Repeat after me – “The Boston Gold Kings are Defending Champions … The Boston Gold Kings are Defending Champions.” It’s an exercise I imagine most defending champions undertake. It’s a challenge winning it all, and even more so to repeat.
The Gold Kings started slow last year, but got themselves together come the playoffs, culminating with a sweep of top-seed Salem in the Finals. This year the Gold Kings believe strongly that they are a better team with a deeper and stronger roster. This regular season ended with the Gold Kings as the 2-seed and Salem as the 3-seed. They were separated by one point, and they split their four regular-season games, each winning once at the other’s rink. In Games 1 and 2 they split — and, you guessed it, they each one at the other’s rink. And so, on Saturday night at the JAR, Game Three of the best of three would not only determine the season series, it would send one team to the Finals. Without further adieu, I introduce you to the Defending Champion Boston Gold Kings, a 6-3 winner and still alive to repeat as champions.
In goal for the Boston Gold Kings was Evan Morelli. He started Game 2, a 5-3 win at Salem. In goal for Salem, as he was for Games 1 and 2, was Keegan McGlaughlin. Two really impressive, solid, in-control goalies, each capable of stealing a game by standing on their head. The first period saw both teams play a clean, disciplined brand of hockey, one befitting a game of such importance. Not only because of what was at stake, but because the winner has a tall task at hand in the Finals against an excellent hockey team, the 14-2 Hudson Valley Reapers. Passes were crisp, skating was purposeful, line shifts were short and precise, and neither team was out of position — except once — and that lead to the only goal of the period.
Defenseman Shawn Savela started the play by keeping an attempted clear inside the blue line. He quickly sent the puck over to Defenseman Ernie Isamatov at the left point. Isamatov, who was one of the Gold Kings best players on the ice all series long, drew too much attention from Salem, and the lack of communication left Christian Baldino open at the right faceoff circle. Isamatov fed Baldino perfectly, who took his time with no Salem player in sight, moved towards the goaltender, and when McGlaughlin went down Baldino timed it perfectly and went up, as in upstairs over his glove shoulder and neatly tucked in the net under the crossbar. A beautiful play all-around, and a 1-0 Gold Kings lead only 1:33 into the game.
Both teams opened up in a wild and whooly second period. Having difficulty generation offense in the first period, Salem changed up their strategy some in the second, and it took the Gold Kings a bit to figure it out, as in two goals 16 seconds apart in the first 1:30 of the period. Having someone get behind the Gold Kings defense and “hanging out” at the blue line waiting for a breakaway pass, Salem twice executed said pass which lead to odd number rushes at Morelli, and goals in both instances. All of the sudden, 1:28 into the period, the Sasquatch had taken a 2-1 lead. The Gold Kings adjusted, took back control of the game, and at 7:35 Brian Bilafer, camped in front of the Salem net, stuffed home a rebound into the wide open net to tie it at 2. Two minutes later, the Gold Kings regained the lead, one they would not relinquish again.
Veteran Defenseman Jon Lounsbury controlled the puck on the power play, calmly moved it to Matt Baldino at the point, who sent a low wrister towards McGlaughlin. And then, in what can only be referred to as a thing of beauty, Joey O’Leary (unofficial series MVP in my humble opinion), while camped in front of the Salem goalie, actually turned his back to the shot, turned to look over his shoulder, flashed his stick between his legs, and tipped the puck that found it’s way through the legs of McGlaughlin. Tipping pucks is an art form in and of itself, and every hockey player has had to practice it, but some perfect it, and this was perfection.
The Game Three drama had given those in attendance a game worthy of watching. At 3-2 Gold Kings to start the third, both teams returned to a more disciplined and conservative style of hockey. At the same time, penalties played a role. Gold Kings Defenseman Russ Childers was called for tripping at the 3:09 mark, but the penalty was successfully killed. The Sasquatch couldn’t say the same when Blaney was whistled off for holding at 7:29. With 21 ticks left on the power play, Spenser Smith finished off good puck movement that lead to pressure on McGlaughlin that led to rebound and a score that made it 4-2 at 9:08. With the Finals now within their reach, the Gold Kings made it 5-2 on a nifty goal by sniper Matt Baldino at 12:31.
The game all but over, the Sasquatch scored a power play goal to make it 5-3, and awarded another power play, they emptied their net in the final two minutes to give themselves a 6-on-4. Salem couldn’t capitalize though, and at 19:41 Shamus Doherty scored a lengthwise empty- netter to make the final score Gold Kings 6 and the Sasquatch 3. Evan Morelli was superb in net all night, giving the Sasquatch few openings by which to score. He gave up two odd-man-rush goals and a power play goal. Otherwise, he was a rock, and chosen as the game’s number one star.
The Hudson Valley Reapers are new to the league this season, and they came storming out of the gate, going undefeated with double-digit wins before losing two near the end of the regular season, and with first place already clinched. The Gold Kings played the Reapers close in their four regular season games, and are responsible for one of Hudson Valley’s two losses. The Gold Kings, to a man, acknowledge that Hudson Valley is a really good hockey team. And to a man, they also believe in their ability to beat the Reapers twice and repeat as champions. PPSHL rules state that the top seed can choose whether to play Game 1 at home or on the road. It was believed that the Reapers, confident that they are going to win regardless, and eager to win the title on their home ice would elect to play Game 1 at the Gold Kings.
That proved to be the case, so Game 1 will be played April 4 at 4 p.m. at the JAR. Game 2 will be Saturday, April 11 at 7 p.m. at McCann Ice Arena, the Reapers’ home rink in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Game 3, if necessary, would be Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m. again at McCann Ice Arena.
And congratulations to the Gold Kings for making it to the Finals once again in the quest for back-to-back titles … Well-earned!