Local Roundup: Marauders Leap to Victory

Hanover — If the Hanover High ski jumping team wants to regain the NHIAA state championship it relinquished to Plymouth last year, the Marauders will have to perform as they did in winning their first meet of the season on Wednesday night.

Hanover’s deep lineup scored a four-point win over Kennett on the K32 Roger Burt Memorial Jump at Oak Hill. The Marauders’ Sam Strohbehn dueled the Eagles’ Sean Maloney for individual honors, nicking a half-point win. Strohbehn’s teammates did the rest, setting up a potentially interesting rematch with Kennett at pre-states next week.

Strohbehn twice hit meet-best jumps of 31 meters to score 121 points to Maloney’s 120.5. Sawyer Hanlon was fifth for Hanover (114), Mason Winter took ninth (106.5), Colin Rozzi was 10th and Jasper Meyer 11th for the Marauders.

“It was really exciting to see Strohbehn and Hanlon execute as well as they’ve jumped all year,” Hanover coach Tom Dodds said. “One of the keys to our team victory is the depth. This is the depth we’ll need to complete with Kennett and Plymouth with five in the top 11.”

Sunapee, competing without ace Will Austin, placed fourth among the five teams at Oak Hill. Cameron Summerton led the Lakers by taking 15th place with 99 points.

Hanover’s Anna Dickson topped the girls, finishing 23rd overall with 92.5 points and top jump of 23.5 meters.

Pre-states will be on Wednesday at Kennett’s ramp in Conway.

Team scores: Hanover 379, Kennett 375, Plymouth 370, Sunapee 340, Merrimack Valley 183.

Girls Hockey

Hanover 2, Andover (Mass.) 0

Andover, Mass. — Clare Gardner and Mahler Meyerrose scored 20 seconds apart — the latter producing Cate Wagner’s 100th career point — as the Marauders (7-0-0 league, 7-1-0 overall) got past Andover after a long stretch of scoreless hockey.

Gardner stepped off the Hanover bench on a line change, saved a potential Andover clearance at the blue line, maneuvered to shooting position and scored unassisted with 1:29 to play for the game-winning goal. Wagner fed Meyerrose’s one-time slapshot on the same shift, with J.J. Taube also assisting.

Cici Barton wasn’t terribly busy on a nine-save shutout, but four of the stops came on quality scoring attempts, including one breakaway. Hanover owned a 33-9 edge in shots.

The Marauders host Manchester Central in a makeup game at 8:40 p.m. on Friday at Campion Rink.

Harwood 2, Hartford 0

Waterbury, Vt. — The Highlanders scored a goal in each of the first two periods and shut out the Hurricanes (3-6-3).

Goalie Maggie Gilman made 19 saves for Hartford, which plays host to U-32 on Saturday.

Rice 5, Woodstock 1

South Burlington, Vt. — The Wasps (8-3-1) came out on the short end at the Green Knights in a battle for first place in Vermont Division II .

Addie Gray scored, with an assist to Sadie Kuhn, for Woodstock early in the third period. Goalie Annabelle Lessard made 25 saves for the Wasps, who host Harwood on Saturday.

Boys Hockey

Hanover 3, Exeter 2

Exeter, n.h. — Jake Acker’s tiebreaking goal late in the second period held up thanks to solid defense and goaltending in the Marauders’ fourth straight victory.

Jensen Dodge and Elias Zinman also hit twine for Hanover (6-3-0 league, 9-4-0 overall), which twice saw one-goal leads evaporate. Luke Ratliff made 12 saves to back up the defense.

Jonathan Goff set up two goals, with Acker, David Lehmann, Owen Stadheim and Pat Logan all earning one. Forward Charlie Plottner and defenseman Duncan Bailey “helped set the tone for our offense,” Hanover coach Dick Dodds said.

The Marauders visit Trinity on Saturday morning.

KUA 2, PEA 1

Meriden — Goalie Sean Dynan made several key saves in the third period to help the Wildcats earn a victory over Phillips Exeter in a matchup of two of the top prep school teams in New England.

Kimball Union struck first in the opening period when Bobby Young, Roope Hirvonen and Mike Lombardi worked the puck into the Exeter zone. Hirvonen’s shot was blocked by the Exeter goalie, but Young was there for the rebound. Arlo Merritt added a goal in the second period to give KUA a 2-0 lead.

Exeter broke through later in the second period for a goal but Dynan and the Wildcats’ defense held from there to get the win.

North Country 3Hartford 1

White River Junction — The Falcons, who took a 10-1 win from the Hurricanes (8-3-0) last week, needed a two-goal burst to open the third period to get away this time.

Tyler Hamilton drew Hartford within a goal two minutes into the third period on passes from Ben Rouillard and Jordy Allard. The Canes wouldn’t get the equalizer.

“We reverted back to the mistakes we made over at their place last week,” Hartford coach Todd Bebeau sid. “We had catastrophic giveaways, and our puck management disappeared in the third period.”

Richie Morrill made 23 stops for Hartford, which goes to Milton on Saturday.

Girls Basketball

Woodsville 33, Gorham 31

Woodsville — Courtney Derrington buried the rebound of a Lily Kinder miss with 0.8 seconds on the clock to cap a comeback win for the Engineers (7-5 league, 8-6 overall).

Woodsville couldn’t find its way back until it clamped down on Gorham’s Lauren Gralenski, who scored 10 of her game-high 17 points in the second quarter to stake the Huskies to a 14-10 lead. Down by 11 at one point, Woodsville surged back behind the play of guard Molly Clough and Derrington’s timely rebounding and finishing.

“Clough split the defense and sent a bounce pass to Kinder, who missed a shot long,” Woodsville coach Russ Wilcox said of the winning sequence. “Derrington scooped the rebound home.”

Clough and Kinder each had nine points to lead Woodsville, which visits Pittsburg-Canaan on Friday.

Windsor 64, Woodstock 24

Windsor — The Yellowjackets (9-1) retained their spot atop Vermont Division III, withstanding an early Woodstock challenge by scoring the final seven points of the first quarter to take control.

Ashleay Wilcox and Olivia Rockwood led the way for the Jacks with 18 points each, backed by 10 from Angelina Bigwood. Windsor held the Wasps (3-6) to 14 points over the final three quarters after taking a 21-10 lead into the first intermission.

Madison Schultz posted a game-high nine points for Woodstock, which visits Leland & Gray on Monday. The Yellowjackets get a test at D-II Mill River on Friday.

Thetford 25, U-32 24

East Montpelier, Vt. — A defensive struggle concluded with the visiting Panthers edging the host Raiders in a tight Capital League matchup.

Thetford led 10-4 at halftime and withstood a late U-32 comeback attempt in the fourth quarter to get the win. Regan Covey led the Panthers with eight points.

“Both teams played well defensively. It’s nice to get a win on their court. Nice to pull one out,” Thetford coach Eric Ward said.

With multiple starters battling foul trouble, Ward praised the work of Danielle Robinson, Jordan Mousley, Brooke Horniak and Nicolette Brown off the bench. Thetford (7-3) hosts Harwood on Friday.

Oxbow 55, Montpelier 32

Montpelier — The improved Solons gave Oxbow a test until the Olympians’ depth and fitness turned the game in the second half.

Maddie Fornwalt had her best game of the season for Oxbow (4-5), notching a season-high 10 points. Sara Walker led the Olympians with 15 points built on a 7-for-11 performance at the line. Kayleigh Trojanowski contributed 12 points and Mariah Shumway finished with nine for the O’s, who outscored Montpelier, 33-14, in the second half.

Oxbow visits Lamoille on Saturday night.

Hanover 64Merrimack Valley 63

Penacook, n.h. — Down by 13 points with 3:34 to go, the Marauders (7-2, 8-4) closed with a 15-1 run to stun the Pride.

Isabella Bardales had seven of her career-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, while Diana Schwarz scored six of her 16 in the final stanza to key Hanover’s last-ditch rally. Freshman Jess Seibel connected on the game-winning shot with 2.5 seconds to go for Hanover’s first and only lead of the second half.

“We played defense when we needed to,” Hanover coach Dan O’Rourke said. “That’s why I call them the cardiac kids. In seven of our nine (league) games, we’ve come back. These kids just don’t give up.”

Hanover has gone 5-2 in comeback contests. Julia Golder netted 12 points and Maddie McCorkle had 11 for the Marauders, who go to Goffstown on Friday.

NMH 44, KUA 41

Meriden — The Wildcats lost at the buzzer to the Hoggers. Christina Ryan led KUA with 17 points. Taylor Soule added 14 points.

Fall Mountain 52Mascoma 29

Langdon, n.h. — The Royals fell to 2-10 with the loss. Mascoma hosts Winnisquam on Friday.

Boys Basketball

Hanover 68Merrimack Valley 47

Hanover — Benny Gantrish’s hot 3-point touch led the Marauders’ offensive outburst in the third quarter to race past the Pride.

Gantrish had six of his nine total 3-pointers in the hosts’ 25-point third quarter to help the Marauders turn a 28-24 halftime lead into a 19-point edge heading into the fourth quarter. Gantrish finished with 27 points to lead all scorers. The Marauders went on an 18-2 run at one point in the third quarter.

Martin Paulsen (10 points) and Charlie Adams (eight) each added a pair of 3-pointers. Hanover made 14 from beyond the arc as a team. Coach Tim Winslow praised the effort of Charlie Goodrich, Joe Zhang and Avery Monahan off the bench.

The Marauders (3-7 overall, 2-5 NHIAA) host Goffstown on Friday night.

Woodsville 74, Gorham 23

Woodsville — The Engineers (10-1, 11-2) made quick work of the Huskies, using the night to give the bench plenty of playing time.

Eric Thornton buried four 3-pointers and shared scoring honors with teammate Sam Pushee with 12 points apiece. Three other Woodsville players hit for eight points, and all 11 Engineers who saw game time scored at lead four points.

Woodsville visits Pittsburg-Canaan on Friday night.

KUA 70, Holderness 63

Holderness, n.h. — The Wildcats held the Bulls to 25 points in the second half to earn a quality road victory.

Will Engelhardt led KUA with 18 points. Eze Die added 16 points. Point guard Jordan Huntley had 12, and Spencer Cline finished with 10 points. The Wildcats visit Brewster Academy on Friday.

Twinfield 50, Rivendell 46

Orford — The Raptors’ upset special came undone in the fourth quarter.

Rivendell led, 26-13, at halftime and well into the fourth quarter before the Twinfield press helped the visitors score 26 points in the final stanza to steal the victory.

“They’re one of the top teams in D-IV, so we knew they were going to make a run,” Rivendell coach Jeff Huntington said. “They pressed us a bit, and we didn’t execute our offense as well as we needed to. It’s a tough loss. To lose by four, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Owen Pelletier led the Raptors with 16 points and Zach Gould added 10 points. Rivendell (5-6) host Chelsea on Friday night.

Black River 57Mid Vermont Christian 55

Ludlow, Vt. — The Eagles’ comeback attempt came up just short at the Presidents.

MVCS trailed 18-5 after the first quarter before clawing back with a 19-8 run in the third to trail by just three heading into the fourth.

“It was a really good game where it just doesn’t go our way in the last couple of minutes. The guys played really, really well,” Eagles coach Mike O’Leary said.

Josh King led MVCS with 18 points. Jake Roberts added 13. Daniel Roberts and Dylan Patel each had nine points. The Eagles (1-7) host Long Trail tonight.

Brattleboro 71Hartford 51

Brattleboro, vt. — The Colonels pulled away in the second half to drop the Hurricanes to 4-5 on the season.

Gavin Farnsworth had 19 points to lead Hartford. Triston Potter added 12 points. The Colonels made 11 3-pointers and outscored the Canes 44-27 in the middle two quarters.

Hartford visits Otter Valley on Friday.

Williamstown 97Whitcomb 32

Bethel — The Blue Devils took no prisoners in a win over the Hornets (1-9), who’ll seek better fortune with a visit to Blue Mountain on Friday.

Wrestling

Newport Sweeps

Weare, n.h. — The Tigers (9-2) earned a pair of victories in a dual meet hosted by John Stark, beating Pelham by a 66-18 final and the Generals with a 78-6 final.

Newport’s Riley Avery earned a pin in less than a minute over Jacen Boyden of Pelham at 113 points. Gavin Lovely earned a pair of victories at 182 pounds, both with pins in the first period. Dylan Palmer (145 pounds) also won against both Pelham and John Stark.

Curtis Volger (152 pounds), Matt Hennig (160 pounds), Tyler Sharron (170 pounds) and Tyler Hall (285 pounds) also had victories with pins over Pelham counterparts. Newport is back in action on Saturday at Pelham in a four-school meet with the hosts, Milford and Spaulding.

Winnisquam 42, Mascoma 39

West Canaan — The Royals’ Tyler Bill remains unbeaten this season, but the hosts came up just short against the visiting Bears.

Bill won with a pin in the first period at the 285-pound weight class. Lawrence Gibbs (220 pounds), Sheldon Farnsworth (182 pounds) and James Disbrow (113 pounds) also won with first-period pins.

Christian Currier added a win by forfeit at 120 pounds, and Andrew Florence-Mitchell won with a third-period pin at 138 pounds. Joe Stone (152 pounds) won, 8-6.

The Royals now look ahead to another home match when Manchester Memorial and Kearsarge visit on Saturday.

Men’s Hockey

Dartmouth’s Crema Honored

Albany, n.y. — Big Green forward Troy Crema has earned his second ECAC Hockey player of the week award for his efforts in a one-win, two-loss week for Dartmouth.

Crema scored four goals during the Big Green’s three games. The Big Green’s leading scorer had two goals in the 8-4 upset of No. 6 Harvard and added two more on Saturday in an overtime loss to Brown.

Crema now leads the Big Green with 12 goals and 21 points this season. Dartmouth visits Colgate and Cornell this weekend.