AVON, Conn. — Two undefeated teams heading for a clash at the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic built up some serious hype and anticipation. And the actual game itself did nothing to disappoint.
Resurgent Loomis Chaffee and Berkshire clashed in the second game of the prestigious tournament on Thursday, and ended up going to a shootout to determine the winner. The Pelicans came into the game at an impressive 6-0, while the Bears entered at 4-0. Heading into the game, both teams joined hosts Avon Old Farms (5-0) as the lone undefeated teams in the tournament at this early juncture of the season.
This was also a big showcase game for Berkshire senior Briggs Gammill (New Canaan, Conn.), a highly regarded forward and Yale commit who is looking to rebound after an injury-shortened season. And, true to the theme of the night, he didn't disappoint, either.
Here's what we saw in Berkshire's 2-1 shootout win over Loomis:
Why Berkshire won:Â Simply, tenacity, determination and a refusal to quit. Loomis came out flying and was doing its best to push Berkshire back on its heels for much of the first period and parts of the second. But Berkshire was not to be denied, responding with equal pressure and the occasional thunderous bodycheck. Loomis was playing with confidence and Berkshire was playing guarded but not intimidated. Until the first power play of the game, caused by Berkshire defenseman Max O'Brien getting called for interference, neither team dominated the puck. But, with the man advantage, the Pelicans slowed the pace down, exhibiting good, patient puck control while generating a couple of good opportunities. Bears goalie Jed Baliotti (New Canaan, Conn.) turned aside a few good chances, but Loomis rode the momentum of the power play and after the penalty was killed, Mathieu Schneider (whose NHLPA exec and former NHLer dad was in attendance) chipped in a rebound to make it 1-0 Loomis. For most of the game, it looked like the Pelicans would hang on, but Berkshire was not to be denied, even while pushing through several penalties and tied it in thrilling fashion to force overtime and then the shootout.
Best player on the ice: Although standout Pelicans left wing Alex Krause and right wing Cody Hoban (Guilford, Conn.) generated a fair share of offense, it was the Bears' duo of Gammill and Aidan Thompson who ultimately impressed most. Not only did they both figure in on the key play (see below), they also both scored in the shootout to seal the deal, Thompson opening the shootout with a rocket past Pelicans' goalie Kyle Chauvette, Gammill putting the game away with a snipe through the five-hole on Berkshire's third attempt. Thompson's speed, tenacity and creativeness certainly stood out, becoming more evident as the game wore on.
Key play:Â It's got to be the tying goal. Gammill's thrilling goal with 3.9 seconds left forced overtime: With the clock running down, the goalie pulled and the Bears on a power play, forcing the 6-on-4, Thompson rushed the puck up the left boards on a 2-on-1 with Gammill, swung all the way behind the net, fired a shot on Chauvette that popped out to the trailing Gammill, who fired home the equalizer to push his team to 5-0.
Best battle of the night:Â The best battle featured Gammill, Thompson and the Pelicans' defense. For the most part, the Pelicans won the battle, but the duo was hard to contain for the entire night -- and when you've got that much speed and talent, eventually you're going to win out. Props go to the Pelicans defense corps for keeping pucks out of the danger zone and pushing Gammill and Thompson to the perimeter for most of the night.
Intangibles: Loomis did a very good job of reversing the flow to take off some of the pressure applied by the hard-checking Bears. Whenever the Berkshire forwards got tight with forechecking on the breakout, the Pelicans D would throw the puck back behind the net and start again, trying to control the pace. After the Bears caught on, it became less effective, but ultimately didn't end up proving costly.
Paul Grant is an editor and a writer for HockeyJournal.com and Seamans Media. He previously oversaw hockey content at ESPN.com and Sporting News. You can connect with him at pgrant@hockeyjournal.com.
