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Skippers 13 Sandwich 12

Date last updated 1:55 pm Apr 25th, 2008

Cohasset got more than it bargained for in the first round of the Chowder Cup at Scituate High on Thursday afternoon as a spirited and disciplined Sandwich team with a standout goal keeper tested the Skippers to the limit. Fortunately, Cohasset improved its record to 5-1 thanks in large measure to a tremendous save by senior goaltender, Nate Porter, with less than ten seconds remaining. With a Blue Knight attacker unmarked less than five yards off the crease, Porter gobbled up the low, hard bounce shot to ice the victory.

The Skipper offense sputtered at the beginning as they hit two posts, missed the cage high and wide, or hit the goalie in the head, chest, or stick with their shots. Sophomore Will Wise finally got Cohasset on the board after picking up a loose ball on a scramble in front. Sandwich responded with a fast break goal after a quick clear before the Skipper defense could get settled. Porter made some great saves to keep the score tied at the end of the first quarter. At the start of the second, Mike Grimm found junior Andrew Smith alone in the slot. Smith was checked hard as he shot but still managed to find the back of the net with a delayed, “slow motion” bounce shot. Sandwich ran off four unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead. Coach Stew Curran called a time-out to settle his charges down. Whatever the Coach said seemed to work. Immediately after the break, Mark Flibotte found the top corner with a bullet after a feed from Wise. Wise then passed from behind to a hard cutting Peter Ernst for a goal. Chuck Czerkowski won the ensuing faceoff cleanly and then found Wise on the crease who quickly tied the score. After a Sandwich goal on the man-up, Grimm beat the Sandwich goalie down low with an underhand shot along the ground to tie the score at halftime.

The Skippers came out energized for the second half. Flibotte scored in the first minute dodging from behind. After Jake Cuneo knocked down a Sandwich pass, Anderson Lynner scooped up the ground ball and started the fast break ending in a quick pass from Wise to Flibotte for the score. Wise next found Johnny Wade on the crease for a quick stick and a three goal Cohasset lead. But the Blue Knights would not go away and quickly answered with a goal. Grimm beat his man cleanly from behind on the Skippers next possession finding Wise alone on the crease who ripped a shot to the back of the net. Sandwich scored again with the man advantage with some nice ball movement and a quality shot from the middle.

At the start of the fourth, the Blue Knights scored again on the man-up to climb within a goal. Flibotte dodging from behind got that one back unassisted. After still another Sandwich goal, Flibotte took the ball away from his defender on the ride, raced straight to the restraining line, and buried the shot high to low. But Sandwich scored again. Grimm then found Flibotte alone on the crease with a pass from behind which Flibotte leaped in the air to grab, shoot, and score what turned out to be the game winner! Sandwich scored with less than a minute to go to make it a one goal game again, setting the stage for Porter’s late game heroics.

All American Mark Flibotte led Cohasset scorers with six goals and one assist. Will Wise added three goals and four assists in a break out game for him and Mike Grimm had one goal and three assists. Nate Porter had nine saves but none bigger than the one he made to close the game. Cohasset will meet Scituate in the Chowder Cup championship game on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m., against at Scituate High.