Johnson, Telfer lead Bobwhites over Lakers
By JOHN BONNETTE
ST. ALBANS – Michel Telfer stopped 15 shots to freeze out the Lakers and Cam Johnson netted the lone goal early in the third period as Bellows Free Academy survived a sluggish start to get past fourth seeded Colchester 1-0 Saturday night in St. Albans.
“We did get better as we went, but our starts still need to be better to be honest,” BFA Coach Toby Ducolon said. “That was a lot like a playoff game like we are going to have in two weeks. It was high intensity, speed was good. It was a great battle and we are going to have that in two weeks so it was a great test for us.
“In the first period I thought we had all we wanted but we hung in there and we had some timely saves from Telfer. He did a nice job of putting us in a position to win a game. The second period was better and then the third period I thought we were very solid.”
After two scoreless period and with the Bobwhites best scoring chance having been 160 foot bouncing puck that almost fooled Laker netminder Kieran Phillips (17 saves), Johnson finally broke the deadlock with 12:22 left in regulation.
Aiden Savoy and Sean Beauregard did a nice job down low of pinning Colchester deep in its own zone before Savoy found Johnson open at the right point. Johnson’s low wrist shot then found its way through a screen and just inside the right post to give the Bobwhites a 1-0 lead.
“It was big for me personally because I have not scored in a little bit but definitely for the team coming in to just buy one (goal),” Johnson said. ”It was a great pass from Savoy and Bobo (Beauregard) had a screen up high. It was a good shot and it was huge to come out with the win.”
Ducolon praised his team’s quick early pressure and entire third period effort as they held the Lakers without a shot in the final fifteen minutes.
“The shift before (the goal) was good and then all of sudden that shift went out and did a nice job with puck movement and pininng them in,” Ducolon said. “Then it went low-to-high to Johnson which we were hoping for earlier but it wasn’t happening and then all of a sudden it’s a nice shot.”
“Colchester has a very good team. They have some forwards that are very good and they have a nice hockey team which we knew. That’s why when they play Essex it’s a one-goal hockey game, when they play Rice it’s a one-goal game, us it’s a one-goal game. They are very good and a much-improved team and they work very hard. You have to play very well to beat them or you don’t.
“After an average first period I thought we responded well. If you don’t come back and battle in the second and third periods you lose by two to those guys.”
But if was Telfer that kept the Bobwhites team in position to get the win, as he made some tough stops throughout the first two periods including stoning Colchester Evan Baird on a breakaway early in the second period.
Baird stripped the puck from BFA’s Ethan Audy at the Bobwhite blueline and raced in alone on Telfer before blasting a shot destined for the top corner but the Bobwhite netminder made a huge shoulder save on to keep the game scoreless.
“The game plan was for us to try and get pucks in and put pucks on the net and I thought we did a good job of that he just made some great stops,” Colchester Coach Andy Corran said. “We had a breakaway, had a couple of good opportunities it could have gone either way unfortunately we just could not put it in the net.”
Ducolon also praised up his senior netminder adding that without Telfer the Bobwhites season would be looking much different heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
“Telfer is tracking pucks well and he is just doing a spectacular job,” Ducolon said. “He is seeing pucks through traffic he is focused, he is intense and he is playing like a senior and every game he is putting us in a position to win. He is very consistent and without him it would be a tougher winter.”
The second seeded Bobwhites (13-2) now face an even tougher test Wednesday, as they head to third-seeded Essex in a battle that with a win could essentially lock up a home ice through the semifinals for BFA. The Hornets knocked off BFA at home 3-1 just two weeks ago.
“We need to rest that was a lot of work there,” Ducolon said. “We have to do some things Monday and Tuesday but nothing outrageous. We need to play very well defensively and well away from the puck on Wednesday, Essex is very good and they are solid. We will have out hands full and I think they will too.
“I think anybody in a quarterfinal this winter will be dangerous just because the league is pretty good. Whoever the bottom seeds are does not mean they are poor teams. Some years it does indicate that but this year one-through-eight is very decent so there could be some tough quarterfinals for everyone including us.”
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