EHLER SHUTOUT GIVES MILTON FIRST TITLE SHOT IN 28 YEARS
Story by Ben Kaufmann
Photos by Liz Snider
County Courier
Goals from Cooper Goodrich and Owen Perry gave Milton a 2-0 win over Burr & Burton in Saturday’s Division II semifinal at Highgate Arena, granting the Yellowjackets the opportunity to play in a title game for the first time since 1992.
Cam Fougere set up Goodrich for a power-play strike with just seven seconds left in the first period to put the (No. 3) Yellowjackets (16-4-2) up, 1-0. The two teams held scoreless until Perry iced the cake with just a second left on the clock in the third period to ignite the celebration for Milton ahead of Wednesday’s championship tilt with (No. 1) Harwood (19-3-0) at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
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Jackson Ehler turned away 26 shots for Milton against the (No. 7) Bulldogs (13-9-1) on Saturday, playing the hero as the Yellowjackets were outshot 26-18. Ehler’s shutout ensures Milton a shot at a third-ever program championship.
Title-game memories are far from recent for Milton. Having last played for a crown in 1992, the Yellowjackets haven’t hoisted a trophy since defeating Hartford to complete an undefeated season in 1982. Milton is 2-4 all-time in championship games, with all but one of those appearances coming in the 1980’s.
The current Yellowjackets include players from BFA-Fairfax via a member-to-member agreement. The neighboring schools will take the ice this Wednesday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse – ahead of BFA-St. Albans’ Division I championship against Stowe – in hopes of hanging a hockey championship banner at Milton for the first time in nearly four decades.
For the final time before the venue gives way to a new athletic center, the puck will drop for the Division II championship at UVM’s Gutterson Fieldhouse at 6:00 PM on Wednesday between Milton and Harwood. The Yellowjackets and Highlanders met twice this season, with Harwood notching wins of 2-1 and 3-2.
