POMFRET, Conn. – It certainly wasn’t a work of art, but when it was all said and done, Avon Old Farms left Jahn Rink with a 6-1 win over Pomfret.
Avon Old Farms, the heavy favorite on paper, started out slow. The game was scoreless after the first period and Pomfret took a 1-0 lead 6:11 into the second period. From there on out, the Winged Beavers took control with six unanswered goals en route to the team’s 18th victory of the season.
Senior Aidan D’Urso gave the Griffins a 1-0 advantage when he poked home a loose puck in a scramble in front of the net. Assists went to junior Louie Marcellino and senior Cameron Geary (Oak Bluffs, Mass.).
Avon Old Farms senior center Nick Capasso (Northford, Conn.) answered less than a minute later, scoring on a rebound of a point shot that was blocked. Senior Alex Pelletier (Manchester, Conn.) and junior Andrew Pitts picked up the assists.
Junior Charles Blanchard (West Hartford, Conn.) was the beneficiary of a strong forecheck by classmates Ryan Flaherty (Milton, Mass.) and Lefty Markonidis (Hudson, Mass.) to give AOF its first lead of the game later in the second period.
A nice transitional play gave the Winged Beavers a 3-1 cushion heading into the third period. Senior defenseman Jordan Palmer (Auburn, N.H.) made a great breakout pass to senior left wing Joe Connor (Amherst, N.H.). He took a few strides into the zone before sending a saucer pass right to senior center Charlie Gollob who buried a wrist shot.
In the third period, the same trio gave Avon a 4-1 lead. Palmer forced a turnover in the neutral zone and got the puck to Gollob who slid it to Connor for the goal. Mirante and Blanchard added garbage time goals for the final tally of six goals.
Takeaways
This was an ugly game at times, but Avon Old Farms figured out a way to pull ahead and win, which is a sign of a good team. Obviously, the top line of Connor, Gollob and right wing Joseph Odyniec (Ridgefield, Conn.) is the catalyst for the Winged Beavers. But all four lines got involved in the scoring on Monday.
While Connor and Gollob rightfully get much of the attention, an underrated part of this team is the defense. Led by Palmer, there are three legitimate pairs that can move pucks up ice and transition from defense to offense. On Monday, there weren’t more than two or three quality scoring chances given up by the defense. Senior goaltender Stephen Peck stopped 19 of 20 shots he faced.
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The energy brought by a few players lower in the lineup was a key part of the win. Flaherty, a Holy Cross commit, played a pivotal role in killing a couple of Pomfret power plays. On one kill, he wasted a lot of time. He got into a couple of post-whistle scrums and his forecheck directly led to the game-winning goal. Fourth-liners Won-Jun Yun and Sam Houston also did a good job killing penalties together.
Sophomore Michael Munroe (Hanover, Mass.) didn’t register a point, but his low-to-high pass to Pitts started the scoring sequence on the first Avon goal. Munroe’s game showed the benefits of playing prep for younger players. There’s never been a doubt as to Munroe’s offensive exploits. However, the '07 did a good job backchecking and playing a more disciplined game. He took a slashing penalty on one backchecking sequence at the end of the second period, but it was good to see him hunting pucks and being involved in the play in all three zones.
This was my first viewing of Pomfret this season. I didn’t know much about any of their players but came away impressed with Marcellino, an '05 from Pelham Manor, N.Y. The first-line right wing had an assist on the Pomfret goal. His speed was a factor on the forecheck on that goal and on two or three other shifts throughout the game. If Monday was any indication, Division 3 coaches should have Marcellino on their radars for the 2024-25 season.
Close to a dozen NHL scouts, including at least one director of amateur scouting, were in attendance at the game. With Monday’s light schedule across the hockey world, it made it an easy choice to make the unusual trek to Jahn Rink. They were there to watch Connor and Peck, both of whom are on NHL Central Scouting’s most recent list.
Avon Old Farms lines
Connor - Gollob - Odyniec
Pelletier - Capasso - Munroe
Markonidis - Blanchard - Flaherty
Yun - Mirante - Houston
Palmer - Kennedy
Jones - Miller
Turcotte - Pitts
Peck
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Pomfret lines
Geary - D’Urso - Marcellino
Frost - McLean - Corrigan
Watson - Heinberg - Pearce
Milotte - Muirhead - Brown
Bundy - Birch
Milrad - Viola
Bartlett - Erickson
xx - Rothfleisch
Bloxam
