In every regular season you’ve got to have one…the game of the year. Now, in 3-2-E, it is here! Clinton at Whitesboro, tonight at the Rec. Center, 7:30PM face off. This one will be a beauty.
Clinton is experiencing a rags to riches season. Right off the bat they had a horror show going, generating only one shot on goal in their first period of the season before coming back and beating New Hartford in OT in the season debut. That’s the way things have gone for the Warriors who wear Maroon and White – come from behind. They started the 2007 part of this season 4-8, but have not lost in the 2008 calendar year. They haven’t lost in 3-2-E play since the Warriors who wear Blue and White beat the team in Maroon at the Arena in early December. I remember Clinton players skating back to the bench on line changes shaking their heads. I thought at that point that they weren’t ready for that game. They’ve been ready ever since. Lead by Boo Snyder’s 34 goals, Clinton has roared back into first place contention. Ryan Bassett has been steady in the nets of late and he’s helped by a defense that started the season as a question mark but has matured…although they still can show the bad habit of playing out of position. The biggest question mark for me is how healthy Clinton may be. In recent games Foley and Roy have been hurt, two important cogs in the machine.
As for the Warriors in Blue and White, it has been a steady ride this season. Sure, there have been bumps, no pot holes, just bumps. Whitesboro rolled to a 9-0-1 record before taking their first of only three loses so far this season. But, in their last four games, Big Blue has been 2-1-1 including a non-league loss to Rye, who is now #9 in the NYSSWA’s latest poll. They also tied Mamaronek, the #6 Division I team according to the NYSSWA poll. But after that, Whitesboro got one goal wins against the underachieving New Hartford Spartans and Hamilton. Whitesboro is not as strong putting the puck in the net, but as good as it gets in keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Whitesboro has the best defense in the league working in front of the league’s best goaltender so far, Jack Lambe.
Speaking of the NYSSWA poll, the latest rankings were released yesterday and in Division II, Whitesboro is #3 and Clinton is #8. The often mentioned USHSHO rankings, also updated yesterday, has Whitesboro #4 and Clinton #5.
OK, it’s time to step up and call this one. Tonight’s game will be the third meeting between these two this season. Whitesboro’s two wins, by one and two goals (with an empty netter) respectively, came early in the season. This is not the same Clinton team that played in those games. I see Clinton taking this one 4-3, maybe 5-3 with an empty netter.
I also have salt and pepper to season those words to my liking, because I could well be wrong.
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4 comments:
There was no empty net goal for Whitesboro in the 4-2 victory over Clinton. The fourth goal was in fact recorded with the goalie in net. Keep up the fantastic work on the blog Tom.
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