Recreation Briefs: TA Girls, Shepherd Winners at Vt. MS XC State Meet

Stowe, Vt. — Thetford Academy and Woodstock Union Middle School runners produced winning results on Saturday at the Vermont State Middle School Cross Country Championship at Stowe Family Lodge.

The Thetford girls produced a team championship with 86 points. Thetford did it by packing its top runners into a tight group near the top of the standings after negotiating a 3K course dotted with snow and mud.

Madi Powers had the top Thetford result, taking 14th place in 12 minutes, 38 seconds. She was followed by teammates Emma Powers (19th, 13:00), Layla Hanissian (20th, 13:00), Jane Goodrich (24th, 13:06) and Anne Morrell (27th, 13:12) in the top 30. Eloise Silver-Van Meter (31st, 13:18), Abby Egner (95th, 15:15) and Ada Acker (145th, 17:45) also represented TA in the team victory.

Woodstock’s girls placed 16th as a team (397 points). Molly Shearer, Charlotte Tagupa, Emily Dean, Oona Tracy, Grace Scibetta, Nora Duane, Carolyn Leibly and Allison Bradley represented the Wasps.

Woodstock’s Riley Shepherd came home individual champion among the boys with a time of 10:19, adding to a strong season that included a win at Thetford’s Woods Trial Run last month. Wilbur Abrams, Nixon Malik, Jacob Walker, Alexander Inglis, Ethan Mello and Joe Shehan also ran for the Wasps, who were 13th as a team with 347 points.

Thetford’s boys claimed 14th as a group with 363 points, led by 11th-place finisher Nate Brooker (11:13). More than 300 boys and girls from around the state competed in the meet.

With Sticks Hartford Finishes 8-3-2

White River Junction — The Hartford grades 7-8 field hockey team included a first-time win over rival Bellows Falls among its highlights of a recently completed 8-3-2 season.

Zoey Pfeiffer led the Hurricanes with 11 goals and five assists, getting offensive help from Allie Cimis (10-3—13) and Jasmine Jenkins (five assists). Ryelee Potwin, Lexi Duranleau, Reilly Slusser and Davan Murphy also played roles on attack with playing every offensive and defensive position on the field.

Goalie Bailey Cameron posted two shutouts and allowed just 22 goals over the 13-game schedule. Morgan Barwood will also join the group on Hartford’s high school program next fall after missing much of this season with an injury and serving as the team’s manager.

On the Snow Whaleback Core Night

Enfield — The Whaleback Core Team will hold its annual pizza party sign-up and information night on Sunday from 4-6 p.m. at Whaleback Mountain.

The party serves as a way to learn more about the Core Team, Whaleback’s youth development ski and snowboard program. Free pizza, season-pass pictured and loads of information will be available on skiers and riders between the ages of 5 and 17.

The Core Team offers a coaching staff with high-level experience to provide a fun and nurturing environment geared toward encouraging enthusiastic participation in snow sports. For more information about programs and costs, visit www.whalebackcoreteam.com.

In a Scrum Mountain Men to Playoffs

Boston — The Upper Valley Mountain Men capped a successful debut season in the fourth division of the New England Rugby Football Union with a 61-24 win over the Boston Rugby Club’s second side on Saturday.

With strong rucking and ball control up front, the Mountain Men built a 30-17 lead by halftime. Taylor Marned accounted for 31 of Upper Valley’s points with three tries and eight conversion kicks on nine attempts. Tim Puzio also found the try zone on multiple occasions, and Peter Dimilia earned man of the match for his defensive play.

Upper Valley finished the season 7-2 and ranked second in Division IV. The Mountain Men now head to the NERFU playoff tournament in Bennington, Vt., on Saturday.

On the Ice Peewee Elite 2-0-2

West Lebanon — The Hanover Peewee Elite racked up two wins and two ties against out-of-state foes last weekend.

The Wild started with two games on Saturday against the Southern Maine Breakers at Campion Rink. Hanover played the Breakers to a 1-1 tie in the morning on a Ty Gwatkin goal on a Spencer Lawe assists before riding two Corwith Simmers strikes and a Kyle Smith goal to a 3-0 win in the afternoon.

The Wild spent Sunday in upstate New York, visiting the Schenectady Chargers. Lachlan Simers scored twice and Chase Porter, Smith, Augie Oberting and Cam Gwatkin also had goals in a 6-0 win that handed the Chargers their first loss of the season. Bridger Close’s drive with 16 seconds left salvaged a 3-3 tie in a nightcap in which Oberting and Cam Gwatkin also scored.

Woodstock 12U Goes 1-2

Barre, Vt. — The Woodstock 12Us dropped a 6-2 decision to Barre on Saturday before a pair of 4-2 decisions, one and win and the other a loss, to complete a busy weekend.

Henry Trimpi and Chase Conway had the goals in the opening loss to the Blade on Saturday. Hours later, the Wasps earned a win over Hanover as Trimpi, Conway, Graeme McKeon and Trey Jones hit the back of the net.

Lyndon delivered a 4-2 loss to Woodstock on Sunday at Union Arena. Conway converted a Trimpi pass, Ethan Dean also scored and goalies Declan Flynn and Sebastian Yates split time between the posts.

Woodstock 14U Red Falls in OT

Woodstock — After a slow start, Woodstock 14U Red rallied from a three-goal deficit before dropping a 6-5 overtime decision to Hanover on Saturday in its season opener.

Tommy Bissaillon scored unassisted early for the Wasps, who went down 4-1 before charging back. Andrew Gubbins, Charles Greene and Jon Cloud tied the game, with help from Bissaillon and Luke Ricci passes.

The Wasps answered a Hanover goal with another tying strike form Gubbins, on a Bissaillon feed, to force OT. Hanover notched the four-on-four winner at 3:02.

Woodstock 14U White Wins

Woodstock — Woodstock 14U White rode Ethan Mello’s shutout goaltending to a 2-0 defeat of Hanover on Saturday night.

Mello had help from defensemen Nick Lee, Gavin Huppe and Evan Kurash in keeping the Wild in check. Woodstock picked up an unassisted Nick Lee goal to get started and a clinching score from Chase Christiansen, assisted by Calef Helper, to secure the win.

Woodstock Girls Win

Woodstock — Faye Stevens scored twice and Ellie Stedina posted the shutout in goal as the Woodstock 13U girls blanked Hanover, 5-0, to open their season over the weekend.

Skylar Haley, Sophie Yates and Beale Dunne also scored goals for the Wasps. Sadie Gravelle set up two goals, and Myah Earle and Lily Gubbins also produced assists. Maggie Mello and Lila Beckwith had strong games on defense, supporting Stedina’s shutout goaltending.

Small Games Camp

White River Junction — Longtime Hartford High boys hockey coach Todd Bebeau is welcoming high school players to join him for his weeklong Small Games Camp at Wendall A. Barwood Arena.

Sponsored by the Hartford Parks and Recreation Department, the camp is for boys in grades 9-12 and will run the week of Nov. 7-11 from 4-5 p.m. Players will tune up for the coming season by learning to work more effectively in small spaces.

The camp costs $60 for Hartford residents, $75 for nonresidents, and online registration is available at www.hartfordrec.com.

On the Pitch Sparks, Seacoast Scoreless

North Reading, Mass. — The Lightning Soccer Club’s U12 Sparks girls played Seacoast United Benfica USA White to a 0-0 tie on Sunday in their next-to-last match of the season. Grace Bean and Grace Nostrant starred on defense for the Sparks, who remained unbeaten with the draw.

Bugs Buzz to Victory

Meriden — Kaelin Fitzpatrick went on a four-goal blitz to power the LSC 2006 Bugs girls to a 5-1 rout of North Shore 2006 Elite over the weekend. Katie Pierson also scored for the Bugs.

Chargers Stopped in Finale

Meriden — Despite superb play on defense, the LSC 2002 Chargers girls dropped a 1-0 decision to Hooksett YAA Select in their season finale over the weekend.

The Chargers enjoyed signficant possession time in the first half but couldn’t pierce the Hooksett defense. Emma Berard excelled in boal for LSC in the second half to keep the Chargers in the match.

Tornadoes Wrap With Wins

Meriden — The LSC U9 Tornadoes posted two wins on Sunday to cap their season, beating GPS NH White, 3-1, and Seacoast United Storm, 6-2.

Zachary McCarthy’s early goal set the Tornadoes on the path to victory against GPS. Yuvraj Sathe and Ryan McLaughlin provided the other goals, and netminder Sacha Palm kept the opposition quiet. Matt Lepene, Shawn Walker and Peter Arvold also had strong matches on attack.

Ethan Frechette and McLaughling took advantage of sharp passing for goals that got LSC going against Seacoast. Sam Bagatell, Cooper Sobel, Finn McColgan and Walker scored in the second half.

U10 Cyclones 3-4-1

Meriden — The LSC U10 Cyclones completed a 3-4-1 season in the NEC’s Epping Division with a loss and victory on Sunday.

LSC dropped a 6-1 decision in their first match to Seacost United Mariners. The Cyclones bounced back to beat Seacoast United White, 7-1, to close the schedule.

Wyatt Daigle and Ryan Carroll shared goalkeeping duties. Jasper Moore, Safir Mehra, Gavin Munson, Burke Pekala, Abe Pearson, Benji Madory, Ian Molmes, Will Knowles, Connor Reed and Graham Thompson all showed considerable progress through the year.

Comets Soar to End Season

Lancaster, Mass. — The LSC U10 Comets cruised to a 6-3 win over NEFC 2007 Elite White, 6-3, and Valeo FC 2007 Arsenal, 11-1, to complete a 7-1-0 season.

Roan Palm, Thatcher Bacon, Thomas Bugg, Uly Junker-Boyce and Ian Surgenor provided goals in the win over NEFC. Nate Solberg, Surgenor, Palm, Oliver Choudhury, Zach Garfield, Bugg, Sam Ames and Bacon dented the net in the rout of Valeo FC.

Stars Clip Flames

Meriden — The LSC Flames kept FC Stars Central Athletic 2006 scoreless through the second half but couldn’t produce enough offense to avoid a 2-1 loss at Kimball Union Academy’s Carver Field over the weekend.

Down 2-0 after 20 minutes, LSC got one goal back through Noah Winchester on a Kai Kurokawa feed just before halftime. Nolan Morlock, Beckett Sobel and Landon Kingbury kept up the pressure but couldn’t find an equalizer.

Cavan O’Brien anchored the defense for goalkeepers Norwood Davis and Christian Blix.

Fire Keeps Burning

Meriden — The LSC 2004 Fire ran its unbeaten streak to nine matches with a 3-0 shutout of Aztec Soccer at KUA on Sunday.

Richie Aman keyed the win, setting up Murphy Hunt for the first two goals and scoring the clincher on a Tucker Chapman feed. Aman also contributed to the clean sheet with a save on a second-half penalty after Jack Maynes and Jack Ross split first-half netminding chores.

Seth Carl also excelled with his holding midfield work.

Force Forces a Victory

Meriden — The LSC 2004 produced the odd goal in a five-goal thriller, beating Seacoast United, 3-2.

LSC rallied for the win, getting two goals from Connor Hamlin and nearly a third that clanked the bar. Matthias Einnersson’s late-game score provided the margin of victory.

At the Net

Dartmouth Tennis
Hosting Youth Clinic

Hanover — The Dartmouth men’s and women’s tennis programs will hold a free youth clinic on Nov. 8 from 4-5:30 p.m. at the Boss Tennis Center.

Women’s coach Bob Dallis and men’s coach Chris Drake will oversee the clinic, which is open to youngsters from kindergarten age through eighth grade. Members of the Big Green’s tennis teams will also participate in instruction.

To register, contact Dallis at 603-646-3494 or robert.dallis@dartmouth.edu or Drake at 603-646-3819 or christopher.m.drake@dartmouth.edu.

To the Hoop Ref Clinic Time

White River Junction — Vermont IAABO Board 105 will again open classes for new basketball officials this month, with Monday and Thursday sessions at Hartford High School beginning on Oct. 31.

The sessions are open to anyone in Vermont or New Hampshire intersted in working all levels of high school basketball. There is a charge for class materials and the exam.

For more information, contact Dan Pause at 802-683-9315 or danpause@gmail.com.

Lebanon Police Staging Tournament

Lebanon — The first Lebanon Police three-on-three basketball tournament will take place at CCBA’s Witherell Recreation Center on Nov. 13.

The tournament benefits the Child Advocacy Center, which works closely with the Lebanon Police Department to provide treatment and services to child victims of physical and sexual abuse.

Each team may have up to four players, at $50 per team. There will be a boys and girls division for seventh- and eighth-graders and high school players, and co-ed divisions for 18- to 35-year-olds, ages 35 and older and first responders.

Registration is due by Nov. 9. Registration forms, rules and information is available at the Lebanon Police Department on Poverty Lane or at www.police.lebnh.net.

TA Youth Tourney

Thetford — Thetford Academy will hold its third three-on-three basketball tournament for boys and girls in grades 5-12 on Nov. 20.

There will be separate divisions for boys and girls and brackets for fifth- and sixth-graders, seventh- and eighth-graders and high schoolers. There will be a two-game guarantee.

Up to five players may play for each team, at $50 per team. Admission for fans is by donation, with all proceeds to benefit the Thetford Academy athletic fund.

TA’s seventh-graders will be on hand selling food for their class trip to Washington, D.C., in the spring.

Tournament registration is due Nov. 11. For more information, contact Blendon Salls at 802-785-4805, ext. 266, or blendon.salls@thet.net or Andrew Davis at 802-779-4082 or andrew.davis@snocountry.org.