WEST LEBANON — Welcome to our house. Now chase us around for a while.
Happy to see someone in a different-colored uniform, the Lebanon-Stevens-Mount Royal boys hockey team scored on its first two shots on Monday night, then used solid two-way play for a 3-1 win over Berlin-Gorham at Campion Rink. Lebanon (1-1-0), skating in the first game of any level featuring an out-of-town foe at Campion this winter, got a goal and an assist from Aidan Yates, 21 saves from goaltender Toby Cromwell and never trailed to beat last year’s NHIAA Division III state co-champions.
“In practice we put up a lot of numbers, but in games I think we get a little shell-shocked playing someone else,” said senior captain Andrew Duany, who clinched the win with an empty-net goal in the final 16 seconds of regulation. “We’ve got to work on that a little, but I think we’ve got a good squad. It’s fun to play with them. They’ve got some skill.”
That showed in the opening 2½ minutes as Lebanon struck twice on back-to-back one-timers.
Yates got the first just 41 seconds into the contest, firing a Cesar Salcedo pass from the inside left circle behind Berlin goaltender Kolin Melanson (13 saves). Will McGee made it 2-0, whipping a Yates feed home from the low slot at 2:28.
The Raiders showed some nerves when Michael Cote Jr. brought the Mountaineers (3-1-0) back a goal at 12:06, scrambling around their own end on an ineffective penalty kill. Lebanon settled down from there, and Cromwell made several solid stops on the potential tying bids Berlin did earn.
Jacob Kriplin also had an assist for Lebanon, which was outshot by the visitors, 21-16. The Raiders return to action against Keene at Campion on Wednesday, then visit the Blackbirds at Keene Ice on Saturday night.
HANOVER — Although still not certain of a season, Dartmouth placed 19th in the year’s first Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association national poll of the year on Monday.
New coach Alex Frank’s squad went 5-0 last spring before losing the rest of its schedule to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Big Green finished ninth in the final 2020 IWLCA survey.
The Ivy League has yet to announce if it will support a women’s lacrosse season for the coming spring.