North Andover, MA- Mike Doherty scored twice to help lead the Northern Division to a 5-2 win in the 20th Annual EJHL All-Star Classic today at Merrimack College.
Both
teams flew out of the gate with fast skating and strong defense, with
both teams blocking countless shots and goaltenders Sean Lawrence (10
saves) and Chris Funkey (8 saves) stifling the forwards.
Haralds Egle gave the North the lead 11:46 into the game when Kevin Duane blasted a shot and he banged home the rebound.
The
North extended the lead to 2-0 four minutes later. Chris Izmirlian
skated down the left wing and dished the puck to Conor MacPhee, who
ripped a shot from the top of the slot. Funkey made the save, but
Doherty knocked in the rebound.
“Lawrence
played great for the North,” commented South coach Toby Harris. “We had
four or five great scoring chances, but he shut the door on each of
them.”
The
South got on the board three minutes into the second period. Tim
Clifton set Josh Henke up in the corner and Henke passed the puck to
Jason Stephanik at the top of the slot. Stephanik blasted a shot from
the point that eluded North goaltender Colton Phinney.
John
Jackson restored the two-goal lead for the North late in the period.
Paul Russell sent a pass to Joona Kunnas at the point. Kunnas then fired
at the net, but Halford knocked it away, only for Jackson to score on
the rebound.
Jackson nearly scored again off the ensuing faceoff, but this time Halford proved equal to the task.
With
thirty seconds remaining, Trevor Owens sent a breakout pass to Josh
Henke, who brought it up the middle, toe-dragged around a defenseman,
and poked it past Phinney, who finished the period with 11 saves.
Halford turned away 10 shots for the South.
Evan
Schultz and Paul Russell made it 4-2 with a power play goal 5:27 into
the final frame. Schultz brought it up to the blue line and left a short
pass for Russell, who flew into the zone and backhanded it through
goaltender Linus Lundin’s legs.
Doherty
picked up his second goal of the game with 8:35 on the clock. Conor
MacPhee set up Chris Izmirlian along the left boards. Izmirlian then
sent a cross-ice pass to Doherty on the right boards. Doherty executed a
perfect one-timer from the right side and shot the puck top-shelf.
Lundin
and Jake Soffer, his North counterpart, were kept busy by the skaters
throughout the remainder of the game, but neither team could put one
past either goaltender. Soffer stopped all eight shots he faced while
Lundin turned away ten in the period.
“This
was probably the best contested All-Star Game in the past ten years,”
noted Harris. “It had good speed, a good compete level, the goaltenders
played great. It reminded me more of a playoff game than an All-Star
Game.”
North
coach Sean Tremblay concurred. “There are some great rivalries in the
EJHL and they don’t get put aside for the All-Star Game. There were a
lot of great battles fought today. These guys had a lot at stake, they
knew they had something to play for, and they all picked it up and put
on a show,” he said.
“Everyone
performed well, and it was great to have that high-quality a game when
you have so many scouts under one roof,” Harris claimed. “It was hard to
pick a player who stood out. They all stood out today.”
“Mike
Doherty and his linemates [Chris Izmirlian and Conor MacPhee] produced
two goals, and Paul Russell stood out because of his speed, but
everybody brought it today,” recalled Tremblay. “Every player who
appeared in this game belonged out there.
“The
event went really well,” Tremblay continued. “Many thanks are due to
Merrimack College and [head coach] Mark Dennehy for hosting us this
weekend. They all did a great job and put on a first-class event.”
(Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)
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