(No.3) Milton Yellow Jackets (16-4-2) defeated the (No.7) Burr & Burton Bulldogs (11-10-1) in the D-2 semifinal at the Highgate Arena. Milton will face off against Harwood in the Finals at UVM Gutterson Fieldhous on Wednesday, March 11th. Liz Snider, County Courier

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.

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