BURLINGTON – The Norfolk County Hawks may be nipping on their heels, but the Bantam Boston Brahmas and South Middlesex Coyotes spent the first five weeks of the 2015 New England Future Stars season setting themselves apart from the competition. Neither had faced an opponent they could not defeat – with a combined average margin of victory of nine goals – both featuring an offense and a defense ranked first, second or third in the division.
By the season’s midpoint, however, there would be a clear-cut favorite.
The two unbeatens met on Sunday at the Ice Palace in Burlington and when the dust settled, the Coyotes were alone at the top, having the defeated the Brahmas 4-2.
It took just one period for the two teams to prove Sunday’s matchup was going to live up to the pre-game hype. The contest played at an evenly matched, high level through 15 minutes. The Brahmas got their chances in the frame early, the Coyotes later, but goaltenders Brendan Hannabury of the Coyotes and Brahmas counterpart Matthew Whouley shutdown every attempt made by the opposing offense and the game remained scoreless into the second. Both sides struggled to gain any advantage.
The Coyotes caught the first break early in the second to put away the game’s first goal, Anthony Incerto scoring at 5:39. After a 2-on-1 feed from Nolan Ricci, Incerto’s first shot attempt was stopped by Whouley, but the Coyotes forward continued to the net and drove the puck through the Boston netminder and in for the 1-0 lead.
South Middlesex’s offense began to take more and more control of possession following Incerto’s score, but for the most part the Boston defense stood up to thwart their attempts. It was not until late in the frame the Brahmas faltered a second time, again falling victim to a 2-on-1. Coyotes forward Ben McGlashing found Sean Malone with a pass coming through the neutral zone. Malone carried in and made a beautiful feed back to McGlashing, who hammered the puck into the back of the net for a two-goal advantage at 11:54.
McGlashing scored again just 45-seconds into the third period, dancing his way through the defense and then patiently out waiting a sprawling Michael Curley, who came on in place of Whouley in the second, before sliding the puck home for a 3-0 Coyotes lead.
With the game slipping away, the Brahmas struck back, Brandon Walsh getting a step around the defense, putting on the moves and beating Coyotes goaltender Nick Pazzia to make it 3-1 at 3:59. The Boston rally was beginning to mount until a costly icing infraction near the nine minute mark set up play in the Brahmas zone, off which the Coyotes netted their fourth of the game, this one credited to Anthony Vallerand at 9:55.
The Brahmas scored off the ensuing face-off to quickly get back within two, a Baxter Cardamone shot finding its way to the back of the net after tipping off Pazzia’s glove and going about three feet over the crossbar, but the battle had already been won. Pazzia quickly regained his composure to shut the door over the game’s final five minutes, including being perfect through a late power play opportunity for the Brahmas, and preserve the Coyotes perfect season and 4-2 victory.
