In a game where Portledge dominated puck possession and control, they found themselves down a goal early. But if there is anyone who you can ask to light a spark in a team it’s Brandon Avezov ‘20, who kept on rolling with his torrid scoring pace, tying the game up at 1-1 with under five to go in the first frame. But no one had a bigger night than defensemen Joey Sciabarra ‘21 who lit the lamp just 14 seconds later giving the Panthers the 2-1 lead. The team  didn’t stop there as Avezov ‘20 had himself another with under a minute remaining. The boys deserved their lead going into the break as they controlled all 17 minutes of play.

However, the trend of letting teams sneak back into games continued as the Raiders were able to put one past the net minder Vinny Salgado ‘19, bringing Hun within a goal. But just like that, Brandon Chabrier ‘20 dazzled us all with an absolutely gorgeous goal shorthanded to give Portledge the cushion they needed. Going into the 3rd period, up two goals, the Panthers could taste victory.

The third period opened up with a bang as Avezov ‘20 would add another hat-trick to his incredible season. When asked about the 3-goal night, Avezov told me “ Yeah, it’s always great to get on the score sheet a bunch.” He didn’t focus on himself for long as he quickly told me what the win meant for him and his teammates. I also asked head coach Pasko Skarica what the addition of Avezov meant to the squad he said, “He’s a mature player with a lot of leadership and he has a really broad skill set that contributes many different ways. But obviously scoring goals and setting ones up is a big part of it.” Just over 3 minutes later, Joey Sciabarra’s ‘21 night got just a bit better as he showed us that defensemen have hands too scoring a highlight reel goal to add to the lead. With two beautiful goals by defensemen I asked Avezov ‘20 what it’s like to have those offensive catalysts who are defensemen. He told me, “Yeah, I love that. I love when the defense is able to defend our own net and also produce offense. It’s so important and I think that’s partially why we looked so good tonight.” 31 seconds later it was Hun who came within striking distance but then Sciabarra ‘21 put the nail in the coffin as he completed the hat-trick halfway through the final period. When asked what having 3 on the night felt like, Sciabarra said, “Feels great, fun one for me but a big win for us.” Boston University commit Jeremy Wilmer ‘19 added his name to the goal list as he dangled the Hun defense for ‘Ledge’s 8th and final goal on the night.

After the dust settled and Hun added an essentially meaningless go with 58 ticks left, Portledge found themselves victorious and able to control their course as they have one more do or die game against a big group of boys from Wyoming Seminary. But before that, the Panthers will head to the big apple tomorrow and they will face off against non-league opponent Columbia Grammar for a second time this season. Hopefully a strong performance tomorrow will keep the boys on course for what they all want; that elusive MAHL Championship.