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The Bedford High School hockey team begins it's first Division I season having ended their stay in Division II with three consecutive state championships and 28 straight victories. The Bulldogs will rely on players from a junior varsity program that has lost only one game in the last three years in addition to the returning members from last years state champions to build on the programs all time record of 98-37-4.
2012-2015 NHIAA Division I Semi-Finalist
Bedford opened its first division I
hockey season, on Wednesday December 17, 2014, at Sullivan Arena by
raising their third consecutive division II state championship banner.
The Bulldogs scored first in the contest on their way to recording a
4-1 victory over the Nashua North High School Titans. Two more division
wins propelled Bedford into the Bauer JFK Holiday tournament with a 3-0
record.
A
sweep of the round robin portion of the holiday tournament with wins
over Manchester Central 10-3, Goffstown 6-0, and Hanover High School 4-1
advanced the Bulldogs into the tournament final for the second consecutive
year. The victories also extended the program's longest winning streak
to 25 games since it's last defeat in a shootout to Trinity High School
in the 2013 holiday tournament final. The Bulldogs scored
first in the Monday December, 29 title game only to see the Crusaders
of Manchester Memorial even the score at 1-1 late in the second period.
Bedford created several scoring chances in the third period but
Memorial sealed the Bulldog's first loss in 365 days with an empty net
goal in the final minute of the 3-1 tournament final.
The
2015 calendar year began with a turbulent schedule caused by record
snowfall and Bedford rolling to six straight victories and a 9-0
division record. Their fortunes changed though on January 31 with the
unbeaten Salem High School Blue Devils recording a 5-2 victory over
Bedford at the Icenter in Salem. The loss ended the Bulldogs regular
season winning streak which spanned portions of three seasons and 31
games dating back to a 1-1 tie at Bow High School on February 14, 2013.
The defeat was the beginning of a four game slide that saw Bedford's
regular season mark fall to 9-4. On February 18th, with a 5-0 win over
Trinity High School, the Bulldogs began a stretch of four wins in eight
day leading up to the regular season final on Saturday February 27.
Leading Saint Thomas Aquinas 2-0 in the home final the Bulldogs
surrendered three goals in the third period dropping a 3-2 decision to
close out the regular season in 4th place with a record of 13-5. Hosting
5th seeded Manchester Memorial, on Saturday March 7th in the state
quarterfinals, Bedford recorded the opening periods only goal by Tyler
Gamble with Asa Palker and Donato Tempesta recording assists eleven
minutes into the period. The Bulldogs extended the lead to 2-0 on Senior
Brett Silva's goal at 6:06 of the second period. Memorial responded
just over a minute later at 7:45 with a Nick Burgess power play goal
cutting Bedford's lead to 2-1. The Bulldogs turned the momentum back
their way at 10:53 with Sophomore Jay Roberto taking a Jacob Rioux drop
pass and scoring on a wraparound past Memorial goaltender Brandan
McKenzie. The Bulldogs started the third period with Matt Musgrave and
Brett Veillieux combining to send Jacob Rioux in alone to score at 2:56
giving Bedford a 4-1 lead. Junior goaltender Alec Lindberg would take
over from there holding Memorial scoreless through multiple power play
opportunities over the course of the third period. Nate John added the
Bulldogs final goal from the right wing faceoff circle at 14:08 with an
assist from Asa Palker advancing Bedford to the state semifinals for the
fourth consecutive year with a 5-1 victory.
The
Wednesday March 11th division I state semi final marked Bedford's first
appearance in a playoff game at JFK coliseum since it's last playoff
loss to Merrimack High School 3-2 on March 4th 2011. The 8th seeded
Bishop Guertin Cardinals dominated the scoring in the first period with
Ryan Flynn recording the game’s first goal on an end to end rush at
8:42. Justin Pearson doubled the cardinals lead to 2-0 just 11 seconds
later from the right wing faceoff circle. Pearson recorded his second
goal on the power play at 12:42 giving Bishop Guertin a 3-0 lead at the
end of the first period. Bedford responded just 53 seconds into the
second period when Griffin Gagne converted Nate John's setup from the
slot with Asa Palker also collecting an assist. Less than three minutes
later at 3:36 the line pulled the Bulldogs within one goal with Palker
one timing the puck into the net with Gagne and John recording the
assists. Bishop Guertin stretched the lead back to 4-2 on Justin
Pearson's third goal of the game 4:46 of the final period. On the brink
of playoff elimination for the first time in four years Bedford would
take a timeout with 2:22 to play. When the Bulldogs returned to the ice
with six skaters it paid immediate dividends with Sophomore Jay Roberto
scoring off of his own rebound and Alex Abad and Asa Palker being
credited with assists. At 14:36 Roberto stunned the Cardinals scoring
again off of Asa Palker's feed from behind the net to tie the game at
4-4 and send the Bedford program into its first overtime playoff game.
As the game worked it's way toward the early morning hours of Thursday
March 12th Bedford Junior goaltender Alec Lindberg and Bishop Guertin
goaltender Alex Hall would stop every scoring chance through a scoreless
first overtime. At :56 of the second overtime Bishop Guertin's Tim
Trudel would finally interrupt the emergence of Bedford's hockey
program. Collecting a loose puck he skated it to the bottom of the
right wing faceoff circle and fired a shot just under the cross bar
giving the Cardinals a 5-4 victory and abruptly ending Bedford's 7th
varsity hockey season. Three days later Bishop Guertin recorded a one
sided 4-1 victory over Concord High School in the division I state final
at Manchester's Verizon Wireless Arena.
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| Date | Time | Opponent | Location | Goals For | Goals Against | Notes |
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| December 17, 2014 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Nashua North | St. Anselms | 4 | 1 | 1-0-0 | | December 20, 2014 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Pinkerton | St Anselms | 5 | 1 | 2-0-0 | | December 23, 2014 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Alvirne | St. Anselms | 7 | 2 | 3-0-0 | | January 3, 2015 | 6:20 PM - 8:20 PM | @ Hanover | Campion Arena | 5 | 2 | 4-0-0 | | January 7, 2015 | 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM | Trinity | St. Anselms | 3 | 0 | 5-0-0 | | January 10, 2015 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Central | St. Anselms | 6 | 1 | 6-0-0 | | January 15, 2015 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | @ Exeter | Rinks at Exeter | 3 | 1 | 7-0-0 | | January 17, 2015 | 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM | Memorial | St Anselms | 5 | 1 | 8-0-0 | | January 28, 2015 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Londonderry | St Anselms | 6 | 3 | 9-0-0 | | January 31, 2015 | 4:40 PM - 6:40 PM | @ Salem | Icenter | 2 | 5 | 9-1-0 | | February 4, 2015 | 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM | @ Pinkerton | Ice Den | 1 | 5 | 9-2-0 | | February 6, 2015 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Concord | St. Anselms | 2 | 3 | 9-3-0 | | February 16, 2015 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Bishop Guertin | St Anselms | 2 | 5 | 9-4-0 | | February 18, 2015 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | @ Trinity | St. Anselms | 5 | 0 | 10-4-0 | | February 21, 2015 | 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Bishop Brady | Everett Arena | 5 | 3 | 11-4-0 | | February 23, 2015 | 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM | @ Nashua South | Conway Arena | 8 | 0 | 12-4-0 | | February 25, 2015 | 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM | @ Londonderry | Icenter | 7 | 3 | 13-4-0 | | February 27, 2015 | 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM | Saint Thomas Aquinas | St Anselms | 2 | 3 | 13-5-0 | | March 7, 2015 | 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Memorial | St. Anselms | | | |
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