There was no question Deerfield Academy could play with some of the best teams in New England last winter.
On 12 occasions, Deerfield contests ended with just one goal separating the two sides, including games against powers Kimball Union and Salisbury, the two teams who’d meet in March for the Stuart/Corkery tournament championship.
But on 11 of those occasions, Deerfield came out on the short end. That 1-11 record in one-goal games plunged the team to a final mark of 7-18, one cemented by a loss to Westminster on the final day of the season — 3-2, of course.
“It was definitely frustrating,” said goalie Thomas Gale. “Eventually it kind of gets in your head. You try not to believe it but sometimes it’s hard not to. … One goal, one shift, one blocked shot — something goes your way and it’s a different story.”
Coach Tim McVaugh called it his team’s Achilles’ heel, its inability to make the plays it needed to turn those close games into wins.
There was something a little bit off about the whole season. With a new arena under construction, home games were moved from “The Barn” off campus to the rink at nearby Eaglebrook School.
“It was only a (short) drive,” said Gale, “but it did take a toll on us.”
This season has been different — in a number of ways. For starters, the new athletic complex is open, featuring the new Class of 1993 rink, where the team still hasn’t lost.
“It’s fantastic,” said senior captain Sean McAvoy. “It’s the same size as the old barn, but the way they designed it, it feels a lot bigger. It’s all the little features you wouldn’t expect. Just a lot of things — we have a shooting room in the corner and you wouldn’t even know it’s there.”
And the close games — they’re going the Big Green’s way. The first game at the new rink was against Northfield-Mount Hermon and saw Deerfield fall into an early 2-0 hole.
“Letting in two goals that quick, that’s not something you want to do in your first home game in your new rink,” said Gale. “But in the locker room, everyone was positive. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that we were going to come back and win the game.”
They did. After tying the game 2-2, the Big Green had to kill off more than a minute of 5-of-3 late in the third period. Right after that, senior Sasha Shogren scored on an odd-man rush, his wrist shot getting the kind of pleasant deflection that was absent a year ago.
“I just think we do not quit in games,” said McAvoy, a forward. “That’s good because we’ve been down in two or three going to the third period. But we have confidence and we’re sticking with it.”
Deerfield’s 6-2 record at the break included a 3-0 record in one-goal games, including an overtime win against defending New England champion KUA in the Flood-Marr. If there’s one tangible difference, it’s an increased emphasis on getting pucks to the net.
“Last year we tried way too much to score from the periphery,” said McVaugh. “We’ve had some highlight-reel goals, but our identity offensively is tips and screens.”
It’s an identity that Gale, watching from the other end of the ice, can embrace.
“When I played out, earlier in my career, I was a garbage-goal king,” he said. “To see them get those goals, I like it a lot. Those goals count just as much.”
At Christmas, the 6-foot Gale, a greater Montreal native, was Deerfield’s only Division 1-committed player. He plans to play juniors next year before enrolling at Dartmouth in the fall of 2020.
“My parents were big into school, not just hockey,” he said. “They stressed the (education) part of it: ‘Always push for the best schools.’ When Dartmouth called and said they were watching, I was kind of shocked.”
This is Gale’s third year at Deerfield, where he’s played heavy minutes since arriving. This past summer, he paid particular attention to nutrition and added to his time in the weight room.
“I think I’m playing very good hockey right now,” he said. “My strength, I think, is puck-handling. If I can move it up to my ‘D’ or my forwards, that’s what I’m going to do.”
“He’s kind of the rock,” said McVaugh. “We’ve had some growing pains and he’s bailed us out. I think overall we’re playing much better team defense this year, but when we’ve made mistakes, he’s come up big.”
Through eight games, it’s the team’s two other assistant captains who are leading the team in scoring with better than a point per game. Senior forward Mikey Holland has a 4-5-9 line, while junior defenseman Eamon Doheny is at 3-6-9.
On a team with 10 seniors, it’s older guys like Shogren, Noah de la Durantaye, Tomas Zourikian and Matt Miron making big contributions, too.
McVaugh, a former captain and team MVP during his playing days at Bowdoin, joined the Deerfield program as an assistant in the fall of 2008. Named the head coach in 2016, he looks to have his best edition yet.
The aim after the holidays is to keep winning games. Especially the close ones.
“All the years I’ve been at Deerfield, right after this time of year we’ll go into the second half of the season and start slow,” said McAvoy. “We can’t do that. We want to keep the momentum we gained at the Flood-Marr and take it forward.”
