Big Red Boys' Hockey Kicks Off Season, Scores Eight Goals and Shuts Out Bridgton Academy

EXETER - The boys’ hockey team’s Road to Ingalls kicked off yesterday with an 8-0 demolition of Bridgton Academy. Although it was only a scrimmage, the team displayed their offensive prowess, which will surely only continue to sharpen as the boys get more practices under their belt. It will be a long journey to the playoffs and hopefully to Yale University’s Ingalls Rink, the site of this year’s championship, but this was as good of a start as the talented squad could have hoped for.“We had great chemistry considering how little we’ve gotten to practice so far,” senior goaltender Jack Parsons said. The boys hardly looked like a team playing its first game yesterday, communicating well and picking apart Bridgton’s hapless defense. Parsons split time with upper Max Barr, and both goalies looked comfortable in net, unofficially opening their seasons with 1.000 save percentages.“We have a lot of depth, and all the lines were clicking, so that’s a good sign,” senior forward Cody Rorick agreed.The score sheet featured many names, both old and new. After postgraduate David White opened the scoring early in the first, Rorick also netted his first of the season. Then the floodgates truly opened, with postgraduate Kevin Neiley and upper Stanley Brenner both scoring twice and lower Devin Moore and upper Ted Hart also grabbing a goal apiece.Unfortunately, the game was marred by an illegal hit late in the game, as a Bridgton player crashed into senior forward Kyle Alexander with just seconds left in the third period. Alexander was helped off the ice by two teammates.“It was just a kid unnecessarily taking out his frustration on one of our guys,” Rorick said. “It was a pointless, dirty play in a game that was already over. We’ll miss Kyle, but he’ll hopefully be ready to go after the break.”It may be difficult to find negatives in the way the team played after an 8-0 victory, but the team continues to look for ways to improve their game.“If I had to pick something we need to work on, I guess it would be the power play,” Parsons said. “It wasn’t as sharp as it looked in practice, but we’ll work on it and make sure it looks better this Saturday when the regular season kicks off.”With such a resounding victory, the boys are ready to play their first official game this weekend against Brewster.“We’re firing on all cylinders,” Rorick said. “Hopefully the momentum carries over to Saturday.”There seems to be an unusual buzz around the team this year, as they look to make a serious run at the New England championship after narrowly missing out on a spot in the final during the 2011-12 season, when the team fell to Nobles at the Salem Icenter (the 2012-13 squad did not qualify for the Elite Eight tournament).The 2013-14 roster features many players who were a part of the memorable ’11-’12 group, but it also has an injection of new talent from lowers to postgraduates who can all make significant contributions to the team. The final venue may have changed this season, the goal remains the same for the boys, and yesterday’s victory was the first step.“It gives us a lot of confidence going into the season,” Parsons said. “I guess word around prep hockey is that our team is supposed to be really good, and I think this [win] confirms it.”