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Winning streaks come to an end in Haverill showcase

By Anthony Di Paolo, 11/15/19, 2:15AM EST

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87's look to rebound after dropping four of five games in showcase

The New Jersey 87's went a combined 1-3-1 in the latest Eastern Hockey League showcase in Haverhill, Mass. The EHL team split the showcase with one win and one loss, while the Premier team lost all three games they played, with one of them going into overtime.

 

EHL team defeats Walpole but falls to the Seahawks

On Sunday night, the 87's EHL team took on the Walpole Express with a five-game winning streak on the line. Andrew Maynard got things started with a beautiful goal at 8:06 of the first half, cutting through the defense before slipping a shot past Express goaltender Tobias Falkenstedt. Walpole responded a minute later to make it a 1-1 game, but the 87's regained the lead late in the half when Bryan Van Ness scored on a goalmouth scramble. Jon Kopack finished the night with 27 saves, including 15 in the second half to close out the 2-1 victory.

With a quick turnaround on the second and final day of the showcase, New Jersey went up against the Seahawks Hockey Club. The 87's fell behind early when Adam Jeon chopped a fluttering puck that snuck by starting goaltender Tanner Beals at 9:01 of the first half. Just over a minute later, former 87 Wyatt Hinkson wristed a seeing-eye shot from the point that went top shelf to extend the lead to 2-0. Declan Dennehy tacked on a shorthanded goal with 10 seconds remaining in the half, giving the Seahawks a 3-0 lead heading into the intermission.

Daniels Leja put the 87's on the board at 3:22 of the second half when Trevor Cear made a stretch pass from his own end. The Latvian forward on a breakaway where he tucked in a backhander past Sahawks goaltender Tristan Hadley. It was the only goal New Jersey could score, however, as Hadley made critical saves on partial breakaways from Trevor Cear and Zach Tarantino. The Seahawks walked away with the 3-1 victory and capped the 87's winning streak at six games.

 

Premier team goes 0-for-3 against the top New England teams

For the first time this season, the 87's Premier team lost consecutive games, as they went 0-2-1 in the Haverhill showcase. Two of those losses came on Sunday when they had a double-header against the Boston Jr. Rangers and New Hampshire Avalanche. 

The 87's arrived in Massachusetts around 11:00 a.m. on Sunday so the Premier team could play a noon game against the Jr. Rangers. Boston showed no signs of fatigue when they scored three goals in the first half, and four more in the second. Quinn Shepard and Johnny Malandruccolo scored two goals each while Logan Palmer stopped all 14 shots he faced. Jeremy Connor and Cameron Carmen split time in net as they both faced a barrage of shots from the Jr. Rangers' constant attack.

After getting a few hours of rest, the Premier team went back into action that night to face the New Hampshire Avalanche, the one team above the Jr. Rangers in the New England conference standings. The Avalanche pulled ahead 1-0 early in the first half, but Michael Hertzberg and Andrew Walsh scored seven minutes apart to give the 87's a 2-1 lead. It held for much of the second half until Ryan Tobeler tied the game with 1:13 left in regulation. Baxter Kimball scored 52 seconds into overtime, giving New Hampshire the extra point.

The Premier team concluded their showcase with a game against the expansion Railers Jr. Hockey Club. The Railers went on the attack early and led the first half in shots by a margin of 22-8 while leading on the scoresheet 1-0. They tacked on another goal at 17:41 of the second half, while Hugh McGuigan scored the lone 87's goal with 42 seconds left in regulation. Carmen made 33 saves on 35 shots in the losing effort, as the Premier team falls to a record of 10-3-2.

 

Upcoming games:

 

EHL

Friday Nov 15: vs. Philadelphia Jr. Flyers - 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday Nov 19: at Connecticut RoughRiders - 12:30 p.m.

 

Premier:

Saturday Nov 16: at New York Bridgemen - 5:00 p.m.