot, 14-10, during the final stanza. Sophomore Toby Cromwell was strong in net, bouncing back from some struggles during the previous game against Merrimack.
Leading the way Wednesday and all season has been Cloud, the Raiders’ captain and the son of former Hanover High player Tim Cloud.
Also a soccer and lacrosse player, the senior is fast, tough, skilled and never takes a shift off. Likely headed for the University of Hartford (Conn.) to study physical therapy, he’s carried the Raiders on his back much of the winter.
“He backchecks, forechecks, kills penalties and plays the power play,” Damren said of a player who skates with Auch and Duany on one of the division’s better lines. “He’s our leader, the guy who drives the bus.”
Lebanon is 7-9-1 in division play and 7-11-1 overall. The Raiders last missed the playoff during the 2012-13 season. Keene is 12-3-2 in division play.
NOTES: Longtime Lebanon High boys soccer coach Rob Johnstone attended the game. Several of his futbol players, including Cloud, Daly, McGee and Jake Kriplin, are on the hockey squad. … Kriplin returned to action after working diligently the past week to overcome a severe thigh bruise. … Damren tipped his hat to backup goaltender Hunter Robb, last season’s starter, who has rarely seen the ice this season. “He’s all about the team and in a very difficult situation,” the coach said. … Lebanon has lost three top players to higher-level hockey in as many years but Duany, a junior, apparently won’t follow that path. “He loves this team too much,” said his mother, Betsy Duany. “He’s not going anywhere.”
Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com.