Exeter boys hockey playoff run comes to an end in D1 semifinal loss to Londonderry
MANCHESTER − The Exeter High School boys hockey team was up against quite the tall task on Wednesday night.
The No. 11 Blue Hawks entered JFK Memorial Coliseum in Manchester with a Division I semifinal showdown with No. 2 Londonderry looking to pull off another upset, but the Lancers attacked early and often to end the Blue Hawks' season, beating Exeter 6-1.
"We ran into a really good team," Exeter head coach Paul DiMarino said. "(Londonderry) played great, they made a lot of plays, they executed and they got on us early and we weren't able to recover from it. They played great, and they earned it."
The Lancers struck for two first period goals, the first coming just four minutes and 17 seconds in, off the stick of Brett McKinnon, his first of three goals. Londonderry added another goal midway through the first from Michael Maloney.
Still, DiMarino had the highest confidence in his group coming out for the second period, but unfortunately, it would continue to be all Londonderry.
"We felt like all right, let's get the next goal. We've been down before, we've been down a bunch this year, but we've always fought back," DiMarino said. "We were saying, if we get the first goal, we're right back in it."
18 seconds into the second, McKinnon scored his second goal, and then scored roughly two minutes later, as Londonderry increased the lead to 4-0.
"It was tough," DiMarino said. "I think a little bit, the kids were spent after having being down on Saturday, and fighting all the way back. Not necessarily physically, but mentally a little bit. But, it was tough, they jumped us in the beginning and we fended them off a little bit, but then they jumped us again in the second, and it's hard to bounce back from that."
Exeter responded with a goal from Brady Smith, putting the Blue Hawks within three, 4-1, but again, Londonderry would be on the attack and added two more second period goals, one each from Gavin Karoul and Owen Carey, for the final 6-1 score.
Londonderry will play No. 1 Windham on Saturday in the D I state championship game. Windham beat No. 5 Hanover in Wednesday's earlier semifinal game.
"We came out and we had plans in place that we wanted to execute, we came out and gave everything we had," Exeter senior Matt Wallace said. "They've got good players, and just couldn't get it done today."
Exeter defeated No. 6 Bow, 4-1 in the first round and then beat No. 3 Concord, 4-3 on a game-winning goal from Ryan Wallace.
"They're a good team over there, we just got outworked the whole game," Exeter's Cam Keaveney said of Wednesday's loss. "We got off to a bad start, and when you're down 4-0, you really can't do much."
The Lancers' Carey, who collected one goal and two assists, really spearheaded the constant and relentless Londonderry attack on Wednesday.
"They have two really good lines, really good lines," DiMarino said. "They're top six forwards are all very fast, they can skate, excellent on the forecheck, they all handle the puck and can shoot it."
"He's a stud," Matt Wallace said of Carey. "He's a fast player, he's got a great shot and he just elevates that team."
Exeter exceeds all expectations
DiMarino said the team never quit throughout the season.
"Not just in games, but all season, they battled," DiMarino said. "They're a great group of kids, and I enjoyed every day with them. Seeing them grow and get better as the season went on, essentially, how we finished here, and getting to a place not many people thought we could get to, all those guys inside that locker room believed we could, so hats off to them. I love this group, they're awesome."
DiMarino added that one of the cool things he's learned about high school sports is that the team that wants it more, and works harder might not win every time, but they always have a chance.
"That's what our team was," DiMarino said.
"That Concord quarterfinal win was the biggest win of my life," Keaveney said. "That made the year for me, just getting past Bow and Concord ... we never gave up."
Exeter was the lowest seed entering the D I tournament, and made it to a Final Four containing the one seed, two seed and fifth seed.
"All we needed was to get in and we could do something," DiMarino said of the team's belief. "I'm glad we did, because we did do something. We didn't quite make it to the end, but we made the most of our playoff opportunity here."
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter boys hockey playoff run comes to an end in DI semifinal loss
